Assessment of COVID-19 Infection Risks in an Office Building: Field Study Investigation in Shenzhen, China

• Published in: Journal of environmental engineering (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2024-06, Vol.150 (6)
• Main Authors: Gong, Xiaoqiang, Xu, Zhengsong, Jiang, Dong, Bu, Zengwen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Buildings; Carbon dioxide; Case Studies; Case Study; COVID-19; Disease control; Disease transmission; Dwell time; Health risks; Infections; Monitoring methods; Office buildings; Risk; Risk assessment; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Ventilation
• ISSN: 0733-9372; 1943-7870
• DOI: 10.1061/JOEEDU.EEENG-7513

AbstractThe current cases and studies show that the aerosol propagation of COVID-19 is possible in the office buildings. The paper explored the ventilation level and monitoring methods for indoor infection risk in office buildings, improved the Wells-Riley equation and ventilation rate equation, providing the possibility of real-time monitoring of the transmission risk of COVID-19 in office buildings. Then, the main influencing factors of the exposure risk of SARS-CoV-2, including working density, dwell time, and fresh air volume per person, were field measured in three office areas and three conference rooms of an office building in Shenzhen, China. In addition, the field monitored carbon dioxide (CO2) data were used to estimate the possibility of COVID-19 infection in offices and conference rooms. The results show that the number of staff, ventilation rate, and office hours are all important factors affecting the infection risk of workers in the office building environment, but the existing literature rarely considers these three points at the same time. In addition, the paper adopted the method of assessing the infection risk from place to place, time to time, and person to person in the building environment, providing early warning for office buildings and helping to control the spread of airborne diseases. The results can be beneicial to understanding and taking necessary safety considerations against the infection risk in closed public or governmental environments. Practical ApplicationsThe paper explored the ventilation level and monitoring methods for indoor infection risk in office buildings and improved the Wells-Riley equation and ventilation rate equation, providing the possibility of real-time monitoring of the transmission risk of COVID-19 in office buildings. The results showed that the number of staff, ventilation rate, and office hours are all important factors affecting the infection risk of workers in the office building environment, but the existing literature has rarely considered these three points at the same time. Meanwhile, research has further demonstrated the connection between the risk of virus infection and indoor monitoring environmental indicators, providing a new path for further accurate prediction of indoor infection risk. The results can be beneficial to understanding and taking necessary safety considerations against the infection risk in closed public or governmental environments. Therefore, evaluating indoor transmissi