(IAQ)

History of Indoor Air Quality

Greek philosophers, 500 BC, concerned with air quality in

mines
Roman, Pliny the Elder, advised masks for stonecutters and

asbestos miners
Early 1800s, first recommendations for ventilation

standards to control odor

Florence Nightangle(1858) recommended air exchange rate

of 25 cfm/person to avoid re-infection in hospitals

Questions Regarding Indoor Air Quality

What is Indoor Air Quality? What is the relationship between indoor and outdoor air

quality? Why should you be concerned about the quality of air that you breath? What causes indoor air problems? What are the factors affecting indoor air quality? How does outdoor air enter a house? What are the health effects from indoor air pollutants? Can you give examples of indoor air contaminants? Do you know the origin of air quality problems? What are the guidelines for IAQ? What is an IAQ prediction model? What are the strategies to improve indoor air quality?

What is Indoor Air Quality ?

Refers to good and bad effects of the contents of air inside

a structure on its occupants

Good indoor air quality(IAQ) has no unwanted gases or

particles in it at concentrations which will adversely affect someone

Poor indoor air quality has gases or particles in excessive

concentration so as to affect the satisfaction or health of occupants

Relationship between Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality

Indoor pollutant concentrations may be higher or lower than

outdoor air concentrations

Outdoor contaminants may be present indoors at a sufficient

concentration to affect the occupants Example : Pollen and mold spores from outdoors causes hay fever and allergies indoors

Why should you be concerned about the quality of air that you breath?
The contaminant indoor air could damage peoples health Indoor air pollutants are among the top five environmental

risk
People spend about 90% of their time indoors and so the

health problems that result from exposure to indoor pollution increases

According to World Health Organization (WHO)

approximately 30% of all commercial buildings have significant IAQ problems

Statistics on Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor radon exposure is estimated to be the second leading

cause of lung cancer (American Lung Association ) Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) causes an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 to 50,000 heart disease deaths in non-smokers, as well as 150,000 to 300,000 cases of lower respiratory tract infections in children under 18 months of age each year (ALA) 1.4 million buildings in the United States have indoor problems (OSHA) Legionnaires Disease strikes 25,000 people and kills over 4000 people every year (Center for Disease Control)

Sources of Pollutants
Normal Biological Processes - people and pets generate

carbon dioxide, moisture, odors and microbes Combustion appliances such as wood stoves, gas stoves, furnaces, fireplaces and gas heaters Use of consumer products such as spray cans, air fresheners, spray cleaners and construction materials Cigarette smoking Soil under and around buildings Appliances such as humidifiers, air conditioners and nebulizers

Sources involved in IAQ problems

Evaluations by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for studies on more than 500 Indoor Air quality health hazard cases
Percent Typical Sources Lack of outside air, poor air distribution, uncomfortable temperature and humidity, contaminant sources inside the system Solvent vapors, dusts, formaldehyde, building materials, furnishings Concrete, wood, furnishings.

Problem Origin Inadequate Building Ventilation Systems

53%

Contaminants Originating Inside Building Building Products

15% 4%

Unknown Causes Outdoor Contaminants Entering Building

Microbiological Agents

13%
10% 5%

Unidentified sources Motor vehicle exhaust, pollen, fungi, smoke, construction

Bioaerosols, Legionella

Reasons of IAQ Problems based on NIOSH study

Inside contamination 15% Bioaerosols 5%

Outside Contamination 10%

Building products 4% Unknown causes 13%

Inadequate Ventilation 53%

Factors affecting IAQ

Meteorological conditions Ventilation condition Pollutant decay Pollutant removal Pollutant release Permeability of structures Outdoor air quality

How does Outdoor Air enter Indoors

Infiltration - outdoor air flows into the house through

openings, joints, and cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings, and around windows and doors Natural Ventilation - air moves through opened windows and doors Mechanical Ventilation - from outdoor-vented fans that intermittently remove air from a single room, such as bathrooms and kitchen, to air handling systems that use fans and duct work to continuously remove indoor air and distribute filtered and conditioned outdoor air to strategic points throughout the house

Health effects due to Indoor Air Pollutants

Headaches Nausea Respiratory infections Asthma Hypersensitivity pneumonitis Humidifier fever

Legionnaires disease
Lung cancer

What is Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)?

