Evaluation of odour from portable toilets in a four-bed hospital ward
K. Nakajima, M. Kasegawa, M. Suzuki, T. Tamura
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AbstractObjective. Unpleasant odours in hospital wards arising from patients' use of portable toilets is a significant problem. The odours in a four-patient hospital ward were evaluated by using semiconductor odour sensors to evaluate the ambient odour. All the patients in the ward used a
conventional portable toilet for four successive days, and then an odourless portable toilet
for six successive days. Method. Four semiconductor odour sensors were used. They were mainly sensitive to hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, chemicals of light molecular weight (A sensor), and chemicals of heavy molecular weight (B sensor), respectively. Air was collected from near the ceiling of the hospital ward and transported to the sensors via Tygon® tubes. Result. In comparison with the conventional portable toilet, the odourless portable toilet resulted in a decrease of 14% in levels of hydrogen sulphide, 30% in ammonia, 58% in chemicals of light molecular weight and 44% in chemicals of heavy molecular weight. Conclusion: The ambient odour in the hospital ward was significantly improved by using the odourless portable toilet.Keywords: portable toilet; semiconductor odour sensor; hospital ward; ozone
K. Nakajima, M. Kasegawa, M. Suzuki, T. Tamura (2003). Evaluation of odour from portable toilets in a four-bed hospital ward. Gerontechnology, 2(4), 324-331
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2003.02.04.004.00