Abstract
This study investigates indoor/outdoor relationships of airborne particles under controlled pressure difference across the building envelope in Korean multifamily apartments. On-site field experiments on 14 apartment housing units located in urban areas in Korea are conducted to measure the indoor/outdoor ratios of number concentrations of size-resolved particles (0.3–0.5, 0.5–1.0, 1.0–3.0, 3.0–5.0, 5.0–10.0, >10.0 μm). To set identical pressure difference conditions across the envelope of each housing unit for better comparison of I/O ratio results, and to examine the effect of pressure difference on the I/O relations, indoor–outdoor pressure difference was controlled at 10, 30, and 50 Pa using a blower door depressurization procedure. Simultaneously, the air leakage characteristics of housing units are measured using the typical blower door pressurization-depressurization test method to correlate air leakage data and I/O ratios. As expected, moderately airtight housing units (ACH50 ≤ 4.4) show lower I/O ratios than average leaky housing units (ACH50 > 4.4); still, the averaged I/O ratios of finer sized particles (0.3–0.5, 0.5–1.0, and 1.0–3.0 μm) in the moderately airtight housing units were 0.75, 0.59, and 0.61 at an I-O pressure difference of 50 Pa, and 0.62, 0.51, and 0.49 at 10 Pa. The study indicates that indoor residents in moderately airtight Korean multifamily housing units with relatively small envelope area can still be exposed to high concentrations of outdoor originated fine particles.
Highlights
Epidemiological evidence has suggested that outdoor air pollution due to particulate matter (PM) is associated with a prevalence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases [1,2,3]
The objective of this study is to investigate I/O ratios of airborne particles under controlled pressure difference across the building envelope in Korean multifamily apartments. 14 residential housing units within multifamily apartment buildings are tested using the blower-door depressurization procedure to estimate I/O ratios
The I/O ratios were measured without the influence of indoor particle sources to consider the outdoor particle infiltration only
Summary
Epidemiological evidence has suggested that outdoor air pollution due to particulate matter (PM) is associated with a prevalence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases [1,2,3]. This outdoor air pollution has been a major public health concern in Asian Countries, including Korea [4,5,6,7,8]. In Korea, the Meteorological Administration provides real-time regional particle concentration data online to advise sensitive groups to stay indoors when the hourly average PM10 concentration exceeds 400 μg/m3 for over two hours. Warnings are issued when the number exceeds 800 μg/m3 for over two hours, prohibiting all people from going outdoors [16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
