Mitigating exposure to indoor air pollutants in houses using ventilation

MitigatingExposuretoIndoorAirPollutantsinHousesUsingVentilationStrategiesandLimitations

DrBenjaminJonesAssistantProfessor

WhatisVentilation?PurposeProvidedVentilation AdventitiousInfiltration

PollutantTypesandExposureMechanismsTypes:1. BiologicalParticulates2. Non-BiologicalParticulates3. Gases&Vapours

Mechanisms:1. Inhalation2. Dermally3. Ingestion

PollutantBehaviours

SourceControl

“Ifthereisapileofmanureinaspace,donottrytoremovetheodourbyventilation.Removethepileofmanure.”AttributedtoMaxVonPettenkofer

Fanger PO.WhatisIAQ?IndoorAir.2006;16:328-34.

TargetedVentilation

VentilationforDilution

VentilationforFlowDirectionControl

Bad Better

AirCleaning

Siegel JA. Primary and secondary consequences of indoorair cleaners. Indoor Air. 2016;26:88-96.

• 0.5h-1 isahealththresholdrule-of-thumb

• Weestimateupto79%ofdwellingshaveandair-changerateof<0.5h-1

• Theseall requireextraventilation

Average heating season infiltration rate

Jones B, Das P, Chalabi Z, Davies M, Hamilton I, Lowe R, et al. Assessing UncertaintyIn Housing Stock Infiltration Rates And Associated Heat Loss: English And UK CaseStudies. Building and Environment. 2015;92:645-56.

Whenandhowmuch?

Borsboom W, De Gids W, Logue J,Sherman M, Wargocki P. TechnicalNote AIVC 68: Residential Ventilationand Health. Air Infiltration andVentilation Centre, Brussels Belgium.2016.

Whichpollutants?

WhatdotheEnglishBuildingRegulationsSay?

Summary• Ventilationisamechanismformitigatingexposuretoindoorpollutantsbutithas

limits• Ventilationhealthbenefitsandenergycostsareinconflict• Beforeventilating,sourcecontrolmust bepracticedfirst• Weshouldonlyprovideenoughventilationtodeliveracceptable airquality• Todothis,weneedmoreinformationtoidentify

• concentrationsofknownpollutantsinUKhouses• concentration-responserelationships• householdpresenceandbehaviour• sourcestrengthsofbuildingmaterialsandhouseholderactivities(e.g.cooking)• appropriatepollutantmarkersandsensors