IMPROVEMENT OF INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN RESIDENCES OF CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY PATIENTS BY AN AIR CLEANER

We developed an air cleaner (AC) for chemical sensitivity (CS) patients. The AC have a high efficiencyair filter and a special activated carbon filter to remove airborne particles and gaseous contaminants.Using the AC, we conducted a monitoring experiment to investigate improvement of indoor air quality(IAQ) in the actual residences of CS patients. In the experiment, IAQ in the residences of nine CSpatients was measured before and after AC operation. In addition, a questionnaire on subjectivesymptoms was administered to the patients.Measurement results revealed that AC operation reduced chemical substance concentration and thekinds of substances. In all residences, TVOC concentrations fell to less than 1/3, while totalconcentrations of carbonyl compounds, including formaldehyde, fell to around 1/2 by the AC operation.In the questionnaire on subjective symptoms with QEESI (Quick Environmental Exposure andSensitivity Inventory), six of the patients answered that the AC was effective and one patient that itwas ineffective. The two patients had terminated the experiment while it was in progress. It was thusverified that AC operation improved the IAQ in the residences of CS patients. The AC can be utilized asa means for reducing exposure of chemical substances in CS patients daily lives.