Indoor air pollution in Romania is higher than outdoor

Dyson unveils the results of its first Global Connected Air Quality Data project, the largest study of indoor air quality globally. The project studies indoor air quality information collected by more than 2.5 million Dyson Purifiers from 2022 to 2023 to landscape air quality in real homes across the world. The volume of data reaches into the tens of billions of data points and paints a picture of indoor air quality in cities and countries globally beyond the scale that has been achievable to date.

”This project focuses on two types of pollutants – PM2.5, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). PM2.5 refers to particles as small as 2.5 microns in diameter; a typical human hair measures around 70 microns in diameter. These particles are invisible to the naked eye, can be inhaled, and are an area of increasing scientific and health research. Sources include combustion – wood burners, or gas cooking and heating – pollens, pet dander, and dust. VOCs are gas pollutants including Benzene and Formaldehyde which can be emitted from activities like cleaning or cooking as well as from products including deodorants and body sprays, candles, furniture, and furnishings”, announces the company.

Romania ranks the second most polluted country in Europe in PM2.5 and VOC values.

“Our connected air quality data allows us insight into the real problem of indoor air pollution in homes across the world. This gives us a direct understanding of the challenges Dyson Purifiers face in real environments and the knowledge to engineer ever-better machines to tackle those challenges. But the data we capture isn't just an engineering tool – on an individual basis, this data is shared back through the MyDyson app in real-time and via monthly reports, to help our Owners improve their air quality understanding”, says Matt Jennings, Engineering Director for Environmental Care.

In most nations, interior air pollution is higher than outside air pollution, according to analyses of P.M2.5 (fine particulate matter) values.

”We all think of air pollution as being an outdoor or roadside problem. Indoor air pollution research is growing but continues to be underdeveloped. Dyson's findings give us an insight into the real pollution levels in homes across the world, helping us to understand the patterns of pollution daily, monthly, and seasonally. Understanding the pollution around us is the first step to reducing our pollution exposure”, says Professor Hugh Montgomery, Chair of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London, and Chairperson of Dyson's Scientific Advisory Board.

Several adverse health effects have been associated with exposure to both PM2.5 and PM10. For PM2.5, short-term exposures (up to 24 hours) were associated with premature mortality, increased hospitalizations for cardiac or pulmonary causes, acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, respiratory symptoms and restrictions, and days of inactivity. These adverse health effects have been reported mainly in infants, children, and older adults with pre-existing heart or lung disease.

In Romania, air pollution is a serious problem, and the national and international authorities impose increasingly strict standards, to reduce the degree of air contamination. Ten months out of the year have more interior air pollution than outside air pollution in Romania, where indoor pollution is generally lower than outdoor pollution. May is considered to be the month where indoor pollution is highest, compared to outdoor pollution. Romania is the sixth country—above France, Germany, and the UK—that has indoor PM2.5 air quality that is above the WHO's yearly norm. Turkey, which is rated third in EMEA, is the country with the lowest ranking.  

Winter is generally a time when individuals spend a lot more time inside the house. Whether it's at work, home, or leisure, we spend ninety percent of the year indoors. Globally, the winter season is the most polluted, according to statistics from Dyson purifiers. With the windows closed and the possibility of using combustion-based heating methods like wood burners, gas heaters, or even candles, we tend to seal our homes more during the winter. But winter was not the month in every country that saw the highest level of pollution in any given year.  When it comes to air pollution in Romania, November is the most polluted month. In January, March, and November–December, the national average data surpasses the WHO recommendation by four times, peaking at 3.5 times higher.

Romania is the second most polluted country in Europe in PM2.5 annual average. Regarding the classification of countries according to the average level of the PM2.5 indicator, at the level of 2022, Romania is the second most polluted country in Europe, ranking 6th place globally, after Turkey which ranks first place in Europe and 3rd place from all analyzed countries. Italy is placed globally on the 9th and Poland on the 10th. Austria sits in 11th and Spain 14th. When the P.M 2.5 values of the countries are analyzed annually, Romania is among the 10 countries with the highest values together with India, China, UAE, South Korea, Turkey, Mexico, Hong Kong SAR, Italy, and Poland, and ranks 6th. It is also the second country with the highest P.M 2.5 value among European countries. Turkey is the first one (3rd) followed by Italy (9th) and Spain (14th) in Europe.

Romania is one of the nations with the highest VOC concentrations. European nations had the highest yearly VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels in contrast to PM2.5. Volatile organic compounds are irritating substances, present in the breathable air, which pollute the air and can cause adverse reactions such as headaches, respiratory problems, allergic reactions, etc. Austria is at the top of the list, followed by Germany, Romania, Poland, Switzerland, and Turkey. 

At the same time, European cities have higher indoor VOC concentrations than other locations. The cities that rate the highest are Munich, Beijing, Cologne, Berlin, and Vienna. 

Based on indoor VOC levels, Austria, Romania, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Turkey, India, Italy, China, and Ireland rank in the top 10 European countries.

Evening pollution is higher than any other time of day. Indoor PM2.5 levels peaked in 30 of the 37 nations where the study was conducted in the evening and night when most people are at home instead of at work, school, or some other location. A major factor in the community studying air quality is exposure, which is the measurement of air pollution concentration over time. A spike in air pollution, or an extremely high level for a brief period, isn't always worse than continuous exposure to "poor" or even "fair" air quality. Thus, the longer, more polluted period may be the cause of the increased exposure to PM2.5 in houses. In most regions, peak hours were from 6 p.m. until midnight, although in South East Asia (Thailand, Philippines, India) the most polluted hours fall between 7 AM and midday. South Korea and Mexico are two other key exceptions, seeing the highest pollution levels between midnight and 7 AM, and 9 AM and 3 PM respectively.

The Dyson Global Connected Air Quality Data project analyses more than half a trillion data points to paint a picture of the air quality in real homes around the world, understand user behaviors, and compare indoor and outdoor air quality. The total global sample size is 3.441.953. In Turkey, the national sample size is 14.326, and at city level, 7.721 in Istanbul. The indoor air quality studied is based on the location of Dyson Purifiers in homes and as such is not nationally representative.

From a wealth of data, data scientists have focused on PM2.5 and VOC data, analyzing the measurements from 1st January to 31st December 2022. Data is collected by the machines every 1 minute, which is time-averaged into averages by hour, day, month, season, and year depending on the calculation in question. For all the mean estimates, it considers the 99% credible interval to ensure accurate, statistically significant spatial and/or temporal comparisons.

Countries studied are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Vietnam

Cities studied are Amsterdam, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Bristol, Brussels, Busan, Chicago, Cologne, Copenhagen, Delhi, Dubai, Dublin, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Hong Kong SAR, Istanbul, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Manila, Marseille, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, Mumbai, Munich, New York, Osaka, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Stockholm, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna.