Indoor air quality in a residential facility for the elderly and its effects on the health of workers and users review

Introduction: Indoor Air Quality assessments present a very significant challenge, particularly when the analyses are carried out in buildings that include an environment that is particularly sensitive and vulnerable to the elderly population. Objective: To assess the indoor air quality of a Residential Structure for the Elderly (RSEI) and relate it to the adverse effects on the health of its occupants. Methods: The study site was an RSE located in Portugal. Air quality was assessed by measuring the environmental parameters formaldehyde (CH2O), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, PM0,5, PM1,0, PM2,5, PM5,0, PM10, PMTotals, ultrafine particles, meteorological variables temperature, and relative humidity inside and outdoor space of the RSE. Results: Through the analysis of the results, it was observed that the temperature was the only parameter that presented higher values outside compared to inside the institution. This is because the measurements were carried out during spring, with days of intense heat. In addition, temperature and CH2O were the only parameters that registered higher values in the afternoon compared to the morning. In this study, the most prevalent symptoms among occupants were headaches, followed by itching, burning, irritation in the eyes, and sneezing. Conclusion: The air quality and thermal comfort of most of the rooms studied were reasonable, but the CH2O concentration may indicate the possibility of carrying out corrective interventions, such as reducing the emitting sources and increasing ventilation.