La composition de l'air intérieur est complexe et fortement influencée par les activités humaines. Celles-ci engendrent notamment l'émission de composés organiques et de particules. Les inquiétudes grandissantes quant à la qualité de l'air intérieur et à son impact sanitaire ont contraint les pouvoirs publics à prendre des mesures pour mieux assurer son suivi. Parmi les activités humaines fréquemment soupçonnées de contribuer à la contamination de l'air intérieur, on retrouve l'utilisation de parfums d'ambiance de types encens et bougies. De récentes études ont montré que cette pratique pouvait entraîner l'émission de composés organiques volatils (COV) et de particules. Une des carences liées à ces études résulte dans le fait qu'il n'existe pas de protocole de prélèvement et de mesures normalisés pour ce type de pratique, rendant l'exploitation et l'inter comparaison des résultats sujette à beaucoup de controverses. Les industriels français ont dès lors souhaité réagir, par la mise en place d'une méthodologie commune de mesure des émissions induites par la combustion des parfums d'ambiance. Le but de ce travail est de développer et de valider un dispositif expérimental permettant de mieux contrôler la combustion et les paramètres environnementaux qui l'influencent, afin de disposer d'un protocole expérimental calibré et reproductible. Ainsi, après avoir étudié les types de polluants et les possibilités de prélèvements et d'analyses associées, l'étude a été conduite en trois étapes. La première a été réalisée dans une pièce laboratoire simulant en taille réelle la pièce d'un logement. Elle a permis de déterminer le type de composés émis (COV et particules) par la combustion de parfums d'ambiance et les niveaux de concentrations associés. La seconde étape consistait en la réalisation d'un plan d'expériences complet dans une enceinte d'essais d'émissions pour déterminer l'influence de la température, de l'humidité relative et du taux de renouvellement d'air sur les niveaux émissions. Enfin, dans le cadre de la dernière étape, la méthode et les connaissances acquises précédemment ont été transférées à une enceinte d'essai climatique de faible volume, afin de permettre la réalisation d'analyse en routine. / The indoor air composition is complex and widely influenced by human activities. These practices generate organic compound and particles. Growing concerns about indoor air quality and its impact on health have forced the government to make more studies. Among the human practices, recent studies shown that incense and candle combustion could result in the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and particles. However, there is no standard sample protocol for measuring these emissions. The results comparison is then largely controversy. French manufacturers want to develop a methodology for emissions controlling due to the combustion of incense and candle processes. Through this experimental system, they want to learn much more about these processes and emissions control to anticipate the new law. Thus, after studying about the types of pollutants and sampling/analysis protocol associated, three types of studies were conducted. The first study was carried in a room of a house, to determine which kind of compounds were emitted (VOCs and particulate matter) and their concentration levels. The second study was to apply a full factorial design in a chamber emission test, to determine temperature, relative humidity and air exchange rates emissions influences. Finally, in a last study, the method and the knowledge acquired previously were transferred to a climate test chamber of small volume, allowing manufacturers to make routine analysis.

La photocatalyse hétérogène est une technique d’oxydation utilisée pour l’élimination des Composés Organiques Volatils (COV). L’objectif est d’étudier la dégradation des COV initiaux et la production d’intermédiaires réactionnels lors de la mise en oeuvre de ce procédé dans des conditions proches de l’air intérieur (concentration des COV en mélange). TroisCOV modèles (toluène, décane, trichloréthylène) sont étudiés séparément puis en mélange dans un réacteurstatique puis dans un réacteur dynamique multi-pass. Les résultats obtenus montrent que (i) l’efficacité dedégradation dépend de la nature et du nombre de COV à traiter, des caractéristiques du média photocatalytiqueet des conditions opératoires, (ii) les intermédiaires majoritaires et les plus persistants sont les aldéhydeslégers, (iii) l’élimination des aldéhydes est inhibée lorsque les COV initiaux sont en mélange, (iv) l’augmentation du temps de résidence sur le matériau photocatalytique permet une élimination plus rapide des COV initiaux et des sous-produits. / Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a technique of oxidation used for the removal of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Aim is to study the degradation of initial VOCs and the production of reaction intermediates during this process in conditions close to the indoor air (VOC concentration in mixture). Three model VOCs (toluene, decane, trichloroethylene) are studied separately and then in mixture in a static reactor and in a dynamic multi-pass reactor. The obtained results show that (i) the degradation efficiency depends on the nature and the number of VOCs, on the photocatalyst characteristics and on process conditions, (ii) the major and the most persistent intermediates are light aldehydes, (iii) the elimination of aldehydes is inhibited when the initial VOCs are in mixture, (iv) increasing the residence time on the photocatalyst provides a higher removal rate of initial VOCs and of byproducts.

