Autor(es): Furst, Leonardo ; Cipoli, Yago ; Galindo, Nuria ; Yubero, Eduardo ; Viegas, Carla ; Gomes, Bianca ; Cervantes, Renata ; Nunes, Teresa ; Feliciano, Manuel ; Alves, Célia
Data: 2025
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/183671
Origem: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Assunto(s): Bioburden; Clothing store; Indoor air quality; PM; VOCs; Toxicology; Pollution; Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Funding Information: The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for its financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020, UIDB/50017/2020 and LAP/0094/2020), SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020), CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), and to the PhD fellow students Leonardo Furst (SFRH/BD/08461/2020) and Yago Cipoli (SFRH/BD/04992/2021). Funding from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the \u201CEuropean Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR\u201D (CAMBIO project, ref. TED2021-131336B-I00) are also acknowledged. H&TRC authors gratefully acknowledge the FCT/MCTES national support through the UIDB/05608/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/05608/2020) and UIDP/05608/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/05608/2020). Funding Information: The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for its financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020, UIDB/50017/2020 and LAP/0094/2020), SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020), CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), and to the PhD fellow students Leonardo Furst (SFRH/BD/08461/2020) and Yago Cipoli (SFRH/BD/04992/2021). Funding from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the \u201CEuropean Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR\u201D (CAMBIO project, ref. TED2021-131336B-I00) are also acknowledged. Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors
In this study, indoor air quality was assessed in a store belonging to one of Portugal's largest commercial retail groups. A variety of methodologies was used, including gravimetric analysis for particulate matter (PM), optical monitors for real-time PM measurements, gas sensors and analysers for CO2 and other gaseous pollutants, diffusion tubes for VOCs, and passive deposition for microorganisms. The average PM10 concentration indoors was 16.5 ± 3.87 μg/m3, well below the exposure limits set by various international organisations. A significant portion of indoor PM10 – 69% - was originated from outdoor sources. Outdoor PM10 concentrations were substantially higher, averaging 29.4 ± 14.6 μg/m3. Metal concentrations were also higher outdoors than indoors, and the associated cancer risk and hazard quotient were not exceeded, indicating favourable air quality conditions within the store. Among VOCs, α-pinene and tetrachloroethylene were detected in notable concentrations. α-Pinene likely originated from cleaning products and fragrances, while tetrachloroethylene was attributed to emissions from a dry-cleaning establishment located in the same building, but did not exceed protection thresholds. Microbial analysis showed low concentrations of both fungi and bacteria. However, fungal species with clinical and toxigenic potential were found. The most common fungal species were Trichoderma sp. and Penicillium sp., depending on the culture media. Overall, the clothing store demonstrated good air quality. However, to further reduce the impact of outdoor pollutants on indoor air quality, enhancements to the ventilation system are recommended. These improvements can help create a healthier indoor environment by filtering and managing the intake of external contaminants more effectively.
