Produced by and for the Hot Science - Cool Talks Outreach Lecture Series of the Environmental Science Institute. We request that the use of any of these materials include an acknowledgement of Dr. Richard Corsi and the Hot Science - Cool Talks Outreach Lecture Series of the Environmental Science Institute of the University of Texas at Austin. We hope you find these materials educational and enjoyable. by Dr. Richard Corsi Hot Science - Cool Talks Volume 56 Is Your House Killing You? Co-sponsored by the McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors
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Produced by and for the Hot Science - Cool Talks Outreach Lecture Series of the Environmental Science Institute. We request that the use of any of these materials include an acknowledgement of Dr. Richard Corsi and the Hot Science - Cool Talks Outreach Lecture Series of the Environmental Science Institute of the University of
Texas at Austin. We hope you find these materials educational and enjoyable.
by Dr. Richard CorsiHot Science - Cool Talks Volume 56
Is Your House Killing You?
Co-sponsored by the McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors
Title SlideIs Your Home Killing You?Indoor Air Quality: A Time for Recognition
Richard L. Corsi, Ph.D., PEE.C.H. Bantel Professor for Professional Practice
Director – Program on Indoor Environmental Science & EngineeringDepartment of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
When did indoor air quality
problems begin?
http://kuroow.blox.pl/html
Situation Persists in Developing World
½ world’s population (> 3 B) relies on coal and biomass for domestic energy, and number is increasing!
Apple says that “… an unusual odor may be detected when a product has been turned on and allowed to warm up to operating temperature. Typically, the odor is detected when the product is new… In most cases the odor will dissipate over a short period of time.“
Apple suggests that if the odor problem persists, that the machine be placed in a well-ventilated room and allowed to operate over an "extended" period of time (possibly 24-72 hours) or until the odor dissipates.
-- Applelinks Contributing Editor Charles W. Moore“Sorry, Steve, But The G4 Stinks, And So Does My PowerBook”
"perhaps today's olfactory status symbol is the smell of scorching plastic."
-- Salon.com's Janelle Brown
Vaccuum cleanersVacuum Cleaners
• Previous tests on several vacuum cleaners
• Particle re-suspension by wheels on carpet
• Particles through collection device (bag, etc.)
• Particle emissions from motor
• 48 tests in 12 apartments in Austin
• Recall previous study related to toxic pollutants in carpet
• Those with dust allergies/asthma should leave during and following vacuum events
Dishwashers & Washing Machines
Carlos Paes
• Detergents / bleaches with sodium hydrochloride (“chlorine”, classified as hazardous)
• Experiments show large amounts of chloroform
• Dishwashers GREAT as chemical strippers
Lkayama
Major Appliances: How good are they at putting toxic chemicals into the air?
10 ppb increase in the previous week’s ambient ozone concentration was associated
with a 0.52% increase in daily mortality --(Bell et al. 2004)
Explicit Ozone Generators
Nursery Air Purifier
“Give your baby healthy air. Make baby’s nursery a healthy place, with our stat-of-the-art purifier and ionizer! This powerful little unit releases billions of negative ions that effectively remove allergens, bacteria, dust, and odors (all of which are positively charged). Think of invigorating mountain air… also rich with negative ions. Wonderful for respiratory systems that are still developing. Purifies up to 200 square feet, trapping particles as small as 100 microns. With a wipe-off, reusable filter.”
Is your home a chemical reactor?
Is your home a chemical reactor?
Ozone + Unsaturated Organic Compounds
O3 +R1
R4R2
R3
C CR1
R4R2
R3
C CO
OO
Many by-products are formed:• Irritating and even toxic gases (e.g., formaldehyde)• Particles
Sources of (C=C) – Numerous!
• Carpet (e.g., styrene)
• Cleaning products
• Polishes and waxes
• Air fresheners
• Personal care products (soaps, perfumes, etc.)
• Cooking oils
• Wood / plants
• Human skin oils (squalene)
O3 +R1
R4R2
R3
C CR1
R4R2
R3C C
OO
OO3 +R1
R4R2
R3
C CR1
R4R2
R3C C
OO
OO3 +R1
R4R2
R3
C CR1
R4R2
R3
C CR1
R4R2
R3C C
OO
O
Example: Solid Air Freshener
# P
artic
les
Time (min)
Particles released over time by size class
Sarwar et al. 2004
Is near head chemistry possible?
Perfumes and Colognes
• 25% of Americans use perfume or cologne daily
• 5% use perfume or cologne 3-5 × per day
• 3+ million “super users”
• Source composition:
• over 3,000 chemicals (terpenes, alcohols, etc.)
• loaded with C=C double bonds
• reactive – top notes, middle notes, base notes
• Odor thresholds: ≈ 100 – 1,000 × typical indoor
• typical indoor concentrations = < 1 to 10 ppb
Personal Reactive Clouds: Conceptual
O3
O3
O3
C=C
Product
Product
Product
Wisthaler et al. 2005
Product
Screening Experiments
O3 O3(meas)
VOC/ald
particles
T, RH, CO2
Screening Experiments
λ = 1-2 min-1
~ 70 ppb
28 L
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
Perf 1 Perf 2 Perf 3 HS 1 HS 2Co
nc
en
tra
tio
n in
cre
as
e (
#/c
m3 )
Experimental ResultsParticle increase with product vs. without product (corrected for background)
Statistically significant increase (α = 0.05)
perfumes hair sprays
What can you do?
• Become as educated as possible
• Educate as many others as possible
• Let your elected reps know of your concern
• Become a smart policymaker/engineer of your home
• The things you can do are too numerous for a slide
- avoid specific sources
- use selective ventilation
- use appropriate control devices (air purifiers)
Summary
• Indoor air quality is very important issue
– Greatest environmental health issue in U.S.!
• Affects everyone almost all of the time
• Great need for more public education
• Great need for more experts in field
• Great need for more research
– Miles behind other environmental issues
– US years/decades behind other countries
• University of Texas is a national leader in field