Indoor Environments最新文献

{"title":"Performance evaluation of radon measurement techniques in single-family homes","authors":"Joan F. Rey ,&nbsp;Dusan Licina ,&nbsp;Joëlle Goyette Pernot","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100087","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100087","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, poses a significant health risk as prolonged exposure indoors can lead to lung cancer. Current radon measurement techniques vary widely in methodology, device types, and exposure duration, posing challenges to accurately evaluate and benchmark radon concentrations. To comprehensively assess the performance of various radon measurement techniques, we conducted measurements in 20 single-family homes across diverse geographical regions of Western Switzerland. We deployed multiple types of passive dosimeters and three grades of real-time sensors for periods extending up to one year. Our results reveal that long-term passive measurements were only marginally influenced by measurement duration, demonstrating the reliability of passive measurements shorter than one year. Cross-comparisons of real-time sensors revealed performance discrepancies, with medium- and consumer-grade sensors exhibiting errors of 10 % and 18 %, respectively, when compared to reference research-grade devices. Furthermore, comparison of consumer- and medium-grade sensors to 3-, 6- and 12-month passive measurements underlined their capability to monitor radon levels accurately, with errors typically below 20 %. These results were consistent with previous laboratory-based performance testing, highlighting similar real-life performance of real-time radon sensors. Our findings suggest that short-term passive measurements and low-cost real-time measurements could reliably replace traditional radon assessment methods. This paper provides new insights into the reliability and performance of radon measurement techniques over various time periods and real-life conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100087"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extreme indoor temperature a growing health hazard in rural areas of India","authors":"Premsagar Prakash Tasgaonkar ,&nbsp;Kamal Kumar Murari","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100096","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100096","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change projections indicate that heavily populated regions across the globe will face a rising occurrence of more frequent, severe, and extended heat waves (HW), accompanied by prolonged periods of extreme heat. These events are poised to trigger widespread overheating in rural areas, leading to heat-related illnesses and mortalities. In this context, our study aimed to examine heat stress vulnerability, heat mitigation measures and indoor discomfort in rural areas. The study was carried out in the rural areas of Wardha district located in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India. The census household survey method was adopted to collect quantitative data during the summer month of 2022. The environmental factors such as indoor temperature, relative humidity and dew point were measured for the period from 1st March 2022 to 30th June 2022. A total of 2,672 individuals (comprising 54 % men and 46 % women) reside in the census survey household (700 households), with 38 % of the population falling within the 21 to 40-year age group. People living in house with cement roofs were less affected with odds of 1.00 (0.78, 1.29) as compared to those with tin roofs. The highest indoor temperature was recorded in the tin roof house, reaching 40.0 °C, while cement slab houses recorded an average temperature of 38.5 °C. The highest temperatures ranged from 35 °C to 37 °C (May 11–18, 2022) and 35 °C to 38 °C (June 1–8, 2022). Notably, 80 % of individuals (2136) reported experiencing at least one self-reported Heat-Related Symptom (HRS), with symptoms such as fatigue (736), heavy sweating (679), intense thirst (518), dry mouth (364), leg cramps (255) and headache (238) were reported commonly. A small number of population experienced Severe Heat-Related Symptoms (HRS) like fainting (2), hallucinations (5) and paranoid feelings (6). While the majority exhibited Mild Heat-Related Symptoms (HRS). The mitigation strategies for extreme temperatures encompass seeking shade (1025), wearing light and loose clothing (881), drinking water frequently before feeling thirsty (802), drinking plenty of water (732), clothing removal for free air/airy dress (376) and covering head with a traditional scarf (253). Development of Heat Action Plan (HAP) will be a crucial step to avoid the HRS at local level. In the preparation of HAP engagement of local level stakeholder is very important for the effective implementation. The findings of the study will help policy makers to understand the implications of change in temperature and its consequences on the population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100096"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimating air exchange rates in thousands of elementary school classrooms using commercial CO2 sensors and machine learning","authors":"Yirong Yuan ,&nbsp;Masanao Yajima ,&nbsp;Jinho Lee ,&nbsp;Katherine H. Walsh ,&nbsp;Brenden Tong ,&nbsp;Lauren Main ,&nbsp;Lauren Bolton ,&nbsp;M. Patricia Fabian","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100083","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100083","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, maintaining clean air in school classrooms has become critical for ensuring student health and safety. Air exchange rate (AER), which measures the number of air replacements in a room per hour, is a standard metric for assessing ventilation, with recommended targets provided by organizations worldwide. Installing comprehensive carbon dioxide (CO₂) monitoring in schools has expanded opportunities for automating AER estimation, but most schools have limited computational resources and analytical capacity. To