INDOOR AIR QUALITY OF OFFICE BUILDINGS IN IDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

Abstract

Measurement of air quality in the places where people are used to spend a large amount of their time is essential. Hazardous substances emitted by anthropogenic activities, building construction materials, indoor equipment or heating & cooling system may lead to broad range of health problems. Therefore, it is vital to investigate the quality of the indoor workplace environment. Due to extreme environmental conditions in Qatar, people have to spend most of their time inside whether children in schools, adults in offices, malls or at home. These accumulative effects have added a concern that air quality of indoor atmosphere should be monitored, analyzed, and reported properly. Seventeen parameters including temperature, relative humidity (RH), ozone (O3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), hydrochloride (HCl), ethylene oxide (EtO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), fluorine (F2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), total volatile organic carbon (TVOC), oxygen (O2), ammonia (NH3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), chlorine (Cl2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) were measured at eleven locations inside industrial complex buildings in Mesaieed City, Qatar using GRAYWOLF indoor air quality monitoring pack. Monitoring duration lasted for eight hours during June-August 2017. Keeping the above-mentioned factors in view, all of the eleven locations have been evaluated based on different international standards such as OSHA and ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers). Accordingly, the indoor air quality of 11 locations were categorized as acceptable and not acceptable as per permissible limits defined for each parameter. Eight parameters, RH, temperature, CO2, SO2, EtO, H2S, TVOCs, O2 were detected.at acceptable levels except two locations i.e. for Room 6 -Control Room Main Building (office 110 CBGF) and Room 8- Laboratory 2 where Mean temperature in Room 6 & 8 is above the upper extreme of the permissible range as recommended by OSHA (CFR 29) i.e.20oC-27oC. However, in rest of rooms it was within the prescribed range. CO2, SO2, EtO, H2S, TVOCs and O2 concentration in all the office rooms is below the lower extreme of the permissible range as recommended by OSHA (CFR 29). However, CO, NO2, NO, Cl2, HCH, NH3, F2, O3 and HCl were non-existent in all the rooms because of their concentrations being below the limit of the instrument used. Overall, this study highlighted that the air quality in most of the rooms is considered to be healthy and the parameters monitored during IAQ survey were within the ASHRAE and OSHA CFR29 limits. This study can be used as a baseline for any future detailed IAQ investigation in Qatar.