Infection risk in gyms during physical exercise

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Physical exercise environments like gyms can facilitate airborne disease transmission.
• Indoor air quality, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, is a potential indicator of ventilation effectiveness.
• Understanding infection risks in shared exercise spaces is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the association between physical exercise and the risk of airborne infections (influenza, tuberculosis).
• To assess carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and gym physical characteristics to determine their relationship with CO2 levels.
• To estimate the risk of airborne infection in gyms using the Wells-Riley model.

Main Methods:

• Investigated three gyms with different ventilation systems (split vs. central air conditioning).
• Measured carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and examined gym physical characteristics.
• Applied the Wells-Riley model to estimate airborne infection risk based on occupancy and ventilation.

Main Results:

• Infection risk escalated during peak occupancy when ventilation demands were highest.
• Highest infection risks were observed in the evenings when gym occupancy and CO2 levels peaked.
• Influenza infection risk remained high across all scenarios due to its high transmission rate.

Conclusions:

• Inefficient gym ventilation poses a significant health risk to users.
• Elevated CO2 concentrations indicate impaired air quality and increased susceptibility to infections.
• Gyms require improved ventilation strategies to mitigate the risk of influenza and tuberculosis transmission.