The European Respiratory Society (ERS) www.ersnet.org is a not-for profit,international medical organisation with over 8,000 members from 100 countries. It isthe largest society in Europe promoting respiratory health and lung research inEurope.
In the last decades, research on the causes of cardiovascular disease has made greatprogress. Multiple pharmaceutical and surgical approaches have been devised toprevent, treat, or otherwise manage heart disease, yet it remains the leading cause ofdeath both in Europe and United States. There are important gaps in theunderstanding the leading causes of cardiovascular disease and the underlingpathological mechanisms.
Combustion processes are an important source of a range of air pollutants as follows;?? Carbon monoxide (CO),?? Nitrogen dioxide (NO2),?? Sulphur dioxide (SO2),?? Particulates and associated inorganic and organic chemicals,?? Organic vapours e.g. formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and benzene.Sources of these are present in both ambient and indoor environments. In Europeancountries emissions from major anthropogenic sources are controlled by legislation.This includes regulation of industrial emissions (e.g.
Carbon monoxide is a colourless, practically odourless and tasteless gas that is poorlysoluble in water, but it is soluble in alcohol and benzene. It is a product of incompletecombustion of carbon-containing fuels. Carbon monoxide burns with a violet flameand it is classified as an inorganic compound. It has a slightly lower density than air.
Except skin, the respiratory tract is the only human organ directly affected by (indoor)air. Therefore it is understandable, that all pollutants from the air can evoke anytrouble especially in susceptible people. Microbiological contamination of anyenvironment is common and also indoor air or environment is rich in differentmicrobes and it doesnt make too big difference if pathogenic or not as we mustassume, that in common indoor environment will occur many people withimmunodeficiency either due their age (ageing peoples immune system is mostlyweakened), their illnesses (e.g.
It is recognized that the occurrence of condensation in surfaces inside buildings is amajor cause of indoor pollution with relevant negative effects on human health.Scientific reviews on health effects from dampness and moisture in buildings made inrecent years [1, 2] present the common view that, despite intensive research efforts,the relationships between the probability of the occurrence of dampness and mouldsand the building construction and operation parameters have not been fully identifiedyet.
Dampness / moisture accumulation into building structures or structural components,or on the surfaces of building materials, may lead to physical, biological or chemicaldeterioration of building materials. Subsequent damage and microbial or chemicalcontamination of the building may decrease the indoor air quality of the building.Dampness/moisture damage also poses a serious risk to the performance of thebuilding structures (1).
Although there is a long history of regulating and controlling outdoor air quality, theindoor environment has generally been neglected, even though it is well understoodthat there are significant sources of pollution in the indoor environment and it isindoors where people spend the vast majority of their time.Pollutants encountered indoors are known to have the potential to cause adversehealth impacts (1), so it is reasonable to consider what policies might be helpful forpreventing or mitigating these effects.
Since materials in building structures, and especially those applied to surfaces in largequantities, are permanently exposed to the indoor air, it is crucial to develop anunderstanding to what extent they contribute to indoor air pollution. Numerouslaboratory investigations have been reported concerning releases of chemicalsubstances from interior building materials. However, several of these substances areseldom associated with complaints or building related illness.
Real time flow simulation is crucial in emergency management in buildings, such as fire or accidentalrelease of chemical/biological agents. Proper measures can be taken to minimize casualties withcorrect and timely prediction of the spread of the fire or contaminants. Although the traditional CFDsimulation in buildings is accurate, it is too time consuming. Multizone flow modeling is fast, but itsaccuracy is poor.
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