Indoor Climate and Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings

In buildings which were built within the last 15 to 20 years, or which have been retrofitted, and which do notfeature a mechanical ventilation system, air changes between 0.01 h^?1 and 0.5 h^?1 were measured while windows were closed. In the bedrooms of such buildings, when doors and windows were closed, CO₂ concentrations of up to 4300 ppm were measured whereby the 1500 ppm limit was often exceeded. Simulation calculations and diverse measurements using different door positions with simultaneously closed windows have shown that with the door open more than 10 cm, and a minimal air exchange in the whole of an apartment of 0.1 h^?1, a CO₂ concentration of I500 ppm was not or was only insignifiantly exceeded even after 10 hours. Investigations in a dwelling fined with a mechanical ventilation system have shown that air quality and the indoor climate parameters were in an optimal range.     

室内有机化学污染防治研究现状及存在问题

指出了室内有机化学污染防治的重要性,分析了近年来国内外关于室内有机化学污染防治的研究现状,根据其中存在的问题,针对污染防治的三种方式(源头治理、改善空间传输和空气净化)提出了一些近期值得讨论和研究的问题,旨在引起相关领域研究者的共同关注,加大这些方面的研究力度,以提供解决我国室内化学污染问题的有力技术支持。     

Ozone in indoor environments: concentration and chemistry

The concentration of indoor ozone depends on a number of factors, including the outdoor ozone concentration, air exchange rates, indoor emission rates, surface removal rates, and reactions between ozone and other chemicals in the air. Outdoor ozone concentrations often display strong diurnal variations, and this adds a dynamic excitation to the transport and chemical mechanisms at play. Hence, indoor ozone concentrations can vary significantly from hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season, as well as from room-to-room and structure-to-structure. Under normal conditions, the half-life of ozone indoors is between 7 and 10 min and is determined primarily by surface removal and air exchange. Although reactions between ozone and most other indoor pollutants are thermodynamically favorable, in the majority of cases they are quite slow. Rate constants for reactions of ozone with the more commonly identified indoor pollutants are summarized in this article. They show that only a small fraction of the reactions occur at a rate fast enough to compete with air exchange, assuming typical indoor ozone concentrations. In the case of organic compounds, the "fast" reactions involve compounds with unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds. Although such compounds typically comprise less than 10% of indoor pollutants, their reactions with ozone have the potential to be quite significant as sources of indoor free radicals and multifunctional (-C=O, -COOH, -OH) stable compounds that are often quite odorous. The stable compounds are present as both gas phase and condensed phase species, with the latter contributing to the overall concentration of indoor submicron particles. Indeed, ozone/alkene reactions provide a link between outdoor ozone, outdoor particles and indoor particles. Indoor ozone and the products derived from reactions initiated by indoor ozone are potentially damaging to both human health and materials; more detailed explication of these impacts is an area of active investigation.     

Principles for Evaluation of Health and Comfort Hazards Caused by Indoor Air Pollution*

Abstract Consensus on simplified procedures for evaluating health consequences of occupational and outdoor exposures has existed for many years and there is no reason why a similar consensus cannot be made for normal indoor environments. A discussion of such a procedure and its limitations is the purpose of this paper. The exposure measurements should be presented to the toxicologist in the form of a list of identified compounds, concentrations of each compound reported as lifetime-integrated absorbed dose, average concentration (e.g. 24 h), peak exposures (e.g. 10–30 s), and peak exposure frequency (e.g. 90% fractile). In that perspective some of the main recommendations of this paper are that a list of compounds expected to be relevant to indoor air and the required sensitivity of the analytical procedures for these compounds must be established. These chemicals must be identified and quantified in an analysis of indoor air. Generally the investigators should pay the same interest in accurate measurements of exposure and of effects, and sampling should be made within one sampling period from measurements of health effects. The compounds of relevance to indoor air should be grouped according to the relevant toxicological principles for their evaluation. Those for which acceptable data and evaluation principles exist or can be estimated are placed on a positive list. In addition, a sub-list should be established of the remaining relevant compounds which for one or more reasons cannot be dealt with in the proposed evaluation scheme, and a consensus must be reached on the maximal acceptable fraction of compounds that cannot be toxicologically evaluated (toxicologically unknown). Finally, guidelines for evaluation of the exposures must be established including guideline values for the relevant compounds as well as procedures for sensory evaluations.     

Concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air – A Review

A review is presented of investigations of volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in indoor air of buildings of different classifications (dwellings, offices, schools, hospitals) and categories (established, new and complaint buildings). Measured concentrations obtained from the published literature and from research in progress overseas were pooled so that VOC concentration profiles could be derived for each building classification/category. Mean concentrations of individual compounds in established buildings were found to be generally below 50 μg/m³, with most below 5 μg/m³. Concentrations in new buildings were much greater, often by an order of magnitude or more, and appeared to arise from construction materials and building contents. The nature of these sources and approaches to reduce indoor air concentrations by limiting source VOC emissions is discussed. Total VOC (TVOC) concentrations were substantially higher than concentrations of any individual VOCs in all situations, reflecting the large number of compounds present, but interpretation of such measurements was limited by the lack of a common definition for TVOC relevant to occupant exposure.     

Indoor/outdoor relationships of carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen in domestic homes with roadside, urban and rural locations in a central Indian region

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has been a matter of public concern these days whereas air pollution is normally monitored outdoors as part of obligations under the National air quality strategies. Much little is known about levels of air pollution indoors. Simultaneous measurements of indoor and outdoor carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NO and NO2) concentrations were conducted at three different environments, i.e. rural, urban and roadside in Agra, India, using YES - 205 multigas monitor during the winter season, i.e. October 2002-February 2003. A statistical correlation analysis of indoor concentration levels with outdoor concentrations was carried out. CO was maximum at roadside locations with indoor concentrations 2072.5 +/- 372 p.p.b. and outdoor concentrations 1220 +/- 281 p.p.b. (R2 = 0.005). Oxides of nitrogen were found maximum at urban site; NO concentration was 385 +/- 211 and 637 +/- 269 p.p.b. for indoors and outdoors respectively (R2 = 0.90792), where as NO2 concentration was 255 +/- 146 p.p.b. for indoors and 460 +/- 225 p.p.b. for outdoors (R2 = 0939464). Although indoor concentration at all the houses of the three sites have a positive correlation with outdoor concentration, CO variation indoors was very less due to outdoor sources. An activity schedule of inside and outside these homes were also prepared to see its influence and concentrations of pollutants. As standards for indoor air were not available for the Indian conditions these were compared with the known standards of other countries, where as outdoor concentrations were compared with the standards given by the Central Pollution Control board, which shows that indoor concentrations of both NO(x) and CO lie below permissible limits but outdoor concentrations of NO(x) cross the standard limits. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: 'India currently bears the largest number of indoor air pollution (IAP) related health problems in world. An estimated 500,000 women & children die in India each year due to IAP-related cause--this is 25% of estimated IAP-related deaths worldwide. This study will be useful for policy makers, health related officials, academicians and Scientists who have interest in countries of developing world'.     

Seasonal and Yearly Patterns of Indoor Nitrogen Dioxide Levels: Data from Albuquerque,New Mexico

