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 00:00:00 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
• Resource Relation: Other Information: See also Volume 1, PB92-103175 and Volume 3, PB92-103191. Prepared in cooperation with Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC., John B. Pierce Foundation Lab., New Haven, CT., National Inst. of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD., and Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD. Research Div
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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