Outdoor Air Contaminants and Indoor Air Quality under Transient Conditions

The indoor concentrations of contaminants originating from outdoor sources have been measured and calculated under transient conditions. The results show that contaminants that are supplied to an office building via the ventilation system can reach considerably high concentration levels. The indoor/outdoor concentration ratio and time lag are dependent on the air change rate. In buildings with low air change rates the indoor concentration variations are smoothed out compared to buildings with high air change rates. The results from the theoretical model are compared to the results from both laboratory and field measurements and the model is verified for well mixed conditions in a 20 m³ test chamber. The model can be used to simulate different control strategies for reduction of indoor contaminant concentrations related to outdoor sources. One such control strategy is based on reduction of the outdoor air change rate during periods with peak outdoor contaminant concentrations.     

厦门某海滨住宅夏季自然通风与室内热环境实测与分析

本文采用自动记录仪,对厦门某海滨住宅夏季自然通风与室内热环境进行实测。根据测得的自然通风时段,分析了自然通风对房间风速及室内热环境的影响。主要结论有:(1)在自然通风条件下,房间白天室内风速均值及波动值较夜间大。(2)房间在自然通风时段,室内气温均值略低于室外,室内气温波动明显低于室外且各房间气温波动差别不大;房间在非自然通风时段,室内气温均值与室外气温相当,室温变化相当平缓。(3)无论是自然通风还是非自然通风,房间的黑球温度与室内空气温度差别很小。(4)当房间处于非自然通风状态时,室内热环境总是处于"不可接受"水平,当房间处于自然通风状态时,其室内热环境几乎全时段达到"可接受"水平,且有的房间在某些时段可达到"热舒适"水平。     

Indoor airborne bacterial communities are influenced by ventilation,occupancy, and outdoor air source

Architects and engineers are beginning to consider a new dimension of indoor air: the structure and composition of airborne microbial communities. A first step in this emerging field is to understand the forces that shape the diversity of bioaerosols across space and time within the built environment. In an effort to elucidate the relative influences of three likely drivers of indoor bioaerosol diversity – variation in outdoor bioaerosols, ventilation strategy, and occupancy load – we conducted an intensive temporal study of indoor airborne bacterial communities in a high‐traffic university building with a hybrid HVAC (mechanically and naturally ventilated) system. Indoor air communities closely tracked outdoor air communities, but human‐associated bacterial genera were more than twice as abundant in indoor air compared with outdoor air. Ventilation had a demonstrated effect on indoor airborne bacterial community composition; changes in outdoor air communities were detected inside following a time lag associated with differing ventilation strategies relevant to modern building design. Our results indicate that both occupancy patterns and ventilation strategies are important for understanding airborne microbial community dynamics in the built environment.     

Characterization of indoor air quality using multiple measurements of nitrogen dioxide

Indoor air quality can be affected by indoor sources, ventilation, decay and outdoor levels. Although technologies exist to measure these factors, direct measurements are often difficult. The purpose of this study was to develop an alternative method to characterize indoor environmental factors by multiple indoor and outdoor measurements. Daily indoor and outdoor NO2 concentrations were measured for 30 consecutive days in 28 houses in Brisbane, Australia, and for 21 consecutive days in 37 houses in Seoul, Korea. Using a mass balance model and regression analysis, penetration factor (ventilation rate divided by the sum of ventilation rate and deposition constant) and source strength factor (source strength divided by the sum of ventilation rate and deposition constant) were calculated using multiple indoor and outdoor measurements. Subsequently, the ventilation rate and NO2 source strength were estimated. Geometric means of ventilation rate were 1.44 air change per hour (ACH) in Brisbane, assuming a residential NO2 deposition constant of 1.05/h, and 1.36 ACH in Seoul, with the measured residential NO2 deposition constant of 0.94/h. Source strengths of NO2 were 15.8 +/- 18.2 and 44.7 +/- 38.1 microg/m3/h in Brisbane and Seoul, respectively. In conclusion, indoor environmental factors were effectively characterized by this method using multiple indoor and outdoor measurements.     

