Share

New measurement and modelling approach to evaluate and predict the impact of building materials on indoor air quality.

Number: pap. 756

Author(s) : BOURDIN D., MOCHO P., CANTAU C., et al.

Summary

Indoor air quality is now a predominant topic in terms of public policy. Indeed, the combination of more and more airtight buildings and the emission of volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde by materials or/and furniture leads up to indoor environments more polluted that outdoor air, especially in new buildings. To reduce health impact, new regulations were recently implemented in France. They consist in the survey of indoor air quality (benzene and formaldehyde concentrations) in public buildings and in the obligatory labelling of building and decoration products owing to their pollutant emissions. Thus, simple and cost effective sampling tools are required to meet the recent and growing demand of on-site diagnosis of indoor air quality, including emission source identification. In this aim, we developed new tools based on passive sampling to measure volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde both in indoor air and at the material/air interface. These alternative methods show satisfactory analytical performance and are easy to implement for on-site measurement campaigns. They were then applied in new buildings in order to follow simultaneously the evolution of indoor air quality and the building material emissions. Thus, major sources of formaldehyde or alpha-pinene could be identified. Plus, a theorical modelling to estimate indoor concentration of pollutants, based on a mass balance equation, was developed and tested during our campaigns. This modelling showed good prediction of formaldehyde concentration. It will now be applied to other compounds and buildings.

Available documents

Format PDF

Pages: 11 p.

Available

  • Public price

    20 €

  • Member price*

    15 €

* Best rate depending on membership category (see the detailed benefits of individual and corporate memberships).

Details

  • Original title: New measurement and modelling approach to evaluate and predict the impact of building materials on indoor air quality.
  • Record ID : 30009670
  • Languages: English
  • Source: Clima 2013. 11th REHVA World Congress and 8th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings.
  • Publication date: 2013/06/16

Links


See other articles from the proceedings (424)
See the conference proceedings

Indexing