Condition of a building in which more than 20% of the

occupants are suffering from adverse health effects but with no clinically diagnosable disease present
It is a condition of a building ; not of the occupants

It takes place due to long term exposure to low levels of

contaminants

Health Symptoms and Possible Contaminants

SYMPTOM Headache Fatigue Poor Concentration Dizziness Tiredness POSSIBLE CONTAMINANTS Bio-aerosols VOCs PRIMARY SOURCES Ventilation systems Humidifiers Drip pans Cooling coils in AHVs Plants Outside air ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION Ergonomic Conditions Noise and Vibration

Headache with nausea Ringing in ears Pounding heart

CO Formaldehyde

Incomplete Combustion (vehicle Exhaust, stoves, fireplaces) Building products Furnishings Incomplete Combustion Building Products Furnishings Smoking

Ergonomic Conditions Noise and Vibration

Dry Throat Shortness of breath or Bronchial Asthma Irritation and Infection of Respiratory Tract

NO2 Formaldehyde VOCs Particulates

Relative humidity

Health Symptoms and Possible

Contaminants
SYMPTOM Nasal Problems (Stuffiness,Irritation) POSSIBLE CONTAMINANTS NO2 Formaldehyde Bio-aerosols PRIMARY SOURCES Incomplete Combustion Building Products Furnishings Ventilation Systems Humidifiers Drip Pans Cooling Coils in AHVs Outside Air ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION Relative Humidity High Temperatures

Skin Problems (Dryness, Irritation, Rashes)

Formaldehyde

Ventilation Systems Humidifiers Outside Air

Warm Air Low Relative Humidity Excessive Air Movement Artificial Light

Eye Problems (Burning, Dry Gritty Eye)

NO2 Formaldehyde VOC's Particulates Bio-aerosols

Incomplete Combustion Building Products Furnishings Ventilation Systems Humidifiers Cooling Coils in AHVs Outside Air Building Product Deterioration

List of Pollutants affecting IAQ

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) Dust and dirt Radon Bio-aerosols

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)

Respirable Particulate Matter (RPM)

Carbon and Nitrous Oxides

Origin of Indoor Air Quality Problems

Inadequate ventilation
Pollutants from material processed inside the building Pollutants drawn in from outside air Biological contamination Pollutants from building materials and furnishings Saving energy

Guidelines for IAQ pollutants

POLLUTANT Asbestos CONCENTRATION REMARKS

40 CFR 0.2-2 fibers/cucm

1000 ppm 5000 ppm 9 ppm 50 ppm 9 ppm 35 ppm

EPA OSHA Standard (8hr TWA)

Carbon Dioxide

ASHRAE Standard Ministry of Labor Standard(TWAEV) EPA OSHA Standard for 1hr ASHRAE-Average over 8 hr NIOSH standard for 1hr

Carbon Monoxide

Guidelines (contd.)
POLLUTANT
Formaldehyde

CONCENTRATION
0.4 ppm 0.75 ppm 5 ppm 3 ppm

REMARKS
ASHRAE Standard OSHA (8 hr TWA) OSHA Ministry of Labor Standard (TWAEV) Annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard (USA)

Nitrogen Dioxide

0.053 ppm 0.05 ppm 0.1ppm 0.08 ppm

260 g/cum 150 g/cum

Ozone

WHO OSHA (8hr TWA) WHO-Criteria Document

National Ambient Air quality Standard-24 hr geometric mean EPA, 24 hr annual geometric mean

Particulates

Guidelines (contd.)
POLLUTANT
Radon

CONCENTRATION
4 picoCuries/L 4 WML radon progeny calendar year 1-5 mg/cum

REMARKS
ASHRAE Standard Mine Safety and Health Administration

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

3 mg/cum

US Environmental Protection Agency Guidelines Molhave, 1990

Microbial fungi

<50 CFU/cum <150 CFU/cum <500 CFU/cum

2 Species 3 Species Agriculture Canada Standard

What is an IAQ Prediction Model?

It is basically a Mass Balance Equation The equation is

(Pollutant flowing) (Pollutant flow out) + (Source emissions) (Sink removal) = Indoor air pollution accumulation Units are mass/time

Strategies to improve Indoor Air Quality

Pollutant Source Control

Increased Ventilation

Dehumidification
Use of Air Cleaners

Dust collectors Filters