AIVC Technical Reports

Reducing Indoor Residential Exposures to Outdoor Pollutants Only available for Subscribers 548 kB

M.H. Sherman, N.E. Matson
AIVC Technical Note 58, 2003, 36 pp, Code TN 58

The basic strategy for providing indoor air quality in residences is to dilute indoor sources with outdoor air. This strategy assumes that the outdoor air does not have pollutants at harmful levels or that the outdoor air is, at least, less polluted than the indoor air. When this is not the case, different strategies need to be employed to ensure adequate air quality in the indoor environment. These strategies include ventilation systems, filtration and other measures. These strategies can be used for several types of outdoor pollution, including smog, particulates and toxic air pollutants. This report reviews the impacts that typical outdoor air pollutants can have on the indoor environment and provides design and operational guidance for mitigating them. Poor quality air cannot be used for diluting indoor contaminants, but more generally it can become an indoor contaminant itself. This paper discusses strategies that use the building as protection against potentially hazardous outdoor pollutants, including widespread pollutants, accidental events, and potential attacks.

Contents

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. DEFINITION OF ACCEPTABLE AIR QUALITY
  3. SUMMARY OF OUTDOOR AIR CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN INDOORS

    3.1 PHOTOCHEMICAL SMOG
    3.2 PARTICULATE MATTER

    3.2.1 Health Impact of Particulate Matter
    3.2.2 Lead

    3.3 GASEOUS CRITERIA AIR POLLUTANTS

    3.3.1 Ozone
    3.3.2 NO2
    3.3.3 SO2
    3.3.4 CO

    3.4 TOXIC AIR POLLUTANTS

    3.4.1 Hazardous Air Pollutants
    3.4.2 Highly Toxic Agents

    3.5 MIGRATION OF OUTDOOR POLLUTANTS TO INDOORS

4 MITIGATION STRATEGIES

4.1 SHELTER IN PLACE
4.1.1 Safe havens
4.2 BUILDING AIR TIGHTNESS AND PRESSURE BALANCING
4.2.1 Building air tightness
4.2.2 Pressure management
4.3 VENTILATION AND AIR FILTRATION
4.3.1 Ventilation systems
4.3.2 Filtration and air cleaning
4.4 CONTAMINANT REMOVAL AND COMBINED STRATEGIES

5 DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY
6 BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX: CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN FROM WHO

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