Air toxics in a new Australian dwelling over an 8-month period.

Outlines a 'healthy house' design for suburban Australia. The design incorporated a tight building envelope and a ducted mechanical ventilation (and heat recovery) system, providing a minimum ventilation rate of 0.35 air changes per hour. Partial filtration and dehumidification of the air was also included. Low-VOC building materials were chosen. Total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentrations were approximately 4,000 microgrammes per m3 just after construction, decreasing by a double-exponential model to 300 microgrammes per m3 by eight months, which is good. Formaldehyde also decreased considerably, and nitrogen dioxide, microbial pollutants and dust mite allergens were also monitored.