A Study on the Distribution Characteristics of Formaldehyde, Volatile Organic Compounds, Particulate Matter, and Airborne Bacteria in Indoor Play Centers

This study aimed to evaluate the indoor air quality differences at 19 indoor play centers of cafés and play areas in Gyeonggi-do where were 430 m2 or larger. We examined concentrations of formaldehyde (HCHO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), particulate matter, and total airborne bacteria, and how their distributions varied with the number of visitors at the places. On weekdays, there were no statistically significant differences in mean indoor air pollutant concentrations between the cafés and play areas at 95% confidence intervals. However, significant differences were observed on weekends when the number of visitors increased. HCHO concentrations increased up to 159%, and VOC concentrations increased up to 210%. A higher increase rate of HCHO occurred at the cafés compared to the play areas since cooking operations were performed under natural ventilation. The PM10 concentration increased by approximately 33.2%, with an increase of 49.2% in the play areas and a 18.3% increase in the cafés on weekends. PM2.5 concentration particularly increased during weekends in the cafés and play areas by 113% and 63.6%, respectively. During cooking operations, the concentration of gaseous and particulate pollution increased more in the air pollutant concentration of cafés, and the overall bacterial concentration increased during weekends due to higher numbers of visitors. Therefore, indoor play centers with cooking operations require adequate air quality management to mitigate the indoor pollution.