Acute exposure to diesel affects inflammation and vascular function.

Background: Diesel exhaust fumes represent one of the most common toxic pollutants. The prolonged effects of acute exposure to this pollutant on inflammatory status and vascular properties are unknown.

Methods: During a 2-h session, 40 healthy subjects were exposed to diesel exhaust fumes and/or filtered air.

Indoor Air Quality Evaluation Using Mechanical Ventilation and Portable Air Purifiers in an Academic Dentistry Clinic during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is mainly transmitted through droplets without overlooking other sources of transmission, rendered attention on the air quality in indoor areas and more specifically in healthcare settings. The improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ) is ensured by frequent changes of the air that must be carried out in healthcare areas and with assistance from special devices that undertake the filtration of the air and its purification through special filters and lamps. In this research, the performance of air purifiers is assessed in terms of the limitation of PM, PM, VOCs and CO in a postgraduate clinic of the Dentistry School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in parallel with mechanical ventilation.

The association of air pollutants exposure with subclinical inflammation and carotid atherosclerosis.

Background: Air pollution is a well-described environmental factor with evidence suggesting a firm association with cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of exposure to gaseous air pollutants on atherosclerosis burden.

Methods: 1955 inhabitants of the Corinthia region, aged 40 years or older, underwent clinical and biochemical assessment as well as carotid ultrasonography to evaluate carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and plaque burden.

Impact of a green roof system on indoor fungal aerosol in a primary school in Greece.

A primary school was investigated for airborne fungi by a culture-based method, in classrooms underneath a green roof in comparison to conventional concrete roofs. A portable Burkard sampler was used for the collection of air samples onto petri dishes with 2% Malt Extract Agar. The fungal aerosol mean concentration was 71 CFU m (range 17-176 CFU m, median 51) in the classroom directly under the green roof, significantly lower than 192-228 CFU m (range 0-1090 CFU m, median 69) under the concrete roofs and 188-412 CFU m (range 0-2183 CFU m, median 771) in ground floor classrooms.

Hierarchically Porous Cu-, Co-, and Mn-Doped Platelet-Like ZnO Nanostructures and Their Photocatalytic Performance for Indoor Air Quality Control.

Several parameters, including specific surface area, morphology, crystal size, and dopant concentration, play a significant role in improving the photocatalytic performance of ZnO. However, it is still unclear which of these parameters play a significant role in enhancing the photocatalytic activity. Herein, undoped and Mn-, Co-, and Cu-doped platelet-like zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were synthesized via a facile microwave synthetic route, and their ultraviolet (UV) and visible-light-induced photocatalytic activities, by monitoring the gaseous acetaldehyde (CHCHO) degradation, were systematically investigated.

Assessing personal exposure to PM using data from an integrated indoor-outdoor experiment in Athens-Greece.

An integrated indoor-outdoor 15-day PM sampling campaign in a general area close to the centre of Athens, targeted to examine personal exposure. All microenvironments (MEs) (second and fourth floor flats, cafes, cars, restaurants, underground metro, outdoor etc.) frequented by the residents were included in the study.

On the determination of the thermal comfort conditions of a metropolitan city underground railway.

Although the indoor thermal comfort concept has received increasing research attention, the vast majority of published work has been focused on the building environment, such as offices, residential and non-residential buildings. The present study aims to investigate the thermal comfort conditions in the unique and complex underground railway environment. Field measurements of air temperature, air humidity, air velocity, globe temperature and the number of passengers were conducted in the modern underground railway of Athens, Greece.

A holistic approach for the assessment of the indoor environmental quality, student productivity, and energy consumption in primary schools.

The perception of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) through questionnaires in conjunction with in-field measurements related to the indoor air quality (IAQ), the thermal comfort and the lighting environment were studied in nine naturally ventilated schools of Athens, Greece. Cluster analysis was carried out in order to determine the ranges of indoor air pollutants, temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), and ventilation rates at which the students were satisfied with the indoor environment. It was found that increased levels of particulate matter did not have a negative effect on students' perception while students seemed to link the degradation of IAQ with temperature variations.

An integrated evaluation study of the ventilation rate, the exposure and the indoor air quality in naturally ventilated classrooms in the Mediterranean region during spring.

Ventilation rates and indoor air pollutants have been extensively monitored in nine naturally ventilated primary schools of Athens, Greece during spring. The ventilation rates and pollutant levels were studied during the teaching and non-teaching periods and ventilation profiles were created for each of the schools. The median ventilation rates per school ranged between 0.

Indoor air quality in a metropolitan area metro using fuzzy logic assessment system.

According to past experience, the concentration of air pollutants indoor varies significantly in different environmental conditions. The present study focuses on the investigation of the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the underground trains in Athens, Greece. The investigation was performed in both major lines of the ATTIKO METRO.