There are few data sets appropriate for characterizing the indoor concentrations of air pollutants over the long term. An understanding of the variability in indoor pollutant levels is particulurly relevant to the design of epidemiologic investigations: misclassifiation of exposure due to the inaccuracy of exposure estimates tends to weaken the association of exposure with health outcome. This paper uses a series of indoor NO₂ measurements collected at two-week intervals over 18-month periods between 1988 and 1991 to describe the seasonal and year-to-year variability in indoor NO₂,. The data show that there can be large year-to-year differences in both the sample distribution of indoor NO₂ as well as the household average. For homes with gas ranges with continuously-burning pilot lights, the average bedroom NO₂ concentration was 25% higher in the winter of 1990-1991 than in the winter of 1989-1990 but only 4% higher during the winter of 1988-1989 than during the winter of 1989-1990. The winter-to-winter correlations within homes ranged from a low of 0.53 to a high of 0.88. The year-to-year differences in mean indoor concentrations were not related to temperature patterns. Occupant behaviors that influence air exchange rate and/or source use are hypothesized to be the major determinant of the observed pattern. Exposure data collected during a single year should be cautiously extrapolated to other years. However, in Albuquerque homes, the data suggest that the year-to-year variability in household NO₂ levels will not have a strong impact on classifying exposure into broad categories.     

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 Po River Delta (North Italy) Indoor Epidemiological Study: Home Characteristics,Indoor Pollutants,and Subjects' Daily Activity Pattern

Abstract A total of 140 homes in the Po River Delta area of North Italy (near Venice) were monitored during summer and winter to measure the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and respirable suspended particulate matter (RSP, ≤ 2.5 μm). In this paper, the findings on home characteristics, daily activity pattern of occupants, and residential indoor air quality are described. Our study confirms that people spend the greater part of their daily lives indoors (84%), especially at home (64%). The concentration of monitored pollutants was greater in winter than in summer. The highest levels of NO₂ were found in the kitchens. Significantly higher indoor NO₂ levels were found in the houses with gas-furnace heating and/or with gas water heater located inside the home. RSP was significantly higher in homes where tobacco smoking took place, and was significantly related to the number of cigarettes smoked. A significant relationship between NO₂ indoor concentrations and RSP values in both seasons was found.     

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。     

Quantification of Birch and Grass Pollen Allergens in Indoor Air

Abstract Birch and grass pollen grains as well as pollen-derived small particles appear as potent allergens in the outdoor air during spring and summer. The occurrence of pollen allergens in indoor air, however, has not been studied in depth due to lack of suitable sampling and analytical methods. Herein, a recently reported “direct on sampling filter estimation” (DOSAFE) technique ( Acevedo et al., 1998 ) has been validated for quantification of pollen allergens in indoor air using two school rooms and two office rooms as experimental models. Using DOSAFE and polyclonal antibodies against water extracts of pollen from Betula pendula and Phleum pratense L, we found that indoor air of school and office rooms carried substantial amounts of pollen allergens, expressed as SQ units, predominantly occurring as particles with smaller diameters than the pollen grains. In one school room the indoor air birch pollen allergen concentrations increased from 242 to 403 SQ units/m³ over the sampling period although the corresponding outdoor air concentrations decreased from 350 to 90 SQ units/m³. Electrostatic air cleaning in one office room reduced its grass pollen allergen concentrations by more than 95% to 0.02–0.34 SQ units/m³ as compared to the control room.     

The associations of indoor environment and psychosocial factors on the subjective evaluation of Indoor Air Quality among lower secondary school students: a multilevel analysis

Subjective evaluation of Indoor Air Quality (subjective IAQ) reflects both building‐related and psychosocial factors, but their associations have rarely been studied other than on the individual level in occupational settings and their interactions have not been assessed. Therefore, we studied whether schools’ observed indoor air problems and psychosocial factors are associated with subjective IAQ and their potential interactions. The analysis was performed with a nationwide sample (N = 195 schools/26946 students) using multilevel modeling. Two datasets were merged: (i) survey data from students, including information on schools’ psychosocial environment and subjective IAQ, and (ii) data from school principals, including information on observed indoor air problems. On the student level, school‐related stress, poor teacher–student relationship, and whether the student did not easily receive help from school personnel, were significantly associated with poor subjective IAQ. On the school level, observed indoor air problem (standardized β = ?0.43) and poor teacher–student relationship (standardized β = ?0.22) were significant predictors of poor subjective IAQ. In addition, school‐related stress was associated with poor subjective IAQ, but only in schools without observed indoor air problem (standardized β = ?0.44).     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: levels and phase distributions in preschool microenvironment

