States that any residential energy-conserving retrofit program should should include an indoor air quality audit. Proposes a basic audit strategy that would minimize the number of actual on-site pollutant measurements. The first step involves compiling an inventory of indoor pollutants (through an owner questionnaire or visual audit) and assessing the amount of pollutant injected into the home from known sources with a narrow emission rate (eg. gas stoves). The second step is to measure the pollutant source strengths of unknown sources, with emission rates that vary widely (eg. radon).
Assesses the indoor air quality at Oakland Gardens Elementary School in New York City under 3 different ventilation rates. Uses a mobile laboratory to monitor air quality in 2 classrooms, a hallway and outdoors. Parameters measured include air exchange rates, particulates, odour perception, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, radon, formaldehyde and total aldehydes. When the ventilation rate is reduced, carbon dioxide concentrations increase significantly, but do not exceed current occupational standards.
Assesses the impact of energy-conserving retrofits on air leakage and indoor air quality for several houses that are part of a weatherization programme in the Pacific Northwest offered by a power and light company. Indoor air quality was measured using the Energy Efficient Buildings (EEB) mobile laboratory containing sampling, monitoring, and calibration equipment. Leakage area of the building envelope was determined using the fan pressurization technique.
Reports on the problem of increased carbon monoxide poisoning in houses resulting from new energy conservation construction techniques, which improve the airtightness of houses.
Reviews literature and presents annotated bibliographies for indoor air quality, indoor air pollution health effects and residential air infiltration. Analyzes air infiltration data, and describes factors related to the house itself, the behaviour of residents and the microenvironment surrounding thehouse. Discusses future trends of infiltration rates.
Uses mathematical models for formaldehyde concentrations in 3 normal rooms in a single family house to estimate ventilation rates needed to maintain the formaldehyde concentration below the Danish recommended indoor standard (0.15 mg/m*3). It appears that in an initial period after the house is finished, a ventilation rate more than 10 times the recommended Scandinavian value (0.5air changes/hr) is needed to keep the concentration below the indoor standard.
Traces the relationship between ventilation needs and methods and the growth of civilization. Describes the development of ventilation methods and assessment of air quality, especially since the Industrial Revolution. Questions whether currently accepted ventilation criteria are still valid, andsuggests that ventilation is only one of several means of ameliorating the internal environment.
Mechanical ventilation systems usually provide a fixed quantity of "fresh" air to a building space based upon the maximum number of people expected to occupy that particular space. When the use of a building space is below its design maximum, the amount of outside air brought into that space can be reduced, thus generally also reducing energy consumption through lower heating and cooling loads. One method of determining the necessary ventilation rate for aparticular space is to utilize an air quality detector (eg CO2 or O2) sensitive to building occupancy and activity load.
Describes the monitoring of indoor air quality in a San Francisco office building where occupants had registered eye, nose and throat irritation complaints. Data was taken under two different ventilation rates. Carbon dioxide concentrations increased as the ventilation rate decreased, odour perceptibility increased slightly at the lowest ventilation rate, and other pollutants generally showed very low concentrations, which increased when ventilation was reduced.
Describes sources of radon in buildings. Summarizes data on observed indoor radon concentrations in houses in New York, Salzburg Austria, and Florida. LBL studies in energy efficient buildings in Maryland, Minnesota, and New Mexico show that tight houses have higher radon concentrations then conventional houses. The data reported is based on "grab samples" taken on mild days (low wind and small indoor and outdoor temperature differences) with all doors and windows closed, resulting in a "worst case" estimate.
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