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| 2. |
- Baloch, Ramen Munir, et al.
(författare)
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Indoor air pollution, physical and comfort parameters related to schoolchildren's health : Data from the European SINPHONIE study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : ELSEVIER. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 739
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Substantial knowledge is available on the association of the indoor school environment and its effect among schoolchildren. In the same context, the SINPHONIE (School indoor pollution and health: Observatory network in Europe) conducted a study to collect data and determine the distribution of several indoor air pollutants (IAPs), physical and thermal parameters and their association with eye, skin, upper-, lower respiratory and systemic disorder symptoms during the previous three months. Finally, data from 115 schools in 54 European cities from 23 countries were collected and included 5175 schoolchildren using a harmonized and standardized protocol. The association between exposures and the health outcomes were examined using logistic regression models on the environmental stressors assessed in classroom while adjusting for several confounding factors; a VOC (volatile organic compound) score defined as the sum of the number of pollutants to which the children were highly exposed (concentration > median of the distribution) in classroom was also introduced to evaluate the mul tiexposu re - outcome association. Schoolchildren while adjusting for several confounding factors. Schoolchildren exposed to above or equal median concentration of PM2.5, benzene, limonene, ozone and radon were at significantly higher odds of suffering from upper, lower airways, eye and systemic disorders. Increased odds were also observed for any symptom (sick school syndrome) among schoolchildren exposed to concentrations of limonene and ozone above median values. Furthermore, the risks for upper and lower airways and systemic disorders significantly increased with the VOCs score. Results also showed that increased ventilation rate was significantly associated with decreased odds of suffering from eye and skin disorders whereas similar association was observed between temperature and upper airways symptoms. The present study provides evidence that exposure to IAPs in schools is associated with various health problems in children. Further investigations are needed to confirm our findings. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
- Fjærestad, Janne Siren, et al.
(författare)
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BRAVENT – Storskala branntester (del 1): Brannytelse for ikke-brannklassifiserte ventilasjonskomponenter
- 2024
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- BRAVENT – Large-scale fire tests (part 1): Fire performance for non-fire rated ventilation components In the overall BRAVENT project, the goal is to generate answers and documentation on current issues related to ventilation and fire by examining these with experimental fire tests. The present study aimed to evaluate the fire performance of key non-fire-rated components, mainly DCV dampers and exhaust filters, in a comfort ventilation system by testing the hypothesis that the ventilation components will not be damaged by fire within 30 or 60 minutes. To test the hypothesis, a total of 14 large-scale fire tests with different fuels were carried out. The tests were carried out in a test building with several rooms that are representative of classrooms, offices, and corridors. The fire tests were designed to investigate relevant fire scenarios for school buildings, but the findings from the tests can also be used for other purpose-built buildings. The building was equipped with a full-fledged damper-optimized ventilation system, sized to serve a total of 450 m2 and thus provide a realistic basis for the fire tests. Currently, there is no documentation on how non-fire-rated dampers are affected by high temperatures that occur during a fire. The temperature specifications given for non-fire rated DCV dampers are intended for normal operation. Two different types of DCV dampers were tested. In one type, the airflow was measured with a measuring cross, and for the other, the airflow was measured with sensors integrated into the damper blade itself. In several of the conducted tests the non-fire-rated dampers were not able to sustain their function for the required duration of 30 minutes or longer, and failed completely when the temperature inside or outside the dampers reached about 200 ºC. Misreporting of some temperature measurements in the building management system already occurred at lower temperatures, around 120˚C, without significantly affecting the delivered air flow rate. For the damper type with a measuring cross, the plastic hoses connecting the measuring cross and the measuring transducer for the damper melted when hot smoke was transported through the damper. This failure resulted in the DCV damper measuring too low or no airflow. In several tests, this measurement error meant that the DCV damper opened fully, trying to achieve a large enough airflow. In one of the tests where the supply air damper was placed inside the fire room, such a fault on the supply air damper caused it to close completely. In addition to the damage to the dampers, the power supply to the damper was destroyed, and a fuse for the power supply in the control cabinet was short-circuited. This resulted in the building management system losing contact with all the dampers. This shows that a local error can cause the entire system to fail. For the other damper type, where the sensors were located in the damper blade, the high temperatures caused the entire damper blade to melt. It was not observed that soot in the fire smoke led to problems with the dampers' measuring sensors for any of the damper types examined. This indicates that for the performed test series, high temperature and not soot was the greatest challenge for the dampers in the event of a fire. In addition to examining how dampers are affected by fire, there was also an investigation into how the filter performs during a fire. It was found that the filter could largely capture the soot particles in the smoke. This means that equipment located downstream of the filter is relatively well protected against soot, and the possibility of soot contamination to the supply air side via a rotating heat recovery unit can, therefore, be considered minimal as long as the filter is not damaged. However, when the filter collects so much soot, it shows that the potential for the filter to clog. How quickly this happens depends, among other things, on the materials that burn and the size of the fire in relation to the air handling unit's capacity. This also aligns with results from an earlier BRAVENT project [1]. The air temperature in the unit was in all tests carried out below 60˚C and thus lower than the filters' maximum operating temperature of 70˚C. The conclusion from the tests is that the extraction principle with non-fire-rated components cannot be considered a safe strategy for 30 or 60 minutes.
