A Survey of Indoor Air Quality Studies in the Philippines Jonathan M. Anastacio 1 , Manuel C. Belino 2 , Hans Felix R. Bosshard 3 , Efren G. Dela Cruz 4 2,4 Mechanical Engineering Department, De La Salle University – Manila 1,2,,3 School of Mechanical Engineering, Mapua Institute of Technology 1 jmanastacio@mapua.edu.ph, 2 mcbelino@mapua.edu.ph, 3 hrbosshard@mapua.edu.ph, 4 efren.delacruz@dlsu.edu.ph Abstract – Indoor air quality (IAQ) studies in the Philippines are relatively new especially as a field of research in universities. This paper presents a survey of IAQ studies and related research works done in academic institutions, industry and government institutions over the last seven years. These studies cover a quite wide range of topics which include: interior air quality studies of surface transportation done in air-conditioned urban buses, taxicabs, light rail transit, and ship cabins; indoor air quality investigation or air-conditioned spaces in institutional buildings such as libraries, laboratories, classrooms and cafeterias: and indoor air quality investigation of commercial buildings such as shopping malls, offices and entertainment spaces. Design of IAQ monitoring laboratory and measuring apparatus as well as air-conditioning equipment and system was also done. In these studies, the contaminants investigated included chemical contaminants, biological contaminants and particulate matter. The assessment of biological contaminants was done by sedimentation test with the use of biostage impactor and tryptic soy agar as the medium. The medium was prepared in laboratory 2-3 days before sampling. The sampling apparatus was placed at various points of the air- conditioned space to be consistent with the protocol that was followed by different IAQ groups. The samples were placed inside an incubation chamber operating temperatures between 34.1 0 C- 35.1 0 C for 24 hours. For the IAQ studies on surface transportation, it can be seen that for urban buses and ship cabins the determined level of concentration of biological contaminants is not acceptable. However, for taxicabs the percentage number of units with acceptable level of biological contaminants is much higher compared to the non-acceptable. For the LRT, the results show 50-50% acceptable and non-acceptable level of concentration. For both the institutional and commercial buildings considered in this survey, the levels of concentration of the biological contaminants are generally acceptable. Over-all, the studies that have been done are a good start to pave the way to a more advanced and sophisticated study of airborne bacteria as they affect the quality of conditioned air which ultimately lead to a healthy and safe indoor environment. Keywords – biological contaminants, chemical contaminants, indoor air quality I. INTRODUCTION This paper surveys research studies on indoor air quality and related ones done in the Philippines over the last seven years. With the exception of a few ones, all these studies have been completed as a required undergraduate thesis projects in the School of Mechanical Engineering of Mapua Institute of Technology and the Mechanical Engineering Department of De La Salle University-Manila. Others were done either as a research project of a faculty, a government agency staff or an individual hygienist. These studies cover a quite wide range of topics which include: interior air quality studies of surface transportation done in air-conditioned urban buses, taxicabs, light rail transit, and ship cabins; indoor air quality investigation or air-conditioned spaces in institutional buildings such as libraries, laboratories, classrooms and cafeterias: and, indoor air quality investigation of commercial buildings such as shopping malls, offices and entertainment spaces. Design of IAQ monitoring laboratory and measuring apparatus as well as air-conditioning equipment and system was also done. II. SUMMARY OF IAQ STUDIES Over the last seven years, a number of indoor air quality studies have been conducted in various higher educational institutions, government agencies and private firms. In this paper, these studies will be limited to those done at the Mapua Institute of Technology, De La Salle University, Occupational Safety and Health Center, and Intel Technology Philippines, Inc. These studies may be divided into the following categories. 1. Interior Air Quality Studies of Surface Transportation 2. Investigation of IAQ of Institutional Buildings 3. Investigation of IAQ of Commercial Buildings 4. Instrumentation and Equipment/System Design to Promote Good IAQ. A. Interior Air Quality Studies of Surface Transportation Different studies have been conducted at the School of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Department of the Mapua Institute of Technology and De La Salle University, respectively pertaining to the interior air quality of air-conditioned surface transportation in Manila. These studies