Understanding the transport of particulate and gaseous indoor air pollutants from source to exposure is paramount to improve our understanding of the complexities of the built environments in which we spend the majority of our time. This dissertation offers new insights on particle resuspension from indoor surfaces, infant exposure to organic contaminants released from crib mattresses, and the dynamics of pollutant transport and human exposure while sleeping. Particle resuspension is the physical process by which settled particles detach from a surface and become airborne through application of various aerodynamic and mechanical removal forces. Resuspension is an important indoor source of coarse mode particles (> 1 µm in diameter) and can be a source mechanism for biological matter and organic contaminants that accumulate in house dust. Settled dust deposits on indoor surfaces can vary considerably in their structure and mass loading, yet little is known as to how these parameters affect resuspension. Through wind tunnel experiments, this research demonstrates that the deposit structure (monolayer or multilayer) can have a significant impact on the number of particles that aerodynamically resuspend. Furthermore, this dissertation presents the first full-scale experimental chamber study to show that human body movements in bed can resuspend settled mattress dust particles. An indoor aerosol model was utilized to provide a mechanistic understanding of the impact of movement intensity, surface vibrations, bedroom ventilation rate, and dust loading on the resuspension flux and intake fraction of resuspended particles. Infants spend most of their time sleeping and are likely to be exposed to elevated concentrations of chemicals released from their crib mattresses. Through a combination of chamber experiments and solvent extractions, this research shows that infant crib mattresses can emit a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and contain numerous chemical additives, including phthalate and alternative plasticizers, flame retardants, and unreacted isocyanates. Additionally, this study discovered that infants are exposed to approximately twice the concentrations of VOCs in their breathing zones as compared to the bulk bedroom air, due to their close proximity to the source.

Women living in rural Kenya rely on wood for cooking and are exposed to elevated amounts of wood smoke. The objective of this thesis was to assess the health and quality of life benefits of installing biogas digesters on rural Kenyan dairy farms. Thirty-one farms with biogas digesters and 31 farms without digesters (referent group) were assessed for wood utilization practices, basic respiratory and self-reported health, and exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Women with biogas digesters spent less time and money acquiring wood, and less time exposed to wood smoke (p<0.01). Multivariable linear regression showed associations between daily wood consumption and having a biogas digester, family size, and number of cows. Individual VOCs were lower in cookhouses on biogas farms (p<0.001) and women with biogas digesters reported fewer respiratory symptoms. Biogas digesters are one technology that can reduce reliance on wood fuel and reduce exposures to harmful wood smoke.

It is reported that cooking can generate many kinds of airborne pollutants,which pose serious threats to human health. Kitchen range-hood is themost effective and popular equipment to exhaust the airborne pollutants,including smoke and oil particle in people’s daily life. The lack of astandardized and overall approach to test and evaluate range-hood makesboth consumer and some manufacturers confused. For these reasons,Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory published a report, whichshowed the results of their elaborate experiment and some conclusion.However, they also pointed out that due to the limitation of the apparatus,some of the results are not reliable.Therefore, this project established a numerical model in Fluent toinvestigate the pollutant removal performance. Many attempts had beenmade before a validated numerical model was accomplished because aproper model needs the balance between iteration time and resultaccuracy. The validation part is presented in the literature. The captureefficiency curve of the numerical model and one of experiments show agood agreement at the low power input. Some conclusions are drawn onhow power inputs and height affect the capture efficiency, respectively.Dimensionless analysis is done to find a general characteristic curve forevaluating the removal performance of a particular range-hood. / Det rapporteras att matlagning kan generera många typer av luftburnaföroreningar, vilket utgör allvarliga hot mot människors hälsa.Köksfläkten är den mest effektiva och populära utrustningen för attventilera ut luftburna föroreningar, inklusive rök och oljepartiklar imänniskors dagliga liv. Bristen på ett standardiserat och övergripandetillvägagångssätt för att testa och utvärdera köksfläktar ställer bådekonsumenten och vissa tillverkare i okunskap. Av dessa skäl publiceradeLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory en rapport, som visade resultatenav deras utarbetade experiment och en slutsats. Men de påpekade ocksåatt på grund av begränsningen av utrustningen är några av resultaten intehelt tillförlitliga.Därför fastställde detta projekt en numerisk modell i Fluent för attundersöka avlägsnandet av föroreningar. Många försök hade gjorts innanen validerad numerisk modell uppnåddes, eftersom en riktig modellbehöver balansen mellan iterationstid och resultatnoggrannhet.Valideringsdelen presenteras i litteraturen. Effektkurvan för dennumeriska modellen och ett av experimenten visar en godöverensstämmelse vid låg effektinmatning. Några slutsatser dras av hurkraftingångar och höjd påverkar upptagningseffektiviteten.Dimensionslös analys görs för att hitta en generell karaktäristisk kurvaför att utvärdera avlägsnande av prestanda för ett viss köksfläkt.