建筑墙体的动态响应特性研究

建立了墙体在外界交变温度作用下的动态响应的理论模型并进行了数值求解,研究了建筑墙体的动态响应特性。该模型中考虑太阳辐射和室内通风量的影响。本文以南京市的天气数据为例,给出了建筑墙体的室内温度响应以及墙体材料对动态响应的影响。研究结果表明,相对室外温度变化,室内温度响应存在时间滞后和振幅衰减。夏季炎热,可采用通风和敷设反光材料的方法降低室内温度。     

Fine particle number and mass concentration measurements in urban Indian households

Fine particle number concentration (D(p)>10 nm, cm(-3)), mass concentrations (approximation of PM(2.5), microg m(-3)) and indoor/outdoor number concentration ratio (I/O) measurements have been conducted for the first time in 11 urban households in India, 2002. The results indicate remarkable high indoor number and mass concentrations and I/O number concentration ratios caused by cooking. Besides cooking stoves that used liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or kerosene as the main fuel, high indoor concentrations can be explained by poor ventilation systems. Particle number concentrations of more than 300,000 cm(-3) and mass concentrations of more than 1000 microg m(-3) were detected in some cases. When the number and mass concentrations during cooking times were statistically compared, a correlation coefficient r>0.50 was observed in 63% of the households. Some households used other fuels like wood and dung cakes along with the main fuel, but also other living activities influenced the concentrations. In some areas, outdoor combustion processes had a negative impact on indoor air quality. The maximum concentrations observed in most cases were due to indoor combustion sources. Reduction of exposure risk and health effects caused by poor indoor air in urban Indian households is possible by improving indoor ventilation and reducing penetration of outdoor particles.     

Mass balance modeling of building recirculation rates and filtration efficiencies effects on secondary organic aerosols derived from ozone-initiated chemistry

Recirculation of conditioned air is a common practice in regions with hot and humid climate. This is due to the need to reduce sensible and latent cooling loads in buildings. However, recirculating used indoor air may influence indoor air chemical reactions and products derived from the chemistry. Example of such products is secondary organic aerosols (SOA) derived from ozone initiated indoor chemistry. This present study was conducted using mass balance model to examine the impacts of four recirculation rates on ozone (of outdoor origin) and SOA derived from the ozone initiated indoor chemistry. At steady-states, it was observed that the higher the recirculation rate, the lower the ozone and SOA concentration for all modeled scenarios. At steady-state, outdoor to indoor transport of ozone, indoor ozone and SOA concentrations were found to increase with increasing outdoor ozone levels. Increase in ventilation rate was found to increase outdoor to indoor transport of ozone and steady-state indoor ozone concentration. However, higher ventilation rate resulted in lower SOA concentration at steady-state. Increasing ozone filtration efficiency of activated carbon (AC) filter was found to be effective in reducing indoor ozone and SOA concentrations. This study is relevant to building sustainability in terms of health and comfort of building occupants.     

Physico-chemical characterization of indoor/outdoor particulate matter in two residential houses in Oslo, Norway: measurements overview and physical properties--URBAN-AEROSOL Project

Indoor/outdoor measurements have been performed in the Oslo metropolitan area during summer and winter periods (2002-2003) at two different residential houses. The objective of the measurement study was to characterize, physically and chemically, the particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants associated with actual human exposure in the selected places, and their indoor/outdoor relationship. In this paper, we focus on the PM measurements and examine the relationship between the indoor and outdoor PM concentrations taking into account the ventilation rate, indoor sources and meteorological conditions. The indoor/outdoor measurements indicate the important contribution of the outdoor air to the indoor air quality and the influence of specific indoor sources such as smoking and cooking to the concentration of PM inside houses. However, no specific correlation was found between the indoor/outdoor concentration ratio and the meteorological parameters. This study provides information on the physical characteristics and the relationship of indoor to outdoor concentration of particulate matter in residential houses. Moreover, the parameters that influence this relationship are discussed. The results presented here are specific to the sampled houses and conditions used and provide data on the actual human exposure characteristics which occur in the spatial and temporal scales of the present study.     

The outdoor air ventilation rate in high-rise residences employing room air conditioners

