Exposure data from the EXPOLIS study was used to compare the contributions of indoor andoutdoor sources to personal exposure to selected VOCs (TVOC, benzene, xylenes,ethylbenzene, nonane, decane, undecane, alpha-pinene and 3-carene) in Athens, Basel,Helsinki, Oxford and Prague for non-ETS-exposed individuals. Indoor sources were found tobe the largest contributors to personal exposure to TVOC, terpenes and alkanes. Theircontribution was also important for aromatics, including benzene in Basel and Prague.Workplaces contributed only marginally to the median population exposures.
As part of a larger indoor environmental study, residential indoor and outdoor levels ofnitrogen dioxide (NO2) were measured for 14 houses in a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland,Australia. Passive samplers were used for 48-h sampling periods during the winter of 1999.The average indoor and outdoor NO2 levels were 13.8 6.3 and 16.7 4.2 ppb, respectively.The indoor/outdoor NO2 concentration ratio ranged from 0.4 to 2.3, with a median value of0.82.
This study highlights the presence of dominant source/s of several VOCs and theirgeographical similarities and differences within European Union (EU) and Singaporebuildings. Concentrations and emission rates of 2-methylpentane and heptane are higher inEU buildings as compared to the ones in Singapore. Also, lower alkanes are observed to behigher in levels in EU buildings as opposed to the higher alkanes, which are more dominant inSingapore buildings with statistical differences approaching significance.
We measured the temperature, relative air humidity (RH), carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3),nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and formaldehyde levels in 30 classrooms in 10 schools in Shanghai.The pupils received a questionnaire; 1414 participated (99%). The temperature was 13-21C,and RH was 36-82%. The 1000 ppm CO2 level was exceeded in 45% of the classrooms.Indoor formaldehyde was 3-20 g/m3. The concentration of O3 was low, both indoors (
The research emphasized on typical characteristics of interior decoration material, decoratedarea and relative influence factors to consider about the contaminants concentration of TVOCand formaldehyde in Taiwan. This study conducted complete diagnosis and measurement insix office buildings including 16 different types of office rooms in 2001. In this survey, thecharacteristic of the space, types of building materials used, properties of decorated area andthe room volume were all considered.
This study theoretically investigates the impact of air velocity and temperature on the sourceand sink behaviour of porous building materials, by applying the analytical model proposedin Part I. The impact of air velocity on the source and sink behaviour was investigated forvarious levels of material properties. The Reynolds number was varied from 102 to 105,which is equivalent to an air velocity from almost stagnant to 0.34 m/s when the material is4.5 m long.
Evaluating the VOC source and sink behaviour of porous materials is important for thedetermination of the VOC concentration levels in indoor air environment. The transfermechanisms involved in the source and sink behaviour are the same, but the mass transferis in the opposite direction (i.e. from material to air for source, and from air to material forsink). This paper presents a mass transfer model that can be used to predict both sourceand sink behaviour of porous materials.
Before starting a French nationwide survey, a pilot study was conducted in 2001 on 90dwellings in three geographical areas (North, East and South of France). This survey includedmeasurements on 40 priority indoor parameters (VOC, NO2, CO, CO2, bacteria, moulds,allergens, MMMF, temperature, humidity) and questionnaires on building characteristics,occupants description and time activity diaries. The paper focuses on the chemical levelsfound in dwellings.
The purpose of this paper is to present an experimental setup developed to characterizereactions between ozone and building products and document their potential impact on indoorair quality. Preliminary experiments were conducted on four building products: two carpets, agypsum board and a pine wood board. These preliminary experiments clearly indicate thatozone is significantly removed in contact with the four selected products. Measured ozoneremoval were around 65% for the two carpets, 70% for the gypsum board and 75% for thepine wood board.
This study reports the attained indoor air quality in new buildings when using different M1-classified finishing materials and ventilation systems. It is practical to use the TVOC value asa reference in comparing material emissions, their effect on indoor air quality and infollowing the effect of different parameters on the indoor air quality. But is TVOC a relevanttool from the health point of view to be used in characterizing the indoor air as the singlecompounds contained in the TVOC value do have very different effects on the health andperceived indoor air quality?
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