Indoor Fine Particle (PM2.5) Pollution and Occupant Perception of the Indoor Environment During Summer of the First Passivhaus Certified Dwelling in Latin America

Abstract

This study compares the only residential Passivhaus in Mexico (located in Mexico City) to a conventional building-practice home in terms of indoor environmental quality during summer, specifically indoor air quality (IAQ) and the occupants’ perceptions towards it. Temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, and PM2.5 were monitored during May, June and July 2016 in the living room, bedroom and kitchen of each home. Simultaneous outdoor air measurements were collected from the local pollution monitoring network. Online surveys were used to obtain data on building-related illnesses; while occupant perception of IAQ and thermal comfort and occupant diaries helped to provide insights into occupant behavior. Results from this case study suggest that Passivhaus design strategies could help to protect building occupants from outdoor air pollution, based on the lower concentrations of PM2.5 that were found in the Passivhaus apartment compared to the external environment. This contrasted with the results of the control home where PM2.5 levels were higher than ambient levels. Whilst the results cannot be generalized, they do provide much needed evidence on the indoor environmental performance of a Passivhaus-certified dwelling in Latin America, highlighting areas for improvement and providing recommendations to help inform future developments adopting these principles in a subtropical highland climate.

Indoor Air Quality and Health Outcomes in Employees Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study

“…The Foobots (low-cost air monitors) were used in the offices and homes (bedroom, kitchen, and living room), where occupants stay for a longer time [54]. As suggested in previous studies, calibration equations, data quality, and data corroboration were followed by comparison [55,56]. The IAQ was measured according to the ASTM D7297-14.…”

“…A brief version of the modified Office Environment Survey (OES) was implemented for all participants to assess six SBS symptoms while they were working in the office before the COVID pandemic and at home during the pandemic as well as the characteristics of residential environment and behaviors in the participants' homes [57]. The selected six SBS symptoms included in this study were: dry eyes, itchy or watery eyes, blocked or stuffy nose, dry throat, headache, and dry or irritated skin, as these were identified as more dominant and prevalent from previous studies [56][57][58][59]. The frequencies of these symptoms were assessed using a Likert scale, and scores for each symptom were assigned by the frequency of symptoms: 0 (not at all), 1 (less often), 2 (every 2-3 weeks), 3 (1-2 days each week), 4 (3-4 days each week) and 5 (every day).…”

Indoor Air Quality Assessment of Latin America’s First Passivhaus Home

“…These studies show evidence of the thermal comfort [8], energy [9,10], economic [11,12], and environmental [13] performance, as well as the feasibility [14,15] of Passivhaus buildings in Latin America. Their measured performance evaluation is limited to thermal comfort [16], energy [17], or limited to short (≤3 months) term studies [18]. Passivhaus dwellings have attracted scientific scrutiny of their energy performance [19][20][21], thermal comfort [22][23][24][25], and IAQ [21,[26][27][28][29] in other parts of the world.…”