Ventilation is important because it affects indoor environmental conditions, including air pollutant concentrations that may modify the health of the occupants of a building, or their perceptions and comfort. This paper reports, first of all, on field studies monitoring indoor overnight CO₂ levels and outdoor ventilation rates in bedrooms employing room air conditioners (RACs), so the current situation of ventilation in actual high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong can be appreciated. This is followed by a report of the results of laboratory experiments where two typical RACs were used in an examination of outdoor air ventilation characteristics in rooms employing RACs. The results of field studies showed that the outdoor ventilation rates in the measured bedrooms equipped with RACs in high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong could not meet the ventilation requirement specified in the ASHRAE standard 62-2001 even if there was only one occupant in a bedroom. Although the use of a window-type air conditioner (WRAC) may provide a higher outdoor ventilation rate than the use of a split-type air conditioner (SARC), this may be ascribed to the fact there is more natural infiltration when a WRAC is used. The ventilation damper currently available in a WRAC does not significantly affect the outdoor ventilation rate. Therefore, such a damper cannot be expected to provide the ventilation rate as required by a ventilation code and its intended function of controlling ventilation is limited. In addition, the air exhausted from indoors to outdoors through the ventilation outlet in a WRAC is air that has just been cooled by the cooling coil (evaporator). This is unreasonable, because exhausting just-cooled and dehumidified air is a waste of energy. Therefore, an improved design for a WRAC has been suggested. Finally, the outdoor ventilation requirement for bedrooms at nighttime, when occupants are asleep, is discussed. A new ventilation rate of 3.0 l/s per person for the sleeping environment in high-rise residential buildings is proposed.     

上海地区冬季住宅室内外颗粒物浓度的相关性

对上海市某住宅建筑室内外PM10、PM2.5、PM1的浓度进行了测量,研究了最小通风量(外门窗关闭)条件下3种天气时颗粒浓度随时间变化的规律以及相关性,分析了颗粒物浓度与环境温湿度参数之间的关系。研究结果显示,测试期间,室内外空气中细颗粒(PM 2.5)占可吸入颗粒(PM 10)浓度比例分别达65%和87%以上;无明显室内源时,I/O比值小于1且随粒径减小而减小;室内外颗粒浓度相关性与粒径大小有关系,PM1、PM2.5的浓度相关性大于PM10。研究还表明,颗粒物浓度的关联性与天气状况有关系,多云、雨天和阴天时浓度关联性有显著差别;颗粒物的浓度受到室内外温湿度的影响,且受天气状况影响而呈现复杂性。     

民用建筑室内新风量检测方法影响因素的研究

新风对于稀释室内空气中的有害物质、改善室内环境有着重要的意义。新风量则是衡量新风的有效手段,目前不设独立新风系统的建筑室内新风量测量广泛采用CO_2示踪气体法。本文通过一系列实验探讨CO_2初始浓度、门窗开关方式、室外风速以及室内杂物对室内新风量检测结果的影响。实验结果表明CO_2初始浓度、门窗开关方式、室外风速、室内杂物这些因素均对新风量检测值均存在不同程度的影响,其中室外风速和室内有无杂物对新风量检测结果的影响最为明显。     

Relationship between indoor and outdoor bio-aerosols collected with a button inhalable aerosol sampler in urban homes

This field study investigated the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations of airborne actinomycetes, fungal spores, and pollen. Air samples were collected for 24 h with a button inhalable aerosol sampler inside and outside of six single-family homes located in the Cincinnati area (overall, 15 pairs of samples were taken in each home). The measurements were conducted during three seasons - spring and fall 2004, and winter 2005. The concentration of culturable actinomycetes was mostly below the detection limit. The median indoor/outdoor ratio (I/O) for actinomycetes was the highest: 2.857. The indoor of fungal and pollen concentrations followed the outdoor concentrations while indoor levels were mostly lower than the outdoor ones. The I/O ratio of total fungal spores (median=0.345) in six homes was greater than that of pollen grains (median=0.025). The low I/O ratios obtained for pollen during the peak ambient pollination season (spring) suggest that only a small fraction penetrated from outdoor to indoor environment. This is attributed to the larger size of pollen grains. Higher indoor concentration levels and variability in the I/O ratio observed for airborne fungi may be associated with indoor sources and/or higher outdoor-to-indoor penetration of fungal spores compared to pollen grains. Practical Implication This study addresses the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations of three different types of bio-aerosols, namely actinomycetes, fungal spores, and pollen grains. The results show that actinomycetes are rare in indoor and outdoor air in Midwest, USA. Exposure to pollen occurs mainly in the outdoor air even during peak pollen season. Unexpectedly high fungal spore concentrations were measured outdoors during winter. The presented pilot database on the inhalable levels of indoor and outdoor bio-aerosols can help apportion and better characterize the inhalation exposure to these bio-aerosols. Furthermore, the data can be incorporated into existing models to quantify the penetration of biological particles into indoor environments from outdoors.     

