To investigate the physical process of particle deposition on and resuspension from surfaces in animal buildings, a test facility and a sampling method is established. The influences of surface orientation and air turbulence and velocity just as other parameters on the dust load on a surface are analysed. It is found that the surface orientation is the parameter which influences the dust load most. The dust load is highest on the floor but some dust is also sampled on the walls and the ceiling.
Five classrooms, air-conditioned or naturally ventilated, at five different schools were chosen for comparison of indoorand outdoor air quality. Temperature, relative humidity (RH), carbon dioxide (C02), sulphur dioxide (S02), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (N02), particulate matter with diameter less than 10 μm (PM10), formaldehyde (HCHO), and total bacteria counts were monitored at indoor and outdoor locations simultaneously. Respirable particulate matter was found to be the worst among parameters measured in this study.
Validated instruments are not available to assess the residential characteristics. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of an interviewer-administered home visit report. The validity of 48 items in the Home Visit Report was examined against: observations made by a researcher, measurements of relative humidity, cat allergen, and ergosterol, a biomarker of fungal exposure and a biochemical test. Test-retest reliability of 10 fixed residential characteristics was assessed comparing the responses obtained in the main study with the pilot study.
In the past two decades, a group of health problems related to the indoor environment - generally termed sick building syndrome (SBS) - has emerged. We present an investigation of S BS in employees of a ministry working in a naturally ventilated office building that formerly had been used by a pharmaceutical company. A preceding environmental monitoring had failed to identify the cause(s) for the complaints. We conducted a questionnaire-based investigation and categorized the building sections and rooms according to their renovation status and their former use, respectively.
The aim of the study was to describe how allergies and non-allergies perceive the same environment. All high school students in a town in southern Sweden were invited to answer a questionnaire concerning allergy, subjective symptoms, annoyance reactions and perception of the environment (response rate: 81%). The results show that only 45% of the students were nonallergic (n=1,715). Since the symptom frequency among non-allergic students was normal, the schools were classified as healthy.
To achieve a high standard of indoor air quality for new building requires a special knowledge of emissions from materials, design of ventilation systems as well as construction practice. Besides regulations, common rules and instructions are needed to be obeyed to achieve a good result. Classification of cleanliness of new ventilation systems is a voluntary document which determines the cleanliness of classified components produced by manufacturers.
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