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Göteborgs universidtet, 2010. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Poor indoor air quality is a source of adverse health effects. TiO2 coatings deposited on well-illuminated surfaces, such as window panes, can be used to fully mineralize indoor air pollutants by photocatalysis. In such applications it is important to ensure stable photocatalytic activity for a wide range of operating conditions, such as relative humidity and temperature, and to avoid deactivation of the catalyst. In this thesis photocatalytic removal of the indoor-pollutant acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) on nanostructured TiO2 films is investigated, and in particular it is proposed how such films can be modified and operated for maximum performance. Catalyst deactivation can be reduced by purposefully changing the surface acidity of TiO2 by covalently attaching SO4 to the surface. Moreover, the overall photocatalytic activity on anatase TiO2 films can be improved by increasing the fraction of exposed reactive {001} surfaces, which otherwise are dominated by {101} surfaces. In the first part of the thesis mode-resolved in-situ FTIR is used to elucidate the reaction kinetics of CH3CHO adsorption and photo-oxidation on the TiO2 and SO4 – modified TiO2 surfaces. Surface concentrations of main products and corresponding reaction rates were determined. Formate is the major reaction product, whose further oxidation limits the complete oxidation to gaseous species, and is responsible for photocatalyst deactivation by site inhibition. The oxidation reaction is characterized by two reaction pathways, which are associated with two types of surface reaction sites. On the sulfate modified TiO2 catalyst fewer intermediates are accumulated, and this catalyst resists deactivation much better than pure TiO2. A hitherto unknown intermediate – surface-bound acetaldehyde dimer with an adsorption band at 1643 cm−1 was discovered, using interplay between FTIR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. The second part of the thesis treats the effect of increasing the relative abundance of exposed {001} facets on the photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO2 films prepared by DC magnetron sputtering. A positive effect was observed both for liquid-phase photo-oxidation of methylene blue, and for gas-phase photocatalytic removal of CH3CHO. In both cases it was found that the exposed {001} surfaces were an order of magnitude more reactive, compared to the {101} ones. Furthermore, it was found that the reactive films were more resilient towards deactivation, and exhibited almost unchanged activity under varying reaction conditions. Finally, a synergetic effect of SO4 – modification and high fraction of exposed {001} surfaces was found, yielding photocatalysts with sustained high activity. The results presented here for facet controlled and chemically modified TiO2 films are of interest for applications in the built environment for indoor air purification and as self-cleaning surfaces. / GRINDOOR

Muitos dos locais onde as atividades são realizadas nas academias de ginásticas são salas pequenas e fechadas com sistema de climatização artificial, freqüentados por um grande número de alunos realizando seus exercícios e profissionais auxiliando as atividades. Com isso, há uma intensa transpiração desses indivíduos, uma freqüente rotina de limpeza do piso e de equipamentos com pequenos intervalos, possibilitando a alterações da qualidade do ar indoor. O presente trabalho busca mostrar as tendências de variações nos valores das concentrações dos poluentes atmosféricos BTEX em ambiente indoor, especificamente na sala de spinning de uma academia de ginástica do Rio de Janeiro. Para o monitoramento da qualidade do ar foram utilizados cartuchos de carvão ativado SKC, acoplado a uma bomba KNF com vazão de 1l min. Para a extração de cada amostra foi feita a análise cromatográfica com cromatógrafo a gás modelo 6890 acoplado a um espectrômetro de massa modelo 5973 da marca Agilent. Foram analisadas 34 amostras coletadas na salas de spinning durante as aulas com atividades aeróbicas, o que intensificava a respiração dos indivíduos, possibilitando uma maior inalação destes COVs. Em contrapartida, também foram coletadas 5 amostras outdoor, 4 delas pareadas indoor/ outdoor para uma análise comparativa das concentrações destes poluentes. Dentre os compostos orgânicos voláteis analisados, o tolueno é o BTEX mais abundante obtido neste trabalho, representando 81% destes COVs indoor. Todas as amostras medidas em pares indoor/ outdoor tiveram concentrações maiores no interior, exceto para o benzeno no dia 3/12/2010. Simples atividades usualmente realizadas pelo homem, como a inserção de piso emborrachado, manutenção do sistema de climatização artificial, e limpeza podem alterar o ar indoor. As conclusões alcançadas após as medições das concentrações de BTEX foram de que o ar indoor estava mais poluído do que o outdoor. Este monitoramento