Indoor Air Quality

FOR CITATION: Indoor air pollution sources (particularly Skunk) and their impacts on health and the environment in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” In: M.F. Yassin (Ed.), “Proceeding of Workshop on Air Quality in Hot Arid Climate (IAQHAC).” (pp: 204-221), Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Shuwaikh, Kuwait City, Kuwait, 3–4 April 2017. URL: ABSTRACT: Air pollution (AP) is generally defined as “the presence in, or introduction into the air of, a substance that has harmful or poisonous effects.” Outdoor air pollution (OAP) can be defined as “the presence of solids, liquids, or gases in outdoor air in amounts that are injurious or detrimental to human health and/or the environment,” or as “the substance (such as smoke, dust, and obnoxious odors) that interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life and/or property.” Indoor air pollution (IAP) is defined as “the pollution that refers to chemical, biological, and physical contamination of indoor air.” As related to the 1967- Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), the air pollution’s (OAP and IAP) situation can be simply described as “catastrophic”, due to the several sources of OAI and IAP, resulted in health and environmental related impacts. However, something uniquely characterizes indoor air pollution in the OPT, in particular, which is the substance known as “Skunk”, with reference to the animal “Skunk”. What makes Skunk a unique IAP’s source is the fact that Skunk is used only in the OPT, and it is also beyond the control of the Palestinian people living in the OPT under the Israeli occupation. Skunk is a liquid with obnoxious odor that has become one of the characteristic weapons that frequently-used against innocent, nonviolent Palestinians in the OPT since August 2008, i.e. since it was first used in the West Bank’s village of Ni'lin. Since then, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) regularly hose down Palestinian crowds and homes with the Skunk liquid in cities, towns, villages, and refugee camps, which raises suspicions that this practice has been regularly and indiscriminately used as a punitive measure against the Palestinians. As witnessed, reported, and documented by Israeli and international civil- and human-rights organizations, the Skunk liquid has been sprayed by the IOF at Palestinian protestors, homes, shops, schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, entire neighborhoods, and even at funeral processions. After Skunk makes contact with persons or objects, its putrid stench can stay for days and even weeks, making inside homes and neighborhoods smell very badly for long periods of time, and causing nausea, vomiting, skin rash, irritation and redness, eye irradiation, abdominal pain, suffocation, excessive coughing, headaches, ataxia, etc. In addition to the health and environmental harms that Skunk causes, the use of Skunk is also intended to cause humiliation to the Palestinians. The odor of the Skunk’s noisome substance is overpowering, as it feels like the smell of a mixture of raw sewage, sulfur, and rotten animal corpses. In this study, indoor air pollutants, particularly “Skunk”, are investigated, analyzed, and discussed, with respect to their health and environmental impacts, and in view of the geopolitical situation in the region. Such impacts have become even more damaging due to the effects of other factors, such as high temperatures, aridity and semi-aridity climate conditions affecting the region, and the OAP’s sources, such as sand- and dust-storms, stone industry, etc.

This paper describes commercial building indoor air quality practices and then
discusses them in the context of total building environmental performance. “Green buildings”
generally have included some effort to address indoor air quality issues along with an unspecified
number of other environmental concerns. Rarely, if ever, is analysis conducted to evaluate tradeoffs
made among environmental features considered important in “green” buildings even though
conflicts occur among design features intended to improve a building’s environmental
performance. One “green building” feature may reduce certain environmental impacts while
increasing others. A method is needed to examine the total environmental impact of designs. In
order to identify best sustainable indoor air quality practices in commercial buildings, a newlydeveloped,
comprehensive approach to building ecology is presented. This approach, tentatively
titled the Systematic Evaluation and Assessment of Building Environmental Performance
(SEABEP), uses sustainability criteria as the basis for comprehensive evaluation of the
environmental performance of design features.

