University of Coimbra | Energy for Sustainability (Efs)

Today, there is a clarion call by world leaders, Energy experts and Environmental scientists, to create a global awareness and sustain a demand for concerted efforts for all spheres of energy consumption; Buildings, Industries,... more

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) remains a global concern because it impacts people's comfort, health, performance, and general well-being. People spend a significant amount of time in buildings or while commuting, hence ensuring the... more

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) remains a global concern as it impacts human comfort, performance, health, safety, and consequently energy use. Today, people spend a lot of time indoors (in both built and mobile environments).... more

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) remains a global concern as it impacts human comfort, performance, health, safety, and consequently energy use. Today, people spend a lot of time indoors (in both built and mobile environments). Furthermore, exposure to poor IEQ, which constitutes mainly defects in indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal, acoustic, and visual comfort, according to ASHRAE, ISO, and OSHA, can result in myriads of poor health, discomfort, and safety consequences. A significant factor in the evaluation of IEQ is acoustic comfort. Long-term human exposure to unacceptable noise levels can pose a major risk to health and impact comfort levels in an indoor environment. Several studies have assessed the risk of high noise levels, confirming the existence of related health problems. While traffic noise falls into a major category of environmental noise, noise levels in transport cabins (TC) are important to evaluate because passengers and drivers are directly subjected to it during transit. This study evaluates the noise and annoyance levels that passengers and drivers may be subjected to in the TC of developing sub-Saharan countries through a field survey in the real-time travel experience. The study assesses the TC in Nigeria, taking Lagos City urban buses as a case study. For this city with over 24 million people, its vast socio-economic activities, the heavy traffic situation of vehicles and commuters, overcrowded TC, present environmental noise, poor IEQ regulation, and inadequate policy or framework give relevance to the study. In-cabin sound pressure level (dBA) was measured for 13 bus trips (exceeding 69 dBA in all cases), plying the longest Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route of Lagos mainland to island (Ikorodu to TBS), using a calibrated sound meter (TROTEC PC220). The results obtained were analyzed according to prescribed aural comfort standards by ASHRAE and ISO. Findings suggest daily passenger exposure to unsafe noise and annoyance levels, hence recommendations to reduce the incidence of crowded TC, prescribe, and enforce standard IEQ regulations for BRT operators and public transportation, and improve traffic management policies and vehicle conditions in Lagos City, which can be applied to similar developing tropical countries.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

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- by John O Ogundiran
- •
- 4
  Geography, Climate Change, Indoor Air Quality, Thermal comfort

Assessing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is fundamental to ensuring health, well-being, and safety. A particular type of indoor compartment, land transport cabins (LTCs), specifically those of trains and buses, was surveyed. The... more

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

School buildings remain important indoor spaces where the typical occupants spend a significant amount of time. Thus, adequate indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is necessary for a safe environment and assures minimal risk to occupants'... more

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has become a critical factor to consider regarding the safety and comfort of indoor spaces since modern man spends a significant amount of time indoors. Additionally, with the prevailing effects of... more

The adequacy of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in mass transit microenvironments is crucial to the well-being of exposed commuters. By 2050, many developing tropical countries will host even more megacities, which will feature an... more

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- by John O Ogundiran
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- 13
  Business, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geography

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

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- by John O Ogundiran
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- Environmental Science

This systematic literature review (SLR) focuses on indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in passenger transport vehicles within tropical and subtropical regions. It specifically examines indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort (TC),... more

This systematic literature review (SLR) focuses on indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in passenger transport vehicles within tropical and subtropical regions. It specifically examines indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort (TC), acoustic comfort (AC), and visual comfort (VC) of passenger vehicle cabins (PVCs) in auto rickshaws, sedans, trucks, bus rapid transits (BRTs), buses, trains, trams, metro systems, aircraft and ferries of tropical and subtropical regions. The SLR used the PRISMA approach to identify and review scientific studies between 2000 and 2024 on the IEQ of PVCs in the tropics. Studies reviewed were found in SCO-PUS, Web of Science, Science Direct, and EBSCO databases including relevant citation references. Findings reveal a significant geographical imbalance in research, with most studies concentrated in tropical Asia (78.2%), while sub-Saharan Africa (8.2%), South America (11.8%), and Oceania (1.8%) are considerably underrepresented. In 113 studies, most addressed IAQ and TC but limited attention to AC and VC. Moreover, fewer studies have jointly addressed all the IEQ parameters, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach to IEQ for tropical PVCs. Several studies alluded to in-cabin commuter risk linked to PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide (CO), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These risks are exacerbated by traffic hotspots, poor ventilation, ambient pollution, overcrowding, and poor vehicle conditions. Additionally, thermal discomfort is compounded by extreme heat loads, inefficient HVAC systems, and high vehicle occupancy. Common gaps include a paucity of IEQ studies and inadequate IEQ regulations or adapted standards in developing tropics. Infrastructural and regulatory deficiencies have been identified, along with strategies for mitigation. Recommendations are for more holistic IEQ studies in the tropics, including exposure studies for emerging gaps in new indoor pollutants, integration of AI and IoT for sustainable ventilation strategies, and development of effective regulatory frameworks considering region-specific conditions. Finally, Policymakers are encouraged to establish localized IEQ standards, enforce regulations, and prioritize upgrades to transport infrastructure. The SLR findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted interventions in developing tropical regions to address disparities in IEQ, ensuring healthier and more sustainable transport environments that could be replicated across transport systems worldwide.

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- by John O Ogundiran and +1
  James Ogundiran
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- 12
  Transportation Studies, Indoor Air Quality, Public Health, Visual comfort

complementary strengths through a weighted fusion mechanism. Datasets, including the GRAPE and other public and clinical sources, were used, ensuring diverse demographic representation and supporting generalizability. The model was... more

Cabin air quality and noise are essential parameters of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) that impact the comfort, safety, and well-being of exposed occupants. Daily, many passengers and drivers are exposed to the indoor climate in bus... more

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