Seminar 61 Do You Know What You Are Breathing?: Indoor Air Contaminants

Wednesday, June 28, 2017: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
Fundamentals and Applications
Chair: Kyung-Ju Choi, Ph.D., Clean & Science
Technical Committee: 2.3 Gaseous Air Contaminants and Gas Contaminant Removal Equipment
CoSponsor: 2.4 Particulate Air Contaminants and Particulate Contaminant Removal Equipment
Indoor air contaminants such as PM2.5, dust, smoke, formaldehyde, radon, NOx, SOx, O3, VOCs, sVOCs such as phthalate, odor, airborne allergens, mold, bacteria and viruses have been linked to adverse health effects. This seminar provides information that helps assess the impact of the indoor air contaminants as well as understand current methods of removing them by means of air cleaning devices.

1  Fate and Transport of Phthalates in Indoor Environments and the Influence of Temperature: A Case Study

Chenyang Bi, The University of Texas at Austin
Ying Xu, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
A case study in a test house was conducted to investigate the fate and transport of benzyl butyl phthalate (BBzP) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in residential indoor environments and the influence of temperature. Total airborne concentrations of phthalates were sensitive to indoor temperatures, and their steady-state concentration levels increased by a factor of three with an increase in temperature from 21 to 30 ºC. Strong sorption of phthalates was observed on interior surfaces, including dust, dish plates, windows, mirrors, fabric cloth and wood.

2  Impact of Residential HVAC Filters on Indoor Air Quality

John Zhang, Ph.D., 3M Personal Care Division
Filtration and ventilation are commonly used to remove or dilute airborne contaminants and improve indoor air quality. This presentation concentrates on the effectiveness of residential HVAC filters for reducing air contaminants in residential buildings. To assess the efficacy of residential HVAC filters, efficiencies and pressure drops of filters of different MERV levels were first measured according to ASHRAE 52.2. Then an indoor air quality (IAQ) model was applied to characterize health-relevant indoor aerosols in different residences with various combinations of filter types and ventilation conditions. Modeling results are discussed in the presentation.

3  Effectiveness of Residential Air Cleaning Devices in Removal of Particulate and Gaseous Pollutants: A Review

Thad Ptak, Ph.D., A. O. Smith Corporation
Indoor air pollution is an environmental health risk. The methods of reducing concentration of indoor contaminants vary, depending on the design of the air cleaning device, its location and on the contaminant phase. Air cleaning devices can be categorized by the type of contaminant that they remove, particulate and gas phase. This presentation covers recent studies of various filtration methods and their effectiveness in removal of particulate and gas phase pollutants. Test methods used to assess the performance of air cleaning devices are presented and their applicability to various contaminants is discussed.
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