Non-industrial Buildings Research Articles

On the use of a risk ladder: Linking public perception of risks associated with indoor air with cognitive elements and attitudes toward risk reduction

In recent years a number of building managers have invested small amounts of money to measure indoor air quality in offices and other non-industrial buildings. Their objective is to reduce the number of occupant complaints, and not necessarily to reduce the risk associated with such complaints. Clearly, reduction of the risk would require greater investment of funds and effort. This paper focuses on individuals and the amount of money they are willing to invest in order to reduce risks associated with indoor air pollution in their home. Psychologists assert that lay judgement of risks are influenced by cognitive biases and attitudes. This study investigates the possibility that cognitive elements and general attitudes influence not only the perceived risk associated with exposures to indoor air pollutants, but also the willingness of individuals to invest in order to reduce the risk. A three-stage study was performed to determine some of the factors that influence public decisions to control the quality of the air inside their home. The study is focused on the design of a risk ladder, and the survey of 400 randomly selected individuals in the Chicago metropolitan area. The survey was designed to determine if demographics, smoking, education, or income influence the desire of individuals to invest in order to reduce indoor air pollution. The following conclusions were reached: (i) public awareness of indoor air pollution is high; (ii) media campaigns on indoor air pollution affect the determination of the specific pollutant the public perceives as important, but do not influence the public's desire to invest larger amounts of money to reduce risks from exposures to air pollutants in the residential environment; (iii) the public is not willing to spend large amounts of money to reduce indoor residential air pollution; (iv) education does not affect the level of awareness regarding indoor air pollution, but it increases the willingness to invest in an effort to reduce indoor air pollution; and (v) smoking status does not affect any of the above.

The problem of the “sick” building-facts and implications: Identifying and measuring indoor nonbiologic agents

The problem of the “sick” building-facts and implications: Identifying and measuring indoor nonbiologic agents

Legal and administrative measures for energy savings in non-industrial buildings in the member states of the EC

This paper attempts to summarize the efforts of the Council of the European Communities and the measures in the member states designed to stimulate energy savings in non-industrial buildings. In this context, the framework of regulations built on Community and national experiences, action for improved heating of buildings, minimizing domestic electricity consumption, as well as general measures taken for energy efficiency, will be explained. It proceeds as a literature survey based mainly on recent EC publications.

Furnishings and the Indoor Environment

This paper presents a survey of environmental issues related to furnishings. While many of the chemical and biological pollutants found indoors are related to building materials, furniture, carpet, draperies, and other wood and fabric furnishings are believed to contribute to occupant complaints. There has been extensive research on emissions of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds from wood products and office furniture. Although non-industrial buildings are not covered under current air quality standards, there are guide-lines for chemical levels in buildings as well as emissions from products. Research on biological pollutants has been less extensive.

Control and Regulation of Indoor Air Quality in Canada

Canadians spend over 80% of their time within the indoor environment. There has been growing concern regarding the quality of indoor air due to commonly attributed adverse effects on comfort, health and productivity. Thus several organizations have been working to develop and establish indoor air quality (IAQ) standards and/or guidelines. Two approaches have been observed for controlling IAQ: (1) set permissible levels for indoor air contami nants or (2) set minimum ventilation rates. In the residential sector, Health and Welfare Canada has published permissible levels for indoor air contami nants, while building codes, at the national and provincial levels, specify mini mum ventilation rates. Federal and provincial labor authorities, along with several other government agencies, have published standards and guidelines for nonindustrial buildings. These publications suggest maximum exposure levels for air contaminants, as well as the necessary ventilation requirements. The findings and recommendations mad...

