Visit from the Icelandic Architect Association
Indoor environment
Lars Gunnarsen
Danish Building Research Institute
Cumulative chart of time spent at home for
different age groups
16-24
25-44
45-66
67-79
80+
100
90
Persons (%)
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
Average number of hours at home per weekday
Danes spend in average 16.3 hours at home on a weekday
Cumulative chart of dwelling area
100
Persons (%)
80
60
40
20
0
0
50
100
Area per occupant
150
200
2
(m /person)
Average dwelling area is 48,9m2 per person and 123,9m2
per household
Introduction
 Cost of the indoor climate
2500 euro/m2. Half of all investments
 Building envelope
Volume/surface: 0.5 m. Many microclimates
 Ventilation
0.5-5 h-1. 0.3 – 3 l/s m2 floor
 Adverse effects of the indoor climate contra
its protective effects
 Intake fractions (single person)
An apple
A cigarette (the smoker)
Air pollution from candle
Air pollution from car in street
Air pollution from power plant
80%
30%
0.01%
0.00000001%
10 -14
Definitions
The definition of Health:
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
•
Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22
June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States
Indoor climate is here defined as:
All building related exposures that may impact the health of building
occupants
Adult human in sedentary activity
(1,2 met)
Exhalation air:
O2: 15,3 %
CO2: 3,6%
H2O: 6,2%
Indoor air
O2: 20,85 %
CO2: 0,035%
H2O: 1,3%
(Volume)
(volume)
Consumption:
Produktion:
CO2: 17 l/h
H2O: 0,07 kg/h
Indoor air: 375 l/h
(10,8 kg/døgn)
O2: 20,6 l/h
Sensibel varme: 100 W
Lars Gunnarsen
Annoyance, symptoms
and diseases
Annoyances, symptoms and diseases
Poor indoor climate may result in annoyance and symptoms.
Infectious diseases may to some degree be prevented by effective
ventilation and large indoor space per occupant.
Some indoor exposures impact the suffering of people with astma and
allergy but the knowledge about importance of the indoor exposures for
acquiring the diseases is rudimentary.
At least four exposures indoor may lead to cancer. They are radon,
environmental tobacco smoke, other combustion products and formaldehyde.
Cardiovascular diseases may be developed as a result of exposure to
environmental smoke and high levels of particle pollution. Noise and probably
poor lighting may give stress that also may lead to cardiovascular diseases.
Productivity is low in a poor indoor climate.
Annoyance within last 14 days
At least one
Skin irritation from hot water
At home
Infra- or low frequency sound
Little or much annoyed
Static electricity
Bad drinking water
Noise from industry
Dwelling too dark
Vibrations
Noise from installations
Odor or stale air
Draft
Temperature too high or low
Noise from traffic
Cold at feet
Noise from neighbors
0
5
10
15
20
Annoyed (%)
25
30
Noise from outside
At work
Cold at feet
Glare
Several times per week or daily
Low temperature
Unpleasant odor
High temperature
Bad illumination
Static electricity
Little space
Draft
Noise from other rooms
Dust/dirt
Changing temperatures
Tobacco smoke
Stale air
Dry air
Noise in room
0
5
10
15
20
Annoyed (%)
25
30
Symptoms last 14 days – At home
Brauer og Mikkelsen, 2002
Difficulties breathing
Hoarseness
Wheeze
Difficulties concentrating
Throat irritation
Blushing face
Eye irritation
Cough
Nose irritation
Headache
Lethargy
Stuffy/runny nose
Dry skin
0
5
10
15
20
25
Prevalence (%)
30
35
40
Symptoms last 14 days – At work
Brauer og Mikkelsen, 2002
Difficulties breathing
Hoarseness
Wheeze
Difficulties concentrating
Throat irritation
Blushing face
Eye irritation
Cough
Nose irritation
Headache
Lethargy
Stuffy/runny nose
Dry skin
0
5
10
15
20
25
Prevalence (%)
30
35
40
Indoor airborne exposures
• Radon
• Human bioeffluents
• Chemical substances
• Odors
• Asbestos
• Tobacco smoke
• Particles from indoor sources (High temperature surfaces, candles,
cooking)
• Particles from outside
• Allergens of indoor origin (House dust mites, furred animals, moulds)
• Allergens from outside (pollen)
• Viruses and bacteria
Impact of outdoor sources for
particle exposure indoor
4.
3.
2.
1.
Hair
Pollen
House dust mite allergene
Cat allergene
Bacteria
Fungi spores
Road abbration
Wood stoves
Bacteria spores
Fry fume
Oxidation of chemicals
Heated dust
Diesel exhaust
Tobacco smoke
Gasoline exhausts
Vira
Gas stove
0,0001 0,001
Ångstrøm
0,01
0,1
1
10
Particle size (µm)
100
1000
millimeter
Adult human in sedentary activity
(1,2 met)
exhalation air:
O2: 15,3 %
CO2: 3,6%
H2O: 6,2%
Indoor air
O2: 20,85 %
CO2: 0,035%
H2O: 1,3%
(Volume)
(volume)
Consumption:
Produktion:
CO2: 17 l/h
H2O: 0,07 kg/h
Indoor air: 375 l/h
(10,8 kg/døgn)
O2: 20,6 l/h
Sensibel varme: 100 W
Lars Gunnarsen
50
Dissatisfied (%)
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Ventilation rate (l/s pers)
40
70
Dissatified (%)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
50
100
3
Ventilation (m /cigarette)
150
Choosing construction products
Humidity, mould and mites
Risk of eksposure to mould
0
None
1
Weak
2
Some
3
Large
Mould odor
None
Weak
Some
Poverfull
Visible mould
0 m2
< 0,25 m2
0,25-3 m2
>3m
Hidden mould
< 0,5 m2
1-3 m2
3-10 m2
< 10 m2
Mould growth in
adjoining rooms
-
-
-
-
Growth in ventilation
systems
-
-
-
-
Meget støv
-
-
-
-
Samlet
-
-
-
-
Humid air
Absolute moisture (g/kg)
25
100%RH
20
80%RH
15
60%RH
10
40%RH
5
20%RH
0
0
5
10
15
20
Temperature (oC)
25
30
Risk perception
General recommendations
 Poor indoor climate may increase the risk of attracting infectious diseases,
cancer, cardiovascular diseases and maybe allergy
 Avoid moisturizing construction products for a prolonged time
 Smoking should not take place indoors
 Outdoor paints and other construction products containing fungicides should
not be used indoors
 Persons suffering from allergies in particular suffer from a poor indoor climate.
 When selecting construction products it is important to select products with
low emissions both of odorous compounds but also of other adverse chemical
compounds
 Many ventilation systems should be better operated and maintained.
Authorities are recommended to
immediately prioritize the following:
 Targeted information campaigns about behavior to obtain good indoor air
quality
 Improved guidelines for monitoring of the indoor climate quality especially in
homes
 To identify homes with especially high radon concentrations and to reduce the
exposure
 To investigate the need for reduction of the exposure to formaldehyde,
benzene and carbon dioxide in the indoor climate.
We need new knowledge about how the indoor climate
affects us especially in the following fields
 We need a major investigation of the importance for public heath of the indoor
climate in dwellings
 We need to develop new knowledge about the possibilities for reducing the
annoyance caused by ventilation systems
 We need to examine the health effects of exposure to particles indoors from
ventilation and the possibilities for reduction of this exposure
Complex exposures related to building
technology that may indicate increased
risk of ill health
• Dampness
• Ventilation systems
• Building envelope
Hot issues
Dwellings
Open plan offices
Ventilation
Particles
Asthma and allergy
Dampness