Problématique : La qualité de l’air intérieur est devenue une préoccupation majeure de santé publique, en raison du temps passé à l’intérieur des locaux et de la diversité des contaminants biologiques et des polluants chimiques présents. Objectifs : Il s’agit de renseigner et de modéliser l’exposition domestique à des polluants chimiques retrouvés dans l’air intérieur et d’en étudier le lien avec la morbidité respiratoire au cours de la première année de vie des nouveau-nés de la cohorte PARIS (Pollution and Asthma Risk : an Infant Study). Méthodes : À 1, 3, 6, 9 et 12 mois, des questionnaires sanitaires sont adressés aux parents pour renseigner la survenue des infections des voies respiratoires et des symptômes évocateurs d’asthme (sifflements, toux sèche nocturne, etc.). Des questionnaires environnementaux sont envoyés en parallèle pour documenter le cadre et le mode de vie des enfants. Pour pallier l’imprécision résultant d’une évaluation de l’exposition aux polluants de l’air intérieur par simple questionnaire, des investigations environnementales complémentaires ont été conduites, à 1, 6, 9 et 12 mois, au domicile d’un échantillon aléatoire de 196 nouveau-nés de la cohorte PARIS et dans des crèches parisiennes fréquentées par ces enfants. Les données issues des mesurages domestiques répétés ont été confrontées aux données recueillies par questionnaires afin d’établir des modèles prédictifs s concentrations domestiques annuelles de polluants. Ces modèles ont ensuite été appliqués à l’ensemble des logements fréquentés par les enfants de la cohorte afin de les classer au regard de leur exposition domestique annuelle pour étudier l’impact sanitaire de cette exposition. Résultats : Les modèles prédictifs des concentrations mesurées ont permis d’identifier les déterminants des niveaux de formaldéhyde, de dioxyde d’azote, de toluène et de tétrachloroéthylène : les sources continues et leur caractère récent (panneaux de particules, parquet vitrifié, stratifié, flottant et peinture), les sources discontinues (combustion et proximité au pressing) et les paramètres d’aération et de ventilation conditionnant l’entrée ou la sortie du polluant selon leur origine dominante. Au cours de la première année de vie, près d’un enfant sur deux présente une infection des voies respiratoires basses, 14,8 % une toux sèche nocturne. Concernant l’impact sanitaire de l’exposition aux polluants chimiques, après ajustement sur l’ensemble des facteurs de risque, seule l’exposition domestique au formaldéhyde majore la survenue des infections et plus particulièrement des infections sifflantes. L’exposition au formaldéhyde est aussi associée à la toux sèche nocturne et plus particulièrement chez les enfants sans antécédents parentaux d’allergie. Conclusion : Une exposition domestique aux polluants chimiques de l’air intérieur, tels que le formaldéhyde, peut être associée à la morbidité respiratoire du jeune enfant. Ces résultats viennent appuyer les mesures prises par les pouvoirs publics concernant les émissions des matériaux / There is a growing public health concern about indoor air quality due to the time spent indoors and the presence of numerous biological and chemical pollutants. Aims: To assess indoor chemical pollutant levels, to model domestic exposure and to examine the impact of indoor chemical pollutants on the respiratory health of infants from the PARIS birth cohort, during their first year of life. Methods: Multiple self-administered questionnaires were used to gather information from parents about respiratory infections and asthma-like symptoms (wheezing, nocturnal dry cough. . . ) in their infants at ages 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Details about home characteristics and family living conditions were also collected by phone interview when the child was 1 month old, and mailed questionnaires captured changes at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Pollutant air sampling (aldehyde, volatile organic compound, nitrogendioxide and nicotine) were conducted at 1, 6, 9 and 12 months in the bedrooms of a subset of randomly selected 196infants. Repeated pollutant measurements were joined with interview and questionnaire information to construct annual pollutant exposure models for all infants. Furthermore, an environmental investigation was performed in Parisian child day care centers to document chemical exposure levels. Results: Formaldehyde, toluene, nitrogen dioxide and perchlororethylene level determinants: continuous sources (particleboard, varnished parquet floor, wall coating), discontinuous sources (combustion, dry cleaning facilities) and aeration parameters were identified. At one year, around half of babies experienced at least one lower respiratory infection, and nearly half of those infections included wheezing, 14,8 % of babies suffered from a nocturnal dry cough. After known risk factors were considered, lower respiratory infections were associated with estimated formaldehyde levels, and formaldehyde exposure is also related to nocturnal dry cough, especially in infants without parental history of allergy. Conclusion: This study shows that formaldehyde exposure in early life is associated with respiratory health in infants, promoting public actions regarding emissions from materials

