Residential pollutants and ventilation strategies: Volatile organic compounds and radon
This paper reviews literature that reports investigations of residential ventilation and indoor air quality. Two important residential pollutant classes, volatile organic compounds and radon, are examined. A companion paper examines moisture and combustion pollutants. Control strategies recommended from the review include appropriate building design to prevent or limit the sources of the pollutants within the space, proper operation and maintenance to prevent adverse conditions from developing during the building's life and appropriate use of ventilation. The characteristics of these pollutant sources suggest that ventilation systems in residences should have several properties. They should have the extra capacity available to reduce short bursts of pollution, be located close to the expected source of the contamination, and be inexpensive. Mitigation of radon is technically a major success using a form of task ventilation. Whole-house ventilation is, at best, a secondary form of control of excess radon in residences.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- OSTI ID:
- 20085672
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ASHRAE Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA (US), 06/18/1999--06/23/1999; Other Information: PBD: 1999; Related Information: In: ASHRAE Transactions: Technical and symposium papers presented at the 1999 annual meeting in Seattle, Washington of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.; Volume 105, Part 2, by Geshwiler, M.; Harrell, D.; Roberson, T. [eds.], 1360 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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