address this, we developed a cost-effective and scalable method to estimate AER by leveraging end-of-school day carbon dioxide concentrations recorded with thousands of commercial sensors in classrooms. This method assumes well-mixed conditions and replicates the tracer gas technique, leveraging statistical machine learning and knowledge of classroom operations to automate AER calculations at the end of occupied periods. We analyzed data from 3206 sensors across 125 schools in a large urban school district in the Northeastern United States and identified 648,956 CO₂ decay curves over one school year. After applying data screening criteria, we calculated 323,776 AER values, averaging 84 values (SD = 40) per classroom. Calculated AER ranged from &lt; 0.1–64 h⁻¹, averaging 3.0 h⁻¹ (SD = 2.9). The average AER in schools with central mechanical ventilation was 1.8 times higher than in schools without mechanical ventilation. The method is optimized to use parallel and high-performance computing resources, and calculates daily air exchange rates for an entire classroom over an academic school year in a few seconds, an entire school in a few minutes, and the entire school district in a few hours. To our knowledge, this is the largest deployment of commercial CO₂ sensors in schools that publicly share data. The AER calculation method is scalable and efficient, and automates cleaning, selection, and processing of CO₂ data from commercial sensors, with methods and code transferable to other schools collecting similar large-scale data.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100083"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143654835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using smart thermostats to reduce indoor exposure to wildfire fine particulate matter (PM2.5)","authors":"Federico Dallo ,&nbsp;Thomas Parkinson ,&nbsp;Carlos Duarte ,&nbsp;Stefano Schiavon ,&nbsp;Chai Yoon Um ,&nbsp;Mark P. Modera ,&nbsp;Paul Raftery ,&nbsp;Carlo Barbante ,&nbsp;Brett C. Singer","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is responsible for millions of premature deaths globally each year. Wildfires are a major source of PM_2.5, creating dangerously high levels of air pollution across extensive regions. Current public health recommendations for wildfire-related PM_2.5 exposure include staying indoors and using portable air cleaners or central air systems with adequate filtration. We addressed the gaps in understanding central air system usage during wildfires by studying smart thermostat data from approximately 5000 California homes during the 2020 wildfire peak, proving that these systems are not effectively utilized for improving air quality. We explored the potential health benefits of optimizing central air system operation using smart thermostats and air quality data through modelling and simulation. An automated optimization approach could decrease indoor PM_2.5 exposure by up to 54 ± 5 % compared to standard air conditioning use, and up to 61 ± 5 % during peak wildfire smoke days. While this increased operation incurs an additional energy cost of about $5 per month per household (totalling $75 million), it is partially offset by an estimated 53 ± 5 % reduction in premature mortality, which translates to $29 million in monetized health benefits. Installing a MERV 13 filter and reducing house leakage further reduces indoor PM_2.5 concentrations. Overall, using a central air system with proper filtration can be as effective as using four portable air cleaners for on average house. The greatest potential for reducing health risks associated with PM_2.5 exposure through an automated optimised system is in lower-income areas. This study reveals that existing technologies and infrastructure, often overlooked, could significantly improve protection for building occupants from wildfire smoke.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100088"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An indoor air pollution research strategy for the United Arab Emirates","authors":"Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson ,&nbsp;Rahaf Ajaj ,&nbsp;Ahmed Al Khazraji ,&nbsp;Latifa Al Shamsi ,&nbsp;William P. Bahnfleth ,&nbsp;Daniel Bonn ,&nbsp;Katherine Bronstein ,&nbsp;Rania Dghaim ,&nbsp;Taher Eldanaf ,&nbsp;Mohamed El Sadig ,&nbsp;Moshood Olawale Fadeyi ,&nbsp;Diana Francis ,&nbsp;Grace Kilroy ,&nbsp;Samrin Ahmed Kusum ,&nbsp;Yuguo Li ,&nbsp;Amal Mubarak Madhi ,&nbsp;Mily Mathew ,&nbsp;Shelly L. Miller ,&nbsp;Jordan Peccia ,&nbsp;Driss Samri ,&nbsp;Fares H. Zaitoun MD","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100086","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100086","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Clean indoor air is vital for health in all settings, especially in locations where extreme climates restrict outdoor activity, such as in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). UAE summer temperatures routinely exceed 42°C (108°F), discouraging outdoor activity and limiting natural ventilation of structures. Yet, little research is available on indoor air quality in the UAE. To inform the design of a new indoor air quality program, the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre commissioned a study to characterize and prioritize knowledge gaps on indoor air quality and its relationship to health in the UAE and to identify potential partners for the program. Research gaps and priorities were identified by a panel of 16 international and local indoor air quality experts through a two-day structured, in-person workshop and follow-up survey. Key partners were identified through a stakeholder mapping exercise and e-mail survey of 79 government agencies and nongovernment organizations. The expert panel concluded that the most important short-term research need is to characterize the major sources of indoor air pollution and the most frequently occurring pollutants. The panel recommended establishing a national indoor air quality observatory encompassing a wide range of settings, including residences, schools, mosques, healthcare