Aim of the Study:The complex hospital environment requires special attention to ensure a healthy indoor air quality (IAQ) to protect patients and healthcare workers against hospital-acquired infections and occupational diseases. Poor hospital IAQ may cause outbreaks of building-related illness such as headaches, fatigue, eye, and skin irritations, and other symptoms. The general objective for this study was to assess IAQ inside a large University hospital at Al-Khobar City in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.Materials and Methods:Different locations representing areas where most activities and tasks are performed were selected as sampling points for air pollutants in the selected hospital. In addition, several factors were studied to determine those that were most likely to affect the IAQ levels. The temperature and relative percent humidity of different air pollutants were measured simultaneously at each location.Results:The outdoor levels of all air pollutant levels, except volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were higher than the indoor levels which meant that the IAQ inside healthcare facilities (HCFs) were greatly affected by outdoor sources, particularly traffic. The highest levels of total suspended particulates (TSPs) and those less than 10 microns (PM10) inside the selected hospital were found at locations that are characterized with m4ore human activity.Conclusions:Levels of particulate matter (both PM10 and TSP) were higher than the Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs). The highest concentrations of the fungal species recorded were Cladosporium and Penicillium. Education of occupants of HCF on IAQ is critical. They must be informed about the sources and effects of contaminants and the proper operation of the ventilation system.

Good indoor air quality in restaurants is essential for ensuring healthy and comfortable workplace environment and protecting the health of restaurant personnel and visiting customers from exposure to harmful air pollutants. This study was aiming to assess the indoor levels of air pollution at different types of restaurants in Saudi Arabia. Forty‐four restaurants were selected in two main cities including hotels, family, and take away restaurants. At three locations inside each restaurant, levels of six air pollutants were measured three times during February to December 2015. The highest mean level ± standard deviation of PM10 (78.2 ± 40.2 µg m−3), PM2.5 (38.1 ± 17.6 µg m−3), CO (4.4 ± 2.2 ppm), CO2 (1218 ± 477 ppm), VOCs (0.4 ± 0.19 ppm), NO2 (0.3 ± 0.12 ppm), and SO2 (0.07 ± 0.01 ppm) were found in the fast‐food restaurants, followed by the family restaurants, while the lowest levels were recorded in hotel kitchens and its eating halls. The high levels of CO2 that exceeded its standard limit in both fast‐food and family restaurants reflect the inadequate ventilation rate inside such type of restaurants, which is considered one of the main causes of increasing indoor air pollution levels in their environment. Levels of PM10 and PM2.5 were exceeding their air quality guidelines (AQGs) inside the fast‐food and family restaurants while the other air pollutants were lower than their AQGs, which might be sufficiently high to cause chronic health effects of restaurant kitchen workers. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 37: 1713–1721, 2018

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Amounts and chemical components of airborne dust in urban city centers are important environmental pollution indicators. High concentrations of heavy metals in the environment result in health hazards including adverse effects on the nervous, blood forming, cardiovascular, renal and reproductive systems. The aim of the present study was to assess the heavy metals contamination of street and ambient airborne dust in two main cities in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Dust samples were collected from street environment and ambient air at different sites in the selected two cities. The metal composition of dust samples was quantitatively determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer. The average concentrations of ambient airborne dust were below the Saudi's air quality criteria of 150µg/m 3 , while the average levels of street airborne dust were exceeding the air quality standards of 150 -350 µg/m 3 . Metal concentrations in the street airborne dust were much higher than those of the ambient type. Aluminum (Al) is considered as an index of mineral dust, and during this study, values of metal/Al ratios for street airborne dust were much higher than those of the ambient type. This reflects the high contribution of man-made sources, particularly motor vehicles, in metal composition. Banning of leaded petrol helped in the general decrease of lead (Pb) concentrations in the KSA Eastern Province atmosphere.

The emission of cooking fumes becomes a serious concern due to the fast development of the restaurant business because it harms the health of restaurant workers and customers and damages the outdoor air quality. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of restaurant emissions on ambient air quality. Twenty restaurants with four different types of food cooking were selected in Dammam City, which represents a densely populated urban city in Saudi Arabia. Levels of five air pollutants were simultaneously measured in the restaurants’ chimneys and in the surrounding ambient air. The highest mean levels of CO (64.8 ± 44.3 ppm), CO2 (916.7 ± 463.4 ppm), VOCs (105.1 ± 61.3 ppm), NO2 (4.2 ± 2.4 ppm), and SO2 (8.0 ± 7.4 ppm) were recorded in chimneys of the grilling restaurants. Similarly, the highest levels of all pollutants were recorded in the areas adjacent to the grilling restaurants rather than other types.

Traffic-related air pollution abatement will remain a challenge because of increasing demand for transportation. This study was aiming to assess the effectiveness of different actions and policies in improving urban air quality. Levels of five air pollutants were simultaneously measured at three locations with different human activities for continuous six years starting from 2010 to 2015 at Dammam City in Saudi Arabia. Data of road traffic policies and administrative actions was obtained from several governmental authorities. Levels of the five pollutants were gradually reduced from year to year with different percents and trends. As for PM10 and VOCs, levels of the industrial and commercial areas were still higher than their recommended air quality guidelines (AQGs) (150 µg/m3 and 0.24 ppm respectively). The traffic management policies and administrative actions appear to be effective to produce significant decreases in traffic-related air pollution concentrations and improve the air quality of urban areas. ARTICLE HISTORY

The air pollution problem inside university campuses has different sources, including the traffic activity inside the campus, lab works and the transportation of air pollutants from the surrounding areas and activities. The aim of this study is to assess levels of air pollutants at different areas inside the campus of University of Dammam (UD). Different air pollutants were measured including PM 10 , CO 2 , CO, SO 2 , NO 2 , O 3 and VOCs. At the same time, the atmospheric temperature and relative humidity were recorded. Levels of the selected air pollutants were measured at two different durations of the day (early morning and late afternoon) during the studying and holiday periods of the academic year 2011 -2012. Levels of all pollutants during the morning rush hours of the studying periods were higher than those during the other periods (holidays and afternoon periods).In addition, the highest levels of air pollutants were found at the main gate and administration building that are characterized by high traffic movement compared with the other sites inside the UD campus. These results indicated that the main source of air pollution inside UD campus is the traffic activity. The mean levels of PM 10 at most selected sites were higher than the recommended air quality guidelines.

Objective Worldwide, dentistry is known as a high-level occupational hazard profession. Dental staff is usually exposed to several types of hazards which include chemical agents, physical, psychological stress, and workplace violence, biological and ergonomics. The objectives of this paper were to assess levels of occupational hazards and evaluate safety practices at dental clinics. Materials and Methods At several dental clinics, levels of noise, lighting, and radiation were measured by recommended instruments and the safety practice was evaluated using a validated and reliable questionnaire (during 3 months of 2020). Results The mean levels of noise ranged between 46.3 and 67.2 dB, while the noise dose percent (noise exposure level) ranged between 60.7 and 77.6 dB. The mean levels of lighting ranged from 236.3 lux in the X-ray room to 1,080.3 lux in the dental laboratory. The mean levels of radiation ranged from 7.8 to 12.1 µrem. The mean levels of the three physical hazards were lower than their permissible levels at all locations. Conclusion Levels of noise in dental clinic were affected by the change in the work activities, while this factor has no effect on the levels of lighting and radiation except for certain processes. The demographic variables such as gender, specialization, and the average number of patients showed a significant association with physical hazards, safety practices, while there was no significant association with radiation protection.