Seasonal indoor air quality, self-reported health and comfort amongst tenants living at Danish multi-family social housing sites

Charlotte Gabel; Grethe Elholm; Steffen Petersen; Torben Sigsgaard

doi:10.1177/1420326X241274516

Seasonal indoor air quality, self-reported health and comfort amongst tenants living at Danish multi-family social housing sites

Charlotte Gabel^*, Grethe Elholm, Steffen Petersen, Torben Sigsgaard

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Public Health - Institute of Environmental and Occupational Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Studies have identified seasonal differences between the indoor environment and residents’ comfort, as well as an association between indoor air quality (IAQ) and residents’ overall health. Furthermore, measured IAQ is not always aligned with perceived IAQ. The HOME-Health study is a cross-sectional study with seasonal measurements of IAQ amongst residents living in social housing. The aim is to describe and analyse measured and perceived IAQ, and residents’ health symptoms. We found a lower relative humidity, temperature (TP) and air change level (h⁻¹) level, and a higher carbon dioxide (CO₂) level during winter compared to summer. In general, higher IAQ levels were measured in apartments with increased crowdedness. The inability to be able to create cross ventilation increased TP, and a larger number of rooms decreased TP. Overall, there was no clear alignment between measured and perceived IAQ, but we found a trend that higher CO₂-levels led to a perception of poor IAQ especially during summer. Overall, draught and thermal discomfort were the most common complaints. Self-reported humidity was increased during winter and was associated with nasal and respiratory symptoms, whereas self-reported humidity during summer was associated with fatigue and dermal symptoms. Findings show challenges with IAQ in Danish social housing that are associated with negative health issues.

Original language	English
Journal	Indoor and built environment
ISSN	1420-326X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X241274516
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

affordable housing
building-related symptoms
built environment
Public housing
sick building syndrome
wellbeing

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10.1177/1420326X241274516

Cite this

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title = "Seasonal indoor air quality, self-reported health and comfort amongst tenants living at Danish multi-family social housing sites",

abstract = "Studies have identified seasonal differences between the indoor environment and residents{\textquoteright} comfort, as well as an association between indoor air quality (IAQ) and residents{\textquoteright} overall health. Furthermore, measured IAQ is not always aligned with perceived IAQ. The HOME-Health study is a cross-sectional study with seasonal measurements of IAQ amongst residents living in social housing. The aim is to describe and analyse measured and perceived IAQ, and residents{\textquoteright} health symptoms. We found a lower relative humidity, temperature (TP) and air change level (h−1) level, and a higher carbon dioxide (CO2) level during winter compared to summer. In general, higher IAQ levels were measured in apartments with increased crowdedness. The inability to be able to create cross ventilation increased TP, and a larger number of rooms decreased TP. Overall, there was no clear alignment between measured and perceived IAQ, but we found a trend that higher CO2-levels led to a perception of poor IAQ especially during summer. Overall, draught and thermal discomfort were the most common complaints. Self-reported humidity was increased during winter and was associated with nasal and respiratory symptoms, whereas self-reported humidity during summer was associated with fatigue and dermal symptoms. Findings show challenges with IAQ in Danish social housing that are associated with negative health issues.",

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author = "Charlotte Gabel and Grethe Elholm and Steffen Petersen and Torben Sigsgaard",

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Seasonal indoor air quality, self-reported health and comfort amongst tenants living at Danish multi-family social housing sites. / Gabel, Charlotte; Elholm, Grethe; Petersen, Steffen et al.
In: Indoor and built environment, 2024.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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T1 - Seasonal indoor air quality, self-reported health and comfort amongst tenants living at Danish multi-family social housing sites

AU - Gabel, Charlotte

AU - Elholm, Grethe

AU - Petersen, Steffen

AU - Sigsgaard, Torben

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Studies have identified seasonal differences between the indoor environment and residents’ comfort, as well as an association between indoor air quality (IAQ) and residents’ overall health. Furthermore, measured IAQ is not always aligned with perceived IAQ. The HOME-Health study is a cross-sectional study with seasonal measurements of IAQ amongst residents living in social housing. The aim is to describe and analyse measured and perceived IAQ, and residents’ health symptoms. We found a lower relative humidity, temperature (TP) and air change level (h−1) level, and a higher carbon dioxide (CO2) level during winter compared to summer. In general, higher IAQ levels were measured in apartments with increased crowdedness. The inability to be able to create cross ventilation increased TP, and a larger number of rooms decreased TP. Overall, there was no clear alignment between measured and perceived IAQ, but we found a trend that higher CO2-levels led to a perception of poor IAQ especially during summer. Overall, draught and thermal discomfort were the most common complaints. Self-reported humidity was increased during winter and was associated with nasal and respiratory symptoms, whereas self-reported humidity during summer was associated with fatigue and dermal symptoms. Findings show challenges with IAQ in Danish social housing that are associated with negative health issues.

AB - Studies have identified seasonal differences between the indoor environment and residents’ comfort, as well as an association between indoor air quality (IAQ) and residents’ overall health. Furthermore, measured IAQ is not always aligned with perceived IAQ. The HOME-Health study is a cross-sectional study with seasonal measurements of IAQ amongst residents living in social housing. The aim is to describe and analyse measured and perceived IAQ, and residents’ health symptoms. We found a lower relative humidity, temperature (TP) and air change level (h−1) level, and a higher carbon dioxide (CO2) level during winter compared to summer. In general, higher IAQ levels were measured in apartments with increased crowdedness. The inability to be able to create cross ventilation increased TP, and a larger number of rooms decreased TP. Overall, there was no clear alignment between measured and perceived IAQ, but we found a trend that higher CO2-levels led to a perception of poor IAQ especially during summer. Overall, draught and thermal discomfort were the most common complaints. Self-reported humidity was increased during winter and was associated with nasal and respiratory symptoms, whereas self-reported humidity during summer was associated with fatigue and dermal symptoms. Findings show challenges with IAQ in Danish social housing that are associated with negative health issues.

KW - affordable housing

KW - building-related symptoms

KW - built environment

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KW - sick building syndrome

KW - wellbeing

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Seasonal indoor air quality, self-reported health and comfort amongst tenants living at Danish multi-family social housing sites

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Keywords

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