A pilot investigation into associations between indoor airborne fungal and non-biological particle concentrations in residential houses in Brisbane, Australia

In this study, associations between concentration levels of airborne particles and fungi were examined in 14 houses in Brisbane. No association was found between the fungal spore and submicrometer particles or PM2.5 concentration, but a weak link was found between fungal and supermicrometre particle concentrations : similarity in behaviour lies in the relation of the contaminant with the distance from the source.

Performance of deterministic workplace exposure assessment models for various contaminant sources, air inlet and exhaust locations

This study compares the contaminant concentration obtained from simple models with contaminant concentration fields obtained from CFD simulations, for various rooms and source configurations. Airflow and contaminant distributions were simulated.

Revised air-exchange efficiency considering occupant distribution in ventilated room

This article defines a new air-exchange efficiency that takes into account the occupancy in each zone.. Cases studies are then described and show that the new efficiency can better evaluate the ventilation effect of the room.

Indoor particles and symptoms among office workers : results from a double-blind cross-over study

The aim of the article is to study the effect of removing small airborne particles in an office building.The standard particle filters were replaced with highly efficient filters. Occupants answered questionnaire weekly and multiple environment measurements were done.The enhanced filtration reduced the concentration of smallest particles, symptoms were not reduced, but performance-related mental states improved.

Breathing freely in schools - results and model approaches concerning the air quality in classrooms (In German)

Carbon dioxide concentration, indoor air temperature and relative air humidity are studied in 7 schools with natural ventilation systems, during 58 days on one year. The results show that the level of 1500 ppm of CO2 is exceeded in 39 days. A software programme was developed to calculate the CO2 concentration level according to the number of pupils and the ventilation rate.
Health problems may result from a too low ventilation rate.

VOC exposures in a mixed-use university art building

This article studied the exposure to 45 defined volatil organic compounds in an university art school, ventilated with a 100% exhaust mechanical ventilation system. Several students wore passive dosimeters.Floors where no emission of VOCs occurred had no detectable exposures : the conclusions show that a non-recirculating ventilation system can eliminate indoor air quality issues between floors.

Dust : a metric for use in residential and building exposure assessment and source characterization

The use of house dust is studied to identify sources and quantify levels of toxicants for the estimation of exposure. Sampling strategies were examined, just as uncertainty and lack of knowledge. The presentation of the results of sampling is also discussed. This article describes case studies.

Ocular, airway, and dermal symptoms related to building dampness and odors in dwellings

The aim of that study is to establish the relationship between symptoms and report of building dampness and odors.A questionnaire was then sent to the inhabitants of 231 multi-family buildings of Stockholm, containing more than 4800 dwellings, with questions about : personal factors, symptoms, population density in the apartment, water leakage, odors, and signs of high indoor air humidity.A combination of odor and high humidities was linked to high occurrence of the symptoms : humidity in building is therefore associated to Sick building Syndrome.

Indoor air quality in the university libraries of Modena (Italy)

A survey was carried out in 16 libraries in Modena University (Northern Italy) to assess the indoor exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs were present in all the investigated libraries.The conclusion of that study is that no major problems were related to indoor pollution but the identification of the possible sources of contaminants is important, just as a definition of the relationship between indoor and outdoor levels of pollutants : that will take into account the effects of air recycling due to natural ventilation systems.

Changes in airborne fungi from the outdoors to indoor air ; large HVAC systems in nonproblem buildings in two different climates

The changes in occurrence and the distribution of airborne fungi when they are transported in the airstream from the outdoor air to the indoor air are not well-known. For that study, fungal samples were tested in different locations in the HVAC systems with a six-stage Andersen Sampler with malt extract agar. The results showed that the fungal species changed according to those locations.

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