Indoor air quality in 300 homes in Kingston/Harriman, Tennessee

Technical Report · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:7129335

Hawthorne, A R; Aldrich, T E; Vo-Dinh, T; Uziel, M; Cohen, M A; Hamilton, C B; Orebaugh, C T; Miller, G H; Ironsides, K; Monar, K P

Supplemental indoor air quality measurements were conducted in the Kingston/Harriman area for radon, formaldehyde, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and airborne micoorganisms. Eight groups of houses were chosen based on the presence or absence of the following sources: cigarette smoking, woodstoves, and kerosene heaters. Core measurements were made for a two/endash/week period in each house during the winter season again during the summer season. In addition, both vapor phase and particulate phase polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons were monitored. Viable airborne bacteria and fungi were also sampled in a large subset of houses. Detailed energy use/weatherization surveys were conducted in 120 homes by utility trained auditors. Preliminary results indicate that mean winter radon levels were 2.4 pCi/L and mean summer radon levels were 1.3 pCi/L (excluding basement measurements). Mean formaldehyde levels were 0. 0444 ppm in winter and 0.065 ppm in summer. Polynuclear aromatic compounds were higher in homes with smokers, with levels positively related to the reported consumption of cigarettes. Higher levels of airborne bacteria and fungi were found indoors than outdoors, with approximately 50/percent/ of the homes exhibiting concentrations greater than 1000 CFU/m/sup 3/. 51 figs., 81 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 7129335
• Report Number(s): ORNL-6401; ON: DE88014607
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320107* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Building Systems-- (1987-)
AIR POLLUTION
AIR QUALITY
ALDEHYDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AROMATICS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EVALUATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION IV
FORMALDEHYDE
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROCARBONS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
ISOTOPES
MICROORGANISMS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
RESPONSE MODIFYING FACTORS
SAMPLING
TENNESSEE
USA