Risk factors in heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems for occupant symptoms in US office buildings: the US EPA BASE study

Mendell, Mark J.; Lei-Gomez, Q.; Mirer, Anna G.; Seppänen, Olli; Brunner, Greg

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0668.2008.00531.x

Cited by 96 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Our study showed that even in non-problem buildings rather different patterns of indoor environment complaints can be found suggesting that different reference values must be used depending on which type of organisation is being studied. The ''sick building syndrome'' is often linked to office buildings (Bluyssen et al 1996;Burge et al 1987;Mendell et al 2008;Skov and Valbjorn 1987). In our study, however, the participants in office buildings were the ones who complained the least about the indoor environment, whereas employees at schools complained the most.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

The influence of individual and contextual psychosocial work factors on the perception of the indoor environment at work: a multilevel analysis

Brauer

Mikkelsen

2010

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

The influence of individual and contextual psychosocial work factors on the perception of the indoor environment at work: a multilevel analysis

Brauer

Mikkelsen

2010

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A microbiological growth may occur in an HVAC system equipped with low-efficiency filters, humidifiers that use water recycling or in areas in which water condensation remains stagnant and large recirculation of the air is present (Wu et al 2005;Huang et al 2008). Microorganisms can thus spread in the indoor air by the HVAC system and be inhaled by the people working or living in buildings (Parat et al 1997;Mendell et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of microbiological indoor air quality in an Italian office building equipped with an HVAC system

Bonetta

Mosso

Sampò

et al. 2009

Environ Monit Assess

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level and composition of bacteria and fungi in the indoor air of an Italian office building equipped with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Airborne bacteria and fungi were collected in three open-space offices during different seasons. The microbial levels in the outdoor air, supply air diffusers, fan coil air flow and air treatment unit humidification water tank were used to evaluate the influence of the HVAC system on indoor air quality (IAQ). A medium-low level of bacterial contamination (50-500 CFU/m(3)) was found in indoor air. Staphylococcus and Micrococcus were the most commonly found genera, probably due to human presence. A high fungal concentration was measured due to a flood that occurred during the winter. The indoor seasonal distribution of fungal genera was related to the fungal outdoor distribution. Significant seasonal and daily variation in airborne microorganisms was found, underlining a relationship with the frequency of HVAC system switching on/off. The results of this monitoring highlight the role of the HVAC system on IAQ and could be useful to better characterise bacterial and fungal population in the indoor air of office buildings.

show abstract

“…Previous studies have shown a strong correlation between sick building syndrome (SBS) and indoor air pollution (Sanchez et al, 1987;Burge, 2004;Jaakkola et al, 2007). Specifically, the onset of SBS, which comprises a series of symptoms such as eye irritation, airway dryness, headaches, sleepiness, skin rashes, and so on, has been attributed to the presence of biological microbes or their components (World Health Organization [WHO], 2002;Mendell et al, 2008). As a result, the effects of microbial contamination of indoor air on human health and the development of suitable control measures have attracted growing attention in recent years (Orsini et al, 2002;Douwes et al, 2003;Adhikari et al, 2004;Jones and Harrison, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan

Hsu

Huang

2012

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Taiwan, the food and drink requirements of students and faculty members are met by student cafeterias. The air quality within these cafeterias should satisfy the guidelines laid down by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (Taiwan EPA). Accordingly, this study performed an experimental investigation into the efficiency of two different gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO 2 ) treatments in disinfecting a local student cafeteria, namely a single, one-off application and a twice-daily application. In both cases, the ClO 2 was applied using strategically placed aerosol devices. The air quality before and after disinfection was evaluated by measuring the bioaerosol levels of bacteria and fungi. Moreover, a stepwise discriminant analysis method was applied for predicting the residual concentrations of bacteria and fungi, as a function of the environmental parameters and the ClO 2 concentration. The experimental results showed that the average background levels of bacteria and fungi prior to ClO 2 disinfection were 972.5 AE 623.6 and 1534.1 AE 631.8 colony-forming units (CFU)/m 3 , respectively. A single ClO 2 application was found to reduce the bacterial and fungal concentration levels by as much as 65% and 30%, respectively. By contrast, a twice-daily ClO 2 application was found to reduce the bacterial and fungal concentration levels by as much as 74% and 38%, respectively. The statistical analysis results showed that the residual bacterial concentration level was determined primarily by the number of individuals present in the cafeteria, the temperature, and the ClO 2 concentration, whereas the residual fungal concentration level was determined mainly by the temperature, the total number of suspended particles, and the ClO 2 concentration. Thus, the integrated results suggest that the air quality guidelines prescribed by the Taiwan EPA for student cafeteria can best be achieved by applying ClO 2 twice daily using an appropriate deployment of aerosol devices.Implications: ClO 2 gas can destroy all manner of microorganisms, including bacteria, spores, fungi, viruses, and even protozoans, in indoor environments. Moreover, it is popularly known that bioaerosols are able to grow and propagate on a wide variety of building materials and indoor surfaces. Thus, through optimal ClO 2 disinfection methodology, the indoor microbial contaminants can be decreased and the residual concentrations of bacteria and fungi as a function of the environmental parameters and the ClO 2 concentration can be predicted via some statistical techniques.

show abstract

Risk factors in heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems for occupant symptoms in US office buildings: the US EPA BASE study

Cited by 96 publications

References 17 publications

The influence of individual and contextual psychosocial work factors on the perception of the indoor environment at work: a multilevel analysis

The influence of individual and contextual psychosocial work factors on the perception of the indoor environment at work: a multilevel analysis

Assessment of microbiological indoor air quality in an Italian office building equipped with an HVAC system

Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About