facilities, shopping malls, and other public spaces. Indoor air quality monitors would be permanently placed to establish baseline indoor air quality, provide data to estimate source contributions, and enable tracking of changes over time. The stakeholder mapping exercise identified ten agencies that should be involved in planning, including the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, Department of Health–Abu Dhabi, Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, and Emirates Public Health Association. While focused on the UAE, the methods and research priorities in this study may be useful for planning indoor air quality improvement campaigns in other high-income nations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100086"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143785583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving hospitality venue ventilation via behavioural change as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Simon De-Ville ,&nbsp;Sophie Pott ,&nbsp;Chantelle Wood ,&nbsp;Zhangjie Peng ,&nbsp;M. Zaeem Farooq ,&nbsp;Giota Blouchou ,&nbsp;Alisha Suhag ,&nbsp;Edward Murphy ,&nbsp;E. Abigail Hathway","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100097","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100097","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of good ventilation in hospitality venues, given its role in reducing virus transmission. Small-scale hospitality venues (&lt;50 employees) employ 98 % of staff in the UK hospitality sector. However, little is known about the current state of ventilation in these venues, the barriers to more effective ventilation, and whether behaviour change strategies can improve ventilation performance. This formed the aims of the current research. This work was divided into three phases: Phase 1 explored the current performance of ventilation in hospitality venues and the barriers to more effective ventilation; Phase 2 led to the co-creation of a behaviour change intervention consisting of guidance material and provision of a CO₂ monitor; and Phase 3 piloted the intervention, evaluating changes in behaviour and ventilation performance, in addition to assessing user acceptability of the intervention. Ventilation performance was identified to be below recommended standards in most participating venues. Business owners stated they were not able to improve ventilation due to a lack of clear guidance, lack of funds to upgrade systems, limited authority over building infrastructure, and competing priorities. In these businesses, customer comfort, atmosphere, noise control, and security were given greater importance than improving ventilation. The introduction of a guidance document and CO₂ sensors to monitor ventilation performance saw 3 of 6 venues increase ventilation actions such as window/door opening and/or the switching on of wall mounted fans. Following the intervention, business owners expressed an increased likelihood of purchasing air cleaners, or mechanical ventilation systems. However, their likelihood of purchasing CO₂ monitors decreased. The guidance is advised to be used alongside spot check CO₂ monitoring during periods of high occupancy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100097"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143928556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Residential factors associated with mental health in United States Veterans, Air Force military, and Air Force employees","authors":"Andrew J. Hoisington ,&nbsp;Christopher A. Stamper ,&nbsp;Molly E. Penzenik ,&nbsp;Meredith Reitter ,&nbsp;Elizabeth J. Kovacs ,&nbsp;Nazanin H. Bahraini ,&nbsp;Lisa A. Brenner","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Individuals in Westernized countries spend most of their time indoors. However, exploration of residential building factors that may influence occupants’ mental health is limited in scientific literature. The purpose of this study was to explore investigator’s perceived areas of importance in residences to mental health via survey methods. To that end, we administered the Housing, Occupancy, Materials, and Environment (HOME) survey to assess factors that may influence mental health to those working in the United States (US) Air Force (n = 230) or past military members, US Veterans (n = 180). Self-reported mental health surveys were also administered to the Air Force (RAND 36-Item Short-Form) and Veterans (36-Item Short-Form survey version 2, Patient Health Questionnaire-9). The residential question that correlated to the most mental health measures for both groups was an ability to adjust indoor climate, with positive correlations. Other correlations between residential questions and health scores across the two groups were dissimilar, indicating the residential factors of importance to mental health may be variable across an individual’s life. For example, multiple positive correlations between mental health measures and nature in the older Veteran group support robust and support previous results on the importance of nature to older adults. Overall, this study provides a basis for future research and targeted clinical interventions that can quantify and positively impact the home environment and improve mental health outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100103"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144196213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Measured impacts of supply vs. exhaust ventilation in residences","authors":"Paul W. Francisco ,&nbsp;Kiel Gilleade ,&nbsp;Yigang Sun ,&nbsp;Zachary Merrin ,&nbsp;Masih Alavy ,&nbsp;Jason LaFleur","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100093","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100093","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is well-recognized that ventilation in residential buildings is important for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality. Many residential energy retrofit programs require the installation of ventilation when energy-saving measures such as air sealing are performed