Abstract
The concentration of indoor suspended particulate matter is considered to be one of the main factors that affect health and quality of life. In Poland, in response to the pressure of public opinion, a few thousand air purifiers have been installed in public buildings where children spend time. However, another factor that also impacts upon the quality of indoor air, namely increased CO2 mixing ratios, is frequently overlooked. The only way to remove CO2 excess from interiors is through intensive ventilation. This is often an action at odds with the need to maintain low concentrations of particulate matter in indoor air. Two methods are presented to assess the rate of air exchange using CO2 or particulate matter as a tracer. One of the methods using indoor/outdoor PM (particulate matter) concentrations is based on the use of box models for analysis. The second one uses indoor CO2 concentration change analysis. At the tested locations, they showed large deviations of the determined values of the air exchange coefficients from its limits. Both methods showed consistent ventilation parameters estimation.
Highlights
For many years the problem of poor air quality, understood mainly as over-normative concentrations of particulate matter (PM), has been raised in Poland [1,2,3,4]
We present a comparison of two methods allowing to estimate the efficiency of the indoor air exchange rate (AER) based on the concentration measurement of relevant air pollutants
It is worth underlining that, in the case of this work, we are dealing with a high outdoor PM concentration level, and usually local authorities recommend reducing the ventilation in order to keep the indoor air quality at an acceptable level
Summary
The problem of poor air quality, understood mainly as over-normative concentrations of particulate matter (PM), has been raised in Poland [1,2,3,4]. Aiming at keeping low the particulate matter concentration inside the buildings, the pure air exchange needs to be organized according to the requirements of the relevant standards and regulations for the efficient removal of PM and CO2 [10]. It is worth underlining that, in the case of this work, we are dealing with a high outdoor PM concentration level, and usually local authorities recommend reducing the ventilation in order to keep the indoor air quality at an acceptable level. This is a unique situation in comparison to most of the other studies where the indoor air quality is affected by industrial activity. We aim at delivery of a product which would minimize the ventilation efficiency but allow maintenance of healthy carbon dioxide levels
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