Indoor air quality, infiltration and ventilation in residential buildings. Final report
Sixty houses built with widely different construction practices and located in different areas in upstate New York were monitored for airtightness (using fan pressurization) and integrated radon concentrations in indoor air, household water, and soil surrounding the house basement. Thirty of the houses were also monitored for air exchange rates (using perfluorocarbon tracer gas); combustion pollution (nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and respirable suspended particulates); and formaldehyde for a total of forty-one one-week-periods using integrating samplers. Overall results of this monitoring indicated that unvented kerosene heaters were responsible for high indoor nitrogen dioxide levels; smokers and some wood stoves and fireplaces were sources of indoor respirable suspended particulates; automobile exhaust in an attached garage was the cause of high indoor carbon monoxide levels in one of the houses; new panelling and high humidity levels were associated with high formaldehyde levels in one of the houses; houses built on upstate New York black shales were more likely to have high radon levels. The most effective general control technique was the identification of the sources of pollution and the removal and/or the isolation of the sources from the indoor environment. If the sources could not be avoided, their effects could be reduced by local ventilation at the source, and/or filtration, and/or increased whole-house ventilation if the pollution source strength was relatively low and diffuse. 100 figs., 54 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Fleming (W.S.) and Associates, Inc., Syracuse, NY (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5034093
- Report Number(s):
- NYSERDA-85-10; ON: TI86900255
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
CARBON MONOXIDE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FORMALDEHYDE
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
PARTICULATES
RADON
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
AIR INFILTRATION
AIR QUALITY
VENTILATION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
AUTOMOBILES
CONSTRUCTION
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
EXHAUST GASES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HOUSES
HUMIDITY
MONITORING
NEW YORK
POLLUTION SOURCES
RESIDENTIAL SECTOR
WOOD BURNING APPLIANCES
AIR POLLUTION
ALDEHYDES
APPLIANCES
BUILDINGS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONTROL
DATA
EFFICIENCY
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FEDERAL REGION II
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
INFORMATION
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
RARE GASES
USA
VEHICLES
WASTES
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
320101 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Residential Buildings- (-1987)