Feasibility Study of an Indoor Air Quality Measurement Protocol on 12 Parameters in Mechanically Ventilated and Air-Conditioned Buildings

Abstract

The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department has recently launched a set of guidance notes on indoor air quality (IAQ) management for offices and public places. An IAQ Certification Programme will be con ducted on a self-regulatory basis that is intended to divide IAQ in mechanically ventilated buildings into three classes. Due to the large number of buildings in Hong Kong and the associated cost implications, a sim plified, operationally feasible and scientifically sound as sessment has been developed. Twenty-five government buildings covering eight different types of premises were examined in a trial-run programme to verify the validity of the proposed methodology. Among these 25 prem ises, only 1 (4%) achieved level 1 while 11 (44%) achieved the level 2 objective. The remaining 13 prem ises (52%) met the level 3 objective. High concentrations of volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide were found to be the dominating parameters that made a building unable to meet class level 2. This measurement study has also illustrated the very different nature of IAQ found in different types of buildings where the pattern of air conditioning operation and indoor air pollutant sources can influence it substantially.

Keywords

Indoor air quality certification scheme Guidance notes Measurement protocol Mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Environmental Protection Department (EPD) : Indoor Air Pollution in Offices and Public Places in Hong Kong. IAQ632-5.DOC. 1997.

Indoor Air Quality Management Group (IAQMG) , the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Guidance Notes for the Management of Indoor Air Quality in Offices and Public Places (draft) . 1999.

Chao C. , Tung T. : Radon emanation of building material: Impact of back diffusion and difference between one-dimensional and three-dimensional tests. Health Phys 1999 ;76:675-681.

Melius J. , Wallingford K. , Keenlyside R. , Carpenter J. : Indoor air quality: The NIOSH experience. Ann Am Conf Governmental Ind Hygienists 1984;10:3-7.

Seitz T. : NIOSH indoor air quality investigations: 1971 through 1988. Proc Indoor Air Quality Int Symp, 1990, pp 163-171.

US Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health : Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers. Washington, US EPA, 1991.

Crandall M. , Sieber W. : The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Indoor Environmental Evaluation Experience. 1. Building environmental evaluations. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1996;11:533-539.

Malkin R. , Wilcox T. , Sieber W. : The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Indoor Environmental Evaluation Experience. 2. Symptom prevalence. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1996;11:540-545.

Sieber W. , Stayner L. , Malkin R. , Petersen M. , Mendell M. , Wallingford K. , Crandall M. , Wilcox T. , Reed L. : The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Indoor Environmental Evaluation Experience. 3. Associations between environmental factors and self-reported health conditions. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1996;11:1387-1392.

10.

US Environmental Protection Agency : A Standardized EPA Protocol for Characterizing Indoor Air Quality in Large Office Buildings. Washington, US EPA, 1994.

11.

Maroni M. , Axelrad R. , Bacaloni A. : NATO's efforts to set indoor quality guidelines and standards. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1995;56:499-508.

12.

Seifert B. : Methods of Risk Assessment for the Indoor Environment. Kloster Banz, Germany, NATO/CCMS and European Collaborative Action, 1991.

13.

Becher R. , Hongslo J. , Bakke J. , Kvendbo J. , Sanner T. , Schwarze P. , Dybing E. : Revised guidelines for indoor air quality in Norway. Proc Indoor Air '99, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1999, vol 1, pp 171-176.

14.

Barrow C. : Environmental Management (Principles and Practice). London , Routledge, 1999.

15.

Indoor Air Quality Management Group (IAQMG) , the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Indoor Air Quality Certification Guide (draft). 2000 .

16.

US Environmental Protection Agency : Compendium Method TO-12, Method for the Determination of Non-Methane Organic Compounds (NMOC) in Ambient Air Using Cryogenic Pre-Concentration and Direct Flame Ionization Detection (PDFID). EPA-600/4-89-017. 1989.

17.

Turk B. , Brown J. , Geisling-Sobotka K. , Froehlich D. , Grimsrud D. , Harrison J. , Koonce J. , Prill R. , Revzan K. : Indoor air quality and ventilation measurements in 38 Pacific Northwest commercial Buildings. Lawrence Berkeley Lab Rep 1987;No LBL-22315.

18.

Hori H. , Arashidani K. , Kashiwazazaki H. , Futawatari T. , Ishidao T. : NO2 and volatile organic compound exposure levels in Nepal and Japan . Proc Indoor Air '99, Edinburgh , Scotland, 1999, vol 2, pp 812-817.

19.

Kim Y. , Kim S. , Kim D. : Indoor Air Quality in Seoul Subway Stations. Proceedings of Indoor Air '99, Edinburgh, Scotland 1999;2:859-863.

20.

Ashrae : Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. Atlanta, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, 1999; ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62-1999.

21.

Stanke D. : Ventilation through the years: A perspective. ASHRAE J, Aug 1999, pp 40-43.

22.

Committee of European Normalisation (CEN) : Ventilation for Buildings: Performance Requirements for Ventilation and Air-Conditioning Systems (draft prEN 13779). 1999.