Depuis 2001 et la création d'un observatoire de la qualité de l'air intérieur (OQAI), la qualité de l'air intérieur est devenue un enjeu majeur de santé publique et fait l'objet d'un cadre réglementaire qui continue d'évoluer au cours des dernières années. Deux décrets récents, en France, prévoient la mise en œuvre de l'étiquetage des matériaux de construction en fonction de leurs émissions de composés organiques volatils (COV) (décret n° 2011-321, 23/03/2011) et le contrôle de la concentration des polluants (benzène et formaldéhyde) avec un guide des valeurs pour les bâtiments ouverts au public (n ° 2011-1728, 12/02/2012). De nos jours, la méthode analytique utilisée pour mesurer la concentration en formaldéhyde dans l'air consiste en un prélèvement sur cartouche de 2,4-dinitrophénylhydrazine (DNPH), qui est analysée par chromatographie en phase liquide après extraction. Cette méthode nécessite un équipement lourd et une étape en laboratoire est nécessaire. La société Ethera développe et commercialise des capteurs spécifiques pour la détection et la mesure du formaldéhyde avec des échantillonneurs passifs ou actifs. Ce capteur est basé sur des matrices nanoporeuses contenant du Fluoral-P (4-amino-3-pentène-2-one), qui réagit sélectivement avec le formaldéhyde pour produire un composé coloré de la 3,5-diacétyl-1,4-dihydrolutidine (DDL). La DDL est détectée à 420nm par lecture optique et la différence de densité optique mesurée avant et après l'exposition du capteur est directement proportionnelle à la concentration en formaldéhyde dans l'air intérieur. Le but de cette thèse est d'améliorer les performances des échantillonneurs passifs. Les différentes phases du développement des échantillonneurs passifs sont étudiées (conception, évaluation en chambre d’exposition) avec différentes approches et méthodologies. Deux axes d'étude sont considérés: une approche théorique et des essais en laboratoire. Une approche théorique a été mise en œuvre pour optimiser un échantillonneur passif ou dimensionner un nouveau préleveur. Les tests de laboratoire ont permis d'évaluer les paramètres métrologiques des échantillonneurs passifs (limite de détection, sensibilité, répétabilité, linéarité ...) et les effets des facteurs d'exposition (température, humidité relative, concentration). / Since 2001 and the creation of a French Indoor Air Quality Observatory (OQAI), indoor air quality has become a major public health issue. It is the subject of a regulatory framework that continues to evolve in recent years. Two recent decrees, in France, foresee the implementation of the labeling of building materials according to their emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (decree n°2011-321, 23/03/2011) and the survey of air concentration of two pollutants (benzene and formaldehyde) with guide values in public buildings (n°2011-1728, 2/12/2012). Today, the analytical method used to measure formaldehyde concentration in air consists in a 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) sampling cartridge which is analyzed by liquid chromatography after solvent extraction. This method is time consuming, expensive and complicated to perform. The company Ethera develops and markets specific, sensitive sensors for detection and measurement of formaldehyde with passive or active samplers. This sensor is based on a nanoporous matrix containing Fluoral-P (4-amino-3-penten-2-one), which selectively reacts with formaldehyde to produce a colored compound the 3,5-diacetyl-1,4-dihydrolutidine (DDL). DDL is detected at 420nm by optical reading and the difference of the optical density measured before and after exposition of the sensor is directly proportional to the concentration of formaldehyde in air. The purpose of this thesis is to improve the performance of passive samplers. The different phases of the development of passive samplers are studied (design, evaluation in environmental chamber) with different approaches and methodologies. In fact, two axis of study are considered: a theoretical approach and laboratory tests. Theoretical approach will be implemented to optimize a passive sampler or for sizing a new one based on the study of theoretical sampling rates. Laboratory tests will allow to assess metrological parameters of passive samplers (detection limit, sensitivity, repeatability, linearity…) and to estimate effects of exposure factors (temperature, relative humidity, concentration levels …).

