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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Assessments of Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) present a very significant challenge
when analyses are undertaken mainly in buildings that include a particularly sensitive and
vulnerable population, such as elderly people. In order to maintain an indoor environment that is
adequate for occupants, it is necessary to comply with a set of requirements (for TVOC, the
Portuguese threshold values) regarding concentrations of airborne pollutants and hygrothermal
comfort conditions. This paper studies IEQ in compartments in 3 buildings in two cities in central
Portugal, Viseu and Covilhã, which hold elderly care centers. The following environmental
parameters were continuously recorded: air temperature, relative humidity, concentration of carbon
dioxide, formaldehyde, and total volatile organic compounds and ventilation rates. An analysis of
the obtained results was performed, taking recommended guidelines and threshold values into
account, thus making it possible to evaluate the IEQ conditions and hygrothermal comfort in the
selected indoor spaces. On the basis of the conclusions reached and the observed problems of
hygrothermal comfort and indoor pollutants in the indoor spaces, a number of recommendations
are proposed, specifically in terms of climate control, ventilation, and maintenance, in order to
obtain an overall improvement of IEQ.
Description
Keywords
Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Elderly Care Centers (ECC)
Citation
Pinto, M.; Lanzinha, J.; Viegas, J.; Infante, C.; Freire, T. Quality of the Indoor Environment in Elderly Care Centers in Two Cities in Central Portugal: Viseu and Covilhã. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 3801.
Publisher
MDPI