This work aims to characterize levels and phase distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor air of preschool environment and to assess the impact of outdoor PAH emissions to indoor environment. Gaseous and particulate (PM₁ and PM_2.5) PAHs (16 USEPA priority pollutants, plus dibenzo[a,l]pyrene, and benzo[j]fluoranthene) were concurrently sampled indoors and outdoors in one urban preschool located in north of Portugal for 35 days. The total concentration of 18 PAHs (ΣPAHs) in indoor air ranged from 19.5 to 82.0 ng/m³; gaseous compounds (range of 14.1–66.1 ng/m³) accounted for 85% ΣPAHs. Particulate PAHs (range 0.7–15.9 ng/m³) were predominantly associated with PM₁ (76% particulate ΣPAHs) with 5‐ring PAHs being the most abundant. Mean indoor/outdoor ratios (I/O) of individual PAHs indicated that outdoor emissions significantly contributed to PAH indoors; emissions from motor vehicles and fuel burning were the major sources.     

The link between symptoms of office building occupants and in-office air pollution: the Indoor Air Pollution Index

The lack of an effective indoor air quality (IAQ) metric causes communication concerns among building tenants (the public), building managers (decision-makers), and IAQ investigators (engineers). The Indoor Air Pollution Index (IAPI) is developed for office buildings to bridge this communication discord. The index, simple and easily understood, employs the range of pollutant concentrations and concentrations in the subject building to estimate a unitless single number, the IAPI, between 0 (lowest pollution level and best IAQ) and ten (highest pollution level and worst IAQ). The index provides a relative measure of indoor air pollution for office buildings and ranks office indoor air pollution relative to the index distribution of the US office building population. Furthermore, the index associates well with occupant symptoms, percentage of occupants with persistent symptoms. A tree-structured method is utilized in conjunction with the arithmetic mean as the aggregation function. The hierarchical structure of the method renders not only one index value, but also several sub-index values that are critical in the study of an office air environment. The use of the IAPI for IAQ management is illustrated with an example. The decomposition of the index leads to the ranking of sampled pollutants by their relative contribution to the index and the identification of dominant pollutant(s). This information can be applied to design an effective strategy for reducing in-office air pollution.     

Indoor and outdoor air concentrations of BTEX and determinants in a cohort of one-year old children in Valencia, Spain

BTEX is the commonly used term for a group of toxic compounds (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, ortho-xylene and meta- and para-xylene), some of which, most notably benzene, are known carcinogens. The aim of this study is to measure the BTEX levels both inside and outside the homes of 352 one-year old children from the Valencia cohort of the INMA study (Spain) and to analyze the determinants of these levels. Passive samplers were used to measure BTEX levels during a 15 day period and a questionnaire was administered to gather information on potentially associated factors (sociodemographics, residential conditions, and lifestyle). The average concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, ortho-xylene, and meta- and para-xylene were 0.9, 3.6, 0.6, 0.6, and 1.0 μg/m³, respectively. On average, the indoor levels of all the compounds were approximately 2.5 times higher than those observed outdoors. Factors associated with higher BTEX concentrations inside the home were being the child of a mother of non-Spanish origin, living in a house that had been painted within the last year, living in an apartment, and not having air conditioning. Higher outdoor concentrations of BTEX depend on the residence being situated in a more urban zone, being located within the city limits, having living in a building with more than one story, residing in an area with a greater frequency of traffic, and the season of the year in which the sample was taken. The data thus obtained provide helpful information not only for implementing measures to reduce exposure to these pollutants, but also for evaluating the relation between such exposure and possible health risks for the children in the cohort.     