Chapter 1. Background: Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease and is characterized by recurrent airway obstruction, bronchial hyper-responsiveness, and airway inflammation. Asthma is the leading cause of childhood hospitalization and school absenteeism in the United States. The associations between adverse respiratory effects and exposure to indoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and other byproducts of combustion such as particulate matter (PM) in particular ultrafine particulates (UFP), Ozone (O3) and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), have been the focus of many epidemiological studies in recent years. Indoor exposure to NO2 and other pollutants from combustion may increase the risk of acute and chronic respiratory disease, reduce lung function, initiate and exacerbate asthma in children. The levels of exposure to NO2 indoors are of public health concern because children spend nearly 70% of their time indoors at home. According to the 2010 US Census report, approximately 39% of US households use natural gas for cooking, and the primary source of residential NO2 is a gas-fuel cooking appliance. Indoor levels of NO2 where NO2 sources are present can be much higher than outdoors, where the primary source of NO2 is vehicular traffic. Epidemiological studies in developed countries suggest that gas stoves used for cooking and/or heat are associated with an increased risk of asthma and respiratory symptoms in children. While there are numerous, epidemiological studies supporting an association between increased NO2 levels and gas stoves and asthma symptom severity in children, there are other studies that have examined the relationship in homes that did not observe significant associations. A better understanding of how NO2 and other indoor environmental (e.g., environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), allergens) exposures contribute to asthma morbidity in inner city preschool children will allow interventions to more effectively designed and implemented. To date, there are conflicting results on the role of exposure to indoor NO2 and its association with new-onset asthma in young inner-city children. The recent studies assessing the effects of indoor NO2 on asthma morbidity were limited to inner-city children, largely older, who were diagnosed with asthma. A gap in knowledge remains regarding the role indoor NO2 plays on the development of asthma in children not previously diagnosed. The scientific and public health rationale for conducting this dissertation was to describe the association of exposure to indoor NO2 and primary sources with the initiation and exacerbation of asthma symptoms among pre-school children with and without diagnosed asthma. The data analyzed in the current research come from a larger study of Endotoxin, Obesity, and Asthma (EOA) in the New York City Head Start Program, funded in the summer of 2002. The primary research objective of that study was to identify modifiable risk factors associated with asthma and asthma persistence among preschool children from low-income families living in select New York City neighborhoods with high pediatric asthma hospitalization rates. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data collected from the study questionnaire and home visit sampling at study enrollment. The analyses were performed in two phases: the first phases used data collected at study enrollment and the second phase used data collected 12-months after study baseline. Henceforth, the dissertation will refer to the first analyses as the baseline study and the second as the follow-up study. The research evaluated the association of NO2 exposure with asthma status among New York City Head Start children with and without asthma at study enrollment and with respiratory symptoms among children with asthma at 12-month follow-up. Chapter 2. Baseline Study: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data collected from the study questionnaire and home visit sampling at study enrollment. Specifically, the research sought to evaluate the association of NO2 exposure with asthma status among New York City Head Start children with and without asthma at study enrollment and with respiratory symptoms among children with asthma at enrollment. A total of 503 children were included in the baseline study. A total of 105 children (20.9%) met the criteria for both asthma and allergy, and 67 (13.3%) met the criteria for asthma alone. Girls made up 51.7% and boys, 48.3% of the 503 study participants. Descriptive analyses suggested that asthma/allergy status was associated with: male gender, non-Mexican ethnicity/national origin, presence of a smoker in the child’s home, number of smokers in the child’s home, self-reported parental history of asthma, mother’s education level and sensitization to one or more of the four allergens. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the magnitude and direction (as well as trend) of the association between childhood asthma and indoor NO2 sources in the child’s home. Chapter 3. Follow-up Study: Our follow-up study involved the analysis of the 12-month follow-up data from the study of Endotoxin, Obesity, and Asthma in the New York City Head Start Program funded in the summer of 2002. We focused on assessing the magnitude and direction of the associations of exposure to indoor NO2 levels (based on baseline NO2 measurements) with children’s asthma status and with symptom severity among asthmatics at 1-year follow-up. For the follow-up study, we categorized children by whether their asthma status had changed since baseline. Descriptive analyses were performed looking at key characteristics by “change in asthma status.” Children’s asthma status at baseline and at follow-up, were based on responses to the questionnaire. We analyzed indoor NO2 level measurements at baseline in relation to asthma outcomes on follow-up. We did not have enough data on NO2 levels at follow-up to analyze them in relation to asthma status on follow-up. Unless the family had relocated since baseline and/or reported changes since baseline in the use of gas appliances or the number of smokers in the home, we assumed that baseline NO2 levels in the participating children’s homes were reasonable proxies for current exposures. We looked at the number of children who moved since baseline and whether the move (for example, looking at gas stove status, age of new building) may have impacted indoor NO2 levels. Of the 503 children who were included in the baseline analyses, 47.3% had data on asthma status on follow-up. A total of 238 children (111 male, 127 female) were grouped into the four mutually exclusive outcome categories: 122 (51.3%) did not have asthma at baseline or on follow-up, 34 (14.3%) had asthma on follow-up but not at baseline, 65 (27.3%) had asthma at baseline but not on follow-up, and 17 (7.1%) had asthma at baseline and on follow-up. The mean age at 1-year follow-up was 59.5 months (6.95), and neither age nor gender was associated with asthma. The distribution of ethnicity/national origin among the 238 children remained the same as at baseline; no one ethnicity group experienced disproportionate loss to follow-up, and asthma status remained associated with non-Mexican ethnicity/national origin, although 44.1% with new-onset asthma were of Mexican background. Asthma was also associated with self-reported parental history of asthma and allergy in children, but nearly 80% of children with new-onset asthma had no such parental history of asthma. More parents of children with new-onset (35.3%) or persistent asthma (23.5%) than of other children reported making efforts to reduce risk factors or triggers for asthma exacerbations in the past 12 months. Chapter 4. Dissertation Conclusion : The primary objective of the dissertation research was the examination of the relationship between asthma and asthma severity and exposure to gas cooking and residential NO2. In both our baseline and 12-month follow-up studies, exposure to indoor NO2 was represented by the baseline measurement of NO2 and the NO2 surrogate, gas stove. Asthma status of children was based on parental responses on the questionnaire regarding asthma symptoms and urgent care visits due to respiratory distress over the course of each 12-month period prior to the conducting study questionnaires. For both studies, we did not find an association between exposure to NO2 levels at baseline and asthma status or severity. Our findings contradict the results of most recent studies of both NO2 levels and residential sources of NO2 and their effects on asthma symptoms in very young children. However, it remains difficult to compare our results we those of previous published studies because those studies primarily focused on children who were diagnosed with asthma, whereas our research included preschool aged children with and without asthma. Based on our findings and the fact they conflict with other epidemiological studies, of which there were also conflicting results, we feel that the relationship between asthma symptoms and NO2 exposures remains ambiguous. The lack of consistent results of epidemiological research raises questions that should