A systematic review of ventilation conditions and airborne particulate matter levels in urban offices.

Many working activities are carried out in office buildings that are located in urban areas. Several studies have shown that these workplaces are likely to present poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) due to inadequate ventilation rates, compromised thermal comfort conditions, and/or high concentration of air pollutants, such as particulate matter. This study aimed to review ventilation conditions, based on carbon dioxide (CO ) concentrations, and indoor airborne particulate matter (PM and PM ) levels assessed in offices worldwide.

Airborne bacterial and fungal concentrations and fungal diversity in bedrooms of infant twins under 1 year of age living in Porto.

Exposure to airborne microorganisms has been linked to the development of health detriments, particularly in children. Microbial pollution can constitute a relevant health concern indoors, where levels of airborne microorganisms may be specially increased. This work aimed to characterize the airborne bacterial levels, and fungal concentration and diversity to which twins are exposed in their bedrooms (n = 30) during the first year of life.

Assessment of CO and aerosol (PM, PM, UFP) concentrations during the reopening of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of a metropolitan area in Central-Southern Spain.

Public health authorities have been paramount in guaranteeing that adequate fresh air ventilation is promoted in classrooms to avoid SARS-CoV-2 transmission in educational environments. In this work it was aimed to assess ventilation conditions (carbon dioxide, CO) and suspended particulate matter (PM, PM and UFP) levels in 19 classrooms - including preschool, primary and secondary education - located in the metropolitan area of Ciudad Real, Central-Southern Spain, during the school's reopening (from September 30th until October 27th, 2020) after about 7 months of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. The classrooms that presented the worst indoor environmental conditions, according to the highest peak of concentration obtained, were particularly explored to identify the possible influencing factors and respective opportunities for improvement.

Evaluation of the occurrence of pathogenic free-living amoeba and bacteria in 20 public indoor swimming pool facilities.

Recently, indoor swimming pool activities have increased to promote health-enhancing physical activities, which require establishing suitable protocols for disinfection and water quality control. Normally, the assessment of the microbial quality of the water in the pools only considers the presence of different bacteria. However, other less frequent but more resistant pathogens, such as free-living amoebas (FLA), are not contemplated in both existing recommendation and research activities.

Indoor environmental quality in households of families with infant twins under 1 year of age living in Porto.

Exposure to air pollution in early years can exacerbate the risk of noncommunicable diseases throughout childhood and the entire life course. This study aimed to assess temperature, relative humidity (RH), carbon dioxide (CO) and monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM, PM), ultrafine particles, nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O), formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOC) levels in the two rooms where infant twins spend more time at home (30 dwellings, Northern Portugal). Findings showed that, in general, the worst indoor environmental quality (IEQ) settings were found in bedrooms.

Comprehensive assessment of the indoor air quality in a chlorinated Olympic-size swimming pool.

Elite swimmers and swimming pool employees are likely to be at greater health risk due to their regular and intense exposure to air stressors in the indoor swimming pool environment. Since data on the real long-term exposure is limited, a long-term monitoring and sampling plan (22 non-consecutive days, from March to July 2017) was carried out in an indoor Olympic-size pool with a chlorine-based disinfection method to characterize indoor environments to which people involved in elite swimming and maintenance staff may be exposed to. A comprehensive set of parameters related with comfort and environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity (RH), carbon dioxide (CO) and monoxide and ultrafine particles (UFP)) were monitored both indoors and outdoors in order to determine indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratios.

Assessment of indoor air conditions in households of Portuguese families with newborn children. Implementation of the HEALS IAQ checklist.

Conducting epidemiological and risk assessment research that considers the exposome concept, as in the case of HEALS project, requires the acquisition of higher dimension data sets of an increased complexity. In this context, new methods that provide accurate and interpretable data summary on relevant environmental factors are of major importance. In this work, a questionnaire was developed to collect harmonized data on potential pollutant sources to air in the indoor environment where children spend an important part of their early life.

Assessment of the air quality in 20 public indoor swimming pools located in the Northern Region of Portugal.

Air exposures occurring in indoor swimming pools are an important public health issue due to their popularity and regular use by the general population, including vulnerable groups such as children and elderly people. More comprehensive information on indoor air quality (IAQ) in swimming pools is thus needed in order to understand health risks, establish appropriate protective limits and provide evidence-based opportunities for improvement of IAQ in these facilities. In this context, twenty public indoor swimming pools located in the Northern Region of Portugal were examined in two sampling campaigns: January-March and May-July 2018.

Predicting health risk from exposure to trihalomethanes in an Olympic-size indoor swimming pool among elite swimmers and coaches.

Disinfection by-products (DBP) such as trihalomethanes (THM) are formed when chlorine and bromine interact with natural organic materials in chlorine-treated swimming pools. Epidemiological evidence demonstrated an association between exposure to swimming pool environment and adverse health effects. Therefore, this study aimed to assess carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of long-term exposure of elite swimmers and their coaches.

Alternaria alternata allergens: Markers of exposure, phylogeny and risk of fungi-induced respiratory allergy.

Alternaria alternata spores are considered a well-known biological contaminant and a very common potent aeroallergen source that is found in environmental samples. The most intense exposure to A. alternata allergens is likely to occur outdoors; however, Alternaria and other allergenic fungi can colonize in indoor environments and thereby increase the fungal aeroallergen exposure levels.

From respiratory sensitization to food allergy: Anaphylactic reaction after ingestion of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).

We report a case of a 38-year-old mold-allergic patient who developed episodes of generalized urticaria and systemic anaphylactic shock immediately after ingesting button mushrooms. A manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and a NADP-dependent mannitol dehydrogenase (MtDH) from Agaricus bisporus mushroom were identified as patient-specific IgE-binding proteins. Cross-reactivity between A.

Characterisation of Alternaria alternata manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase, a cross-reactive allergen homologue to Asp f 6.

It is well known that Alternaria alternata presents a significant level of allergenic cross-reactivity with several other phylogenetically related and non-related allergenic moulds. To improve the molecular diagnosis, the identification and characterisation of all clinically relevant allergens, including both species-specific and cross-reacting proteins, is required. In this study we report the molecular and immunological characterisation of the A.