Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Oman.
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Oman.
Environ Int. 2018 Dec;121(Pt 1):491-506. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.09.043. Epub 2018 Oct 1.
Indoor air pollution is one of the human health threat problems in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. In these countries, due to unfavorable meteorological conditions, such as elevated ambient temperature, high relative humidity, and natural events such as dust storms, people spend a substantial amount of their time in indoor environments. In addition, production of physical and biological aerosols from air conditioners, cooking activities, burning of Arabian incense, and overcrowding due to pilgrimage programs are common causes of low quality indoor air in this region. Thus, due to infiltration of outdoor sources as well as various indoor sources, people living in the GCC countries are highly exposed to indoor air pollutants. Inhalation of indoor air pollutants causes mortalities and morbidities attributed to cardiorespiratory, pulmonary, and lung cancer diseases. Hence, the aim of this review study is to provide a summary of the major findings of indoor air pollution studies in different microenvironments in six GCC countries. These include characterization of detected indoor air pollutants, exposure concentration levels, source identifications, sustainable building designs and ventilation systems, and the mitigation strategies. To do so, >130 relevant indoor air pollution studies across the GCC countries were critically reviewed. Particulate matters (PM and PM), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), carbon dioxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and heavy metals were identified as the reported indoor air pollutants. Apart from them, indoor Radon and bioaerosols were studied only in specific GCC countries. Thus, future studies should also focus on the investigation of emerging indoor air pollutants, such as ultrafine and nanoparticles and their associated health effects. Furthermore, studies on the mitigation of indoor air pollution through the development of advanced air purification and ventilation systems could improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) in the GCC region.
室内空气污染是海湾合作委员会（GCC）国家人类健康威胁问题之一。在这些国家，由于不利的气象条件，如环境温度升高、相对湿度高以及沙尘暴等自然事件，人们大量时间都在室内环境中度过。此外，空调产生的物理和生物气溶胶、烹饪活动、熏香燃烧以及朝圣计划导致的过度拥挤，都是该地区室内空气质量差的常见原因。因此，由于室外源和各种室内源的渗透，居住在 GCC 国家的人们高度暴露于室内空气污染物之下。吸入室内空气污染物会导致与心肺、肺部和肺癌疾病相关的死亡率和发病率。因此，本综述研究的目的是总结 GCC 六个国家不同微环境中室内空气污染研究的主要发现。这些发现包括检测到的室内空气污染物的特征、暴露浓度水平、来源识别、可持续建筑设计和通风系统以及缓解策略。为此，对 GCC 国家的 130 多项相关室内空气污染研究进行了批判性审查。颗粒物（PM 和 PM）、总挥发性有机化合物（TVOCs）、二氧化碳（CO）、二氧化硫（SO）、二氧化氮（NO）和重金属被确定为报告的室内空气污染物。除此之外，室内氡和生物气溶胶仅在特定的 GCC 国家进行了研究。因此，未来的研究还应关注新兴室内空气污染物（如超细和纳米颗粒及其相关健康影响）的调查。此外，通过开发先进的空气净化和通风系统来减轻室内空气污染，可以改善 GCC 地区的室内空气质量（IAQ）。
