Assessment of Indoor Mass and Numerical Concentrations of airborne particulate matter in a University Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a related to human health and well-being since people spend most of their working and free time in interior spaces. As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), once complying with normative Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) limits, more elevated standards of air quality both in productive and non-industrial workplaces should be guaranteed. In this case study – framed in a wider research by the authors – the main results of the assessment of airborne particulate matter (PM10, PM4, PM2.5, PM1) in an indoor university working environment are presented. The activities have been developed in a fluid-dynamics laboratory with a wind tunnel and its premises by means of both traditional samplers and real-time optical technologies. The results confirm the accordance with OS&H requirements. Daily trends and peaks related to laboratory activities and cleaning emissions have been assessed. This outcome highlights once again the strength of integrated approaches between multi-parameter analysers and reference samplers to assess short-time patterns in pollutants concentrations and normative mean conditions.