Title
Technical note AIVC 68: Residential ventilation and health
Publication year
2016
Abstract
Exposures in homes constitute the major part of exposures to airborne pollutants experienced through the human lifetime. They can constitute from 60 to 95% of our total lifetime exposures, of which 30% occurs when we sleep. The airborne pollutants constituting these exposures have sources outdoors and indoors. Pollutants having sources outdoors penetrate building envelope through cracks, gaps, slots and leakages, as well as through open windows and ventilation systems. Indoor pollutant sources include humans and their activities related with hygiene, house cleaning, food preparation, laundry, etc.; building construction materials, furnishing, and decoration materials; mould, bacteria, and fungi; tobacco smoking and combustion processes; as well as pets and pests. Studies have measured over 250 fifty pollutants in the indoor air in homes. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have the highest airborne concentrations in homes due to higher volatility however other pollutants impact occupant health as well. Indoor concentrations vary from home to home as well as over time in a given home. Exposure controls should be designed to minimize health hazards and avoid unwanted odours. To do this, we must identify the pollutants driving the health risks and identify the best control strategies for those pollutants.
Subject
Fluid & Solid Mechanics
HTFD - Heat Transfer & Fluid Dynamics
TS - Technical Sciences
Healthy for Life
Health
Healthy Living
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http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7497a426-ea6d-4504-9cd6-b21d3ec0f4df
TNO identifier
533815
Publisher
INIVE EEIG, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Belgium
ISBN
9782930471464
Document type
report