Field monitoring was conducted in office buildings in Seattle and Dallas to assess the effectiveness of various workplace smoking configurations in controlling non-smokers exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Simultaneous measurements of vapour-phase and particle-phase tracers of ETS were conducted in adjacent smoking and non-smoking areas. Pressure relationships between smoking and non-smoking areas were determined. The Seattle portion of the study focused on the direct infiltration of ETS from smoking to non-smoking areas, as minimal recirculation of return air was occurring.

There is growing evidence that indoor surface pollution is one of the causes of sick building syndrome and that ventilation and air conditioning can exacerbate the problem. Gary Raw of the BRE explains

Concentrations of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored over a 2-year period in the main rooms of four unoccupied test houses and in the outdoor air. During the construction and furnishing of the buildings 30 samples of materials were collected and subsequently tested using environmental test chambers to determine amounts of form aldehyde and other VOCs emitted. Concentrations of VOCs in the building were initially high and declined quickly during the first 6 months after construction.

The effects of different kinds of room ventilation were evaluated in an experimental  chamber and in kitchens of four residences in Beijing. Carbon monoxide was used as a tracer gas in the chamber, and this together with nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide concentrations from the gas appliances were measured in the chamber and the kitchens. The ventilation styles evaluated were natural ventilation, an exhaust fan and a kitchen range hood.