This paper provides a discussion on the use of the olf and the decipol. The validity of using these units to determine ventilation rates and compare pollution emission rates is discussed, in relation to their derivation and theoretical basis and the method of application. A procedure has been developed for testing buildings by using a trained panel of people to rate air quality directly in decipol units. This was used in nine European countries as part pf the 'European Audit Project'.

Thermal comfort and air quality were studied in three multi-family buildings located in urban environments. Measurements of air velocities close to the supply devices are presented along with measurements of CO, TVOC, NO and N02. In addition, particle measurements were carried out to check the filter efficiency in one of the buildings (Sl) which is specially designed for people with allergy problems. The total air change rate for this building is higher than for normal residential buildings and three different types of air filter are installed in the ventilation system.

The connection between health and cleanliness is, for most people, a matter of common sense. Office workers report higher rates of discomfort when they perceive a dirty, dusty environment. Research, not surprisingly, shows that certain cleaning methods are effective in reducing dust on surfaces and in reducing the levels of indoor air contaminants. Yet some cleaning practices, like the use of improperly diluted cleaning solutions, are themselves significant threats to good IAQ. As with everything else, there are right and wrong ways to clean.

Tracer distribution measurements were performed to assess pollutant transport from basement garages situated in a commercial building and in two residential buildings, in which the occupants had reported typical garage odors and complained about bad indoor air and typical SBS symptoms. A tracer gas technique (tracer gas SF6, infrared detection) was used in all three buildings to study the contaminant distribution in the buildings. In the commercial building, a leaky HVAC system distributed contaminated air from the garage to other zones of the building.

This report describes the development of a standard questionnaire for use in investigating sick building syndrome (SBS) in specific cases and in research projects. The questionnaire itself is packaged with the report. It is intended to be used for screening surveys to determine the prevalence of SBS in a particular building. It may be necessary to adapt the questionnaire if it is going to be used for a specific research project or to gather data on particular potential causes of SBS. The focus has been on achieving standardisation within the United Kingdom.

A major increase of complaints has been observed by the occupants of buildings, concerning health symptoms and comfort. In this study, the occupants' experience of symptoms as well as the occupants' sensation of the environmental parameters were estimated in six office buildings, where the indoor air quality was investigated. It was found that the percentage of building related symptoms experienced by the occupants of the buildings was high and it was strongly related to human comfort and human sensation concerning the environmental conditions.

The concept of ventilation effectiveness for mechanical ventilation of an airspace is reviewed and associated parameters for describing the performance of ventilation systems are described. The idea is applied to a study of the thermal environment in the waiting hall of a railway station. Two ventilation schemes: one with a ventilation system only and the other with an air-conditioning system were considered. The proposed air-conditioning system would provide air at a temperature only 5 °C below the ambient but with a higher air circulation rate.

 The exposure of workers in the near-wake region due to a recirculating airflow was studied experimentally and numerically. A mannequin was installed in an open-ended tunnel and tracer gas was released at several locations downstream to determine the size and location of the reverse flow region. The contaminant transport into the breathing zone was found to depend strongly on the location of the release point. The airflow field was also determined numerically assuming a steady 6ow and using the standard k-£ turbulence model.