health

Basic requirements for healthy environments were well established before 1850 and implemented during the next 100 years as a vital condition for the remarkable improvements of general health and living standard in our welfare states.It is sad to observe that so much knowledge and wisdom seems to have evaporated during the last 50 years !

This paper describes a study of reduced performance of mechanical exhaust systems in 42 Dutch houses after several years of operation. It also describes the effect of reduced ventilation on air quality and the perception and use of the ventilation system by residents. The guanine contents of dust samples taken from the sleeping room were determined to assess the risk of allergy.

On account of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), large proportions of workers suffer from eye and respiratory discomfort or headaches. In a small-scale painting process, efficient ventilation system must be provided for human health. In this study, ventilation characteristics of toluene have been analysed in a room of a small-scale painting process with various exit locations with different suction velocities at the exits.

An analysis of recently published research results is provided, showing that if molds and the different compounds they produce can lead to some health effects (allergies, infections, potential toxicologic effects) when inhalated, these effects occur only for exposures at very high doses. The potential toxicity from indoor air exposures is therefore very low, which allows to consider the term 'toxic mold' as a misnomer.

This article presents how ventilation and air quality in smoking spaces are being treated by ANSI/ASHRAE standard 62, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. Historical information is given about environmental tobacco smoke and ventilation requirements in the standard since its first issue in 1973. The status of the 31 addenda to the 1999 version of the standard, some of them being included in the 2001 version, others still being in discussion or in the process to be adopted, is explained. Among them are four smoking-related addenda : 62e, 62g, 62o and 62ag.

This article describes bacteria and viruses usually considered as candidates for biological weapons. It also presents chemical agents that might be used as chemical weapons. It shows how HVAC systems can be designed with safeguards to protect against entry and/or circulation of these agents. It explains how air filtration can provide an additional defense, using HEPA filters, activated carbon filters, antimicrobial treated filters, ultraviolet light emitters or electrostatic air cleaners with UV emitters.

This article describes the various types of fungi (yeasts, molds, mushrooms, ...). It reminds that they are single or multi-cellular non-motile organisms which rely on other organism or environment for nutrients. Fungi can generate spores which can germinate under appropriate conditions (moisture, substrate, temperature) after an extended period during which they remain dormant.

Describes two European research projects on performance criteria for healthy buildings in which TNO Building and Construction Research (The Netherlands) is involved : HOPE (Health optimisation protocol for energy efficient buildings : Prenormative and socio-economic research to create healthy and energy efficient buildings) and PeBBu (Performance based building Thematic Network).

This document results from a Working Group set up by the World Health Organization. It formulates a set of statements on the right to healthy indoor air.

The objective of this paper was to illustrate the potential of the CFD technique to compare the effectiveness of different general ventilation systems in reducing the workers' exposure to styrene vapour in a workroom. . Thanks to the CFD technique predicted airflow velocities and styrene distribution are shown for the 3 different ventilation arrangements at identical planes across the room. And predicted values of styrene concentration at workers'position are given.