Exposure to particulate matter in a mosque

Abstract

a b s t r a c tIndoor air quality in mosques during prayers may be of concern for sensitive/susceptible sub-groups of the population. However, no indoor air pollutant levels of potentially toxic agents in mosques have been reported in the literature. This study measured PM concentrations in a mosque on Friday when the mid-day prayer always receives high attendance. Particle number and CO 2 concentrations were measured on nine sampling days in three different campaigns before, during, and after prayer under three different cleaning schedules: vacuuming a week before, a day before, and on the morning of the prayer. In addition, daily PM 2.5 concentrations were measured. Number concentrations in 0.5e1.0, 1.0e5.0, and > 5.0 mm diameter size ranges were monitored. In all campaigns the maximum number concentrations were observed on the most crowded days. The lowest number concentrations occurred when vacuuming was performed a day before the prayer day in two of the three size ranges considered. PM 2.5 concentrations (four-hour samples that integrated before, during, and after the prayer) were comparable to the other indoor environments reported in the literature. CO 2 concentrations suggested that ventilation was not sufficient in the mosque during the prayers. The results showed that better ventilation, a preventive cleaning strategy, and a more detailed study are needed.

Indoor air quality in a restaurant kitchen using margarine for deep-frying

“…PM concentrations, on the other hand, were increased during frying to considerably high levels for both PM 2.5 and PM 10 . These levels were higher than those we previously measured (maximum concentration of 122 μg/m 3 , 4-h average) in a mosque and in university research laboratories (Ocak et al 2012;Ugranli et al 2015). The measured 4-h average PM 2.5 concentrations (range 76-249 μg/m 3 ) were within the range of those measured in homes and restaurants (12-1406 μg/m 3 ) reported in a review by Abdullahi et al (2013), but much lower than those measured in barbeque restaurants in Hong Kong with an average of 1167 μg/m 3 (Lee et al 2001), and Australian house kitchens with a median level of 745 μg/m 3 (He et al 2004).…”

Spatio-Temporal Variations of Indoor Bioaerosols in Different Socio-Economic Zones of an Urban Metropolis

“…Outdoor bioaerosols enter the indoor environment through a range of avenues such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, doors, windows, cracks in the walls, adhering to objects or human bodies, and drinking water systems [8,22,23]. The microbial community of outdoor air varies with the location, land use pattern, presence of open sewage and solid waste management [4,24].…”

Thermal Comfort and its Relation to Ventilation Approaches in Non-Air-Conditioned Mosque Buildings

“…Hence, the indoor environment of mosques must be kept as comfortable as possible. IAQ and thermal comfort in public buildings, especially in mosques, may be a concern for tranquility, particularly during prayer times which always receive high attendance; thus, good IAQ is necessary [11]. Poor IAQ could have detrimental health effects on building occupants, such as respiratory and cardiopulmonary pathologies and asthma.…”