Towards the Application of Fuzzy Logic for Developing a Novel Indoor Air Quality Index (FIAQI).
BACKGROUND
In the past few decades, Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) has become a primary concern to the point. It is increasingly believed to be of equal or greater importance to human health compared to ambient air. However, due to the lack of comprehensive indices for the integrated assessment of indoor air quality (IAQ), we aimed to develop a novel, Fuzzy-Based Indoor Air Quality Index (FIAQI) to bridge the existing gap in this area.


METHODS
We based our index on fuzzy logic, which enables us to overcome the limitations of traditional methods applied to develop environmental quality indices. Fifteen parameters, including the criteria air pollutants, volatile organic compounds, and bioaerosols were included in the FIAQI due mainly to their significant health effects. Weighting factors were assigned to the parameters based on the medical evidence available in the literature on their health effects. The final FIAQI consisted of 108 rules. In order to demonstrate the performance of the index, data were intentionally generated to cover a variety of quality levels. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the validity of the index.


RESULTS
The FIAQI tends to be a comprehensive tool to classify IAQ and produce accurate results.


CONCLUSIONS
It seems useful and reliable to be considered by authorities to assess IAQ environments.
School of Public Health, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.
Allahbakhsh
A
Javid
Dept. of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Amir Abbas
AA
Hamedian
School of Public Health, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.
Hamed
H
Gharibi
Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Hossein
MH
Sowlat
Fuzzy-based indoor air quality index (FIAQI); Indoor air pollution (IAP); Indoor air quality (IAQ)