Pollutant Sources
There are many sources
of indoor air pollution in any home. These include
combustion sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood,
and tobacco products; building materials and furnishings as
diverse as deteriorated, asbestos-containing insulation, wet
or damp carpet, and cabinetry or furniture made of certain
pressed wood products; products for household cleaning and
maintenance, personal care, or hobbies; central heating and
cooling systems and humidification devices; and outdoor
sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air
pollution.
The relative
importance of any single source depends on how much of a
given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those emissions
are. In some cases, factors such as how old the source is
and whether it is properly maintained are significant. For
example, an improperly adjusted gas stove can emit
significantly more carbon monoxide than one that is properly
adjusted.
Some sources, such as
building materials, furnishings, and household products like
air fresheners, release pollutants more or less
continuously. Other sources, related to activities carried
out in the home, release pollutants intermittently. These
include smoking, the use of unvented or malfunctioning
stoves, furnaces, or space heaters, the use of solvents in
cleaning and hobby activities, the use of paint strippers in
redecorating activities, and the use of cleaning products
and pesticides in housekeeping. High pollutant
concentrations can remain in the air for long periods after
some of these activities.
Amount of
Ventilation
If too little outdoor
air enters a home, pollutants can accumulate to levels that
can pose health and comfort problems. Unless they are built
with special mechanical means of ventilation, homes that are
designed and constructed to minimize the amount of outdoor
air that can "leak" into and out of the home may
have higher pollutant levels than other homes. However,
because some weather conditions can drastically reduce the
amount of outdoor air that enters a home, pollutants can
build up even in homes that are normally considered
"leaky."
How Does Outdoor
Air Enter A House
Outdoor air enters and
leaves a house by: infiltration, natural ventilation, and
mechanical ventilation. In a process known as infiltration,
outdoor air flows into the house through openings, joints,
and cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings, and around
windows and doors. In natural ventilation, air moves through
opened windows and doors. Air movement associated with
infiltration and natural ventilation is caused by air
temperature differences between indoors and outdoors and by
wind. Finally, there are a number of mechanical ventilation
devices, from outdoor-vented fans that intermittently remove
air from a single room, such as bathrooms and kitchen, to
air handling systems that use fans and duct work to
continuously remove indoor air and distribute filtered and
conditioned outdoor air to strategic points throughout the
house. The rate at which outdoor air replaces indoor air is
described as the air exchange rate. When there is little
infiltration, natural ventilation, or mechanical
ventilation, the air exchange rate is low and pollutant
levels can increase.
What if I live in
an apartment?
Apartments can have
the same indoor air problems as single-family homes because
many of the pollution sources, such as the interior building
materials, furnishings, and household products, are similar.
Indoor air problems similar to those in offices are caused
by such sources as contaminated ventilation systems,
improperly placed outdoor air intakes, or maintenance
activities.
Solutions to air
quality problems in apartments, as in homes and offices,
involve such actions as: eliminating or controlling the
sources of pollution, increasing ventilation, and installing
air cleaning devices. Often a resident can take the
appropriate action to improve the indoor air quality by
removing a source, altering an activity, unblocking an air
supply vent, or opening a window to temporarily increase the
ventilation; in other cases, however, only the building
owner or manager is in a position to remedy the problem.
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today!
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