Abstract:With the increasing emphasis on sustainable construction, it has become important to better understand the impacts of common materials. This is especially paramount with the introduction of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which call for more comprehensive evaluations, adding many aspects of social consideration to the issues of environmental sustainability, including human health. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/vinyl can be seen as a material with potential for significant adverse effects on a multiplicity of levels, and the construction industry is its single most significant consumer. This article presents a transdisciplinary review of adverse health impacts associated with PVC showing a number of issues: some that could be eliminated through design, but also some which appear inherent to the material itself and therefore unavoidable. The totality of issues revealed in relation to PVC presents a compelling case for a call for complete elimination of use of this material in sustainable construction.
Abstract:In this paper, detailed optical of the solar parabolic dish concentrator is presented. The system has diameter D = 2,800 mm and focal length f = 1,400 mm. The efficient conversion of solar radiation in heat at these temperature levels requires a use of concentrating solar collectors. In this paper, detailed optical design of the solar parabolic dish concentrator is presented. The parabolic dish of the solar system consists from 12 curvilinear trapezoidal reflective petals. This paper presents optical simulations of the parabolic solar concentrator unit using the ray-tracing software TracePro. The total flux on receiver and the distribution of irradiance for absorbed flux on center and periphery receiver are given. The total flux at the focal region is 4,031.3 W. The goal of this paper is to present optical design of a low-tech solar concentrator, that can be used as a potentially low-cost tool for laboratory-scale research on the medium-temperature thermal processes, cooling, industrial processes, solar cooking and polygeneration systems, etc.
Recently more information has emerged on possible adverse health effects associated with some building and furnishing materials, leading to or initiating legislative changes towards their reduction or elimination in many parts of the world. However, more general knowledge of the health risks associated with building and furnishing materials could make a significant contribution to improvements in indoor air quality. A study was set up to evaluate the level of knowledge in the relevant literature and the general population (from New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States), and New Zealand architectural professionals. The results for vinyl and linoleum are presented, these being two flooring materials very similar in terms of appearance and application, but different in terms of chemical content and possible impact on health. The article indicates significant issues with the level of reported knowledge, with participants from the general population struggling to differentiate between vinyl and linoleum, and professionals reporting more prevalent use of vinyl, which they rate as less healthy.
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