da qualidade do ar indoor ainda é escasso no Brasil. Alguns esforços tem sido feito em relação a ambientes confinados como a Portaria n&#730;3523 do Ministério da Saúde, regulamentando o controle dos ambientes climatizados e a Resolução n&#730;9 da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, além da Resolução CONAMA n &#730;3 estabelecendo padrões de qualidade do ar para alguns compostos químicos, porém muitos compostos químicos ainda não são legislados ou não possuem a devida atenção, não sendo suficientes para contemplar a complexidade do assunto / In many gyms work-out activities take place in small enclosed rooms where the climate is controlled artificially. Normally, those rooms are full of students doing their workout and trainers helping them. Intense human transpiration requires a frequent floor and equipment cleaning routine. This routine, performed at short intervals can affect the indoor air quality. This study is aimed at showing varying concentration levels of the BTEX air pollutant at a gym in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, specifically the spinning room. To monitor the air quality, activated charcoal cartridges (SKC) were used, coupled to a KNF pump with a flow rate of 1l min. For the extraction of each sample, a gas chromatographic analysis machine model 6890 was used coupled to an Agilent mass spectrometer model 5973. We analyzed a total of 34 air samples collected in the spinning room during active aerobic classes; the increased respiration from the subjects allow for a greater inhalation of VOCs. In Contrast, five samples were also collected outdoors; four of them were paired indoor / outdoor for comparative analysis of these pollutants. Among the volatile organic compounds analyzed, toluene was the most abundant BTEX found in this study, representing 81% of indoor VOCs. In all the indoor / outdoor paired samples, the concentration was higher in the interior samples, with one exception, benzene on 3/12/2010. Simple changes that can easily be done by man, such as the installation of rubberized flooring, regular maintenance of the air acclimatization equipment, and general cleanliness can greatly affect the indoor air quality. The conclusion achieved after looking at the BTEX measurements was that the indoor air was more polluted than the air outdoors. This air quality monitoring is still scarce in Brazil. Some efforts have been made in relation to confined spaces such as Ordinance n&#730; 3523 from the Ministry of Health, which regulates the air of air-conditioned environments and Resolution n&#730; 9 of the National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance, as well as Resolution CONAMA n&#730; 3 by setting standards for air quality for some chemical compounds, unfortunately many chemical compounds are not yet legislated or receive proper attention in this matter, therefore not giving this indoor air pollution matter enough grounds to address the complexity of the subject

abstract: Up to 25 percent of the operating budget for contaminated site restoration projects is spent on site characterization, including long-term monitoring of contaminant concentrations. The sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility of analytical methods have improved to the point where sampling techniques bear the primary responsibility for the accuracy and precision of the data. Most samples represent discrete concentrations in time and space; with sampling points frequently limited in both dimensions, sparse data sets are heavily extrapolated and the quality of data further limited. Methods are presented for characterizing contaminants in water (groundwater and surface waters) and indoor air. These techniques are integrative, providing information averaged over time and/or space, as opposed to instantaneous point measurements. Contaminants are concentrated from the environment, making these methods applicable to trace contaminants. These methods have the potential to complement existing techniques, providing the practitioner with opportunities to reduce costs and improve the quality of the data used in decision making. A conceptual model for integrative sampling of environmental waters is developed and a literature review establishes an advantage in precision for active samplers. A programmable sampler was employed to measure the concentration of chromate in a shallow aquifer exhibiting time-dependent contaminant concentrations, providing a unique data set and sustainability benefits. The analysis of heat exchanger condensate, a waste stream generated by air conditioning, is demonstrated in a non-intrusive method for indoor air quality assessment. In sum, these studies present new opportunities for effective, sustainable environmental characterization. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil and Environmental Engineering 2015

