health

The study described attempted to assess the relative efficacy of personal respiratory protection when infectious aerosol concentration increases or room ventilation rates decrease. A variable for respirator leakage was added to the Wells-Riley mathematical model of airborne transmission of disease. States that infection risk decreases exponentially with increasing room ventilation or personal respiratory protection. As room ventilation rates increase, or concentrations of infectious aerosols decrease, the relative efficacy of personal respiratory protection decreases.

The indoor environment is by far the most important environment from a health perspective. Allergies, airways infections, lung cancer etc. are associated with indoor air quality (IAQ) in developed countries and they are related to the use of energy for buildings. The main problems related to buildings, energy conservation and health in the developed world concern 'dampness' and inadequate ventilation. It is well established that if there is no 'building dampness' and if the ventilation is adequate then the risk of IAQ-related diseases is low.

States that with the ill effects of poor indoor air quality often in the news these days, it pays to design and build a house that is healthy from the start. States that a comprehensive approach to residential design has emerged in recent years that makes both energy conservation and good indoor air quality achievable in homes.

This booklet presents seven outstanding renovation projects that show a different set of renovation challenges and solutions. Together, they demonstrate how a house of any age can be turned into a healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient home.

An intervention study was performed in a mechanically ventilated office building in which there were severe indoor climate complaints among the occupants. In one part of the building a new heating and ventilation strategy was implemented by renovating the HVAC system, and a carpet was replaced with a low-emitting vinyl floor material; the other part of the building was kept unchanged, serving as a control. A comprehensive indoor climate investigation was performed before and after the intervention.