A multi-scale exposure concentration analysis in a large factory space using computational fluid dynamics technique

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) can play a significant role in the well-being of residents, and with this consideration, airborne routes of exposure become critically important for the evaluation of health risks associated with IAQ. In particular, in the viewpoint of the Health Impact Assessment on industry workers, the management of IAQ within factory settings is identified to be an essential factor affecting industrial hygiene. In recent years, the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique has been practically applied to indoor environmental design, with the potential to enhance the field of industrial hygiene. In this paper, an integrated simulation procedure to predict the exposure concentrations of hazardous occupational chemical compounds is developed. The concerned technique uses a multi-nesting method to connect factory building spaces and the microclimate around a human body and respiratory tract. This method was proposed in order to provide detailed quantitative and qualitative information to estimate contaminant doses applied to workers.