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T13:57:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JulianaMSC.pdf: 2960475 bytes, checksum: ff925978b7f6c5c27eed0072ef0251db (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-05-13 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The recent tendency to utilize parking lots for other purposes has demonstrated that more time has been spent by visitors, mainly in great cities. Therefore, this paper investigates the thermal comfort and the air quality indoors in areas specifically used as parking lots by analyzing the direct relation between such environments and vehicular pollution. The thermal comfort and the quality of air indoors in parking lots with different architectonic typology (ground-floor and underground) are also studied, aiming to contribute to the proposition of suitable new areas designated to human usage. Field research was done, in two distinct periods within different weather conditions (January and July) in, two naturally cooled, parking lots located in Natal - RN. The internal environment agents were measured by using tools for air temperature, humidity, speed and direction; interviews with employees and visitors and chemical analysis through appropriate tools to analyze specific material, carbon monoxide and ozone. The results showed that chemical agents densely concentrate mostly in the closed parking space, aggravated by weather conditions, which dissatisfied the visitors. Still, it was shown that architectonic typology, alongside topographical aspects compromise internal environmental conditions, which increases the retention of pollution, leading to dissatisfactory thermal comfort levels and becoming less suitable for usage by visitors considering air and thermal comfort aspects. Consequently, they are not suitable for human stay due to the poor quality of the indoor air / A atual tend?ncia de utiliza??o dos espa?os destinados a estacionamento veicular para outras finalidades tem resultado num tempo maior de perman?ncia dos usu?rios nestes espa?os, principalmente nas grandes cidades. Por esta raz?o, o presente trabalho investiga a qualidade do ar interior e o conforto t?rmico em ?reas reservadas a estacionamentos, atrav?s da rela??o direta destes ambientes com a polui??o veicular. Para realiza??o deste estudo, optou-se por estacionamentos com tipologias arquitet?nicas diferenciadas, sendo um estacionamento aberto e um estacionamento fechado, ambos ventilados naturalmente, situados em Natal/RN, com o intuito de contribuir para a proposi??o de novos espa?os desta natureza adequados ? perman?ncia humana. Para tal, realizou-se pesquisa de campo nos dois estacionamentos em per?odos distintos (janeiro e julho), espa?o de tempo condizente com os per?odos clim?ticos caracter?sticos (ver?o e inverno, respectivamente) da referida cidade. As condicionantes ambientais internas foram mensuradas atrav?s de instrumentos de medi??es da temperatura do ar, umidade relativa do ar, velocidade do ar e dire??o dos ventos; as humanas, atrav?s de entrevistas aplicadas com usu?rios dos locais (visitantes e funcion?rios); e as qu?micas, atrav?s de instrumentos de medi??o apropriados para material particulado, mon?xido de carbono e oz?nio. Na an?lise dos resultados, constatou-se que as condicionantes qu?micas atingiram maiores concentra??es no estacionamento fechado. Este quadro foi agravado pelas condi??es clim?ticas do local (maiores temperaturas do ar), resultando num maior registro de usu?rios insatisfeitos. Constatou-se que a tipologia arquitet?nica de estacionamentos fechados, com contribui??o tamb?m de seu aspecto topogr?fico, compromete as condi??es ambientais internas, potencializando a reten??o de poluentes, acarretando espa?os com baixo ?ndice de conforto t?rmico para seus usu?rios, sendo, assim, menos adequados do ponto de vista da qualidade do ar interior e do conforto t?rmico

Muitos dos locais onde as atividades são realizadas nas academias de ginásticas são salas pequenas e fechadas com sistema de climatização artificial, freqüentados por um grande número de alunos realizando seus exercícios e profissionais auxiliando as atividades. Com isso, há uma intensa transpiração desses indivíduos, uma freqüente rotina de limpeza do piso e de equipamentos com pequenos intervalos, possibilitando a alterações da qualidade do ar indoor. O presente trabalho busca mostrar as tendências de variações nos valores das concentrações dos poluentes atmosféricos BTEX em ambiente indoor, especificamente na sala de spinning de uma academia de ginástica do Rio de Janeiro. Para o monitoramento da qualidade do ar foram utilizados cartuchos de carvão ativado SKC, acoplado a uma bomba KNF com vazão de 1l min. Para a extração de cada amostra foi feita a análise cromatográfica com cromatógrafo a gás modelo 6890 acoplado a um espectrômetro de massa modelo 5973 da marca Agilent. Foram analisadas 34 amostras coletadas na salas de spinning durante as aulas com atividades aeróbicas, o que intensificava a respiração dos indivíduos, possibilitando uma maior inalação destes COVs. Em contrapartida, também foram coletadas 5 amostras outdoor, 4 delas pareadas indoor/ outdoor para uma análise comparativa das concentrações destes poluentes. Dentre os compostos orgânicos voláteis analisados, o tolueno é o BTEX mais abundante obtido neste trabalho, representando 81% destes COVs indoor. Todas as amostras medidas em pares indoor/ outdoor tiveram concentrações maiores no interior, exceto para o benzeno no dia 3/12/2010. Simples atividades usualmente realizadas pelo homem, como a inserção de piso emborrachado, manutenção do sistema de climatização artificial, e limpeza podem alterar o ar indoor. As conclusões alcançadas após as medições das concentrações de BTEX foram de que o ar indoor estava mais poluído do que o outdoor. Este monitoramento da qualidade do ar indoor ainda é escasso no Brasil. Alguns esforços tem sido feito em relação a ambientes confinados como a Portaria n&#730;3523 do Ministério da Saúde, regulamentando o controle dos ambientes climatizados e a Resolução n&#730;9 da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, além da Resolução CONAMA n &#730;3 estabelecendo padrões