Indoor Air Quality Campaign in an Occupied Low-Energy House with a High Level of Spatial and Temporal Discretization

Jonathan Outin,Najwa Kanama,Evelyne Gonze,Michel Ondarts,Gaëlle Guyot

doi:10.3390/app112411789

Abstract

Background and gaps. The topic of indoor air quality (IAQ) in low-energy buildings has received increasing interest over the past few years. Often based on two measurement points and on passive measurements over one week, IAQ studies are struggling to allow the calculation of pollutants exposure. Objectives. We would like to improve the evaluation of the health impacts, through measurements able to estimate the exposure of the occupants. Methodology. This article presents detailed IAQ measurements taken in an energy-efficient occupied house in France. Two campaigns were conducted in winter and spring. Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), formaldehyde, the particle numbers and PM2.5, carbon dioxide (CO2), relative humidity (RH), temperature (T), ventilation airflows, and weather conditions were dynamically measured in several points. Laboratory and low-cost devices were used, and an inter-comparison was carried out for them. A survey was conducted to record all the daily activities of the inhabitants. IAQ performance indicators based on the different pollutants were calculated. Results. PM2.5 cumulative exposure did not exceed the threshold available in the literature. Formaldehyde concentrations were high, in the kitchen, where the average concentrations exceeded the threshold. However, the formaldehyde cumulative exposure of the occupants did not exceed the threshold. TVOC concentrations were found to reach the threshold. With these measurements performed with high spatial and temporal discretization, we showed that such detailed data allow for a better-quality health impacts assessment and for a better understanding of the transport of pollutants between rooms.

Highlights

Millions of people are exposed to air pollutants ubiquitously hovering in the environment
Different kinds of pollutants can be found in indoor air: particulate matter, bio-aerosols, and gaseous pollutants, i.e., inorganic compounds such as nitrogen oxides or carbon monoxide, and organic compounds such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
The present study demonstrated that there is a large gap between both types of indicators: average concentrations and occupant cumulative exposures

Summary

Introduction

Millions of people are exposed to air pollutants ubiquitously hovering in the environment. Different kinds of pollutants can be found in indoor air: particulate matter, bio-aerosols, and gaseous pollutants, i.e., inorganic compounds such as nitrogen oxides or carbon monoxide, and organic compounds such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The topic of indoor air quality (IAQ) in low-energy buildings has received increasing interest over the past few years. Often based on two measurement points and on passive measurements over one week, IAQ studies are struggling to allow the calculation of pollutants exposure. The formaldehyde cumulative exposure of the occupants did not exceed the threshold. TVOC concentrations were found to reach the threshold With these measurements performed with high spatial and temporal discretization, we showed that such detailed data allow for a better-quality health impacts assessment and for a better understanding of the transport of pollutants between rooms

Methods

Results

Conclusion