Design of a Monitor for Harmful Gases in Hospital Environments

Indoor environmental quality, including thermal, acoustic, light and respirable air parameters, is critical to public health. Many people conduct more than 80% of their daily activities in indoor spaces, such as offices, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities. Air quality integrity is a determining factor for both safety and physiological well-being. In hospital environments, environmental pollutants emanate from medical procedures, inherent materials, equipment, and often inadequate ventilation infrastructures. Judicious air quality control in these places is essential to avoid immediate conditions such as eye irritation and fatigue and mitigate the long-term onset of respiratory diseases and neoplastic pathologies. Implementing rigorous surveillance systems and effective pollution reduction protocols is fundamental to safeguarding a healthy environment that promotes recovery and care delivery. This paper presents a monitor's design and conceptual model for carbon dioxide, particulate matter, temperature, and ambient humidity. In this case, the monitor's design and functional requirements and the sensors' sensitivities are established, considering the regulations that establish the limit values in closed environments. This conceptual model is susceptible to implementation, laboratory adjustments, and potential use as an air quality monitor in hospital environments.