Indoor hygrothermal conditions and quality of life in social housing: A comparison between two neighbourhoods

Ramos, Nuno M. M.; Almeida, Ricardo M. S. F.; Simões, M. Lurdes; Delgado, J. M. P. Q.; Pereira, Pedro F.; Curado, António; Soares, Sara; Fraga, Sílvia

doi:10.1016/j.scs.2017.12.016

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…There are numerous studies on indoor quality and sick building syndromes, especially in cold countries [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ], but studies in temperate areas of Southern Europe are limited, with some studies in operational housing conditions [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. Studies of the indoor air quality in homes during the COVID 19 lockdown are also limited, although some studies point to household cleaning products as a particularly relevant source of indoor pollution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bad Air Can Also Kill: Residential Indoor Air Quality and Pollutant Exposure Risk during the COVID-19 Crisis

Domínguez-Amarillo

Fernández-Agüera

Cesteros-García

et al. 2020

IJERPH

107

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During the first outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic the population, focusing primarily on the risk of infection, was generally inattentive to the quality of indoor air. Spain, and the city of Madrid in particular, were among the world’s coronavirus hotspots. The country’s entire population was subject to a 24/7 lockdown for 45 days. This paper describes a comparative longitudinal survey of air quality in four types of housing in the city of Madrid before and during lockdown. The paper analysed indoor temperatures and variations in CO2, 2.5 μm particulate matter (PM2.5) and total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentrations before and during lockdown. The mean daily outdoor PM2.5 concentration declined from 11.04 µg/m3 before to 7.10 µg/m3 during lockdown. Before lockdown the NO2 concentration values scored as ‘very good’ 46% of the time, compared to 90.9% during that period. Although the city’s outdoor air quality improved, during lockdown the population’s exposure to indoor pollutants was generally more acute and prolonged. Due primarily to concern over domestic energy savings, the lack of suitable ventilation and more intensive use of cleaning products and disinfectants during the covid-19 crisis, indoor pollutant levels were typically higher than compatible with healthy environments. Mean daily PM2.5 concentration rose by approximately 12% and mean TVOC concentration by 37% to 559%. The paper also puts forward a series of recommendations to improve indoor domestic environments in future pandemics and spells out urgent action to be taken around indoor air quality (IAQ) in the event of total or partial quarantining to protect residents from respiratory ailments and concomitantly enhanced susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, as identified by international medical research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bad Air Can Also Kill: Residential Indoor Air Quality and Pollutant Exposure Risk during the COVID-19 Crisis

Domínguez-Amarillo

Fernández-Agüera

Cesteros-García

et al. 2020

IJERPH

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Health relevant features of built and social environments include the availability of green space and healthy foods [9,10], social capital and violence [11][12][13]; and housing and household-related factors such as overcrowding [14], thermal comfort [15,16] or dampness and mold [17]. Strong evidence has shown the impact of these environments on specific health behaviors and outcomes such as physical activity, diet and obesity [18][19][20], respiratory health [16,21], and general physical and mental health [6,16,21], among others.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Regeneración Urbana, Calidad de Vida y Salud - RUCAS project: a Chilean multi-methods study to evaluate the impact of urban regeneration on resident health and wellbeing

et al. 2021

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Background The available evidence of the health effects of urban regeneration is scarce In Latin America, and there are no studies focused on formal housing that longitudinally evaluate the impact of housing and neighborhood interventions on health. The “Regeneración Urbana, Calidad de Vida y Salud” (Urban Regeneration, Quality of Life, and Health) or RUCAS project is a longitudinal, multi-method study that will evaluate the impact of an intervention focused on dwellings, built environment and community on the health and wellbeing of the population in two social housing neighborhoods in Chile. Methods RUCAS consists of a longitudinal study where inhabitants exposed and unexposed to the intervention will be compared over time within the study neighborhoods (cohorts), capitalizing on interventions as a natural experiment. Researchers have developed a specific conceptual framework and identified potential causal mechanisms. Proximal and more distal intervention effects will be measured with five instruments, implemented pre- and post-interventions between 2018 and 2021: a household survey, an observation tool to evaluate dwelling conditions, hygrochrons for measuring temperature and humidity inside dwellings, systematic observation of recreational areas, and qualitative interviews. Survey baseline data (956 households, 3130 individuals) is presented to describe sociodemographics, housing and health characteristics of both cohorts, noting that neighborhoods studied show worse conditions than the Chilean population. Discussion RUCAS’ design allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the effects that the intervention could have on various dimensions of health and health determinants. RUCAS will face some challenges, like changes in the intervention process due to adjustments of the master plan, exogenous factors –including COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns– and lost to follow-up. Given the stepped wedge design, that the study capitalizes on within household changes over time, the possibility of adjusting data collection process and complementarity of methods, RUCAS has the flexibility to adapt to these circumstances. Also, RUCAS’ outreach and retention strategy has led to high retention rates. RUCAS will provide evidence to inform regeneration processes, highlighting the need to consider potential health effects of regeneration in designing such interventions and, more broadly, health as a key priority in urban and housing policies.

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“…Additionally, thermal comfort can be assessed by temperature and humidity parameters, which are also indicators of an adequate indoor environment, which is dependent of the hygrothermal conditions [9]. In this sense, poor hygrothermal conditions lead to the occurrence of anomalies on the building level such as dampness and mould, with obvious negative health consequences for the occupants [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of In Situ Characterisation for the Mitigation of Poor Indoor Environmental Conditions in Social Housing

et al. 2021

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The energy efficiency improvements in existing buildings have become priority concerns of the European Union to encourage energy efficiency amongst residents and buildings as well as facility managers. The characterisation of the building stock plays an important role in the definition of energy renovation strategies. In Portugal, there are over 120,000 social housing flats. This paper focused on the holistic characterisation of a social housing neighbourhood concerning the “in situ” assessment of the indoor environmental conditions and thermal comfort over one year as well as air permeability tests of the flats and evaluation of the energy consumption. The hygrothermal monitoring campaign was carried out using thermo-hygrometer sensors to record the indoor air temperature and relative humidity of a large number of flats over a 12-month period. The airtightness of these flats was determined resourcing fan pressurisation test (blower door test). A relationship between the users’ modifications in the flats and their consequence over the air permeability was pursued and the importance of balconies and exhaust fans for the flats’ air permeability was discussed. The hygrothermal monitoring campaign of the case study was carried out, in order to assess the indoor thermal comfort according the ASHRAE 55 standard. The results show a significant discomfort rate, suggesting that the users are living in unhealthy environmental conditions and the issues that most contribute to the poor indoor environmental conditions that characterise this building stock. In addition, the energy, gas, and water consumption of the flats were collected, and a statistical analysis was performed. Correlations between the variables were observed and two clusters were identified. Cluster 1 includes the lower energy consumption flats, but no real impact on the thermal comfort was found as the entire dataset presented low indoor air temperatures.

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Indoor hygrothermal conditions and quality of life in social housing: A comparison between two neighbourhoods

Cited by 24 publications

References 34 publications

Bad Air Can Also Kill: Residential Indoor Air Quality and Pollutant Exposure Risk during the COVID-19 Crisis

Bad Air Can Also Kill: Residential Indoor Air Quality and Pollutant Exposure Risk during the COVID-19 Crisis

The Regeneración Urbana, Calidad de Vida y Salud - RUCAS project: a Chilean multi-methods study to evaluate the impact of urban regeneration on resident health and wellbeing

The Importance of In Situ Characterisation for the Mitigation of Poor Indoor Environmental Conditions in Social Housing

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