Many workers in an office building complained about IAQ. No moisture damage was foundin the offices, which were, however, painted and carpeting was changed. Ventilation ductswere cleaned and the supply and exhaust air vents were installed in every room. Shortly afterthe repair the workers developed symptoms. A thorough survey of IAQ including microbesand particles and volatile organic compounds was conducted twice after the repair. Betweensurveys the rooms were cleaned for 2 months twice a week with more effective practices thanbefore.
Subjective experiments were conducted in summer and winter in order to clarify the effects ofhumidity and indoor chemical pollutants on subjective comfort and productivity, and evaluatethe seasonal differences in their reactions. Subjects were exposed to three levels of humidityconditions and 2 indoor air quality levels in a climate chamber performing the simulatedoffice works. For all conditions, SET* was constant. Subjects adapted to the indoor air qualityduring the 180-min exposures under the polluted conditions.
A new derivation of productivity calculation model based on pollution loads and contaminantremoval effectiveness is applied and the effect of the improved ventilation efficiency onproductivity is estimated. The findings show that the proportion dissatisfied could be asuitable predictor of productivity loss due to indoor air quality in different kinds of officework. The proportion dissatisfied is possible to calculate from olf and decipol units. In a caseof one person per 10 m2 (0.1 olf/m2) and low-emitted material (0.1 olf/m2), the total sensorypollution load is 0.2 olf/m2.
The impact of dry indoor air on comfort and health in winter was investigated in a crossoverintervention study in two floors of an office building in northern Sweden. The indoor airhumidity (normally 10-20% RH) was raised to 23-24% RH, one floor at a time, using steamhumidifiers. Questionnaires and objective (clinical) measurements were applied.
Indoor air quality is one of the main factors, which affect indoor environment. Through analyzing indoor air quality (IAQ), 9 main factors have been established in this paper, such as temperature, wind speed and relative humidity, and so on. By the adaptive degree of humans physiology and psychology to indoor environment, IAQ is partitioned into 3 grades, that is comfortable, rather comfortable and uncomfortable. By above 3 grades, the limitation scopes of every grade of all factors are given, accordingly.
Ozone concentrations were monitored up- and downstream of used filter samples at airflowsof 1.0 and 0.2 l s-1. The ozone concentration in the air upstream of the filters was ~75 ppb,while the concentration downstream of the filter was initially ~35% lower at 1 l s-1 and ~55%lower at 0.2 l s- 1. Within an hour the removal efficiency had decreased to roughly 5% at1 l s- 1 and 10% at 0.2 l s- 1. These filter samples were then placed in either nitrogen or ambientair for 48 h. Afterwards it was found that there was partial regeneration of the filters ozoneremoval capabilities.
This paper will review 6 years of experience in risk communication and meeting workplaceinformation needs about the health effects experienced by people working in sealed buildings.The purpose of this paper is to discuss examples of the kinds of information that theworkplace community is seeking and what answers can or cannot be provided.In the past two decades, there has been a growing concern about potential chronic healtheffects of poor indoor air quality and mould.
In order to determine the a etiological factor of Sick House Syndrome (SHS), indoor airquality of 35 houses in Miyagi prefecture of Japan, where occupants are suspected ofsuffering from SHS, had been investigated during the summers in 2000-2002. Theinvestigation included the measurement of indoor chemical substance concentration and aquestionnaire regarding residential environment and subjective symptoms.As a result, the formaldehyde concentrations in 71% of all houses exceeded the guideline ofJapan.
In this study, the houses where residents were suspected of having sick house syndromelocated in Miyagi prefecture of Japan, had been investigated during the summer of 2001. Theinvestigation included the measurements of the aldehydes and volatile organic compounds(VOCs) concentration, air tightness level, airflow volume at inlets/outlets and ventilation rate.This paper shows the results of indoor air quality and ventilation rate in eight houses. Allthese houses, which are air tight except one house, use mechanical ventilation system.
Healthy housing strategies tend to focus on good comfort and on avoiding specific health riskagents. These agents are generated by building features and occupancy and may come fromboth indoor and outdoor environments. This research project focuses on building features andthe impact they have on the indoor environment. The interaction between the building andoccupancy patterns is studied. This paper describes the selection of the smallest set ofindicators that allows a simple but effective evaluation procedure of the health performance ofhousing.
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