Assessment of the risk associated with chemical pollution of air environment of sports facilities for children’s health

Abstract

Introduction. Acute and chronic exposure to chemicals is accompanied by a complex of disorders in the activity of the respiratory, immune and other systems. Purpose is to assess the health risk to children from short-term exposure to pollutants in air of out- and indoor sports facilities. Materials and methods. The air quality of ice arenas, sports halls for martial arts and sports halls in schools was studied using maximum samples; out-door air - according to the average monthly and maximum concentrations registered in 2017-2021. The risks of acute exposure for indoor and outdoor sports facilities are calculated. Results. Against the background of a single excess of the maximum one-time (in gyms) and average monthly (in the atmosphere) concentrations of chemicals, risks to the health of children involved in sports were identified. The maximum share contribution to hazard index (HI) for the respiratory system in the air of the ice arena is made by formaldehyde (58.3%), in school halls - by suspended solids (47.3%). The seasonal dynamics of pollution is revealed, which confirms the importance of thermal power emissions. The maximum Hazard Quotient (HQ) PM10 = 3.1-3.9 is established in winter, and in summer it is 3-4 times lower. The content of PM2.5 in the air is responsible for the extremely high risk in May (HQ = 12.5). The limitation of the results is due to the lack of indoor studies and insufficient knowledge on the impact of acute health effects. Limitations the results are due to the small number of indoor studies and insufficient knowledge about the impact of acute health outcomes. Conclusion. Further study of the short-term effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution from sports facilities is needed.