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TVOCs and PM 2.5 in Naturally Ventilated Homes: Three Case Studies in a Mild Climate

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  • Jesica Fernández-Agüera

    (Instituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, 41004 Seville, Spain)

  • Samuel Dominguez-Amarillo

    (Instituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, 41004 Seville, Spain)

  • Marco Fornaciari

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile ed Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy)

  • Fabio Orlandi

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile ed Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy)

Abstract

In southern Europe, the present stock of social housing is ventilated naturally, with practice varying in the different seasons of the year. In winter, windows are kept closed most of the day with the exception of short periods for ventilation, whereas the rest of the year the windows are almost permanently open. In cold weather, air changes depend primarily on the air infiltrating across the envelope and when the temperature is warm, on the air flowing in through open windows. CO 2 , PM 2.5 , and TVOC concentration patterns were gathered over a year’s time in three social housing developments in southern Europe with different airtightness conditions and analyzed to determine possible relationships between environmental parameters and occupants’ use profiles. Correlations were found between TVOC and CO 2 concentrations, for human activity was identified as the primary source of indoor contaminants: peak TVOC concentrations were related to specific household activities such as cooking or leisure. Indoor and outdoor PM 2.5 concentrations were likewise observed to be correlated, although not linearly due to the presence of indoor sources. Ventilation as presently practiced in winter appears to be insufficient to dilute indoor contaminants in all three buildings, nor does summertime behavior guarantee air quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Jesica Fernández-Agüera & Samuel Dominguez-Amarillo & Marco Fornaciari & Fabio Orlandi, 2019. "TVOCs and PM 2.5 in Naturally Ventilated Homes: Three Case Studies in a Mild Climate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-22, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:22:p:6225-:d:284376
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Maria Chiara Pietrogrande & Lucia Casari & Giorgia Demaria & Mara Russo, 2021. "Indoor Air Quality in Domestic Environments during Periods Close to Italian COVID-19 Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-12, April.
    2. Magdalena Baborska – Narożny & Maria Kostka, 2022. "Seasonal Air Quality in Bedrooms with Natural, Mechanical or Hybrid Ventilation Systems and Varied Window Opening Behavior-Field Measurement Results," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Rui Zhu & Yang Lv & Zhimeng Wang & Xi Chen, 2021. "Prediction of the Hypertension Risk of the Elderly in Built Environments Based on the LSTM Deep Learning and Bayesian Fitting Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Fernando del Ama Gonzalo & Matthew Griffin & Jacob Laskosky & Peter Yost & Roberto Alonso González-Lezcano, 2022. "Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings of New England through Actual Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, January.
    5. Samuel Domínguez-Amarillo & Jesica Fernández-Agüera & Sonia Cesteros-García & Roberto Alonso González-Lezcano, 2020. "Bad Air Can Also Kill: Residential Indoor Air Quality and Pollutant Exposure Risk during the COVID-19 Crisis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-33, September.

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