Relationships Between Indoor and Outdoor Contaminants in Mechanically Ventilated Buildings

Abstract It is shown that comparing measured indoor and outdoor contaminant concentrations can be misleading if the concentrations vary with time and if the averaging periods are too short. In this article an alternative methodology aimed at estimating the internal source and sink effects in mechanically ventilated buildings is described. The methodology is based on both the results from continuous measurements, and calculations under transient conditions. The relative importance of indoor sources and outdoor sources is established by a comparison of the measured indoor concentration and a calculated indoor concentration of a compound. Furthermore, dynamic calculations are used to investigate how the indoor concentrations of contaminants originating outdoors and contaminants emitted from indoor sources are influenced by temporal reductions of the airflow rate. Reducing the outdoor airflow rate during periods with high outdoor concentrations can significantly reduce the indoor levels of pollutants for situations in which the outdoor sources are more important than the indoor sources.     

Ozone in Residential Air: Concentrations,I/O Ratios,Indoor Chemistry,and Exposures

Ozone concentrations were measured in indoor and outdoor residential air during the summer of 1992. Six homes located in a New Jersey suburban area were chosen for analysis, and each home was monitored for 6 days under different ventilation and indoor combustion conditions. The 5-hour average ozone concentration outdoors over the monitoring period was 95 ± 36 ppbv. One third of the days exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), one-hour maximum concentration of 120 ppb. The mean indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratios of ozone concentration ranged from 0.22 ± 0.09 to 0.62 ± 0.11, depending upon ventilation rate and indoor gas combustion. The presence of indoor gas combustion can significantly decrease the I/O ratio. Because of the great amount of time that people spend indoors, the indoor residential exposures were estimated to account for 57% of the total residential exposures. One type of the possible gas-phase reactions for indoor ozone, the reaction of ozone with a volatile organic compound containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds, is discussed with some supporting evidence provided in the study.     

Characterizations,relationship, and potential sources of outdoor and indoor particulate matter bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a community of Tianjin,Northern China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most toxic air pollutants in China. However, because there are unsubstantial data on indoor and outdoor particulate PAHs, efforts in assessing inhalation exposure and cancer risk to PAHs are limited in China. This study measured 12 individual PAHs in indoor and outdoor environments at 36 homes during the non‐heating period and heating period in 2009. Indoor PAH concentrations were comparable with outdoor environments in the non‐heating period, but were lower in the heating period. The average indoor/outdoor ratios in both sampling periods were lower than 1, while the ratios in the non‐heating period were higher than those in the heating period. Correlation analysis and coefficient of divergence also verified the difference between indoor and outdoor PAHs, which could be caused by high ventilation in the non‐heating period. To support this conclusion, linear and robust regressions were used to estimate the infiltration factor to compare outdoor PAHs to indoor PAHs. The calculated infiltration factors obtained by the two models were similar in the non‐heating period but varied greatly in the heating period, which may have been caused by the influence of ventilation. Potential sources were distinguished using a diagnostic ratio and a mixture of coal combustion and traffic emission, which are major sources of PAHs.     

Optimization of a liquid desiccant based dedicated outdoor air-chilled ceiling system serving multi-zone spaces

A liquid desiccant based dedicated outdoor air-chilled ceiling (DOAS-CC) system is proposed to serve a multi-zone space. The outdoor airflow rate and the supply air humidity ratio are two crucial variables in such a system, which significantly influence indoor thermal comfort, indoor air quality and energy consumption. Two strategies are presented to optimize these two variables in the study. They are the demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) strategy and the supply air humidity ratio set-point reset strategy. To evaluate the performances of these two strategies, a basic control strategy, i.e., the strategy adopting constant ventilation flow rate and constant supply air humidity ratio, is selected as the benchmark. Performances of the two strategies in terms of indoor air temperature, relative humidity and CO₂ concentration as well as energy consumption are analyzed using simulation tests. The results show that the supply air humidity ratio set-point reset strategy is effective for the indoor air humidity control. It can save about 19.4% of total energy consumption during the whole year. The DCV-based ventilation strategy can further reduce about 10.0% of energy consumption.     

