furniture

Furniture can raise indoor air contaminants with toxic emissions of VOC and formaldehyde.. While furniture is classified as a subject of safety and has quality labeling, there is a lack of domestic regulations related to contaminant emissions with the exception of sinks. When looking at the analysis on environment-related patients related to the smell or odors from furniture every year, patients suffering from asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis are on the rise.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in new houses, particularly occupant's inhalation exposure to toxic, irritant and odorous chemicals, has received comparatively little attention among house builders and product manufacturers. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of potential concern in new houses include formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetic acid and naphthalene. These VOCs are emitted by a variety of wood products and other materials used to finish the interiors of most houses.

The paper presents results from the numerical modelling of the flow field in an existing ventilated office room. The numerical procedure is based on the 3D Reynolds equations closed by the k-e turbulence model and an equation for temperature solved by the finite volume method. The boundary conditions are set in accordance to detailed measurements of the velocity distribution in the air supply diffuser. The established complex flow conditions in the room, which are due to the presence of furniture and buoyancy forces, are presented.