Search

Item does not contain fulltext, Higher temperatures are associated with morbidity and mortality. Most epidemiological studies use outdoor temperature data, however, people spend most of their time indoors. Indoor temperatures and determinants of indoor temperatures have rarely been studied on a large scale. We measured living room and bedroom temperature in 113 homes of elderly subjects, as well as outdoor temperatures, in two cities in the Netherlands. Linear regression was used to determine the influence of building characteristics on indoor living room and bedroom temperatures in the warm episode. During the warm episode, indoor temperatures were higher during the night and lower during the day than outdoor temperatures. Indoor temperatures on average exceeded outdoor temperatures. The weekly average indoor temperature in living rooms varied between 23.1 and 30.2 °C. Dwellings that warmed up easily, also cooled down more easily. Outdoor and indoor temperatures were moderately correlated (R(2) = 0.36 and 0.34 for living rooms and bedrooms, respectively). Building year before 1930 and rooms being located on the top floor were associated with higher indoor temperatures. Green in the vicinity was associated with lower temperatures in bedrooms. This study shows that indoor temperatures vary widely between dwellings, and are determined by outdoor temperatures and building characteristics. As most people, especially the elderly, spend most of the time indoor, indoor temperature is a more exact predictor of heat exposure than outdoor temperature. The importance of mitigating high indoor temperatures will be more important in the future because of higher temperatures due to climate change.

Introduction: Exposure to high ambient temperatures leads to an increase in mortality and morbidity, especially in the elderly. This relationship is usually assessed with outdoor temperature, even though the elderly spend most of their time indoors. Our study investigated the relationship between indoor temperature and heat-related health problems of elderly individuals. Material and methods: The study was conducted in the Netherlands between April and August 2012. Temperature and relative humidity were measured continuously in the living rooms and bedrooms of 113 elderly individuals. Respondents were asked to fill out an hourly diary during three weeks with high temperature and one cold reference week, and a questionnaire at the end of these weeks, on health problems that they experienced due to heat. Results: During the warmest week of the study period (14-20 August), average living room and bedroom temperatures were approximately 5 degrees C higher than during the reference week. More than half of the respondents perceived their indoor climate as too warm during this week. The most reported symptoms were thirst (42.7%), sleep disturbance (40.6%) and excessive sweating (39.6%). There was a significant relationship between both indoor and outdoor temperatures with the number of hours that heat-related health problems were reported per day. For an increase of 1 degrees C of indoor temperature, annoyance due to heat and sleep disturbance increased with 33% and 24% respectively. Outdoor temperature was associated with smaller increases: 13% and 11% for annoyance due to heat and sleep disturbance, respectively. The relationship between outdoor temperature and heat-related health problems disappeared when indoor and outdoor temperatures were included in one model. Conclusions: The relationship with heat-related health problems in the elderly is stronger with indoor (living room and bedroom) temperature than with outdoor temperature. This should be taken into account whe

INTRODUCTION:Exposure to high ambient temperatures leads to an increase in mortality and morbidity, especially in the elderly. This relationship is usually assessed with outdoor temperature, even though the elderly spend most of their time indoors. Our study investigated the relationship between indoor temperature and heat-related health problems of elderly individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS:The study was conducted in the Netherlands between April and August 2012. Temperature and relative humidity were measured continuously in the living rooms and bedrooms of 113 elderly individuals. Respondents were asked to fill out an hourly diary during three weeks with high temperature and one cold reference week, and a questionnaire at the end of these weeks, on health problems that they experienced due to heat. RESULTS:During the warmest week of the study period (14-20 August), average living room and bedroom temperatures were approximately 5°C higher than during the reference week. More than half of the respondents perceived their indoor climate as too warm during this week. The most reported symptoms were thirst (42.7%), sleep disturbance (40.6%) and excessive sweating (39.6%). There was a significant relationship between both indoor and outdoor temperatures with the number of hours that heat-related health problems were reported per day. For an increase of 1°C of indoor temperature, annoyance due to heat and sleep disturbance increased with 33% and 24% respectively. Outdoor temperature was associated with smaller increases: 13% and 11% for annoyance due to heat and sleep disturbance, respectively. The relationship between outdoor temperature and heat-related health problems disappeared when indoor and outdoor temperatures were included in one model. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship with heat-related health problems in the elderly is stronger with indoor (living room and bedroom) temperature than with outdoor temperature. This should be taken into account when looking for measu

Item does not contain fulltext, INTRODUCTION: Exposure to high ambient temperatures leads to an increase in mortality and morbidity, especially in the elderly. This relationship is usually assessed with outdoor temperature, even though the elderly spend most of their time indoors. Our study investigated the relationship between indoor temperature and heat-related health problems of elderly individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the Netherlands between April and August 2012. Temperature and relative humidity were measured continuously in the living rooms and bedrooms of 113 elderly individuals. Respondents were asked to fill out an hourly diary during three weeks with high temperature and one cold reference week, and a questionnaire at the end of these weeks, on health problems that they experienced due to heat. RESULTS: During the warmest week of the study period (14-20 August), average living room and bedroom temperatures were approximately 5 degrees C higher than during the reference week. More than half of the respondents perceived their indoor climate as too warm during this week. The most reported symptoms were thirst (42.7%), sleep disturbance (40.6%) and excessive sweating (39.6%). There was a significant relationship between both indoor and outdoor temperatures with the number of hours that heat-related health problems were reported per day. For an increase of 1 degrees C of indoor temperature, annoyance due to heat and sleep disturbance increased with 33% and 24% respectively. Outdoor temperature was associated with smaller increases: 13% and 11% for annoyance due to heat and sleep disturbance, respectively. The relationship between outdoor temperature and heat-related health problems disappeared when indoor and outdoor temperatures were included in one model. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship with heat-related health problems in the elderly is stronger with indoor (living room and bedroom) temperature than with outdoor temperature. This should be taken into account whe