Planning Indoor Air Risk Communication Programs: Lessons For Alerting People Versus Reassuring Them

Regulatory authority typically is ill-defined or simply nonexistent for reducing the risks from indoor air in non-industrial buildings. This has forced risk managers to rely increasingly on information programs either to substitute for or enhance the effectiveness of traditional regulatory activities. These in formation programs – i.e., risk communication programs – tend to be designed for polar problems. One is to alert people to a “new” risk. The other is to reassure people about risk for which concerns are high even though scientific estimates show small risk. So far there is no generally accepted model that yields consistently good predictions of how specific risk communication activities affect people's perceptions and actions for either of these polar problems. The rapidly growing literature relies on case studies to examine alternative models and describes what seems to work. There have been relatively few tests of alternative risk communication materials and strategies. This paper extracts the literature's lessons for planning indoor air information programs, with attention to how the communication needs differ when alerting versus reassuring.

Smoking habits, atopy, and prevalence of sick building syndrome symptoms among office workers in Norway

The relative influence of sex, atopy, smoking habits, and age on reported sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms among office workers was investigated through questionnaire studies among 1293 employees in 10 nonindustrial buildings. The occurrence of atopy among the office workers was not found to be different from that of the general population. Both sex and atopy were found to be important for the prevalence of SBS symptoms. The prevalence of symptoms was higher among atopic individuals than among nonatopics, and higher among females than among males. While sex was found important for some symptoms, atopy was important for all of them. Statistically significant differences in the prevalence of symptoms between smokers and non-smokers (i.e., never smokers) were not found. The results indicated interrelations between smoking and atopy, with enhanced prevalence of some symptoms. Age of the persons were also included in the present analyses. Different ways of grouping age indicated different trends in associations between age and the prevalence of symptoms, but the study did not show any unambiguous associations between the age and the prevalence of symptoms.

Continuous accountability for acceptable building performance

Complexities in building technology when not fully understood, have resulted in a less than favorable aggregate impact on the building's environment. A surprisingly high portion of U.S. non-industrial buildings do not provide satisfactory task environments. Developments in computer technology have infused new thought processes in the way we plan, design, build and operate our buildings. This paper proposes a social and technical use of Knowledge-based-systems (KBS) for continuous accountability to assure healthy buildings. Diagnostics, as an emerging discipline in building design and operation, is also discussed. A proposed framework for such accountability and the resulting ‘chain of custody’, that draws on the medical paradigm and associated diagnostic procedures is presented. It is suggested that KBS also be used for the development and interpretation of criteria for evaluating building performance from initial conception through design, construction and operation. Thus, KBS is expected to aid in the analysis of ‘virtual’ and ‘actual’ buildings that may be ‘sick’ or ‘healthy’. It is proposed that for a building to provide satisfactory performance over its life-time, the ‘life-cycle’ concept must be modified in terms of the roles, responsibilities, and configuration of the building team, and in terms of its costing procedures.

Can sick buildings be assessed by testing human performance in field experiments?

The present paper is devoted to the Sick Building Syndrome and describes an experiment comparing a diagnosed “sick” with a “healthy” Swedish preschool. The indoor air quality of both buildings were nearly the same and the concentrations of total separated volatile organic compounds were low according to suggested guidelines for indoor air in nonindustrial buildings. Forty-eight previously unexposed subjects were exposed to each of the two buildings for one day, and the effect of the exposure was assessed with a battery of diverse psychological tests (reaction-time, short-term memory, vigilance, and steadiness). Despite a favorable experimental situation of utilizing a building with a record of producing the Syndrome, the results of psychological tests of mental and motor performance, and therefore the answer to the question raised by the title above, were in the negative. This failure raises questions both regarding the choice of subjects (workers or visitors) and experimental methods including the selection of tests, the duration of exposure, and the environmental setting (a natural vs. laboratory setting). Several combinations of experimental method and subjects which must be considered in future research on indoor pollution are discussed.

Olf and decipol: New units for perceived air quality

In many offices, schools, dwellings and other non-industrial buildings the air is often perceived as annoying, unpleasant, stale, and stuffy. In many cases it has not been possible to identify the causes of these complaints by chemical analysis of the air. Therefore, two new units, the olf and the decipol, have been introduced to quantify how air is perceived by human beings. Olf is a unit which quantifies the source strength of air pollution; decipol is a unit quantifying perceived air pollution. Humans perceive the air by their olfactory and chemical sense, being sensitive to odorants and irritants in the air.