Health and social impacts of improved stoves on rural women: a pilot intervention in Sindh, Pakistan

To assess the acceptability, social and health impacts of improved stoves among women. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2002 among households using improved stoves in the two villages of District Thatta and Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. A questionnaire was administered to 45 women using improved stoves named Smoke Free Stoves (SFS). The same questionnaire was administered to a sample of 114 women, using Traditional Stoves (TS). Carbon monoxide (CO) levels were measured in a sample of both groups. Multivariate analysis was carried out to adjust for confounders. In addition, focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to evaluate the perception of women regarding acceptability and impact of SFS on women. A majority of women reported that SFS produce less smoke and have a beneficial impact on their health. In the multivariate analysis, symptoms of dry cough (AOR=0.61; 95% CI 0.26-1.41), sneezing (AOR=0.54; 95% CI 0.22-1.30) and tears while cooking (TWC) (AOR=0.51; 95% CI 0.21-1.21) are less likely to occur in women using SFS compared to TS. However, the results were not statistically significant possibly due to the small sample. The mean (+/-s.e.) CO levels were 15.4+/-3.4 ppm in SFS and 28.5+/-5.7 ppm in TS kitchens with a mean difference of -13.1 (95% CI -29.5 and 3.2). The results indicate a trend favorable for SFS and suggest that a larger scale project should be undertaken to reach to a definitive conclusion, ideally using a longitudinal design. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: In order to enhance IAQ in kitchens in developing regions of the world stoves for burning of biomass should be constructed in a way that the emission of fuel gases are low. In this way the risk of negative health effects will be reduced.     

Impact of asthma,exposure period,and filters on human responses during exposures to ozone and its initiated chemistry products

The impact of asthma, exposure period, and filter condition downstream of the mixing box of air‐conditioning system on building occupants' perceptual response, work performance, and salivary α‐amylase secretion during exposures to ozone and its initiated chemistry products is studied. The experiments were conducted in a field environmental chamber (FEC) (240 m³) simulating an office environment. Experiments were conducted during periods when the air‐handling system operated with new or used pleated panel filters at constant recirculation (7/h) and ventilation (1/h) rates. Average ozone and secondary organic aerosols (ozone‐initiated chemistry products) measured during non‐asthmatic and asthmatic subjects' 3‐h exposures in the FEC were in the ranges approximately 20–37 ppb and approximately 1.6–3 μg/m³, respectively. Asthmatic subjects' perceived odor intensity and sensory (eye, nose, and throat) irritation ratings were generally lower than those of non‐asthmatic subjects, possibly explaining why asthmatic subjects accept perceived air quality more than non‐asthmatic subjects. However, asthmatic subjects' perceived physiological‐like symptom ratings (flu, chest tightness, and headache) and concentrations of secreted salivary α‐amylase were generally higher than those of non‐asthmatic subjects. Asthmatic subjects had significantly lower accuracy than non‐asthmatic subjects in a task that required higher concentration although they had higher work speed. Filter condition did not make any significant difference for subjects' responses.     

Indoor and outdoor concentrations of Japanese cedar pollens and total suspended particulates: A case study at a kindergarten in Japan

Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCP) caused by allergenic cedar and cypress pollens is one of major economic and health issues in Japan. The present study reported here aimed to provide basic data to understand the status of early life exposures to airborne cedar and cypress pollens in school settings. In particular, the study investigated relationships between indoor and outdoor concentrations of airborne cedar and cypress pollens and total suspended particulates (TSP) in a kindergarten in Japan. Overall, outdoor concentrations of the airborne pollens and TSP were higher than the indoor concentrations, i.e., indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratios of 0.043–0.055 and 0.545 for the airborne pollens and TSP, respectively. The smaller I/O ratios for the pollens were expected because the larger pollen grains (20–30 μm in diameter) were less likely penetrated to indoor environment than for smaller airborne particulates. The present study also found increased TSP concentrations during the pollen season was likely attributed to increased airborne pollen concentrations. By understanding the status of indoor and outdoor concentrations of airborne cedar and cypress pollens in school settings, early life exposures to these allergenic pollens should be effectively minimized to prevent subsequent progression to JCP symptoms.