RIVM rapport:Abstract niet beschikbaar, not available

RIVM rapport:Het RIVM heeft in samenwerking met GGD'en een richtlijn ontwikkeld die beschrijft hoe ventilatie en ventilatievoorzieningen van bestaande woningen beoordeeld kunnen worden. Voorbeelden zijn: hoeveel kubieke meter verse lucht komt er per uur een woning binnen en hoeveel binnenlucht wordt er afgevoerd? Hoeveel kan er hoogstens afgevoerd worden? Is dat voldoende om de binnenlucht gezond te houden en hoe valt dat te meten? De luchtverversing in woningen schiet vaak tekort, wat gevolgen kan hebben voor de kwaliteit van het binnenmilieu en voor de gezondheid. Het kabinet heeft plannen om de kwaliteit van het binnenmilieu te verbeteren. De richtlijn biedt GGD-medewerkers basisinformatie over ventilatie en ventilatievoorzieningen van woningen. Ook is beschreven welke relaties tussen ventilatie en gezondheidsrisico's er bekend zijn. Te weinig ventilatie kan leiden tot bijvoorbeeld vochtproblemen, en hoge concentraties van verbrandingsproducten en het gas radon. Dit kan gepaard gaan met onder andere geurhinder, verergering van astma of een verhoogde kans op longkanker. Daarnaast is op basis van de wettelijke voorschriften en andere maatstaven een selectie gemaakt van methoden, technieken en criteria die GGD'en kunnen hanteren om de ventilatiecapaciteit en de ventilatie te beoordelen. Om het instrumentarium compleet te maken zijn de methoden, technieken en criteria op onderdelen aangevuld. Hiermee zijn ze meer gericht op het aantal personen dat aanwezig is of doorgaans aanwezig is in de betreffende ruimten. Verder is beschreven wat de taken van de GGD'en zijn en hoe zij het beoordelingsproces van ventilatie en ventilatievoorzieningen kunnen indelen. De beoordeling kan plaatsvinden in de betreffende woning of vanaf de werkplek., The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has drawn up a guideline, together with the Municipal Health Services (GGD) that describes how the air exchange rate and ventilation capacity of existing dwellings can be assessed. Examples of assessment points are: how many cubic metres of fresh air enter a dwelling per hour and how much indoor air is removed? What is the maximum volume flow that can be achieved? Is that flow sufficient to keep the indoor air at a healthy level and how can this be measured? Good ventilation in dwellings is often inadequate which can have consequences for the quality of the indoor environment and for people's health. Therefore, the Dutch government is planning to improve the indoor environmental quality. The guideline will provide GGD professionals with basic information regarding the air exchange rate and ventilation capacity of dwellings. It also outlines what is already known about the relationship between indoor air exchange and associated health risks. For example, too little ventilation can lead to dampness and high concentrations of combustion products and radon gas. This can cause: odour nuisance, exacerbation of asthma or even an increased risk of lung cancer. In addition, based on legal requirements and other standards, a selection of methods has been made of techniques and criteria that GGD departments can use to assess the ventilation capacity and air exchange rate of dwellings. In order to complete the range of instruments used, the methods, techniques and criteria have been supplemented wherever necessary. This change ensures more focus to be placed on the number of people actually present or usually present in the indoor area(s) concerned. In addition, the guideline outlines the specific tasks of the GGD departments as well as how they can approach the assessment process for air exchange rate and ventilation capacity. The assessment can take place in the dwelling itself or at the place of work.

RIVM rapport:Niet beschikbaar, Not available

RIVM rapport:Bij het bouwen van een nieuwe school kunnen GGD-medewerkers adviseren over een gezond binnenmilieu. Dit informatieblad geeft aanbevelingen hiervoor. De laatste tijd is er toenemende aandacht voor het binnenmilieu van scholen, vooral omdat uit onderzoek blijkt dat het binnenmilieu van veel bestaande basisscholen niet gunstig is. Hierdoor krijgen GGD'en vaak van schoolbesturen en -directies de vraag om informatie te leveren ten behoeve van een gezonde nieuwbouwschool. Met dit informatieblad kunnen GGD-medewerkers een bijdrage leveren in een vroege fase van het bouwproces. Voor verschillende aspecten van het binnenmilieu zijn er aanbevelingen geformuleerd, zoals voor de binnenluchtkwaliteit, thermisch comfort, schoonmaak en onderhoud. Gekozen is voor een hoog ambitieniveau om condities na te streven die zo gunstig mogelijk zijn. Dat betekent een schoolgebouw waarin het behaaglijk en efficiënt leren is met zo weinig mogelijk gezondheidsrisico's. Dit informatieblad heeft het RIVM samen met de GGD Groningen opgesteld.

OTB Research Institute