Air quality in indoor go-kart facilities in Germany.

Indoor go-kart driving and viewing is enjoyed by people of all ages. However, it may pose health hazards, especially for children, pregnant women, cardiovascular patients, and elderly individuals. Depending on the race length, for example, high concentrations of various contaminants may result in severe health problems.

Physicochemical characterization of aerosol particles emitted by electrical appliances.

Adverse health effects of airborne particulate matter depend on parameters like particle size, particle surface and chemical composition. Major emission of indoor particles is caused by combustion processes like tobacco smoking and cooking. Nevertheless, the use of household electrical appliances, such as vacuum cleaners, flat irons or hair dryers, can produce particles as well.

[Electronic Shiazo waterpipes: a new source of indoor air pollutants].

Background: For some time, a new form of waterpipe smoking has been advertised, where steam stones moistened with aroma fluids (Shiazo) are heated electronically. Since there is no combustion of tobacco, it is often assumed that the produced vapor is not harmful to health. To clarify this issue, we performed a comprehensive inner and outer exposure assessment during the use of an electronic Shiazo waterpipe.

Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) impairs indoor air quality and increases FeNO levels of e-cigarette consumers.

Despite the recent popularity of e-cigarettes, to date only limited data is available on their safety for both users and secondhand smokers. The present study reports a comprehensive inner and outer exposure assessment of e-cigarette emissions in terms of particulate matter (PM), particle number concentrations (PNC), volatile organic compounds (VOC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), carbonyls, and metals. In six vaping sessions nine volunteers consumed e-cigarettes with and without nicotine in a thoroughly ventilated room for two hours.

Effect of classroom air quality on students' concentration: results of a cluster-randomized cross-over experimental study.

Unlabelled: To assess the effect of indoor air quality as indicated by the median carbon dioxide (CO₂) level in the classroom on the concentration performance (CP) of students, a cross-over cluster-randomized experimental study was conducted in 20 classrooms with mechanical ventilation systems. Test conditions 'worse' (median CO₂ level on average 2115 ppm) and 'better' (median CO₂ level on average 1045 ppm) were established by the regulation of the mechanical ventilation system on two days in one week each in every classroom. Concentration performance was quantified in students of grade three and four by the use of the d2-test and its primary parameter 'CP' and secondary parameters 'total number of characters processed' (TN) and 'total number of errors' (TE).