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Direct and Indirect Impact on Occupational Health in Buildings Exposed...
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Direct and Indirect Impact on Occupational Health in Buildings Exposed to Anthropogenic Hazards

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Occupational Safety and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2023) | Viewed by 8586

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wioletta Rogula-Kozłowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. The Main School of Fire Service, Faculty of Fire Safety Engineering, 52/54 Słowackiego St., 01-629 Warsaw, Poland
2. Institute of Environmental Engineering of Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Air Protection, 24 Curie-Skłodowskiej St. 41-819 Zabrze, Poland
Interests: aerosol chemistry and physics; particulate matter; air pollution modeling; exposure assessment; risk analysis; environmental statistics; indoor air quality; PM and fires; fire safety engineering; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; toxic elements
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Adam Krasuski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Safety Engineering, The Main School of Fire Service, 52/54 Słowackiego St., 01-629 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: fire risk assessment; stochastic simulations; fire and evacuation modeling; decision support systems; data mining
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pollution of the air, water and soil by various anthropogenic sources attracts a number of researchers. However, the direct and indirect impacts of anthropogenic hazards inside buildings are rather rare in scientific agendas, especially for buildings where there is no technological process which may directly release toxic or explosive substances. As an example, these types of buildings can serve as large logistic centers, with high storage capacity facilitated by multilevel mezzanines. These complex structures with noise, biohazards imposed by crowds and potential collisions with conveyors or mobile robots challenge engineers in many domains. Air quality and fire and noise protection are primary problems. There are also other buildings potentially free of industrial hazards but still poorly recognized. Sport activity buildings, fire stations, lecture halls or even plain offices with poor air circulation are examples. Within this Special Issue, we would like to address this gap in research. We are interested in direct industrial hazards generated on people in various types of occupancy buildings. We are especially interested in fire safety and indoor air quality shaped by both atmospheric pollutants and indoor activities.

Dr. Wioletta Rogula-Kozłowska
Dr. Adam Krasuski
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • anthropogenic hazards
  • fire safety
  • particles
  • particulate matter
  • indoor air quality (IAQ)
  • I/O
  • persistent organic pollutants
  • elemental and organic carbon
  • soot
  • CO2
  • toxic metals

