VOCs

Ventilation and source control (e.g. using low volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting materials) are two recommended approaches to control indoor air pollution and VOC’s in particular. Decisions on how to minimize exposure can be supported by indoor air chemistry modeling, since the relationships between VOC’s, their precursors, and building ventilation is so complex. For example, modeling could be used to examine the impact of altering building ventilation.

With increasing building airtightness, the design of an adequate ventilation system gains importance. The first generation of ventilation systems, based on continuous supply of the nominal airflow rate, are now being replaced by Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV). These systems, often H2O and/or CO2 controlled, do not take into account the emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) to the indoor environment.

The difficulty in measuring IAQ indicators like VOCs and particles, lies in the multiplicity of the composition of these pollutants. Analysis of the responses of some low cost IAQ sensors when subjected to real sources of pollution shows that they do not react homogeneously, due to their sensitivity and post-treatments. These sensors can be used by consumers to understand the effect of their actions on the evolution of IAQ indicators, not to rely directly on the values displayed.

The trend toward minimizing ventilation of houses in order to reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling leads to an increase in indoor air pollution. The deterioration of indoor air quality (IAQ) negatively affects human health, safety, productivity and comfort. In order to evaluate the scale of this influence IAQ assessment has to be performed. However, the IAQ itself is not well defined and a number of parameters are considered as its indicators. In this work we compared carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds as indicators of indoor air quality.

The exposure of children to indoor air pollutants in school classrooms might cause them adverse health effects. In order to confront this issue, the in-depth study and evaluation of the indoor air quality in classrooms is necessary. The aims of this study are to characterize the environmental factors that affect indoor air quality.

The paper summarizes the activites undertaken by AppliedSensor within the European Clear-up project with respect to new developments in volatile organic compound sensing for demand controlled ventilation. State-of-the-art is to use non-dispersive infrared sensor technology for indoor carbon dioxide detection. Carbon dioxide so far serves as indicator for bad indoor air quality and required ventilation rates.

This article is devoted to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in two low energy houses, with different frames (cast concrete (I-BB) and timber frame (I-OB)) built in platform INCAS of INES (National Institute of Solar Energy -in french: Institut National de l’Energie Solaire). In order to quantify pollutant emissions due to building materials and products, an experimental protocol consisted in stopping ventilation systems -”balanced ventilation”- of each house (a little before and during the measurement campaign), closing doors and windows, and not allowing occupant.

Indentifying pollutants that pose a potential hazard indoors is an important first step to reducing risks. We reviewed key published studies reporting measurements of chemical pollutants in residences. Summary results were compiled and used to calculate representative mid-range and upper-bound concentrations relevant to chronic exposures for over 300 pollutants and peak concentrations relevant to acute exposures for a few episodic activity-associated pollutants.

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 this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of sorptive building materials in reducing VOCsconcentrations in air using a small test chamber. Air containing a low concentration of VOCs wassupplied and any decrease in the VOCs concentrations was measured at the exhaust. Five differenttypes of building materials were investigated; activated carbon, gypsum board mixed with a givenquantity of activated carbon, board made out of activated carbon, humidity-controlling porous ceramicmaterial and ordinary gypsum board.