The influence of specific ventilation rate on the emissions from construction products.

Very little experimental data exist validating the influence of temperature, ventilation  rate, air velocity, humidity and adsorbed pollutants from other sources on emission rates from construction products. Experiments were performed using small scale climate chambers including the new CLIMPAQ quantifying emissions from test specimens of linoleum, acrylic paint, nylon carpet, and sealant. A trained sensory panel voted on the decipol scale and chemical analysis identified and quantified the major pollutants after the specimens had been conditioned in the chambers for six days. When specific ventilation rate (l/s m2) is low, the rate has a significant influence on emission rates. In both sensory and chemical terms emission rates increase when ventilation is increased. For low ventilation rates the emission rates may be proportional to the specific ventilation rate and for higher ventilation rates the emission rates stabilize independent of ventilation.