be the focus of future epidemiological studies. What are the roles of co-pollutants and co-risk factors? Does NO2 work alone or in concert with other indoor pollutants? There exists a real lack of understanding on the possible synergistic effects of exposure to NO2 and other combustion byproducts. Important to furthering our knowledge of the role of exposure to indoor NO2 and asthma is determining whether NO2 acts as a surrogate for co-pollutants that are considered risk factors for asthma and other respiratory conditions. Another focus of future indoor pollution studies should be the development of effective methods and technologies for measuring the constituents of the complex mixture of pollutants in indoor air; these methods and technologies can then be applied in personal monitoring of exposure to indoor pollutants in epidemiological studies that would help to determine with much more accuracy the effects of individual indoor pollutants on asthma and other respiratory symptoms. This knowledge would help in the development of more effective public health and environment policies towards reducing the burden of childhood asthma.

Un des enjeux pour améliorer la qualité de l’air intérieur des bâtiments est d’adopter de bonnes pratiques, notamment en matière de sélection des matériaux lors des phases de conception. Pour cela, des outils d’aide à la décision/conception sont indispensables en support à ces bonnes pratiques pour atteindre une maîtrise globale de la qualité de l’air intérieur. Dans le domaine du bâtiment, il n’existe pas à ce jour d’outil opérationnel permettant d’estimer, en amont d’une construction, la qualité de l’air intérieur. Des travaux sont engagés sur ce thème mais ils se heurtent à un manque d’informations sur le comportement des matériaux lorsque ceux-ci sont associés et soumis à des conditions normales d’usage. Ces travaux de thèse avaient donc pour objectif d’évaluer le comportement de matériaux (source ou puits) vis-à-vis de la contamination aux composés organiques volatils (COV) et au formaldéhyde lorsqu’ils sont évalués seuls dans des conditions normalisées retenues pour l’étiquetage sanitaire, mais aussi lorsqu’ils sont mis en œuvre dans des projets de construction (impact du changement d’échelle et effet d'assemblage). La méthodologie développée a donc associé des essais à l’échelle du matériau et à l’échelle d’une pièce dans le but d’acquérir des données d’entrée à un modèle pour la prédiction des concentrations et l’évaluation des contributions respectives des différents processus (émissions primaires, échanges aux interfaces air/surfaces intérieures,…) à la contamination intérieure par les COV. Une première partie de ce travail a consisté à évaluer en laboratoire les échanges de COV et de formaldéhyde à l'interface matériau-air pour une sélection de matériaux de construction et de décoration. Les émissions primaires ont été déterminées selon la méthode normalisée ISO 16000-9 et par une méthode d’échantillonnage passif basée sur un couplage cellule d'émission/micro-extraction sur phase solide (SPME) (dispositif DOSEC-SPME) et l’effet de l’assemblage de matériaux et de composants sur la qualité de l’air intérieur a été étudié. Les constantes d’adsorption/désorption du formaldéhyde sur les matériaux sélectionnés ont ensuite été déterminées par une méthodologie innovante. Ces constantes, ainsi que les données d’émission, ont été rassemblées dans une base données pour servir de critères (ou indicateurs) pour la sélection de matériaux respectueux de la qualité de l’air intérieur (QAI). Dans une deuxième partie, les résultats obtenus en conditions de laboratoire ont été confrontés à ceux obtenus en conditions réelles à l’échelle d’une pièce dans le cadre d’une étude de plusieurs mois dans le but de mettre en évidence l’impact du changement d’échelle. La dernière partie de cette thèse a consisté à développer un modèle de prévision de la QAI intégrant les données d'adsorption/désorption préalablement déterminées. A terme, la base de données et le modèle ont vocation à constituer des outils de gestion pour orienter les choix en matière de matériaux, de configuration et d'usage d’un bâtiment dans l’optique d’une réduction à la source des émissions de COV dans l’air intérieur. / One of the challenges for improving the indoor air quality of buildings is to adopt good practices, especially in the selection of materials during design phases. To this end, decision-making / design tools are essential in support of these good practices to achieve global control of indoor air quality.In the building sector, there is currently no operational tool to estimate the indoor air quality in building. Work is underway on this theme, but they encounter a lack of information