Distribution of indoor air pollutants in downtown Rio de Janeiro, BrazilAbstract
Indoor air quality (IAQ) has been a matter of public concern in Brazil. However, few studies have been performed in the whole country. This work presents an IAQ survey conducted in different kinds of indoor environments in Rio de Janeiro City. Air samples were analyzed to determine individual and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), aldehydes, total particulate matter (TPM) and fungi. TVOC concentrations ranged from 101 to 12823 µg m-3 with an average of 1594 µg m-3, exceeding the suggested limit from ANVISA7 (500 µg m-3). Indoor/outdoor ratios for most of the parameters were higher than unit, indicating indoor sources of pollution. On the other hand, low levels of airborne fungi were detected (14-314 cfu m-3) being below than the ANVISA standard7 (750 cfu m-3). Overall, the environments did not present good air quality for the occupants due to chemical pollutants.
indoor air quality; volatile organic compounds; office; microbiological analyses; carbonyl compounds
