Penetration of Ambient Fine Particles into the Indoor Environment

Mosley, R.B.; Greenwell, Dale; Sparks, L.E.; Guo, Zhishi; Tucker, W. Gene; Fortmann, Roy C.; Whitfield, Calvin

doi:10.1080/02786820117449

Cited by 144 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Typical pressure differences between cavities and rooms in Danish buildings at average outdoor wind velocities would be in the range of 1-10 Pa (K. T. Andersen, personal communication). Even though the penetration depends on slit geometry, the results by Mosley et al (2001) show that for the particle size range found in this study (from approximately 0.6 lm for particles smaller than the spores and up to approximately 8 lm for agglomerates of spores), the penetration through cracks could range from close to 100% to almost 0%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…This penetration is extremely dependent on spore size, the geometry of cracks, and on the pressure difference between the cavity and the room. As an example, Mosley et al (2001) measured the penetration of different particle sizes between two chambers through horizontal slits (0.5 mm wide, 102 mm deep, and 433 mm long). The penetration was measured as a function of the pressure difference.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Determination of fungal spore release from wet building materials

et al. 2003

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The release and transport of fungal spores from water-damaged building materials is a key factor for understanding the exposure to particles of fungal origin as a possible cause of adverse health effects associated to growth of fungi indoors. In this study, the release of spores from nine species of typical indoor fungi has been measured under controlled conditions. The fungi were cultivated for a period of 4-6 weeks on sterilized wet wallpapered gypsum boards at a relative humidity (RH) of approximately 97%. A specially designed small chamber (P-FLEC) was placed on the gypsum board. The release of fungal spores was induced by well-defined jets of air impacting from rotating nozzles. The spores and other particles released from the surface were transported by the air flowing from the chamber through a top outlet to a particle counter and sizer. For two of the fungi (Penicillium chrysogenum and Trichoderma harzianum), the number of spores produced on the gypsum board and subsequently released was quantified. Also the relationship between air velocities from 0.3 to 3 m/s over the surface and spore release has been measured. The method was found to give very reproducible results for each fungal isolate, whereas the spore release is very different for different fungi under identical conditions. Also, the relationship between air velocity and spore release depends on the fungus. For some fungi a significant number of particles smaller than the spore size were released. The method applied in the study may also be useful for field studies and for generation of spores for exposure studies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of fungal spore release from wet building materials

et al. 2003

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“…The envelope penetration process is influenced by several factors, including the geometry of leaks, pressure differences across the envelope, air velocities through leaks, and particle size (Liu and Nazaroff, 2001;Nazaroff, 2004). To date, specific measurements of particle penetration factors have been made in fewer than approximately 50 homes worldwide (Chao et al, 2003;Long et al, 2001;Mosley et al, 2001;Rim et al, 2010Rim et al, , 2013Stephens andSiegel, 2012, 2013;Thatcher and Layton, 1995;Thatcher et al, 2003;Vette et al, 2001;Zhu et al, 2005). Each of these studies has varied considerably in their measurement approach, test duration, resulting uncertainty in parameter estimates, and the sizes and classes of particles that were measured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using portable particle sizing instrumentation to rapidly measure the penetration of fine and ultrafine particles in unoccupied residences

Zhao

Stephens

2016

Indoor Air

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Much of human exposure to particulate matter of outdoor origin occurs inside buildings, particularly in residences. The particle penetration factor through leaks in a building's exterior enclosure assembly is a key parameter that governs the infiltration of outdoor particles. However, experimental data for size-resolved particle penetration factors in real buildings, as well as penetration factors for fine particles less than 2.5 μm (PM ) and ultrafine particles less than 100 nm (UFPs), remain limited, in part because of previous limitations in instrumentation and experimental methods. Here, we report on the development and application of a modified test method that utilizes portable particle sizing instrumentation to measure size-resolved infiltration factors and envelope penetration factors for 0.01-2.5 μm particles, which are then used to estimate penetration factors for integral measures of UFPs and PM . Eleven replicate measurements were made in an unoccupied apartment unit in Chicago, IL to evaluate the accuracy and repeatability of the test procedure and solution methods. Mean estimates of size-resolved penetration factors ranged from 0.41 ± 0.14 to 0.73 ± 0.05 across the range of measured particle sizes, while mean estimates of penetration factors for integral measures of UFPs and PM were 0.67 ± 0.05 and 0.73 ± 0.05, respectively. Average relative uncertainties for all particle sizes/classes were less than 20%.

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“…Previous investigations of the penetration of outdoor airborne particulate matter have generally occurred in four forms, including: (i) modeling efforts (Liu and Nazaroff, 2001); (ii) laboratory measurements of building envelope structures (Liu and Nazaroff, 2003;Mosley et al, 2001); (iii) measurement of indooroutdoor concentration ratios (or Ôinfiltration factorsÕ) during periods free of indoor sources (e.g., Abt et al, 2000;Bennett and Koutrakis, 2006;Bhangar et al, 2011;Fogh et al, 1997;McAuley et al, 2010), which are sometimes coupled with models to estimate penetration factors from measured data (e.g., Long et al, 2001;Lunden et al, 2003;Vette et al, 2001;Williams et al, 2003;Zhu et al, 2005); and (4) specific particle penetration methods applied in buildings (Chao et al, 2003;Rim et al, 2010;Thatcher and Layton, 1995;Thatcher et al, 2003). Chen and Zhao (2011) present an extensive review of many of these studies, but the previous studies on specific particle penetration methods provide the most relevant motivation for this work.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Penetration of ambient submicron particles into single-family residences and associations with building characteristics

2012

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Results from this work suggest that knowledge of simple building characteristics (i.e., the year of construction and blower door test results) may be used to predict the ability of outdoor particles to infiltrate into single-family residences, which could facilitate easier estimates of indoor exposures to outdoor particulate matter across the building stock. The methods within can also be extended to other buildings and can be used to assess possible changes in penetration factors because of envelope retrofits. Because outdoor particle size distributions were not measured during this study, these tests should also be repeated with size-resolved particle instrumentation.

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Penetration of Ambient Fine Particles into the Indoor Environment

Cited by 144 publications

References 3 publications

Determination of fungal spore release from wet building materials

Determination of fungal spore release from wet building materials

Using portable particle sizing instrumentation to rapidly measure the penetration of fine and ultrafine particles in unoccupied residences

Penetration of ambient submicron particles into single-family residences and associations with building characteristics

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