A pilot study of indoor air quality in screen golf courses

Our plain-English summary of A pilot study of indoor air quality in screen golf courses, by S.J. Goung, J. Yang, Y.S. Kim, et al (Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 2015).

The study

• Authors: S.J. Goung, J. Yang, Y.S. Kim, C.M. Lee
• Journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
• Published: 2015;22(9):7176-82
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The aims of this study were to provide basic data for determining policies on air quality for multi-user facilities, including the legal enrollment of the indoor air quality regulation as designated by the Ministry of Environment, and to establish control plans. To this end, concentrations of ten pollutants (PM10, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde (HCHO), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), radon (Rn), oxone (O3), total bacteria counts (TBC), and asbestos) in addition to nicotine, a smoking index material used to determine the impact of smoking on the air quality, were investigated in indoor game rooms and lobbies of 64 screen golf courses. The average concentration of none of the ten pollutants in the game rooms and lobbies of screen golf courses was found to exceed the limit set by the law. There were, however, pollutant concentrations exceeding limits in some screen golf courses, in order to establish a control plan for the indoor air quality of screen golf courses, a study on the emission sources of each pollutant was conducted. The major emission sources were found to be facility users' activities such as smoking and the use of combustion appliances, building materials, and finishing materials.

In plain English

This pilot study measured indoor air quality in 64 screen golf courses, indoor facilities where people hit golf balls at a screen, in Korea's capital area from September to November 2013. The authors measured ten pollutants covered by Korea's indoor air quality regulation for multi-user facilities, including asbestos, in game rooms and lobbies. They also measured nicotine as a marker of indoor smoking. Asbestos was collected on membrane filters and examined with a phase-contrast microscope. Average levels of all ten pollutants were below the legal standards. Asbestos did not exceed the standard at any site. The results table gives a mean of 0.002 fibers per cc (range 0.001 to 0.005) in both game rooms and lobbies, although the text states that no asbestos was detected. Some sites exceeded standards for other pollutants, for example PM10 at 12 of 122 sites and formaldehyde at 9 of 112. Average nicotine was 0.9 micrograms per cubic meter in game rooms and 0.6 in lobbies, a statistically significant difference. The authors concluded that control plans are needed. They named smoking, combustion appliances, and building and finishing materials as the main pollutant sources.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Cross-sectional pilot survey measuring indoor air pollutants
• Who was studied: Game rooms and lobbies of 64 screen golf courses in the capital area of Korea, measured September to November 2013
• Exposure: Ten regulated indoor air pollutants (PM10, formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds, asbestos, radon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, total bacteria counts) plus nicotine. Asbestos was sampled at 20 L/min for 1 hour on a 0.8 micrometer membrane filter and analyzed by phase-contrast microscopy. No fiber type is specified.
• Main results:
  • Average concentrations of all ten pollutants in both game rooms and lobbies did not exceed the respective standards
  • Asbestos in game rooms (n=61): mean 0.002 fiber/cc, standard deviation 0.001, minimum 0.001, maximum 0.005. Lobbies (n=61) showed the same values; the difference between game rooms and lobbies was p greater than 0.05.
  • Asbestos did not exceed the standard concentration at any measured site
  • The text states that no asbestos was detected and interprets this as meaning there was no asbestos emission source in game rooms or lobbies
  • PM10 exceeded the standard at 9.8% of measured sites (12 of 122: six game rooms and six lobbies)
  • Formaldehyde exceeded the standard at 8.0% of measured sites (9 of 112)
  • Average nicotine was 0.9 (SD 0.7) micrograms per cubic meter in game rooms and 0.6 (SD 0.6) in lobbies. The authors reported this as a statistically meaningful difference (p less than 0.05 in Table 3).
  • The authors attributed PM10 to dust stirred up by users' activities and to smoking, and CO mainly to smoking. They attributed NO2 to gas combustion appliances in lobbies. They attributed formaldehyde and TVOCs to building materials, finishing materials and artificial lawns in game rooms.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that although average levels did not exceed the standards, some facilities did exceed them, so control plans are required for screen golf course air quality. They stated that asbestos, CO2, ozone and radon were below the standard everywhere and were not a problem in these facilities.

Related studies

• Indoor air quality differences between urban and rural preschools in Korea — C. Yoon, K. Lee, et al. (2011)
• Indoor air pollutants. A literature review — T.F. Cooke (1991)
• Composition of heavy metals and airborne fibers in the indoor environment of a building during renovation — M.T. Latif, N.H. Baharudin, et al. (2011)
• Public inquiries about indoor air quality in California — J.M. Macher, S.B. Hayward (1991)
• Indoor radon levels in urban Hyderabad area, Andhra Pradesh, India — M. Sreenath Reddy, P. Yadagiri Reddy, et al. (2008)
• Emerging indoor pollutants — T. Salthammer (2020)

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