Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of a Multi-storied Residential Kitchen in the Tropics
Keywords:
Human Health, Indoor Air Quality, Kitchen, Thermal Comfort, Tropical ClimateAbstract
Human body has a thermo receptor which is non-specialized sensory receptor that has relative changes in temperature. Thermal comfort is a very important element for human body so as indoor air. But the good indoor air quality and thermal comfort in the kitchen is often forgotten even though kitchen is an important part of every residence. Cooking in the kitchen is a routine activity which is done from the morning to the evening in most of the tropical countries. But the domestic smoke exposure and thermal strain caused by the kitchen environment for a long period of time increase the risk of common and serious diseases of the users. The aim of the study is to analyse the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort of the kitchen environment in the tropical climate and its impact on human health. One residential kitchen of a multi-storied building is observed on the basis of some Subjective Judgment Scales (SJS) including the Air Temperature, 0C (AT), Relative Humidity, % (RH), Indoor Air Quality Index (IAQI), Blood Pressure (BP), Pulse Rate (PR) and overall thermal sensation of the occupant at different conditions. Then the physical environment of the kitchen was analysed through digital documentation and simulation which included poor ventilation, presence of highly heat conductive surfaces etc. A questionnaire survey has also been conducted on 25 families regarding thermal comfort in the kitchen environment and to analyse how the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of the kitchen imposes severe health impacts on its users leading to some major health issues. The results indicate that the longer exposure to the heated kitchen environment directly affects the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of the kitchen for which the users are experienced with extreme thermal discomfort contributing to their degrading health conditions.
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