A field experiment evaluated the effect of a furniture-integrated breathing-zone filtration (BZF) system on indoor air quality, worker comfort, health, and productivity. The BZF system tested filters office air to remove volatile organic compounds and airborne particulates. The BZF system was installed on one floor of a 29 story air-conditioned office building. Another floor of the building served as a control.
In developed and developing countries, indoor air pollution is gaining increasing prominence as a public health problem. Time-activity studies and exposure surveys have shown the dominant contributions of indoor environments to population exposures for many pollutants. Mounting epidemiological evidence documents adverse health effects of indoor pollutants and risk assessments indicate that indoor carcinogens may contribute substantially to the population's burden of lung and other cancers. Unacceptable indoor air quality has also been identified as a common cause of symptoms.
A 1: 20 scale model of a low-rise naturally ventilated building was tested in a wind tunnel. External pressure coefficients were determined for an open model with various combinations of ridge, sidewall and end wall openings, as well as for a sealed model. The pressure distribution is influenced by all structural modifications at various wind angles. The differences between the open and sealed models were pronounced especially at the ridge and the leeward sidewall.
Adsorption, desorption and chemisorption are known to impact the dispersal of volatile organic and chemically reactive compounds in buildings. These same three processes may be used to advantage to control the levels of these compounds indoors using building sorption filtration devices.
In 1989, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation entered into a joint venture initiative to field est three diagnostic devices for oil fired heating equipment. These devices include:
An evaluation of the potential for energy savings in thermal distribution systems in residential and small commercial buildings has been carried out. Thermal distribution systems are the ductwork, piping, or other means used to transport heat or cooling effect from the equipment that produces the heat or cooling to the building spaces in which it is used. This evaluation was divided into four stages.
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