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A pilot study using scripted ventilation conditions to identify key factors affecting indoor pollutant concentration and air exchange rate in a residence

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 14, pages 1–22 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

A pilot study was conducted using an occupied, single-family test house in Columbus, OH, to determine whether a script-based protocol could be used to obtain data useful in identifying the key factors affecting air-exchange rate (AER) and the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations of selected traffic-related air pollutants. The test script called for hourly changes to elements of the test house considered likely to influence air flow and AER, including the position (open or closed) of each window and door and the operation (on/off) of the furnace, air conditioner, and ceiling fans. The script was implemented over a 3-day period (January 30–February 1, 2002) during which technicians collected hourly-average data for AER, indoor, and outdoor air concentrations for six pollutants (benzene, formaldehyde (HCHO), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx)), and selected meteorological variables. Consistent with expectations, AER tended to increase with the number of open exterior windows and doors. The 39 AER values measured during the study when all exterior doors and windows were closed varied from 0.36 to 2.29 h−1 with a geometric mean (GM) of 0.77 h−1 and a geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 1.435. The 27 AER values measured when at least one exterior door or window was opened varied from 0.50 to 15.8 h−1 with a GM of 1.98 h−1 and a GSD of 1.902. AER was also affected by temperature and wind speed, most noticeably when exterior windows and doors were closed. Results of a series of stepwise linear regression analyses suggest that (1) outdoor pollutant concentration and (2) indoor pollutant concentration during the preceding hour were the “variables of choice” for predicting indoor pollutant concentration in the test house under the conditions of this study. Depending on the pollutant and ventilation conditions, one or more of the following variables produced a small, but significant increase in the explained variance (R2-value) of the regression equations: AER, number and location of apertures, wind speed, air-conditioning operation, indoor temperature, outdoor temperature, and relative humidity. The indoor concentrations of CO, PAH, NO, and NOx were highly correlated with the corresponding outdoor concentrations. The indoor benzene concentrations showed only moderate correlation with outdoor benzene levels, possibly due to a weak indoor source. Indoor formaldehyde concentrations always exceeded outdoor levels, and the correlation between indoor and outdoor concentrations was not statistically significant, indicating the presence of a strong indoor source.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this study was provided by the American Chemistry Council under the direction of Debra Philips and by the American Petroleum Institute under the direction of Kyle Isakower.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. TRJ Environmental, Inc., Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Ted Johnson

  2. Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Jeffrey Myers, Thomas Kelly & Anthony Wisbith

  3. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Will Ollison

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  1. Ted Johnson
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  2. Jeffrey Myers
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  3. Thomas Kelly
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  4. Anthony Wisbith
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  5. Will Ollison
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Correspondence to Ted Johnson.

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Johnson, T., Myers, J., Kelly, T. et al. A pilot study using scripted ventilation conditions to identify key factors affecting indoor pollutant concentration and air exchange rate in a residence. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 14, 1–22 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500294

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