This research assesses the effect of outdoor parameters, including solar radiation and shading and glazing configurations, on indoor thermal comfort and air quality in multi-purpose halls in Auckland, New Zealand. The Design of experiment (DOE) method by using CFD simulation has
been used for this study. Input parameters are windows length, overhang angle, and overhang length, while output parameters are occupant zone average temperature and mass fraction. The temperature sensitivity to the glazing parameter changes with time, and its maximum occurs at
11:00 and is 95%, while for shading ones happen at 9:00 and is 50%. The peak of CO2 mass fraction sensitivity to glazing and shading parameters coincides at 9:00 and is 90% and 80, respectively. The variation rate of temperature and CO2 mass fraction VS. Glazing parameter (W.L) is approximately positive on the summer day. However, it has nonlinear and complex behavior, while shading one has a sinusoidal behavior. On the other side, On the winter day, the temperature variation rate is almost linear regarding this factor. The result shows that appropriate
shading and glazing situation for each time is different, and for reaching the best comfort, dynamic shading and glazing should be designed. Comfort criteria sensitivity within the school is highly dependent on glazing parameters compared with shading configurations. The temperature can be controlled up to 3 and 1.6 degrees in the summer winter day, respectively. Finally, it can be concluded that glazing tools can compensate for a significant amount of required heating in the winter days, and shading devices and opening windows can control the air quality in the school buildings with neglectable overheating.

Das Auftreten von unangenehmen oder unbekannten Gerüchen in Innenräumen wird von den Nutzern oftmals mit der Besorgnis einer Gesundheitsgefährdung assoziiert. Daher können Gerüche aufgrund der ausgelösten Stressreaktion auch ohne toxikologisch begründbare Expositionen das Wohlbefinden stark beeinflussen1 oder aufgrund einer beispielsweise als negativ empfundenen Geruchsnote eine Belästigung darstellen.
Das Vorliegen einer potentiellen Gesundheitsgefährdung kann durch die intensive Arbeit des AIR (Ausschusses für Innenraumschadstoffe) der letzten Jahre mittlerweile für einen Großteil der in Innenräumen auftretenden Schadstoffe gut beurteilt werden. In vielen Fällen enden die Untersuchungen jedoch an dem Punkt, an dem aufgrund chemisch-analytischer Raumluftmessungen aus regulatorisch-toxikologischer Sicht eine Gesund-heitsgefährdung ausgeschlossen werden kann. Auch wenn für die Raumnutzer damit die Gefahr einer potentiellen Gesundheitsgefährdung gebannt ist, bleibt oftmals die dauer-hafte Belästigungswirkung einer meist immer noch unbekannten Geruchsstoffemission bestehen.
Die Quantifizierung der Belästigungswirkung von Gerüchen bzw. die Bewertung, ob ein Geruch eine unzumutbare Belästigung oder einen üblichen und damit zu „akzeptierenden“ Geruch darstellt, ist bislang im deutschen Sprachraum, gerade auch vor dem Hintergrund der regulatorischen Anwendung, unzureichend geregelt. Während der Ansatz einer reinen Intensitätsbewertung in der Bauproduktprüfung2 vor allem aufgrund einer zu erwartenden Aromatisierung der Baustoffe durch die Hersteller als vertretbar erscheint, ist in Innen-räumen das entscheidende Kriterium für die Akzeptanz eines Geruches vielmehr dessen hedonische Ausprägung (angenehm oder unangenehm) und der jeweilige Nutzungshinter-grund (und damit der übliche und erwartbare Geruchseindruck des betreffenden Innen-raumes).
In den letzten Jahren wurden deutliche Fortschritte erzielt, die verschiedenen Instrumente zur objektiven Erfassung von Geruchsimmissionen in Innenräumen, sowohl national als auch international, normativ festzuschreiben. Dabei hat sich jedoch bislang in Fachkreisen noch keine einheitliche Vorgehensweise etabliert. Sowohl die personengebundenen Ver-fahren (direkte Bewertungsverfahren) als auch die chemisch-analytischen Verfahren (indirekte Bewertungsverfahren) weisen eine hohe Streubreite an Vorgehensweisen auf, so dass zusammen mit der Tatsache fehlender Beurteilungswerte die objektive Bewertung der Zumutbarkeit einer Geruchsbelästigung unter Umständen vom ausgewählten Gut-achter abhängen kann.