on the behavior of materials when they are associated and subject to normal conditions of use.The purpose of this thesis was therefore to evaluate the behavior of materials (source or sink) with respect to contamination with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde when they are evaluated alone under standardized conditions selected for health labeling, but also when they are implemented in construction projects (impact of the change of scale and the effect of assembly). The developed methodology has therefore combined material-scale and room-scale testing to acquire input data to a model for concentration prediction and assessment of the respective contributions of different processes (primary emissions, exchanges at air / interior surfaces interfaces, ...) to internal contamination by VOCs.A first part of this work consisted of laboratory evaluation of VOC and formaldehyde exchanges at the material-air interface for a selection of construction and decoration materials. The primary emissions were determined according to the ISO 16000-9 standard method and a passive sampling method based on solid-phase emission / micro-extraction (SPME) (DOSEC-SPME device) and the effect of the assembly of materials and components on indoor air quality has been studied. The adsorption / desorption constants of formaldehyde on the selected materials were then determined by an innovative methodology. These constants, as well as emission data, have been collated into a database to serve as criteria (or indicators) for the selection of IAQ-compliant materials.In a second part, the results obtained under laboratory conditions were compared with those obtained under real-world conditions on a scale of a part in a study of several months in order to highlight the impact of the change of scale.The last part of this thesis consisted in developing an IAQ prediction model integrating previously determined adsorption / desorption data. Ultimately, the database and the model are intended to constitute management tools to guide the choice of materials, configuration and use of a building with a view to reducing emissions at the source VOC in the indoor air.

Most people in the United States (US) spend considerable amount of time indoors—about 90% of their time as compared to outdoors, which makes the US population vulnerable to adverse health effects of indoor air contaminants. Volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations are well-known to be higher in indoor air than outdoor air. One source of VOC concentrations in indoor air that has gained considerable attention in public health and environmental regulatory communities is vapor intrusion. Vapor intrusion is the process by which subsurface vapors enter indoor spaces from contaminated soil and groundwater. It has been documented to cause indoor air contamination within hundreds of thousands of communities across the US. Vapor intrusion is well-known to be difficult to characterize because indoor air concentrations exhibit considerable temporal and spatial variability in homes throughout impacted communities. Unexplained variations in field data have not been systematically investigated using theoretical fate and transport processes. This study incorporates the use of numerical models to better understand processes that influence spatial and temporal variability in field data. The overall research hypothesis is that variability in indoor air VOC concentrations can be (partially) explained by variations in building air exchange rate (AER) and pressure differentials between indoor spaces and outdoor spaces. Neither AER nor pressure differentials are currently calculated by existing vapor intrusion numerical models. To date, most vapor intrusion models have focused on subsurface fate and transport processes; however, there is a need to understand the role of aboveground processes in the context of vapor intrusion exposure risks, which are commonly measured as indoor air VOC concentrations. Recent field studies identify these parameters as potentially important and their important role within the broader field of indoor air quality sciences has been well-documented, but more research is needed to investigate these parameters within the specific context of vapor intrusion. To test the overall hypothesis, the dissertation research developed a new vapor intrusion modeling technique that combines subsurface fate and transport modeling with building science approaches for modeling driving forces, such as wind and stack effects. The modeling results are compared with field data measurements from actual vapor intrusion sites and confirms that the research is relevant to not only academic researchers, but also policy decision makers.