Quantitative filter forensics for indoor particle sampling

Filter forensics is a promising indoor air investigation technique involving the analysis of dust which has collected on filters in central forced‐air heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) or portable systems to determine the presence of indoor particle‐bound contaminants. In this study, we summarize past filter forensics research to explore what it reveals about the sampling technique and the indoor environment. There are 60 investigations in the literature that have used this sampling technique for a variety of biotic and abiotic contaminants. Many studies identified differences between contaminant concentrations in different buildings using this technique. Based on this literature review, we identified a lack of quantification as a gap in the past literature. Accordingly, we propose an approach to quantitatively link contaminants extracted from HVAC filter dust to time‐averaged integrated air concentrations. This quantitative filter forensics approach has great potential to measure indoor air concentrations of a wide variety of particle‐bound contaminants. Future studies directly comparing quantitative filter forensics to alternative sampling techniques are required to fully assess this approach, but analysis of past research suggests the enormous possibility of this approach.     

Relationship between outdoor and indoor air quality in eight French schools

In the frame of the French national research program PRIMEQUAL (inter-ministry program for better air quality in urban environments), measurements of outdoor and indoor pollution have been carried out in eight schools in La Rochelle (France) and its suburbs. The buildings were naturally ventilated by opening the windows, or mechanically ventilated, and showed various air permeabilities. Ozone, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO(2)), and airborne particle (particle counts within 15 size intervals ranging from 0.3 to 15 mum) concentrations were continuously monitored indoors and outdoors for two 2-week periods. The indoor humidity, temperature, CO(2) concentration (an indicator of occupancy), window openings and building permeability were also measured. The temporal profiles of indoor and outdoor concentrations show ozone and nitrogen oxides behave differently: NO and NO(2) indoor/outdoor concentration ratios (I/O) were found to vary in a range from 0.5 to 1, and from 0.88 to 1, respectively, but no correlation with building permeability was observed. On the contrary, I/O ratios of ozone vary in a range from 0 to 0.45 and seem to be strongly influenced by the building air-tightness: the more airtight the building envelope, the lower the ratio. Occupancy, through re-suspension of previously deposited particles and possible particle generation, strongly influences the indoor concentration level of airborne particles. However, this influence decreases with particle size, reflecting the way deposition velocities vary as a function of size. The influence of particle size on deposition and penetration across the building envelope is also discussed by analyzing the I/O ratios measured when the buildings were unoccupied, by comparing the indoor concentrations measured when the buildings were occupied and when they were not (O/U ratios), and by referring to previously published studies focussing on this topic. Except one case, I/O were found to vary in the range from 0.03 to 1.79. All O/U are greater than one and increase up to 100 with particle size. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Assessing children's total exposure requires the knowledge of outdoor and indoor air contaminant concentrations. The study presented here provides data on compared outdoor and indoor concentration levels in school buildings, as well as information on the parameters influencing the relationship between outdoor and indoor air quality. It may be used as a basis for estimating indoor concentrations from outdoor concentrations data, or as a first step in designing buildings sheltering children against atmospheric pollution.     

Particle size distribution and composition in a mechanically ventilated school building during air pollution episodes

Particle count-based size distribution and PM(2.5) mass were monitored inside and outside an elementary school in Salt Lake City (UT, USA) during the winter atmospheric inversion season. The site is influenced by urban traffic and the airshed is subject to periods of high PM(2.5) concentration that is mainly submicron ammonium and nitrate. The school building has mechanical ventilation with filtration and variable-volume makeup air. Comparison of the indoor and outdoor particle size distribution on the five cleanest and five most polluted school days during the study showed that the ambient submicron particulate matter (PM) penetrated the building, but indoor concentrations were about one-eighth of outdoor levels. The indoor:outdoor PM(2.5) mass ratio averaged 0.12 and particle number ratio for sizes smaller than 1 microm averaged 0.13. The indoor submicron particle count and indoor PM(2.5) mass increased slightly during pollution episodes but remained well below outdoor levels. When the building was occupied the indoor coarse particle count was much higher than ambient levels. These results contribute to understanding the relationship between ambient monitoring station data and the actual human exposure inside institutional buildings. The study confirms that staying inside a mechanically ventilated building reduces exposure to outdoor submicron particles. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study supports the premise that remaining inside buildings during particulate matter (PM) pollution episodes reduces exposure to submicron PM. New data on a mechanically ventilated institutional building supplements similar studies made in residences.     

混合通风空调房间中粒子谱的空间变化

根据成都市夏季室外颗粒物浓度的实测结果,利用数值流体力学方法对混合通风空调房间的粒子进行了模拟,分析了室内粒子的空间演化及其与室外粒子的浓度关系。结果表明,室内粒子浓度对室外粒子浓度具有直接的依赖性,其中进风携带的小粒子浓度在室内下降较为明显。因此,在研究室内空气品质的同时,应考虑室外背景粒子浓度变化的影响。