Exhaust ventilation in attached garages improves residential indoor air quality

Abstract

Previous research has shown that indoor benzene levels in homes with attached garages are higher than homes without attached garages. Exhaust ventilation in attached garages is one possible intervention to reduce these concentrations. To evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention, a randomized crossover study was conducted in 33 Ottawa homes in winter 2014. VOCs including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and air exchange rates were measured over four 48-hour periods when a garage exhaust fan was turned on or off. A blower door test conducted in each garage was used to determine the required exhaust fan flow rate to provide a depressuri- | INTRODUCTIONRecent Canadian studies have shown that non-smoking, single-family homes with attached garages have higher indoor levels of certain air pollutants, including benzene, compared to homes without. 1-4In these studies, homes with attached garages had indoor benzene concentrations that were 2.4-2.9 times higher than homes without attached garages, after adjusting for other factors. This is of concern given that approximately 61% of all Canadian dwellings have an attached garage 5 and that benzene is a known carcinogen. that residential benzene levels be reduced as much as possible to minimize exposures. 9-11A 2014 unpublished Health Canada survey of products and equipment found in attached garages conducted across nine Canadian metropolitan areas found that homeowners generally use their garage to park vehicles and store material (e.g., fuels, automotive products, gaspowered equipment, and solvents). It has previously been shown that gasoline-powered vehicles and equipment, as well as some material † Both authors contributed equally to this work and are considered to be first author.Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Health Canada. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Comparison of CFD and Multizone Modeling from Contaminant Migration from a Household Gas Furnace

“…In a house, an attached garage can be a significant contaminant contributor to the indoor environment without a furnace, let alone with one [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. The contaminants from a starting car or chemicals alone can influence the air quality within an attached household.…”

Inhalation exposure to volatile organic compounds in the printing industry

“…Similarly, create negative pressure in production areas to prevent the flow of airborne contaminants out of the source area. A 2017 study showed that negative pressure created by exhaust fans in attached residential garages reduced VOC concentrations inside the home by 50% (Mallach et al 2017). A push-pull ventilation could be added to LEV systems to improve efficiency (Leung, Liu, and Chan 2005).…”

Effect of Exhaust Fan to Microorganism Concentration in the Air-Conditioned Room

“…However, this strategy is risky to be applicable in the classroom since people are around. In the other hand, the exhaust fan was able to reduce the dust and unhealthy gas in the factory by improving the air circulating in that room 10 . Herein, we demonstrate the utilization of exhaust fan to improve the air-conditioned indoor air quality.…”