The potential for reactions among indoor pollutants to generate reactive and highly irritatingproducts is a reason to maintain adequate ventilation rates and clean ventilation filters.Terpenoid (from recirculated air, a scenario common in the tropics) captured by ventilationfilters can react relatively quickly with ozone which may lead to downstream air supply thatcontain oxidized terpenoid and this may be perceived to be less acceptable than outdoor air.The chemical composition (water solubility and chemical reactivity) of these particlesstrongly governs their toxicity.

The impact of common building materials interaction on perceived air quality related to airchange level was studied. The methods of chemical analysis (TVOC) and subjective sensoryassessment was used. The measurements were conducted in test chamber under standardizedconditions (231C, 505%) and different ventilation rates. The positive impact of sorptionphenomenon on perceived air quality and user's wellbeing was found for most of the testedcombinations. The more significant sorption effect was found for materials with largerspecific surface.

Gaseous emission - CO2, NO, and NOx of gas stove has significant and harmful effect on indoorair quality (IAQ) in residential kitchens. To avoid increasing health risk it is essential touse mechanical ventilation such as kitchen hood. However, according former laboratory studies,extract air flow generated by typical hoods is not adequate to achieve required IAQ.

Phthalates are ubiquitous contaminants in indoor environments, and are reported to causeadverse health effects. Due to their semi-volatile nature, phthalate samples require a multisteppreparation before quantification with GC-MS. Many different sampling media,extraction procedures, and solvents are utilized in phthalate analytics, while comparisons andjustifications for each choice are lacking.

To accurately estimate the natural wind driven ventilation potential of a specific low rise building in a densely shielded or built-up area under local wind conditions, it is necessary to have site wind frequency data, pressure coefficient data, details about the windward and leeward openings of the building and the data related to building design. This paper summarises the appropriate data and discusses how to obtain these in order to estimate the natural cross ventilation potential of such a low-rise building.

Recently in Korea, plywood has been widely used as a floor material for Korean floor heatingsystems (Ondol) instead of the conventional oiled floor paper. Volatile organic compounds(hereafter VOCs) are easily emitted from the plywood and adhesives that constitute the floorinto the indoor environment due to the warm temperature of the floor. In this study, emissioncharacteristics of VOCs from adhesive and paints within an Ondol floor are assessed using theSmall Chamber Method in residences with plywood floors.

In this report, we proposed the estimation method of building material properties by usingboth numerical analysis and measuring the time history of concentration in micro cell, andshowed that the effective diffusion coefficient, emission rate and initial concentration in thebuilding material is provided with a single measurement. The effective diffusion coefficientof testing building materials were estimated to be from about 4.010-10 to 2.510-8 [m2/s] inthis proposed method.

Bake-out of buildings is believed to have a potential to reduce indoor air pollution caused byVOCs and formaldehyde emitted from building materials although controversial discussionshave been suggested. To clarify the effectiveness of bake-out, in this study, the variation ofVOCs and formaldehyde emission rate from building material were investigated in residentialhousing units with passive sampling methods.

The European research project Innovative Sensor System for Measuring Perceived AirQuality and Brand Specific Odours (SysPAQ) is started under the VIth frameworkprogramme under the work programme New and Emerging Science and Technology(NEST PATHFINDER "Measuring the Impossible"). The Kick-off of the project was on thefirst of September 2006.

This paper presents results from a principal component analysis (PCA) on variables affecting on indoor air quality in newly established buildings, in which low-emitting, classified building materials were used. The concentrations of TVOC, VOCs, formaldehyde and ammonia) were determined for the newly finished and 6-, and 12-month-old buildings. Temperature, relative humidity and air exchange rates were determined simultaneously. These values were included in the PCA models, which were used to reveal which variables affected indoor air quality (IAQ).