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| 4. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(författare)
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An expert assessment on climate change and health : with a European focus on lungs and allergies
- 2012
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Ingår i: Environmental Health. - 1476-069X. ; 11:Supplement 1, s. S4-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundFor almost 20 years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has been assessing the potential health risks associated with climate change; with increasingly convincing evidence that climate change presents existing impacts on human health. In industrialized countries climate change may further affect public health and in particular respiratory health, through existing health stressors, including, anticipated increased number of deaths and acute morbidity due to heat waves; increased frequency of cardiopulmonary events due to higher concentrations of air pollutants; and altered spatial and temporal distribution of allergens and some infectious disease vectors. Additionally exposure to moulds and contaminants from water damaged buildings may increase.MethodsWe undertook an expert elicitation amongst European researchers engaged in environmental medicine or respiratory health. All experts were actively publishing researchers on lung disease and air pollution, climate and health or a closely related research. We conducted an online questionnaire on proposed causal diagrams and determined levels of confidence that climate change will have an impact on a series of stressors. In a workshop following the online questionnaire, half of the experts further discussed the results and reasons for differences in assessments of the state of knowledge on exposures and health effects.ResultsOut of 16 experts, 100% expressed high to very high confidence that climate change would increase the frequency of heat waves. At least half expressed high or very high confidence that climate change would increase levels of pollen (50%), particulate matter (PM2.5) (55%), and ozone (70%). While clarity is needed around the impacts of increased exposures to health impacts of some stressors, including ozone and particulate matter levels, it was noted that definitive knowledge is not a prerequisite for policy action. Information to the public, preventive measures, monitoring and warning systems were among the most commonly mentioned preventative actions.ConclusionsThis group of experts identifies clear health risks associated with climate change, and express opinions about these risks even while they do not necessarily regard themselves as covering all areas of expertise. Since some changes in exposure have already been observed, the consensus is that there is already a scientific basis for preventative action, and that the associated adaptation and mitigation policies should also be evidence based.
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| 5. |
- Georgiadis, Marios, et al.
(författare)
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Nanostructure-specific X-ray tomography reveals myelin levels, integrity and axon orientations in mouse and human nervous tissue
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723 .- 2041-1723. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Myelin insulates neuronal axons and enables fast signal transmission, constituting a key component of brain development, aging and disease. Yet, myelin-specific imaging of macroscopic samples remains a challenge. Here, we exploit myelin’s nanostructural periodicity, and use small-angle X-ray scattering tensor tomography (SAXS-TT) to simultaneously quantify myelin levels, nanostructural integrity and axon orientations in nervous tissue. Proof-of-principle is demonstrated in whole mouse brain, mouse spinal cord and human white and gray matter samples. Outcomes are validated by 2D/3D histology and compared to MRI measurements sensitive to myelin and axon orientations. Specificity to nanostructure is exemplified by concomitantly imaging different myelin types with distinct periodicities. Finally, we illustrate the method’s sensitivity towards myelin-related diseases by quantifying myelin alterations in dysmyelinated mouse brain. This non-destructive, stain-free molecular imaging approach enables quantitative studies of myelination within and across samples during development, aging, disease and treatment, and is applicable to other ordered biomolecules or nanostructures.
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| 6. |
- Haukø, Anne-Marit, et al.
