Measurement of indoor air quality in two new test houses
This study assessed indoor air quality in two similar, new houses being evaluated for energy performance. One house (A) was built conventionally. The other (B) was an energy-efficient structure. Air samples for individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total VOCs (TVOC) and formaldehyde were collected following completion of the interiors of the houses and on several occasions during the following year. Ventilation rates were also determined so that source strengths of airborne contaminants could be estimated with a mass- balance model. There were no substantial differences in indoor air quality between the houses. The TVOC concentrations in House A ranged from 1,700 - 4,400 {mu}p m{sup -3}, with the highest value coinciding with the lowest ventilation rate. The TVOC concentrations in House B were 2,400 - 2,800 {mu}g m{sup -3}. These values are elevated compared to a median value of 700 {mu}g m{sup -3} measured for a large residential study. Formaldehyde concentrations ranged up to 74 {mu}g m{sup -3}. The dominant VOC in both houses was hexanal, an odorous chemical irritant. The concentrations of acetone, pentanal, toluene, alpha-pinene and other aldehydes were also relatively high in both houses. The source strengths of many of the analytes did not decline substantially over the course of the study. The OSB was estimated to contribute substantially to concentrations of formaldehyde and acetone in the houses. The results also suggested that OSB was not the dominant source of pentanal, hexanal and alpha-pinene, all of which had elevated emissions in the houses, possibly from a single source.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 212708
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-37929; ON: DE96008556; TRN: 96:002453
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jan 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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