Current difficulties surrounding air conditioning systems involve an increase in input air aimed at improving indoor air quality (IAQ), the financial costs arising from energy consumption and external environmental impact, linked to the greenhouse effect (GWP) and the destruction of the ozone layer (ODP). One alternative technique which offers an adequate combination of IAQ and acceptable energy saving is the

This study was car­ried out to pro­vide an overview of the fun­gal load in Al­ger­ian tra­di­tional baths (Ham­mams) as well as to iso­late and iden­tify the main path­o­genic fungi. Over a pe­riod of four months, ten baths were ex­am­ined and screened for fun­gal con­t­a­m­i­na­tion from sev­eral parts of the hot steamy rooms (floor, wall, door, air and mar­ble mas­sage plat­form). In to­tal, 7157 fungi iso­lates were re­cov­ered from the sur­veyed Ham­mams and the most abun­dant molds were Peni­cil­lium spp. (45.12%) fol­lowed by As­pergillus spp. (28.80%). In ad­di­tion, molds flora in tra­di­tional baths was char­ac­ter­ized by a large num­ber of hy­drophilic species like Cla­dospo­rium, Fusar­ium, Rhi­zo­pus, Mu­cor and Al­ternaria. Eight can­dida-like ap­peared fre­quently (C. al­bi­cans, C. glabrata, C. trop­i­calis, C. lipoly­t­ica, Ge­ot­richum sp., Tri­chosporon sp., Rhodotorula sp. and Cryp­to­coc­cus sp.) of which C. al­bi­cans was the com­mon iso­lated yeast (35.14%). The re­sults in­di­cate a sig­nif­i­cant dif­fer­ence (p = 0.007) in species rich­ness be­tween molds and yeasts and their dis­tri­b­u­tion var­ied sig­nif­i­cantly among sam­pled po­si­tions in baths. AN­COVA re­vealed a sig­nif­i­cant in­crease in fun­gal loads re­lated to the av­er­age num­ber of cus­tomers and mean open­ing year of the Ham­mams, in con­trast with lo­cal­ity (fa­vored or pop­u­lar dis­trict). This study in­di­cates that Ham­mams pre­sent a po­ten­tial source of path­o­genic fungi which may im­pose a real threat on pub­lic health

IDA Indoor Climate and Energy (ICE) is a recently developed tool for simulation of thermal comfort, indoor air quality and energy consumption in buildings. It covers a range of advanced phenomena such as integrated airflow and thermal models, CO 2 modeling, and vertical temperature gradients. It has a multi-level user interface to accommodate different types of users. It is primarily intended for HVAC designers and architects, but is also appreciated by educators and researchers. In this paper the advantages of the modern simulation tool are shown in prediction of indoor climate. KEYWORDS Modeling, comfort, energy, displacement ventilation

The subject of this paper is about an analysis of the challenges to make this complex sector more sustainable in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. The regional economic, social and environmental characteristics are presented. The relative size of the construbusiness in LAC economies is discussed. The relative importance of its environmental loads is discussed based on available CO2 generation data as well as on some available local studies’ results of construction wastage and construction and demolition waste generation rates. Some items to be included in a regional Agenda 21 for the Construbusiness are presented based on the regional specificities as well as on the global Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction proposed by CIB. Reducing building material wastage, increasing the use of recycling wastes to new building materials, energy efficiency in buildings, water conservation, indoor air quality, quality of products and processes, durability and maintenance, social as...

The study compared IAQ, thermal quality, and lighting quality between 5 different office types in LEED-certified buildings in relation to employees' environmental satisfaction and their job performance. This was to provide workplaces where workers in each specific office environment could be provided with appropriate office settings regarding these IEQ criteria when organizations comply with LEED standards. The five types of office included private enclosed, private shared, open-plan with high cubicle over 5′, open-plan with low cubicle lower than 5′, and open-plan with no partitions (bullpen) offices. The study found IAQ enhanced workers' job performance in enclosed private offices more than both high cubicles and low cubicles. All four office types had higher satisfaction with the amount of light and visual comfort of light as well as more enhancement with job performance due to lighting quality than high cubicles. There was no difference in thermal quality between the five office types. IAQ and lighting quality were not different between enclosed private, enclosed shared, and bullpen office types, either. The study findings suggest a careful workplace design considering the height of partitions in LEED-certified buildings to improve employee's environmental satisfaction and job performance.

The recent mining boom in the Northwest of Western Australia had lead to the region experiencing some of the highest rates of growth anywhere in the world. This recent increase in mining activity was in the wake of 10-15 years of lesser activity that resulted in poor maintenance and low grade facility upgrades. The primary restriction to growth industries in this region is in providing accommodation for the massive influx of workers. This investigation was a targeted assessment of the health risk of occupants to mould exposure in mine site accommodation buildings. The buildings are colloquially known as “Singlemens Quarters” or ”Dongas” and were located in the Pilbara Region of North-West Australia. Initial inspections were initiated by a flooding event; however, the investigation of the affected rooms identified several areas of existing mould damage. The main causes of the mould damage were refurbishments of wet bathroom areas into accommodation units and condensation from constant air-conditioning, which resulted in interior finishing’s & materials being below the dew point temperature. Extensive visible mould growth was manifest throughout the accommodation buildings. A detailed scope of works provided step by step instructions for workers with the aim of re-instating the mould affected accommodation to a normal or habitable condition. This study highlighted the need for a methodical and thorough process when assessing risk of mould exposure and in mould mitigation and mould remediation processes. The proper appropriation of resources in this project also established the financial and environmental benefits of this approach.

