Indoor Air Quality Of Hotspring Hotels In Guangdong--Study Of Indoor Radon

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has become the focus of attentions to the public. Recently, the Chinese Government has recognized the potential risks and problems related to indoor air pollution, and it has established the new IAQ standard (GB/T18883-2002, China). Many researchers in different countries or regions also have conducted studies of indoor air pollutions. The restaurant and hotel are regarded as a type of public building in China. Unfortunately, there are fewer studies that focused on the air quality in the restaurant and hotel, especially to the hot spring hotels.This study attempts to investigate the present indoor air quality (IAQ) of the seven hot spring hotels in Guangdong, China. The indoor air pollutants measured in four hotels included respirable suspended particulate matter (PM10 and PN2.5), radon (222Rn), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature and relative humidity. Especially the radon all study in the seven hotels, the indoor radon concentrations were related to the corresponding spring water radon concentration and the bathing time long or short. And calculated the water-airborne radon transfer-coefficient in the hotel rooms bathing with hot spring water.This paper also includes pilot study the radon and gamma radiation in some new houses of Guangzhou.Upon those studies, we can conclude that:1. The radon concentrations in spring water are much higher than the tap water.2. Higher indoor radon concentrations are found in air-conditioned hot spring hotel rooms, especially in the baths. There radon concentrations will severalfold to hundred times increasing when using spring water in the hotel rooms.3. The spring water radon is the main sources of radon in the hotel rooms; but soil gas intrusion other than emission of indoor materials might be the major sourcein the ground floor while there is no spring water use as the SH-4 and SH-1 hotel rooms.4. The results showed that the indoor radon was mostly influenced by the spring water radon content, the bathing time long or short and the ventilation status. Ventilation is the effective technique to decrease the higher radon levels in the rooms.5. Our study found higher transfer coefficients in the hotel rooms due to hot spring water use. The mean value in double rooms and baths are (5.3?.5)X10"4 and (2.44?1.6)X 10'3, respectively.6. The dose estimation indicated that some hotel rooms have higher effective dose for the staff, but mostly not exceed the ICRP 65 recommended limit for the workers (only in SH4 exceed the 10 mSv level). Thus might have an extra dose of radiation to the hotel workers, and technical and management measures should be taken to lower their exposure of radon through inhalation.7. All of the investigated hotel rooms had average concentrations of CO below the China IAQ standards of 10 mg/m3 (9ppm) for 1 h. The average CO2 levels reached or exceeded the China IAQ standard of 1000 ppm, and 89% of the investigated rooms had higher CO2 levels than 1000 ppm. The highest CO2 level was as high as 2144 ppm. It was probably due to the tourists' activities and insufficient ventilation.8. The average PMio level was as high as 360 ug/m3, which was more than twice higher than the China IAQ standard. 67% of the investigated rooms had higher PMio concentrations than 150 ug/m3. The average PM2.5 concentrations in the investigated rooms were all higher than the 24-h standard of 65 ug/m3(USEPA). The highest PMio and PM2.5 levels were as high as 757 ug/m3 and 752 ug/m3, respectively. The elevated outdoor levels of PMio and PM2.s at SH5 were probably related to the locations of the spring hotel nearby heavy traffic roads. Except for the outdoor sources, the occupant's activities and inadequate ventilation were the main factors of the elevated indoor PMW and PM2.5 concentrations.9. The radon concentrations measured in the houses of Guangzhou are all belowthe IAQ standard, it has little risk to the people if they are often open the door and the window. But the gamma radiation in some houses has a little h...