The Role of Construction Textiles in Indoor Environmental Pollution

Abstract

Microbial contamination (mold, mildew, bacteria, fungus) is a leading cause of indoor environmental contamination and has generated serious concerns in the construction and building industries. Recent court cases in Texas and other states have required builders to redefine their role in dealing with the issue of microbial contamination during construction.Microbes are diverse, found everywhere, and highly adaptive. They cause shortand long-term problems within buildings through staining and deteriorating (corrosion, rotting, etc.) the structure as well as generating foul odors in the living environment. They can also cause human problems such as building related illnesses (BRI), sick building syndrome (SBS), hypersensitivity pneumonitis, allergic disorders, and infectious disorders (including Legionnaire's Disease).Construction textiles, which are important components of the building envelope, are key factors to indoor environmental quality. Virtually any housewrap, insulation, sealant, and exterior or interior treatment, can create significant microbiological problems for the indoor environment. This presentation identifies common construction materials and installation practices that contribute to microbial contamination in buildings. It also demonstrates how these materials and practices can be altered to control microbial contamination during construction and once the building is occupied.

Durability of textile facing materials for construction: Implementation of an accelerated aging test by hydrolysis

“…For this reason, we selected H 2 SO 4 . Since the boiling temperature of SO 4 2À is 337 C, setting the test temperature to 70 C did not create a constraint. Finally, the selected concentration was 0.3 mol/L, so that the pH level could be set to 0.5.…”

“…Furthermore, textiles are increasingly used as roofing membranes [4]. For example, many football stadiums have textile roofs, and a large number of stadiums will be built or renovated using textiles.…”

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Technological Advances, Impacts and Challenges in the Management of Healthy and Sustainable Environments

“…Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) emerged as an important concept, considering air quality, low-emission building materials, humidity control and thermal comfort. Buildings have been designed to minimize exposure to chemical substances and allergens to improve users' well-being [82][83][84].…”

“…In the early 2000s, increased concerns about climate change, including global warming, led to the priority of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. Efforts were focused on developing low-carbon facilities, incorporating technologies such as solar panels, energy recovery systems and sustainable construction strategies [85,86] to achieve energy savings, pollutant control and better performance [82].…”

DAHP Expected Utility Based Evaluation Model for Management Performance on Interior Environmental Decoration – An Example in Taiwan

“…Designers with green energy design competence and house owners presenting agreement with low-carbon life are the key factors in getting rid of pollution from interior environmental decoration. Air pollution and noise pollution from construction equipment (Sellappan and Janakiraman, 2014), pollution from building materials with chemical toxicant (Gerber and Yacoubian, 2002), and textiles building material pollution (White and Kuehl, 2002) are the common pollution in the interior environmental decoration of houses and the use process. Zheng et al (2011) pointed out the factors of ventilation performance, temperature, humidity, and interior pollution (Ojeda-Benítez et al, 2013); and, Lee and Levermore (2012) indicated that loft and wall insulation decreased internal air temperatures by up to 17% and low e glazing with louvres by up to 8%.…”