indoor environment

Indoor Environmental Indoor Environmental quality quality of Green Buildingof Green Building

GreenGreen--Building Strategies Building Strategies for the for the Mitigation of Climate Mitigation of Climate ChangeChange

0808--1111--2011 to 2011 to 1010--1111--20112011CCCEA, DrCCCEA, Dr.. MCRMCR Human Resource Human Resource

Development Institute of APDevelopment Institute of AP

Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy

Chief Executive Officer [CEO], GEOECOLOGY ENERGY ORGANISATION [GEO]

http://e-geo.org

Indoor environmentIndoor environment

Building indoor environment covers the environmental aspects in the design, analysis, and operation of energy-efficient, healthy, and comfortable buildings. Fields of specialization include

architecture, HVAC design,thermal comfort,

indoor air quality (IAQ),

lighting, acoustics, control systems

Environmental Condition(s)

Symptoms

• Ergonomic Conditions • Headache

• Noise and Vibration • Fatigue

• Poor Concentration

• Dizziness

• Tiredness

• Headache with nausea

• Ringing in ears

• Pounding heart

• Relative Humidity • Dry throat

• Shortness of breath or bronchial asthma

• Irritation and infection of respiratory tract

• Relative Humidity • Nasal problems (stuffiness, irritation)

• High Temperatures

• Warm Air • Skin problems (dryness, irritation, rashes)

• Low Relative Humidity

• Excessive Air Movement

INDOOR AIR

CONCERNS

Most people spend at least half of their lives indoors.

Indoor air can be more harmful than outdoor

air.

Poor indoor air quality can

cause respiratory problems.

Poor indoor air quality can be more harmful for children .

Indoor air pollution is the presence of one or more contaminants indoors that carry a certain degree of human health risk. Indoor air issues may be traced to the beginning of civilization. Prehistoric records note the problem of smoke in caves.

Field studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants may be two to five times, and on occasion more than one hundred times, higher than outdoor levels.

Sources of Indoor PollutantsSources of Indoor Pollutants

Based on Specific Building

Combustion activity

Furniture Chemical

Building materials

Food Water

Smoking activity

Outdoor air pollution

Sick building syndromeSick building syndrome

Condition associated with complaints of discomfortincluding headache; nausea; dizziness; dermatitis; eye, nose, throat, and respiratory irritation; coughing; difficulty concentrating; sensitivity to odors; muscle pain; and fatigue.

Cause of SBSCause of SBS

Inadequate ventilation 52%

Contamination from inside

building 16%

Contamination from outside building 10%

Microbial contamination 5%

Contamination from building fabric 4%

Unknown sources 13%

Thermal ComfortThermal Comfort

Personal factors (health,

psychology, sociology &

situational factors)

Air temperature Mean radiant temperature

Air movement / velocity (see wind

chill factor)

Relative humidity (see also

perspiration) Insulative clothing

Activity levels.

GRIHAGRIHA

Natural Lighting

Heat

insufficient fresh outdoor air entering a ventilation system are often the direct result of overzealous

energy-saving procedures.

AcousticsAcoustics

Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound andinfrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics technology may be called an acoustical engineer. The application of acoustics can be seen in almost all aspects of modern society with the most obvious being the audio and noise control industries.

How to Control/ EliminateHow to Control/ EliminateIndoor Air PollutantsIndoor Air Pollutants

Don’t Smoke inside the home.

Pay attention to housekeeping.

Check combustion appliances.

Test your home for Radon

Control/ eliminate excess

moisture

•Improve home ventilation

Have furnace, flues,

chimney inspected and

cleaned

Never run your car inside an attached garage

Never use unvented space

heaters/ gas logs

Install a carbon

monoxide detector

in your home

Repair leaks and drips

Check to be sure clothes dryer vented to outside

Move water from gutters and downspouts away from house

Use ventilating fan in kitchen and bathroom

No water in crawl space

Control Moisture In and Around the HomeControl Moisture In and Around the Home

Mouldsare fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae.

HIGH INFLAMMATORY HIGH INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORSMEDIATORS

FOUND IN NASAL FLUIDS OF PERSONS IN DAMP BUILDINGS

MITES, BACTERIA, MOLDS, ENDOTOXINS ALL CONTRIBUTE

MINIMIZED BY HUMIDITY & MOISTURE CONTROL IN BUILDINGS

Radon

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADONINDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADON

� In 1990 EPA placed indoor air pollution at the top of the list of 18 sources of cancer risk

� Indoor pollution is rated by risk analysis scientists as high-risk health problem for humans

� Radon is one of the three most dangerous indoor air pollutants, along with cigarette smoke and formaldehyde

� Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking

� Nearly 1 in 15 homes in the U.S. has high level of indoor radon

� Homes with high radon level can be fixed

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADONINDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADON

A. Cracks in concrete slabs

B. Spaces behind brick walls

C. Pores and cracks in concrete blocks

D. Floor wall joints

E. Exposed soil as in a sump

F. Weeping tile, if drained to open sump

G. Mortar joints

H. Loose fitting pipe penetrations

I. Open tops of block walls

J. Building materials such as

some rocks

K. Water, from some wells

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADONINDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADON

Radon Resistant-Construction Techniques

A. Gas Permeable Layer

B. Plastic Sheeting

C. Sealing and Caulking

D. Vent Pipe

E. Junction Box

Other radon reduction techniques include sealing, home/room pressurization, heat recovery ventilation and natural ventilation.