The Influence of textile floor coverings on the indoor air quality

Silvia De Lima Vasconcelos,Wolfgang Plehn,Wolfgang Horn,Birgit Müller,Marcel Sattler,S.I Tanabe,C Inard,M.C Gameiro Da Silva,I Nastase,L Mazzarela,H Zhang,P Wargocki,G Cao,J Kurnitski

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/201911102051

Abstract

Textile floor coverings are often used in offices and residential buildings. Large areas like meeting rooms, cinemas, theaters and hotels are often equipped with such coverings. They contribute to the comfort of the users as they provide high pedaling comfort and sound absorption. The weakness of these building materials is due to the odor emission that is released from the floor covering, which affects the comfort of the users. A bad air quality and the resulting dissatisfaction can lead to lower employee productivity [1] [2]. The research project of the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (HTWBerlin) is promoted by the German Environment Agency (UBA). The project has the following title: Lowemission and low-odor building products for energy-efficient buildings - Development of requirements and concepts for the Blue Angel from a climate protection perspective; investigates the emission and odor behavior of textile floor coverings (Emissions- und geruchsarme Bauprodukte für energieeffiziente Gebäude - Entwicklung von Anforderungen und Konzepten für den Blauen Engel aus Klimaschutzsicht; untersucht das Emissions- und Geruchsverhalten textiler Bodenbeläge). The results of the study are shown in this paper.

Highlights

Air, like water, is essential for the human body
Large areas like meeting rooms, cinemas, theaters and hotels are often equipped with such coverings. They contribute to the comfort of the users as they provide high pedaling comfort and sound absorption. The weakness of these building materials is due to the odor emission that is released from the floor covering, which affects the comfort of the users
The aim of the project is the identification of emissions assessed as odor or as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from products to implement these findings into the framework of the Ausschuss zur gesundheitlichen Bewertung von Bauprodukten (AgBB: Committee for the Health Assessment of Construction Products) and the Blue Angel

Summary

Introduction

Adults need about 12,000 liters per day to breathe [3]. This air consists mainly of nitrogen, about one fifth of oxygen and very small amounts of noble gases, carbon dioxide and other gases. Traces of impurities (gaseous or particles) are found in the air [4] Some of those substances that enter the body can be harmful to the organism, depending on the type and amount. Whilst breathing the body gets on the one hand the supplies he need and on the other hand he smells the air. The olfactory region of the nose is responsible for the odor perception. The smell is recognized by an interaction of different brain regions, including the limbic system. The sensory response is a quantitative as well as a qualitative assessment of the perceived stimulus

Objectives

Results

Conclusion