Background and Objective: Since the hospital is one of the important centers for treating and caring for patients, the presence of air pollutants in concentrations exceeding the standard in such places can threaten the health of patients and hospital personnel. This study aimed to investigate the concentration of particulate pollutants in the psychiatric care center of Mostafa Khomeini Hospital in Ilam in 2019.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, the concentration of particulate matter in the hospital's psychiatric care center was measured. Sampling was carried out using a portable device. In each of the four studied sections (male ward, female ward, male staff, and female staff), one hour of sampling was conducted over three consecutive months (April, May, and June), resulting in a total of twelve samples. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16).
Results: The results showed that during the sampling period, the highest average concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 were 50.09, 21.88, and 32.9 μg/m3, respectively, and related to the female inpatient wards, male personnel, and female inpatient wards, respectively. The highest PM₁₀ concentration was observed in the female inpatient ward, PM₂.₅ in the male staff ward, and PM₁ in the female inpatient ward.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the average concentrations of particulate pollutants in all sections was lower than the EPA standards. According to WHO guidelines, the PM10 concentration of male and female inpatients in May, and also female staff and male and female inpatients in June, and the PM2.5 concentration in the female inpatient wards in June were higher than the recommended limit