de qualidade do ar para alguns compostos químicos, porém muitos compostos químicos ainda não são legislados ou não possuem a devida atenção, não sendo suficientes para contemplar a complexidade do assunto / In many gyms work-out activities take place in small enclosed rooms where the climate is controlled artificially. Normally, those rooms are full of students doing their workout and trainers helping them. Intense human transpiration requires a frequent floor and equipment cleaning routine. This routine, performed at short intervals can affect the indoor air quality. This study is aimed at showing varying concentration levels of the BTEX air pollutant at a gym in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, specifically the spinning room. To monitor the air quality, activated charcoal cartridges (SKC) were used, coupled to a KNF pump with a flow rate of 1l min. For the extraction of each sample, a gas chromatographic analysis machine model 6890 was used coupled to an Agilent mass spectrometer model 5973. We analyzed a total of 34 air samples collected in the spinning room during active aerobic classes; the increased respiration from the subjects allow for a greater inhalation of VOCs. In Contrast, five samples were also collected outdoors; four of them were paired indoor / outdoor for comparative analysis of these pollutants. Among the volatile organic compounds analyzed, toluene was the most abundant BTEX found in this study, representing 81% of indoor VOCs. In all the indoor / outdoor paired samples, the concentration was higher in the interior samples, with one exception, benzene on 3/12/2010. Simple changes that can easily be done by man, such as the installation of rubberized flooring, regular maintenance of the air acclimatization equipment, and general cleanliness can greatly affect the indoor air quality. The conclusion achieved after looking at the BTEX measurements was that the indoor air was more polluted than the air outdoors. This air quality monitoring is still scarce in Brazil. Some efforts have been made in relation to confined spaces such as Ordinance n&#730; 3523 from the Ministry of Health, which regulates the air of air-conditioned environments and Resolution n&#730; 9 of the National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance, as well as Resolution CONAMA n&#730; 3 by setting standards for air quality for some chemical compounds, unfortunately many chemical compounds are not yet legislated or receive proper attention in this matter, therefore not giving this indoor air pollution matter enough grounds to address the complexity of the subject

Les populations sont exposées dans leur habitat à un nombre croissant de composés chimiques, dont les composés organiques semi-volatils (COSV). Ils se distribuent sur les surfaces, les phases particulaire et gazeuse de l’air et les poussières, participant ainsi à l’exposition des populations par ingestion, par inhalation et par contact cutané. Plusieurs de ces composés sont suspectés d’être toxiques pour l’Homme. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’évaluer, par une démarche d’évaluation des risques sanitaires, l’impact sur la santé publique des expositions aux COSV fréquemment détectés dans les logements français. Dans un premier temps, les expositions ont été estimées pour 32 composés à partir de données de contamination et de facteurs humains d’exposition comme le poids, le volume respiratoire, le temps passé dans l’habitat, etc. Les voies orale, pulmonaire et cutanée ont été agrégées pour les COSV les plus préoccupants présents dans l’habitat et pour plusieurs tranches d’âge de la naissance à 30 ans. Dans un second temps, les risques pour la santé humaine ont été modélisés à partir de ces expositions et des données disponibles sur leur toxicité. Chaque composé a été pris en compte individuellement mais également en mélange sous l’hypothèse d’additivité des doses. Ce travail a permis l’obtention de distributions représentatives des expositions des populations dans l’habitat en France et d’identifier les voies et les médias dominants pour chaque composé ainsi que les COSV les plus à risque pour une certaine proportion de la population française. / In housing, people are exposed to an increasing number of chemicals, including semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs). SVOCs are present on surfaces, in the gas phase, airborne particles and settled dust. Humans are exposed through ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact. Many of these compounds have suspected toxic effects on human health. The objective of this thesis is to assess, by a risk assessment approach, the public health risk posed by the exposure to SVOCs frequently detected in French dwellings. At first, indoor exposures were estimated for 32 compounds from contamination data and human parameters such as body weight, inhalation rate, time spent in dwellings etc. Ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact exposure pathways were aggregated for the indoor SVOCs of greatest concern and for several age groups from birth to age 30. In a second step, human health risks were modeled from these exposures and from available toxicity data. Each SVOC was considered separately and also in mixtures, based on the assumption of dose additivity. This work provided exposures distributions representative of the French population and identified the dominant media and exposure routes for each compound as well as the most at risk SVOCs for a certain portion of the French population.