Indoor air quality and work-environment study. Library of Congress, Madison Building. Volume 2. Results of indoor air environmental monitoring

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6109330

A systematic study was designed to assess the nature and spatial distribution of employee health symptoms and comfort concerns in the Madison Building of the Library of Congress (LOC), Washington, DC. Environmental monitoring was conducted at more than 100 sites within the building. The mean temperature for the building was 73.1 F, with a general trend for the temperature to increase throughout the building on all days from morning to afternoon. The mean relative humidity was 49.2 percent. Mean carbon-dioxide (124389) measurements increased at all sampling locations throughout the morning. Whole building air exchanges were relatively constant averaging between 0.85 and 0.79 air changes per hour. The real time respirable particle measurement mean value was 5.5 micrograms/cubic meter (microg/cu m). Nicotine (54115) was detected in several areas of the building ranging as high as 18.5 microg/cu m. Formaldehyde (50000) concentration was very low as was the acetaldehyde (75070) concentration. The mean acetone (67641) concentration was 32.5 microg/cu m. Volatile organic compounds ranged as high as 2ppm with the most predominant ones being xylene (1330207). The mean benzene (71432) concentration was 2 parts per billion. Total volatile organic compounds averaged 1.1 parts per million (ppm). Chlorpyrifos (2921882) was the only targeted pesticide observed above the analytical limit of detection and was documented in only one sample at 0.004 microg/cu m. Whole building carbon-monoxide (630080) (CO) levels averaged between 1 and 2ppm.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (United States)
• OSTI ID: 6109330
• Report Number(s): PB-92-103183/XAB; HETA--88-364-2103
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACETALDEHYDE
ACETONE
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
ALDEHYDES
ALKALOIDS
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AMINES
AROMATICS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
AZINES
AZOLES
BENZENE
BUILDINGS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DRUGS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FEDERAL BUILDINGS
FORMALDEHYDE
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
KETONES
LIBRARIES
MATTER
MONITORING
NICOTINE
NORTH AMERICA
OFFICE BUILDINGS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARASYMPATHOLYTICS
PARASYMPATHOMIMETICS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
POLLUTION
PYRIDINES
PYRROLES
PYRROLIDINES
USA
VENTILATION
VOLATILE MATTER
WASHINGTON DC
XYLENES