Indoor air pollution is particularly noticeable today, resulting from the improvement of ventilation in building envelopes in order to economise in heat energy, and the consequent reduction of fresh air entry, leading to poorer air quality. The article describes the effect of tobacco smoke on the indoor climate of residential and office buildings and its effects on health, particularly its effect on non- smokers, or the passive effects of smoke.
Briefly discusses the major concerns regarding indoor climate raised by the 'Indoor Air 1984' Conference in Stockholm and other such conferences: the need for an international information system on the influence of building materials andventilation of occupant activity, building materials, operation and maintenance; ISO and ASHRAE standards; passive smoking; radon; sick buildings, humidity; ionisation; and ventilation efficiency.
Indoor air quality is regarded as the single most important health issue facing us in the 1980's. The total number of serious health effects related to IAQ in non- industrial buildings have been miniscule compared to the total building stock.
A benchmark study by Geomet Technologies, Inc, is developing data on the air quality effects of weatherizing a home. One effort under this study has bee nhas been an experiment carefully designed to quantify the relationships between the thr
Indoor air pollution is defined, and some of the causes are listed, all of which can be harmful to health. The problem is accentuated by recent insulation measures aimed at economising on energy costs, which lead to a dramatic reduction in natu
Over the last few years frequent cases of mould growth in dwellings have occurred. The problem is essentially due to an excessive moisture content of the building elements, which can result from hygroscopic adsorption or from frequent surface condensation.
Describes automatic equipment for measuring thermal comfort based on resultant surface temperature, convective heat flux density, air temperature and relative humidity. Results obtained in an environmental chamber are presented and evaluated.
The effect of reduced air infiltration rate caused by energy-saving measures has been studied by comparing the indoor climate in 25 sealed apartments with the conditions in 25 unsealed apartments in Denmark in four seasonal periods.
A subcommittee of the Nordic Committee for Building Codes has released guidelines for building regulations regarding indoor air quality, especially concerning ventilation. The main features of the guidelines, such as acceptable outdoor air quality for ventilation and minimum outdoor air flows for dwellings and offices, are presented and discussed. Mechanical ventilation is, in principle, required in all buildings including dwellings, due to therequirement of a minimum outdoor air change of 0.5 h-1 and the normal highly airtight nature of new buildings.
Uses air leakage measurements in laboratory and site studies in Poland to define a power law relationship between pressure acting across the opening and flow rate, and explains the effects on heat loss calculations. Results of indoor climate measurements over a two year period are given. Describes use of a computer model to calculate heat demand of different ventilation systems. Real heat requirement is about 40% larger than the calculated values.
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