An indoor air quality survey was conducted on selected floors in an office building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The sampling sites comprised four offices located along the same vertical column of the building. Measurements were made on alternate days at the same time of day during working hours. Indoor and outdoor samples were collected for volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde, total suspended particles (TSP), nicotine, and ultraviolet respirable suspended particles (UV-RSP). Compared with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde was found in higher concentrations outdoors because of the use of ethanol or ethanol/gasoline blends as alternative fuels for automobiles in Brazil. The TVOC concentration ranged from 304.3 to 1679.9 μg/m3 indoors and 22 to 643.2 μg/m3 outdoors. The indoor level of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) was especially high in the 13th floor office. A minor contribution from environmental tobacco smoke was found. TSP values exceed the Brazilian Legislation (80 μg/m3) in both outdoor and indoor air in the office located near the street traffic. For all pollutants evaluated I/O ratios appeared to be higher in offices located on the top of the building. The characterization of indoor air pollutants allowed the suggestion of several remediation measures to improve air quality in the offices.

A -Sala 607 -21949-900 -Rio de Janeiro -RJ Recebido em 8/8/97; aceito em 1/4/98 INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND CHEMISTRY. In Brazil, very little experimental work on measurements of indoor air pollutant levels has been done. Nowadays, increasing attention is being given to indoor air quality and the health problems associated with buildings and the indoor work environment. The scope of this paper is to review the major pollutants found in indoor environments and their sources. Subsequently, exposure to indoor air pollutants and health effects are considered. The review concludes by briefly addressing assessment of indoor air quality in Brazil and research needs.Keywords: indoor air quality; sick building syndrome; air pollution. REVISÃO INTRODUÇÃOA qualidade do ar de interiores (QAI) tornou-se um tema de pesquisa importante na área de saúde pública nos últimos 15 anos. Esse interesse ocorreu após a descoberta de que baixas taxas de troca de ar nestes ambientes ocasionam um aumento considerável na concentração de poluentes químicos e biológi-cos no ar 1 . Como todos passamos boa parte de nossa vida diária em recintos fechados, seja em casa, no trabalho, no transporte, ou mesmo em locais de lazer, a preocupação com concentrações de contaminantes no ar em ambientes internos é justificável.A disciplina que estuda a qualidade do ar de interiores, chamada "Indoor Air Quality", é nova, com cerca de 25 anos no mundo e com apenas 5 anos no Brasil. É uma nova área de estudo que reúne profissionais de diferentes disciplinas, principalmente quí-micos, microbiologistas, engenheiros, arquitetos e toxicologistas.Nessas últimas décadas, houve um grande aumento de queixas relacionadas à qualidade de ar em locais fechados nos países desenvolvidos, principalmente em edifícios de microclima artificial. Essas queixas geraram estudos que foram conduzidos em diferentes países e períodos, indicando que o ar dentro de casa e outros locais fechados pode estar mais poluído do que o ar externo nas grandes cidades industrializadas 2a-f .Ironicamente, o movimento mundial de conservação de energia, desencadeado na decáda de 70, contribuiu de uma forma bastante marcante para as preocupações atuais referentes à qualidade do ar de interiores. Com o intuito de obter uma melhor eficiência nos aparelhos de refrigeração e aquecimento e, com isso, minimizar o consumo de energia, os prédios de escritórios e residenciais (principalmente em países desenvolvidos localizados em clima frio) a partir daquela década, foram construídos visando uma vedação térmica mais eficiente, surgindo os chamados prédios selados.Paralelamente, houve um grande aumento na diversidade de produtos para forração, acabamento e mobiliário, que contém substâncias químicas passíveis de serem dispersas no ar de interiores, disponível no mercado consumidor. Esses materiais, na maioria dos casos, foram desenvolvidos sem uma preocupação com suas emissões. Atualmente, sabe-se que uma das causas do deterioramento da qualidade do ar de interiores é devida a essa emissão de substâncias químicas, p...

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This paper provides the first published information on indoor concentrations of micro-organisms in a building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The building in question was a 1,000 m2, twenty-nine-story building with a central air conditioning system. Concentrations and genera of bacteria and fungi were determined in several offices using a 6-stage impactor (Andersen sampler) during the summer season. Several gram-positive (Micrococcus, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus) and gram-negative (Pseudomonas, Serratia, Klebsiella) genus of bacteria were detected. Of the 13 fungi identified indoors, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Trichoderma and Aspergillus were predominant. Total bacteria and fungi counts showed a definite pattern in a comparison of results for the indoor and outdoor air. Therefore, the source of these micro-organisms is probably the outdoor air, from where they were transported indoors.

This paper provides the first published information on indoor concentrations of micro-organisms in a building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The building in question was a 1,000 m², twenty-nine-story building with a central air conditioning system. Concentrations and genera of bacteria and fungi were determined in several offices using a 6-stage impactor (Andersen sampler) during the summer season. Several gram-positive (Micrococcus, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus) and gram-negative (Pseudomonas, Serratia, Klebsiella) genus of bacteria were detected. Of the 13 fungi identified indoors, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Trichoderma and Aspergillus were predominant. Total bacteria and fungi counts showed a definite pattern in a comparison of results for the indoor and outdoor air. Therefore, the source of these micro-organisms is probably the outdoor air, from where they were transported indoors.