(författare)
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Brannforløp og ventilasjon i skoler
- 2022
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Denne rapporten er en delleveranse i arbeidspakke WP1 i prosjektet BRAVENT – Effektiv ventilasjon av røyk fra små branner. Rapporten inneholder litteratursøk relatert til branner i skolebygg og ventilasjonsstrategier, resultater fra fullskala funksjonstester av ventilasjonsanlegg under brann ved ulike skoler, kartlegging av statistikk og brannforløp ved tidligere skolebranner, samt betraktninger rundt inneklima og helse etter branntilløp. Rapporten brukes som videre underlag for arbeidspakke WP2 Komponenttesting og WP3 Kontroll og dokumentasjon av ventilasjonssystemer.
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| 7. |
- Haukø, Anne-Marit, et al.
(författare)
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Functional testing of ventilation systems in schools during activated fire alarm - Coherence with the fire safety strategy
- 2022
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Ingår i: RISE rapport 2022:72. https://ri.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1657152/FULLTEXT01.pdf. ; , s. 63-64
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to present results from functional testing of ventilation systems in schools during activated fire alarm. It was investigated whether the results had coherence with the ventilation strategy in the fire safety concept and the function description for the ventilation system. Functional testing was performed at several schools in three different municipalities in Norway. Results from the preliminary mapping showed that some of the personnel responsible for maintenance of the ventilation systems lacked knowledge about the system's function during fire. Older schools often don't have a fire safety strategy at all, whereas newer schools and renovated schools normally have well documented fire safety strategies, including the ventilation system's function during fire. However, there is little or no information in the building's MOM-documentation (management, operation and maintenance) about how functional testing must be performed. The functional testing showed several incoherencies with the fire safety strategy of the school buildings.
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| 8. |
- Keune, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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We’re only in it for the knowledge? : a problem solving turn in environment and health expert elicitation
- 2012
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Ingår i: Environmental Health. - 1476-069X. ; 11:Supplement 1, s. S3-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The FP6 EU HENVINET project aimed at synthesizing the scientific information available on a number of topics of high relevance to policy makers in environment and health. The goal of the current paper is to reflect on the methodology that was used in the project, in view of exploring the usefulness of this and similar methodologies to the policy process. The topics investigated included health impacts of the brominated flame retardants decabrominated diphenylether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), phthalates highlighting di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF), nanoparticles, the impacts of climate change on asthma and other respiratory disorders, and the influence of environment health stressors on cancer induction. Methods: Initially the focus was on identifying knowledge gaps in the state of the art in scientific knowledge. Literature reviews covered all elements that compose the causal chain of the different environmental health issues from emissions to exposures, to effects and to health impacts. Through expert elicitation, knowledge gaps were highlighted by assessing expert confidence using calibrated confidence scales. During this work a complementary focus to that on knowledge gaps was developed through interdisciplinary reflections. By extending the scope of the endeavour from only a scientific perspective, to also include the more problem solving oriented policy perspective, the question of which kind of policy action experts consider justifiable was addressed. This was addressed by means of a questionnaire. In an expert workshop the results of both questionnaires were discussed as a basis for policy briefs. Results: The expert elicitation, the application of the calibrated confidence levels and the problem solving approach were all experienced as being quite challenging for the experts involved, as these approaches did not easily relate to mainstream environment and health scientific practices. Even so, most experts were quite positive about it. In particular, the opportunity to widen one's own horizon and to interactively exchange knowledge and debate with a diversity of experts seemed to be well appreciated in this approach. Different parts of the approach also helped in focussing on specific relevant aspects of scientific knowledge, and as such can be considered of reflective value. Conclusions: The approach developed by HENVINET was part of a practice of learning by doing and of interdisciplinary cooperation and negotiation. Ambitions were challenged by unforeseen complexities and difference of opinion and as no Holy Grail approach was at hand to copy or follow, it was quite an interesting but also complicated endeavour. Perfection, if this could be defined, seemed out of reach all the time. Nevertheless, many involved were quite positive about it. It seems that many felt that it fitted some important needs in current science when addressing the needs of policy making on such important issues, without anyone really having a clue on how to actually do this. Challenging questions remain on the quality of such approach and its product. Practice tells us that there probably is no best method and that the best we can do is dependent on contextual negotiation and learning from experiences that we think are relevant.
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