A Review of Evidence Linking Ventilation Rates in Dwellings and Respiratory Health – A Focus on House Dust Mites and Mould

Davies, Martin; Ucci, Marcella; McCarthy, Mark; Oreszczyn, Tadj; Ridley, Ian; Mumovic, Dejan; Singh, Jagjit; Pretlove, Stephen

doi:10.1080/14733315.2004.11683911

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“… 5 10 13 Retrofits that improve indoor temperatures may have positive impacts on mental health and cardiorespiratory disease, 5 but could have negative impacts on respiratory conditions due to the increased levels of indoor pollutants. 14 15 In the UK, most of our time is spent indoors and the majority of the health impact of more airtight buildings is likely to occur over the long term through low-dose exposure. 16 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health effects of home energy efficiency interventions in England: a modelling study

et al. 2015

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ObjectiveTo assess potential public health impacts of changes to indoor air quality and temperature due to energy efficiency retrofits in English dwellings to meet 2030 carbon reduction targets.DesignHealth impact modelling study.SettingEngland.ParticipantsEnglish household population.InterventionThree retrofit scenarios were modelled: (1) fabric and ventilation retrofits installed assuming building regulations are met; (2) as with scenario (1) but with additional ventilation for homes at risk of poor ventilation; (3) as with scenario (1) but with no additional ventilation to illustrate the potential risk of weak regulations and non-compliance.Main outcomePrimary outcomes were changes in quality adjusted life years (QALYs) over 50 years from cardiorespiratory diseases, lung cancer, asthma and common mental disorders due to changes in indoor air pollutants, including secondhand tobacco smoke, PM2.5 from indoor and outdoor sources, radon, mould, and indoor winter temperatures.ResultsThe modelling study estimates showed that scenario (1) resulted in positive effects on net mortality and morbidity of 2241 (95% credible intervals (CI) 2085 to 2397) QALYs per 10 000 persons over 50 years follow-up due to improved temperatures and reduced exposure to indoor pollutants, despite an increase in exposure to outdoor-generated particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5). Scenario (2) resulted in a negative impact of −728 (95% CI −864 to −592) QALYs per 10 000 persons over 50 years due to an overall increase in indoor pollutant exposures. Scenario (3) resulted in −539 (95% CI −678 to -399) QALYs per 10 000 persons over 50 years follow-up due to an increase in indoor exposures despite the targeting of pollutants.ConclusionsIf properly implemented alongside ventilation, energy efficiency retrofits in housing can improve health by reducing exposure to cold and air pollutants. Maximising the health benefits requires careful understanding of the balance of changes in pollutant exposures, highlighting the importance of ventilation to mitigate the risk of poor indoor air quality.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health effects of home energy efficiency interventions in England: a modelling study

et al. 2015

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“…Monitoring of pollution from outdoor sources in UK dwellings include [30][31][32][33][34][35], but, at present, there is little empirical evidence to show differences in indoor concentrations across different building types despite known differences in ventilation performance. Building characteristics and ventilation appear to have an important influence on exposure to pollutants from indoor sources [36]. The role of buildings in indoor air pollution levels has been specifically examined in modelling studies.…”

Section: 1mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping indoor overheating and air pollution risk modification across Great Britain: A modelling study

Taylor

Davies

Mavrogianni

et al. 2016

Building and Environment

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Housing has long been thought to play a significant role in population exposure to environmental hazards such as high temperatures and air pollution. However, there is sparse data describing how housing may modify heat and air pollution exposure such that housing's role in poor health and mortality from these hazards may be estimated. This paper describes the development of individualaddress level indoor overheating and air pollution risk modifiers for Great Britain, for use alongside historical weather, outdoor air pollution, population socio-economic data, and mortality data in a large-scale epidemiological investigation. A geographically-referenced housing stock database was developed using the Homes Energy Efficiency Database (HEED) and the English Housing Survey (EHS). Simulations of unique combinations of building, fabric, occupation, and environment were run using a modelling framework developed for EnergyPlus 8.0, estimating indoor temperature metrics, indoor/outdoor ratio of pollution from outdoor sources, and indoor air pollution from multiple indoor sources. Results were compiled, matched back to individual properties in HEED, and the results mapped using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Results indicate urban areas had higher numbers of buildings prone to overheating, reduced levels indoor air pollution from outdoor sources, and higher air pollution from indoor sources relative to rural areas, driven largely by variations in building types. The results provide the first national-scale quantitative estimate of heat 2 and indoor air pollution modification by dwellings, aggregated at levels suitable for inclusion in health analysis.

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“…This model suggests that loose fitting windows and the absence of draught stripping account for 8% of the infiltration in dwellings. A review of the link between ventilation rate, respiratory disease, and mould has been published (Davies et al 2004). Also there is considerable anecdotal evidence of replacement windows causing mould and condensation problems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Reduction in Air Infiltration due to Window Replacement in UK Dwellings: Results of a Field Study and Telephone Survey

Oreszczyn

Mumovic

Ridley

et al. 2005

International Journal of Ventilation

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This paper reports the findings of a field study and telephone survey into the impact of window replacement on air infiltration and moisture problems in UK dwellings. The results of a telephone survey of 250 UK houses suggested that the installation of tight, well sealed replacement windows does not appear to be causing a significant increase in IAQ problems as perceived by the occupants. After having windows replaced only 2% of respondents (5 households) reported worse problems with condensation and only 1% (3 households) reported worse problems with mould. However, the results of "before and after" fan pressurisation tests on ten dwellings suggested that the installation of modern replacement windows reduced the predicted heating season mean background air change rate by an average 0.23 ac/h (standard deviation 0.08 ac/h). Analysis of the results suggests that installation of replacement windows in UK dwellings significantly reduces background infiltration rates, and that 65% of dwellings in the UK would have a predicted heating season mean air change rate below 0.5 ac/h after the installation of new windows. Houses with high moisture production, and low ventilation rates are potentially at risk from increased moisture problems after window replacement and may benefit from the installation of additional controllable ventilation during window replacement. However, the telephone survey which indicates that window replacement has not caused worsening IAQ suggests that occupants are ventilating adequately for their moisture production rates. If increased occupant venting occurs, then this may have the detrimental effect of increasing the space heating energy consumption.

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A Review of Evidence Linking Ventilation Rates in Dwellings and Respiratory Health – A Focus on House Dust Mites and Mould

Cited by 12 publications

References 51 publications

Health effects of home energy efficiency interventions in England: a modelling study

Health effects of home energy efficiency interventions in England: a modelling study

Mapping indoor overheating and air pollution risk modification across Great Britain: A modelling study

The Reduction in Air Infiltration due to Window Replacement in UK Dwellings: Results of a Field Study and Telephone Survey

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