on homes. However, there is substantial disagreement about the relative merits of supply ventilation, which brings outdoor air directly into the home, vs. exhaust ventilation, which targets the direct removal of contaminants from the home to outdoors. Past studies to explore this issue have used modeling, testing of unoccupied homes using tracer gases, and comparisons between homes that had different ventilation strategies. This study measured multiple contaminants in 18 lived-in homes in which both supply and exhaust ventilation systems were installed, at similar ventilation rates. Measurements were made over three weeks: one week with no ventilation operating, one week with exhaust ventilation operating, and one week with supply ventilation operating. Because both ventilation strategies were tested in the same homes, the analysis avoids a number of confounding factors based on any differences in homes. The results show that both ventilation strategies reduce contaminants by a similar amount, with differences in contaminant levels between system types not statistically significant. Most reductions were on the order of 10 %, with particles being reduced by 25–30 %. Apparent differences between the strategies differ depending on the contaminant, with exhaust having slightly larger reductions in contaminant levels for most contaminants, but supply having a greater beneficial impact on basement-level radon. The results suggest that there is a similar reduction of contaminant levels regardless of how ventilation is provided to the home.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100093"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143843216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New considerations for representing moisture in indoor thermal conditions: Associations between enthalpy, cognitive performance, and thermal sensations","authors":"Sandra Dedesko ,&nbsp;Joseph Pendleton ,&nbsp;Anna S. Young ,&nbsp;Brent A. Coull ,&nbsp;John D. Spengler ,&nbsp;Joseph G. Allen","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100098","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100098","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Motivated by limitations with the use of temperature and thermal comfort models in relation to occupant health outcomes, this work investigates numerous characterizations of thermal conditions and associations among these thermal variables, cognitive performance, and thermal perceptions. Measurements of classroom dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity were used to calculate a suite of eleven thermal variables, which were paired with thermal sensation votes and cognitive test responses from graduate students attending classes in these monitored spaces, resulting in an analysis dataset of 273 observations from 54 participants. Results from Spearman Rank correlation coefficients, factor analysis, and principal component analysis suggest that the eleven thermal variables cluster into three groups that reflect variations in indoor temperature, indoor relative humidity, and indoor-outdoor differences. While several variables appear to reflect variations in only air temperature (e.g., PMV estimates) or moisture, indoor enthalpy appears to reflect variations in temperature and RH in the most balanced manner. A series of mixed effects statistical models suggest that higher values of indoor enthalpy appear to be associated with improved cognitive test scores and warm sensations, and warm sensations appear to be associated with improved cognitive test scores. The collective results posit new considerations for the importance of indoor moisture with respect to occupant outcomes and how commonly used modelling approaches may not reflect this. Additional research that incorporates diverse populations, varied built environments, and causal methods could help further our understanding of the effects of air temperature and moisture on occupant outcomes in varied built environment settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100098"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144107784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Setting public health guidelines for chemicals in indoor settled dust. First achievements and steps to come: The case of lead","authors":"P. Glorennec ,&nbsp;A. Pelfrêne ,&nbsp;J.-U. Mullot ,&nbsp;B. Le Bot ,&nbsp;C. Emond ,&nbsp;C. Léger ,&nbsp;D. Bourgeois","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2024.100051","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indenv.2024.100051","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Health based guidelines for environmental concentrations of chemicals are designed to prevent harmful chemical exposures. However, none exists for indoor settled dust, despite its ingestion being a documented pathway of exposure, for certain chemicals. The objective of this paper is to present the derivation of a health-based indoor settled dust guideline (ISDG) for lead. The guideline was developed to protect a specific fraction of the most vulnerable population against the most sensitive effect, taking into account other exposure pathways. It is calculated from a toxicological reference value, body weight, and the mass of ingested dust. The most vulnerable population is young children, and the corresponding critical effect is a loss of IQ points, with a toxicity reference value of 0.5 µg.kg_bw⁻¹.d⁻¹. Assuming that 80 % of the exposure for the most affected individuals comes from dust ingestion, the ISDG for protecting 90, 95 or 95 % of young children are 43, 33 and 20 µg.g_dust⁻¹, respectively. These values are consistently lower than the concentrations that would trigger lead poisoning screening. The main uncertainties lie in the estimations of the amount of ingested dust. This ISDG could contribute to environmental management efforts to prevent or reduce lead exposures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 2","pages":"Article 100051"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144279199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}