QAI-Sport project : characterization of Indoor Air Quality in sports facilities
Résumé
Indoor air quality (IAQ) in sports facilities is poorly studied compared to that of housing and other public buildings. One objective of the QAI-Sport project consisted in providing an overview of the organic chemicals and microbiological composition in air of 10 sports halls having different activities: dojos, motor skills rooms and weight rooms. Targeted and non-targeted analytical approaches were applied to provide the broadest possible screening of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and microbiological contaminants in indoor air and of SVOCs in settled dusts, with a focus on emerging pollutants. Two sampling campaigns were performed in unoccupied and occupied rooms to assess the impact of sporting activity on IAQ.
About 50 VOCs were identified and quantified. Composition and concentrations are globally close to those of other indoor environments, with a predominance of carbonyls, especially hexanal. However, some specific and emerging compounds (like benzothiazole, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and 1-(2-methoxy-1-methyl ethoxy)-2-propanol)) were highlighted. Acetone and 6-methyl-5-hepten-one, emitted by human body, were identified as occupancy tracers. SVOCs were mainly phthalates (DiBP, DBP in air, DEHP, DiNP in dust), organophosphate flame retardants (TCPP in air, EHDPP, TPP in dust) and PAHs (fluorene, phenanthrene in air, pyrene in dust) with particularly high concentrations in one weight room’s dust, probably issued from a recycled rubber flooring. Microbiological contamination is similar to residential ones and Sars-CoV-2 was not detected.
The project will further consist in assessing the human exposure to these pollutants in sports halls, identifying their sources and understanding their indoor partitioning