Indoor air quality in energy-efficient dwellings: Levels and sources of pollutants

Derbez, Mickael; Wyart, Guillaume; Ponner, Eline Le; Ramalho, Olivier; Ribéron, Jacques; Mandin, Corinne

doi:10.1111/ina.12431

Cited by 60 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…It was also pointed out that there is a need to build larger datasets of indoor VOCs for energy‐efficient dwellings. Other prominent VOC investigations in energy‐efficient residences have been reported by Kaunelienė et al 39 and Derbez et al 40 in Lithuania and France, respectively. Despite the reported findings, knowledge of the associations between energy‐efficient dwelling characteristics and VOC levels remains limited 38…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Volatile organic compounds in 169 energy‐efficient dwellings in Switzerland

Shen

Perret²,

Jörin

et al. 2020

Indoor Air

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Indoor Air. 2020;30:481-491. | 481 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ina 1 | INTRODUC TI ON Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important gaseous pollutants, because many of them have known adverse effects on human health and comfort, ranging from mild irritation to acute toxicity and carcinogenicity. 1-4 Indoors, VOCs are the most prevalent air pollutants and also the most studied. Lowering indoor VOC concentrations can improve working productivity and reduce health effects. 5,6 Indoor VOC concentrations are influenced by different factors, such as building characteristics, occupants' behaviors, and environmental parameters. 7-10 Specifically in residential buildings where people spend 68% of their time, 11 known sources of VOCs Abstract Exposure to elevated levels of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in households has been linked to deleterious health effects. This study presents the first largescale investigation of VOC levels in 169 energy-efficient dwellings in Switzerland. Through a combination of physical measurements and questionnaire surveys, we investigated the influence of diverse building characteristics on indoor VOCs. Among 74 detected compounds, carbonyls, alkanes, and alkenes were the most abundant. Median concentration levels of formaldehyde (14 μg/m 3 ), TVOC (212 μg/m 3 ), benzene (<0.1 μg/m 3 ), and toluene (22 μg/m 3 ) were below the upper exposure limits. Nonetheless, 90% and 50% of dwellings exceeded the chronic exposure limits for formaldehyde (9 μg/m 3 ) and TVOC (200 μg/m 3 ), respectively. There was a strong positive correlation among VOCs that likely originated from common sources. Dwellings built between 1950s and 1990s, and especially, those with attached garages had higher TVOC concentrations. Interior thermal retrofit of dwellings and absence of mechanical ventilation system were associated with elevated levels of formaldehyde, aromatics, and alkanes. Overall, energy-renovated homes had higher levels of certain VOCs compared with newly built homes. The results suggest that energy efficiency measures in dwellings should be accompanied by actions to mitigate VOC exposures as to avoid adverse health outcomes. K E Y W O R D S building characteristics, dwellings, energy efficiency, thermal retrofit, ventilation, volatile organic compounds

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Volatile organic compounds in 169 energy‐efficient dwellings in Switzerland

Shen

Perret²,

Jörin

et al. 2020

Indoor Air

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“…First, although building standards (eg, for minimum air change rates and moisture control) have been established over the past several decades, many residential structures fail to meet these standards, especially older buildings. Newer buildings, designed to minimize outdoor‐to‐indoor infiltration for improved energy efficiency, often have higher concentrations of airborne pollutants that are released indoors from materials and activities . Concentrations and composition of indoor particles and gases are influenced by common human activities such as food cooking and cleaning .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of indoor particles and gases and their evolution with natural ventilation

et al. 2019

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Although people in developed nations spend up to 90% of their time indoors, 1,2 the chemistry and composition of indoor air remain understudied, especially compared to the outdoor environment. 3 Evaluating air quality in residential dwellings is particularly important for several reasons. First, although building standards (eg, for minimum air change rates and moisture control) have been established over the past several decades, 4,5 many residential structures fail to meet these standards, especially older buildings. Newer buildings, designed to minimize outdoor-to-indoor infiltration for improved energy efficiency, often have higher concentrations of airborne pollutants that are released indoors from materials and activities. 6,7 Concentrations and composition AbstractThe air composition and reactivity from outdoor and indoor mixing field campaign was conducted to investigate the impacts of natural ventilation (ie, window opening and closing) on indoor air quality. In this study, a thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatograph (TAG) obtained measurements of indoor particle-and gas-phase semi-and intermediately volatile organic compounds both inside and outside a single-family test home. Together with measurements from a suite of instruments, we use TAG data to evaluate changes in indoor particles and gases at three natural ventilation periods. Positive matrix factorization was performed on TAG and adsorbent tube data to explore five distinct chemical and physical processes occurring in the indoor environment. Outdoor-to-indoor transport is observed for sulfate, isoprene epoxydiols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy alkanes. Dilution of indoor species is observed for volatile, non-reactive species including methylcyclohexane and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane. Window opening drives enhanced emissions of semi-and intermediately volatile species including TXIB, DEET, diethyl phthalate, and carvone from indoor surfaces. Formation via enhanced oxidation was observed for nonanal and 2-decanone when outdoor oxidants entered the home. Finally, oxidative depletion of gas-phase terpenes (eg, limonene and α-pinene) was anticipated but not observed due to limited measurement resolution and dynamically changing conditions. K E Y W O R D Sfield measurements, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, gas-particle partitioning, natural ventilation, residential air quality, semivolatile organic compounds

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“…CO 2 and CO are two important gases that require the most attention from IAQ measurement applications since they are commonly found in rural as well as urban buildings [ 7 , 12 , 14 ]. The common sources of CO 2 and CO emissions include unvented gas appliances, stoves, dryers, leaking furnaces/chimneys, wood stoves, fireplaces, and automobile exhausts from attached garages [ 94 , 95 ]. PM found indoors is originated from combustion, cooking, and candles and may include migrated particles from the outdoor environment [ 96 , 97 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Systems Based on Internet of Things: A Systematic Review

Saini

Dutta

Marques

2020

IJERPH

117

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Indoor air quality has been a matter of concern for the international scientific community. Public health experts, environmental governances, and industry experts are working to improve the overall health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. Repeated exposure to pollutants in indoor environments is reported as one of the potential causes of several chronic health problems such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory infections. Moreover, smart cities projects are promoting the use of real-time monitoring systems to detect unfavorable scenarios for enhanced living environments. The main objective of this work is to present a systematic review of the current state of the art on indoor air quality monitoring systems based on the Internet of Things. The document highlights design aspects for monitoring systems, including sensor types, microcontrollers, architecture, and connectivity along with implementation issues of the studies published in the previous five years (2015–2020). The main contribution of this paper is to present the synthesis of existing research, knowledge gaps, associated challenges, and future recommendations. The results show that 70%, 65%, and 27.5% of studies focused on monitoring thermal comfort parameters, CO2, and PM levels, respectively. Additionally, there are 37.5% and 35% of systems based on Arduino and Raspberry Pi controllers. Only 22.5% of studies followed the calibration approach before system implementation, and 72.5% of systems claim energy efficiency.

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Indoor air quality in energy-efficient dwellings: Levels and sources of pollutants

Cited by 60 publications

References 32 publications

Volatile organic compounds in 169 energy‐efficient dwellings in Switzerland

Volatile organic compounds in 169 energy‐efficient dwellings in Switzerland

Analysis of indoor particles and gases and their evolution with natural ventilation

Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Systems Based on Internet of Things: A Systematic Review

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