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. 2023 Jun;32(5):831-851.
doi: 10.1177/1420326X221145862. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

A review on indoor environmental quality in sports facilities: Indoor air quality and ventilation during a pandemic

Dadi Zhang  1 , Marco A Ortiz  1 , Philomena M Bluyssen  1
Affiliations

A review on indoor environmental quality in sports facilities: Indoor air quality and ventilation during a pandemic

Dadi Zhang et al. Indoor Built Environ. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Because of COVID-19, the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in sports facilities has been a concern to environmental health practitioners. To develop an overall understanding of the available guidelines and standards and studies performed on IEQ in sports facilities, an extensive literature study was conducted, with the aim of identifying: (1) indicators that are being used to assess IEQ in different sports facilities; (2) indicators that are potentially interesting to be used to assess indoor air, in particular; (3) gaps in knowledge to determine whether sports facilities are safe, healthy and comfortable for people to stay and perform their activities. The outcome indicates that most current standards and previous investigations on IEQ in sports facilities mainly focused on dose-related indicators (such as ventilation rate), while building-related indicators (such as ventilation regime) and occupant-related indicators (such as IEQ preferences) were rarely considered. Little attention is given to the fact that ventilation systems may play an important role in the air quality of the location, and few investigations have been performed on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. This study recommends more research into both occupant and building-related indicators as well as cross-modal effects between various IEQ factors for developing future standards on sports facilities.

Keywords: comfort; health; indoor air quality; indoor environmental quality; sports facilities; ventilation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Different types of sports facilities. (a) Gymnasia (b) Swimming pools (c) Fitness centres.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Keywords for literature search.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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