Health risk assessment of the European inhabitants exposed to contaminated ambient particulate matter by potentially toxic elements.

PM10-associated potential toxic elements (PTEs) can enter the respiratory system and cause health problems. In the current study, the health risk indices caused by PM10 inhalation by adults, children, and infants in 158 European cities between 2013 and 2019 were studied to determine if Europeans were adversely affected by carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic factors or not. The Mann-Kendall trend test examined PM10's increasing or decreasing trend. Random Forest analysis was also used to analyse meteorological factors affecting PM10 in Europe. Hazard quotient and cancer risk were estimated using PM10-associated PTEs. Our results showed a decline in continental PM10 concentrations. The correlation between PM10 concentrations and temperature (-0.40), PBLH (-0.39), and precipitation were statistically strong (-0.21). The estimated Pearson correlation coefficients showed a statistically strong positive correlation between As & Pb, As & Cd, and Cd & Pb during 2013-2019, indicating a similar origin. PTEs with hazard quotients below one, regardless of subpopulation type, posed no noncancerous risk to Europeans. The hazard quotient values positively correlated with time, possibly due to elevated PTE levels. In our study on carcinogen pollution in Europe between 2013 and 2019, we found unacceptable levels of As, Cd, Ni, and Pb among adults, children, and infants. Carcinogenic risk rates were highest for children, followed by infants, adult women, and adult men. Therefore, besides monitoring and mitigating PM concentrations, effective control of PM sources is also needed.

Which qualities should built environment possess to ensure satisfaction of higher-education students with remote education during pandemics?

The COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly switched most education processes from face-to-face to remote mode, obliging millions of students to utilize their residences as study spaces. However, the characteristics of their residential built environments differ in terms of regional, social, cultural, and technological aspects. These differences should impact the students' performance and satisfaction which needs to be measured and studied. The present study aims to identify the effect of the residential built environment on students' satisfaction and academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was conducted in two countries, Kazakhstan (KZ) and Norway (NO), using a comprehensive online survey to gather data. An empirical assessment based on the structural equation model was employed to identify links between health, safety, and comfort of students' facilities and academic performance and satisfaction. We conclude that the built environment affects both satisfaction for remote education and their learning performance. Significant differences in readiness for remote education have been observed between urban and non-urban living areas: (1) The role of health-and-safety convenience seems to increase with the urbanization level of the respondents' living spaces; (2) in contrast, for non-urban residents, the provision of comfort facilities is dominant. In the meantime, an analysis "by regions" revealed that health-and-safety-related facilities in residences are more critical for remote education in Central Asia (KZ). In contrast, the comfort features of residences being more important for the students studying remotely in Northern Europe (NO). These results provide an understanding that would assist in improving remote education and preparing pandemic-ready living areas.

Effects of the residential built environment on remote work productivity and satisfaction during COVID-19 lockdowns: An analysis of workers' perceptions.

COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to stay home and switch to the remote working mode, which - reportedly - affect job satisfaction and productivity. The present study investigates the relationship between the residential environment and worker's job satisfaction and productivity in the remote working mode during the COVID-19 pandemic. A hypothetical structural equation model (SEM) of the influencing factors is constructed based on a literature review and experts' opinions. A survey-based respondents' opinions (n = 2276) were then used to test and analyze the model. The model results reveal that a residential built environment has an indirect effect on both remote work satisfaction and productivity. However, among all the factors, comfortable space (separate space and ergonomic furniture) is found to be the most important. This study presents the importance of adopting a residential built environment to respond to a crisis like a pandemic in achieving the desired comfort level of remote work. Although this study provides a holistic approach, it also proposes a base for the future country-specific analysis by providing some possible countries' differences.

Assessment of potential benefits of traffic and urban mobility reductions during COVID-19 lockdowns: dose-response calculations for material corrosions on built cultural heritage.

Air pollution, particularly in urban areas, puts human health in danger and has adverse impacts on the built environment. It can accelerate the natural corrosion rate of cultural heritages and monuments, leading to premature aging and lowering their aesthetic value. Globally, at the beginning of 2020, to tackle the spread of novel COVID-19, the lockdown was enforced in the most hard-hit countries. Therefore, this study assesses, as a first time, the plausible benefits of traffic and urban mobility reductions on the natural process of deterioration of materials during COVID-19 lockdown in twenty-four major cities on five continents. The potential risk is estimated based on exceeding the tolerable degradation limits for each material. The notable impact of COVID-19 mobility restrictions on air quality was evidenced in 2020 compared to 2019. The introduced mobility restrictions in 2020 could decrease the surface recession rate of materials. Extremely randomized trees analysis showed that PM10 was the main influencing factor for corrosion of portland, copper, cast bronze, and carbon steel with a relative importance of 0.60, 0.32, 0.90, and 0.64, respectively, while SO2 and HNO3 were mainly responsible for corrosion of sandstone and zinc with a relative importance of 0.60 and 0.40, respectively. The globally adverse governed meteorological conditions in 2020 could not positively influence the movement restrictions around the world in air quality improvements. Our findings can highlight the need for additional policies and measures for reducing ambient pollution in cities and the proximity of sensitive cultural heritage to avoid further damage.

Stakeholder based weights of new sustainability indicators providing pandemic resilience for residential buildings.

During COVID-19, the building and service characteristics of residential buildings turned out to be more critical due to lockdowns. The present research assesses the importance of new sustainability indicators for residential buildings in three categories (e.g., Health and Safety, Environmental Resources Consumption, and Comfort) that provide resilience for pandemic periods. The opinions of stakeholders on the identified indicators were collected and then analyzed. 'Health and Safety' category is found to be the most critical among the others. The prevention of virus propagation, mental health, and building air quality are three crucial indicators playing essential roles in the health and safety category. In more detail, innovative smart technologies, including touchless technologies, are identified as a priority in preventing virus propagation. Outdoor spaces and safe indoor places for socialization are weighted as essential in supporting the well-being and mental health of the resident. Finally, air filtration and segregation of medical waste indicators are considered critical in preventing the spread of viruses. There was a consensus among the local and international experts since they did not significantly report differing opinions for the majority of the indicators. However, there was a shift in experts' opinions towards pandemic-oriented indicators compared to conventional sustainability indicators.

Assessment method for new sustainability indicators providing pandemic resilience for residential buildings.

The method presented in this paper aims to support the sustainability assessment methods of residential buildings under pandemic conditions. The main purpose of the study is to review existing criteria of the well-known assessment tools and then to suggest a set of assessment measures for the emerging pandemic-resilient indicators. Current sustainability assessment methodologies mostly focus on the conventional sustainability pillars (Environmental, Social, Economic), whereas the proposed emerging sustainability assessment indicators include changes in sustainability requirements brought by the current pandemic. Firstly, a set of indicators with possible measures was identified; then, we reviewed several existing green building certification systems to identify their gaps and developed a foundation for each indicator. Finally, several round table discussions involving various stakeholders (e.g., engineers, designers, health care experts, academics) were conducted to consolidate the identified measures. The findings of the present study indicate that certain pandemic-resilient indicators are not fully addressed by existing assessment tools, pointing out the importance of the development of new measures to make them more suitable to use under pandemic conditions. Thus, the present study contributes to the building assessment methods by proposing a set of emerging assessment indicators with measures, which can be used by various professionals that would contribute to more sustainable buildings in upcoming pandemics.•A 5-point scale was used to assess the indicators, and various stakeholders in a previous study identified their weights.•The methodology introduces new pandemic-related indicators into the conventional sustainability concept.•The assessment measures are rapid and economically efficient to apply for any residential building.