Air quality inside buildings depends on the contamination of outside air as well as on the air pollution inside the room. The human being contaminates the air through carbon dioxide, odours, vapours and particulates. The most important sources of pollution are tobacco smoke, consumer materials (organic solvents), building materials and furniture fittings (formaldehyde) and the use of gas for cooking and heating (nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide).< Discusses these pollutants and reported levels of pollution in Swiss buildings. Discusses methods of removing pollutants from the air.
The Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory measured the indoor air quality at Fairmoor Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio. A mobile laboratory was used to monitor air outdoors and at three indoor sites (two classrooms and a large multipurpose room); tests were made at three different ventilation rates. The parameters measured were outside air flow rates, odor perception, microbial burden, particulate mass, total aldehydes, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and nitrogen oxides.
Measurements of vapours and gases from organic solvents (GC-MS) of formaldehyde and of odour were performed inside and outside an uninhabited experimental house with and without operating the ventilating system.< The indoor air quality is evaluated with respect to human health andwellbeing, and guidelines for the setting of hygenic standards for indoor air quality are discussed, taking into account that building materials should neither emit carcinogens, respiratory irritants nor odorous compounds.
Reviews the ventilation requirements for residential buildings and the recently discovered contaminants of indoor air which will have an influence on the required ventilation rates. Describes methods of measuring air leakage and the rate of air infiltration. Cites work aimed at finding the correlation between air leakage and air infiltration. Outlines the role of heat recovery devices and recommends areas of further research. An appendix reports on a Canadian Mortgage and Housing Association seminar "Controlled ventilation with exhaust air heat recovery for Canadian housing".
Discusses sources of radon in buildings and the prediction of levels of radon and daughters. Derives differential equations governing the decay and venting of radon and its daughters. A computer program based on these equations has been written to predict radon and daughter concentrations, total potential alpha energy concentration and equilibrium factor. The program can account for time dependence of ventilation and emanation rates and is readily used by building designers.
The local ventilation efficiency of a mechanical ventilation system may in general terms be defined as "providing air in those parts of a room where it is required". In this paper different definitions of the local ventilation efficiency and methods for measuring it are discussed. Presents results from measurements of ventilation efficiency. A test room was mechanically ventilated and nitrous oxide used as a tracer gas. A number of sensors were placed in the room with the aim of determining the variations in the air change rates within the room.
Considers that air change measurement by means of tracer gas is the best way of measuring natural air infiltration in buildings. In some cases the method can be useful for measuring the ventilating air rate in mechanical systems asno interference with the system is required by the method. Deals with the theory of the method, the handling and measurement of different gases, cost of gas and instruments. Concludes by saying that only very simple instrumentation is required for most of the measurements with satisfactory accuracy.
Reports study of the energy consumption and ventilation requirements of typical existing public schools in New York. Electricity and fuel-oil consumption data from May 1970 to April 1973 from 19 schools were analysed.
Notes one of the principal ways in which members of the public receive natural irradiation is by breathing the decay products of radon 222. Reviews data on radiation exposure and the incidence of cancer for uranium miners. Discusses uncertainties and inadequacies in the data. Gives estimates for the incidence of lung cancer in the general public, caused by radon exposure.
Reports measurements of air leakage rates in the four energy-conservation research houses using the fan pressurization method. One of the houses is standard for the area and the other three houses have added insulation and vapour barriers. One house has a heat pump and one an air-to-air solar heating system. Air infiltration rates were measured in two of the houses using CO2 as a tracer gas. Discusses results and compares tracer gas with pressurization tests.
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