The high incidence of upper respiratory diseases, contamination of waterways due to pathogens and nutrients from human and animal wastes, unsustainable deforestation, gender disparities in burden of disease due to unequal exposure to indoor air pollutants, and carbon black emissions from the burning of solid fuels are interrelated problems in many developing countries. Small scale anaerobic digestion provides a means of alleviating these problems by treating livestock waste onsite to produce biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) in rural areas in developing countries. Fuel can then be used for cooking, lighting, and heating. Methane fuel is an alternative to traditional three-stone fires, improved cook stoves, and liquid petroleum gas. However, there is a lack of information available on design methods for these systems. The goal of this research was to develop a design tool that could be used for anaerobic digester sizing based on livestock waste availability. An Excel spreadsheet model was developed for sizing the bioreactor and the gas container based upon recommended values from a literature review. Needed monitoring parameters for operation of an anaerobic digester in the field were identified and standard methods of analysis were recommended. Sample preservation techniques were detailed. Guidelines for pathogen reduction in thermophilic anaerobic digestion were identified. Further study of pathogen reduction in low temperature reactors currently in use in developing countries was recommended. Three digester designs included in the Excel spreadsheet model were: the polyethylene tubular digester, the floating drum digester, and the fixed dome digester. The design tool may be requested from Dr. Sarina Ergas, sergas(at)usf.edu. An organic loading rate of 1.0 kg VS/(m3*d) was chosen for use in the design tool based upon a review of the literature. A semi-empirical kinetic model was developed for defining the SRT based on the temperature inputted by the user. Three case studies, based upon livestock waste availability in a rural community in the Dominican Republic, were analyzed using the sizing design tool. The case studies were conducted on three scales: one household, six households, and a village of 48 households. The specific biogas production rates were, for Case Studies one through three, respectively, 0.0076, 0.0069, and 0.010 m3 biogas/kg Volatile Solids reduced. Additional future work included: characterization of human feces and guinea pig manure, laboratory and field testing of the Excel spreadsheet design tool, and promotion of anaerobic digesters by development workers, non-governmental organizations, and governments.

In the U.S. and other developed countries, humans spend the vast majority of their time within the built environment. As a result, a substantial portion of our collective exposure to airborne pollutants, even those of outdoor origin, occurs in indoor environments. In addition, building construction materials and operational practices are changing as we endeavor to reduce the energy burden of the built environment. These changes result in barriers and opportunities in mitigating exposure to indoor pollutants and the accompanying implications for human health. This dissertation advances knowledge regarding low-energy control of indoor ozone. Ozone is often considered a pollutant of outdoor concern. However, ozone in indoor environments presents important challenges regarding exposure, intake, and chemistry in the built environment. The investigations in this dissertation extend the state understanding of indoor transport and transformation of ozone, and the potential for using material-surface interactions in buildings to suppress concentrations of indoor ozone. The first objective relates to the determination of magnitudes of ozone removal and product emissions at room or building scales. This objective provides new data on reactive uptake and product generation in large-scale environments, develops Monte Carlo models describing indoor ozone removal by materials in homes, and compares active and passive methods of indoor ozone removal. The second objective addresses the need to develop improved air cleaning materials through experiments and modeling that address material-ozone reactions in porous materials. This objective advances the state of modeling heterogeneous reactive uptake of ozone by characterizing material physical properties and transport phenomena, determining their impact on ozone removal, and using these data to develop a more mechanistic model of material-ozone reactions. Ultimately, these investigations advance the engineering concepts that support the development of passive indoor pollutant controls, an important tool for reducing concentrations of indoor pollutants while supporting low-energy building initiatives. The combination of experimental characterization of ozone deposition velocities and product emission rates, whole-building Monte Carlo modeling, and mechanistic material/pollutant models provide important new data and approaches that expand the state of knowledge of the fate and transport of reactive pollutants in indoor environments. / text

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management