The promotion of good indoor air quality in schools is of particular public concern for two main reasons: (1) school-age children spend at least 30% of their time inside classrooms and (2) indoor air quality in urban areas is substantially influenced by the outdoor pollutants, exposing tenants to potentially toxic substances. Two schools in Curitiba, Brazil, were selected to characterize the gaseous compounds indoor and outdoor of the classrooms. The concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the isomers xylenes (BTEX); NO2; SO2; O3; acetic acid (HAc); and formic acid (HFor) were assessed using passive diffusion tubes. BTEX were analyzed by gas chromatography–ion trap mass spectrometry and other collected gasses by ion chromatography. The concentration of NO2 varied between 9.5 and 23 µg m−3, whereas SO2 showed an interval from 0.1 to 4.8 µg m−3. Within the schools, BTEX concentrations were predominant. Formic and acetic acids inside the classrooms revealed intermediate c...

The use of solar chimneys in buildings is one way to increment natural ventilation and, as a consequence, to improve indoor air quality. They are similar to conventional chimneys except that the south wall is replaced by a glazing. In order to compare the behaviour of a solar chimney with a conventional one, one of each was built in Porto. Results of measurements carried out in both chimneys are shown in this paper, as well as results of a thermal model specially developed for simulating solar chimneys, taking into account the wind effect. It was concluded that there is a significant increase in ventilation rate with solar chimneys, and that the thermal model predicts with good accuracy the measurements carried out.

A comprehensive peer-reviewed standard of care document addressing the identification, management, and remediation of indoor mould.  Over 40 authors from academia, consulting, and government participated in writing this document, published by the American Industrial Hygiene Association and awarded publication of the year by AIHA in 2009.

The term air quality means the state of the air around us. Good air quality refers to clean, clear, unpolluted air. Clean air is essential to maintain delicate balance of life. Poor air quality occurs when pollutants reach high enough concentrations to endanger human health and environment. Pollutant can be indoor and outdoor. Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in structure to the presence of an uncontrolled fire in the event
one occurs, better enable those threatened by fire to survive in an evacuate from affected areas, or to reduce the damage caused by fire.

The main goal of this paper is to present a set of well-defined and structured procedures to establish guidelines for the application of an integrated assessment of energy performance and indoor climate in schools. Increasing the knowledge about how energy is consumed in schools is a way to enhance the awareness of school managers (board of directors) about the importance of improving energy efficiency and reducing energy costs. The proposed methodology helps to identify major energy consuming equipment in school buildings and potential energy conservation measures. The assessment of indoor climate identifies potential corrective measures to problems related to indoor air quality and thermal comfort, also supporting the study of further energy conservation measures associated with ensuring environmental quality. Results of a case study showed that the expected energy consumption reduction is about 11.2% due to a better usage of daylighting and 4.5% due to the reduction of fresh air flow rates, while extending the ventilation operation time. In addition, there is a considerable non-calculated potential for energy savings and improvement of indoor environmental conditions in school buildings, promoting students and teachers productivity and wellbeing.

Building design, construction methodology and the choice of internal materials can have a significant impact on the final outcome of a habitable building. The rise in popularity of overseas built / prefabricated modular buildings is evidenced by the increasing volume of orders placed by mining companies and government departments, to be assembled and complexed on-site as accommodation units or on-site offices across Australia. This paper provides commentary and observations from three Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) investigations of modular buildings that have been built off-site and then transported to site for assembly in hot and humid locations. Two cases relate to structures manufactured overseas and shipped into Australia and one case relates to structures manufactured in Perth, Western Australia. The case studies discuss water damage as a result of potential ingress during construction and transport, dew point condensation, interstitial condensation and resultant mould growth issues. All three case studies identify flaws in design, construction and selection of construction materials which led to extensive mould growth and large blowouts in cost and timelines. Some identified issues were common to all three cases studies whereas some issues related specifically to offshore construction.