Simulation of moisture and microbial problems in building

Clean indoor air is one of the most important factors for the welfare of the society. To understand and study the complex causality of different factors affecting indoor air quality, a databank and an IAQ-simulator have been developed. Databases have been developed to connect knowledge of material emissions to the indoor air measurement results. This allows screening of possible indoor air contaminant sources, provides reference data for both indoor air and material emission measurements and enables statistical evaluations of measured indoor air data when connected with diagnosed health effects. IAQ Simulator offers a new testing tool for building product manufacturers to develop and test materials in multilayer structures. The developed simulator can be incorporated to the "Indoor Climate" classification and CEN when drafting emission measurement standards for structures. The simulator offers also a new tool to study the complicated causal connections of building structure, materials and unexpected exposure to water and microbes, especially during the use of the buildings. The methodology and the simulator system generate new possibilities for advanced research. The use of molecular biological tools connected with IAQ simulator can give new opportunities for estimating the role of microbes and their interactions in indoor air and material related problems.