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3949 KiB  
Article
Spatial and Temporal Volatility of PM2.5, PM10 and PM10-Bound B[a]P Concentrations and Assessment of the Exposure of the Population of Silesia in 2018–2021
by Dorota Kaleta and Barbara Kozielska
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010138 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1849
Abstract
Air pollution both indoors and outdoors is a major cause of various diseases and premature deaths. Negative health effects are more frequently observed in a number of European countries characterized by significant pollution. In Poland, especially in Upper Silesia, the most serious problem [...] Read more.
Air pollution both indoors and outdoors is a major cause of various diseases and premature deaths. Negative health effects are more frequently observed in a number of European countries characterized by significant pollution. In Poland, especially in Upper Silesia, the most serious problem is the high concentration of particulate matter (PM) and PM10-bound benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). The main source of these two pollutants is so-called “low emissions” associated with the burning of solid fuels mainly in domestic boilers and liquid fuels in road traffic. This study examined the variability in the PM and PM10-bound B[a]P concentrations and their relationships with meteorological parameters, i.e., atmospheric pressure, air temperature and wind speed, in 2018–2021 at 11 monitoring stations. In many Silesian cities, the average annual concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and B[a]P were much higher than those recorded in other European countries. At each station, the average daily PM10 concentrations were exceeded on 12 to 126 days a year. Taking into account the WHO recommendation for PM2.5, the highest recorded average daily concentration exceeded the permissible level by almost 40 times. The same relationships were observed in all measurement years: PM10 concentrations were negatively correlated with air temperature (R = −0.386) and wind speed (R = −0.614). The highest concentrations were observed in the temperature range from −15 °C to −5 °C, when the wind speed did not exceed 0.5 m·s−1. The calculated lifetime cancer risk (LCR) associated with the exposure to B[a]P in the Silesian Voivodeship suggested 30–429 cases per 1 million people in the heating season depending on the scenario used for the calculations (IRIS, EPA or WHO). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Direct and Indirect Impact on Occupational Health in Buildings Exposed to Anthropogenic Hazards)
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16 pages, 1801 KiB  
Article
The Comprehensive Health Risk Assessment of Polish Smelters with Ecotoxicological Studies
by Magdalena Wróbel, Agnieszka Trzyna, Farhad Zeynalli and Justyna Rybak
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12634; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912634 - 3 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1622
Abstract
Air pollution connected to smelter activity can significantly deteriorate the quality of soil due to the precipitation of rain or simple deposition of the air particulates into the ground. Hence, in this study, we focused on the analysis of the soil which can [...] Read more.
Air pollution connected to smelter activity can significantly deteriorate the quality of soil due to the precipitation of rain or simple deposition of the air particulates into the ground. Hence, in this study, we focused on the analysis of the soil which can inform us about the general state of the environment in the area and the possible health hazard for humans. If the top layer of the soil is in bad condition, it can indicate that air pollution in the area is also not in good condition, and the lives of the inhabitants of these areas can be at serious risk. To comprehensively identify the level of contamination in the soils from the areas of Polish smelters, studies of the concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the soil were conducted. On the basis of the obtained results, health risk assessment was performed to verify the possible influence on human health. The results showed that the non-carcinogenic risk existed only for Oława, while the possibility of the carcinogenic risk occurred in all of the studied places. The outcome is very disturbing and certain steps must be undertaken in order to protect the lives of the inhabitants. Additionally, in order to assess the suitability of soils for the cultivation of edible plants, phytotoxicity tests were conducted. The obtained results revealed that in all the studied areas, a visible inhibition of roots and shoots can be observed. The conducted study indicated the most polluted regions and the possible health hazard, and it can provide the general information about the impact of smelters on the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Direct and Indirect Impact on Occupational Health in Buildings Exposed to Anthropogenic Hazards)
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26 pages, 2154 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Natural Radioactivity in Cements Used as Building Materials in Poland
by Sylwia Lewicka, Barbara Piotrowska, Aneta Łukaszek-Chmielewska and Tomasz Drzymała
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11695; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811695 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2831
Abstract
It has been analyzed in this article the radioactivity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and radiological hazard parameters in different types of cements commonly used in Poland and available on the Polish market. The radiological hazard parameters are, in particular, [...] Read more.
It has been analyzed in this article the radioactivity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and radiological hazard parameters in different types of cements commonly used in Poland and available on the Polish market. The radiological hazard parameters are, in particular, absorbed gamma dose rate, annual effective dose, radium equivalent activity, the external hazard index, and the gamma and alpha indices. The radionuclide activities of the most important radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, 40K have been determined by gamma-ray spectrometry with the use of two kinds of spectrometers of different operational parameters. One performed also measurements on 30-day and 45-day aged samples as to verify if there is a statistically significant difference in radioactivity concentration for shorter and longer aging time. The radioactivity concentrations in the cement samples ranged from 21.7–75.7 Bq·kg−1 for 226Ra, 12.3–47.3 Bq·kg−1 for 232Th to 123–430 Bq·kg−1 for 40K. The radiological parameters in cement samples were calculated as follows: mean radium equivalent activity Raeq = 127 Bq·kg−1, mean absorbed gamma dose rate D = 115 nGy·h−1, mean annual effective dose E = 570 µSv·y−1, external hazard index Hex = 0.32, internal hazard index Hin = 0.51, mean activity concentration index Iγ = 0.47 and mean alpha index Iα = 0.28. The results were compared with the reported data from other countries and the international standard values given by European Commission (EC) and United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR 2000). Finally, thorough statistical analysis has been performed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Direct and Indirect Impact on Occupational Health in Buildings Exposed to Anthropogenic Hazards)
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18 pages, 2503 KiB  
Article
Particulate Matter Concentration in Selected Facilities as an Indicator of Exposure to Their Service Activities
by Patrycja Rogula-Kopiec, Wioletta Rogula-Kozłowska and Grzegorz Majewski
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10289; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610289 - 18 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1427
Abstract
In recent years, the correlation between the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere and inside buildings has been reported as high. The air inside living quarters and public utility buildings or the interiors of public transport vehicles, as well as the relationship between [...] Read more.
In recent years, the correlation between the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere and inside buildings has been reported as high. The air inside living quarters and public utility buildings or the interiors of public transport vehicles, as well as the relationship between the internal and external sources of particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants, have underwent sufficient research. On the other hand, non-production rooms, i.e., offices, restaurants, beauty salons, etc. remain very poorly recognized in this respect. For the above reasons, the aim of this work is to determine the difference in the total dust (TSP) and respirable PM (PM4) concentrations in selected rooms, i.e., offices and beauty centers, in relation to their outdoor concentrations. They were measured at six locations in accordance with the standard for the conditions at workplaces by means of PM aspirators. Indoor concentrations of TSP and PM4 were much higher than those in the external surroundings of the facilities. There were no significant relationships between the TSP and PM4 concentrations inside and outside tested rooms. Although the characteristic of the internal PM essentially depends on the characteristics of the external PM migrating to the interior of the premises, considering some types of non-production premises, internal emissions fundamentally changed the characteristics of PM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Direct and Indirect Impact on Occupational Health in Buildings Exposed to Anthropogenic Hazards)
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