Relationship between air exchange rate and indoor VOC levels
- Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
- Conor Pacific Environmental, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
It is often assumed that the air quality is better in leaky than in airtight buildings. To test this anecdotal hypothesis, data from two Canadian surveys were examined. Indoor measurements of 28 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were made by means of a passive sampling method during the 24 to 48 h study periods in both studies, and air exchange rates were determined by the perfluorocarbon tracer approach. The air exchange rates ranged between about 0.1 to 2.5 air changes per hour in 54 test homes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Other information on building age and construction, renovation activities and occupant activities that potentially influenced indoor VOC concentrations in the homes was collected by means of a questionnaire. The statistical relationships between the concentrations of VOCs and air exchange were determined. Correlation coefficients between the airborne concentrations of each VOC and the air exchange rates for the homes were all < 0.1 indicating that the relationship between the air exchange and indoor VOC concentrations is tenuous. Since the questionnaire responses did not provide quantitative estimates of indoor emissions, a quantitative correlation between responses and indoor concentrations could not be established nor was a consistent pattern evident between these responses and the occurrence of high indoor concentrations. The lack of definitive quantitative relationships is not surprising considering the complexity of indoor environments, the lack of a detailed inventory of indoor sources and their emission rates and a lack of information or understanding of indoor sinks. The findings, on the effect of air exchange rates and the value of questionnaires in studies on indoor VOCs are consistent with findings in other similar studies.
- OSTI ID:
- 682230
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980632-; TRN: IM9942%%215
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 91. annual meeting and exhibition of the Air and Waste Management Association, San Diego, CA (United States), 14-18 Jun 1998; Other Information: PBD: 1998; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 91. annual meeting and exhibition. Bridging international boundaries: Clean production for environmental stewardship; PB: [5000] p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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