Re: Ventilation and Health

[Guest guest]

Dr. on:

thanks for your continuing contributions to a meaningful dialog in

this forum.

the name of the multidisciplinary group was actually " EUROVEN " .

Jan Sundell, Editor-in-chief of the journal, Indoor Air, and fellow

member of ASHRAE's Environmental Health Committee, played a key role

in compiling this data.

following is the abstract:

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Abstract

Scientific literature on the effects of ventilation on health,

comfort, and productivity in non-industrial indoor environments

(offices, schools, homes, etc.) has been reviewed by a

multidisciplinary group of European scientists, called EUROVEN, with

expertise in medicine, epidemiology, toxicology, and engineering. The

group reviewed 105 papers published in peer-reviewed scientific

journals and judged 30 as conclusive, providing sufficient

information on ventilation, health effects, data processing, and

reporting, 14 as providing relevant background information on the

issue, 43 as relevant but non-informative or inconclusive, and 18 as

irrelevant for the issue discussed. Based on the data in papers

judged conclusive, the group agreed that ventilation is strongly

associated with comfort (perceived air quality) and health [sick

Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms, inflammation, infections, asthma,

allergy, short-term sick leave], and that an association between

ventilation and productivity (performance of office work) is

indicated. The group also concluded that increasing outdoor air

supply rates in non-industrial environments improves perceived air

quality; that outdoor air supply rates below 25 l/s per person

increase the risk of SBS symptoms, increase short-term sick leave,

and decrease productivity among occupants of office buildings; and

that ventilation rates above 0.5 air changes per hour (h1) in homes

reduce infestation of house dust mites in Nordic countries. The group

concluded additionally that the literature indicates that in

buildings with air-conditioning systems there may be an increased

risk of SBS symptoms compared with naturally or mechanically

ventilated buildings, and that improper maintenance, design, and

functioning of air-conditioning systems contributes to increased

prevalence of SBS symptoms.

Practical Implications

Ventilation requirements in many existing guidelines and standards

may be too low to protect occupants of offices, schools, and homes

from health and comfort problems and may not be optimal for human

productivity. Higher ventilation rates can increase energy costs in

relation to building operation, but these can be reduced by lowering

pollution loads on the air indoors, e.g., by prudent and systematic

maintenance of heating/ventilation/air-conditioning (HVAC) systems

and by reducing superfluous pollution sources indoors. Energy costs

can also be reduced by using efficient heat recovery systems. Source

control and new ways of conditioning air are required.

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respectfully submitted,

Wane

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

Wane A. Baker, P.E., CIH, RPIH

Director, Air Quality Services

" Bad air gets you down "

MICHAELS ENGINEERING INC.

811 Monitor Street, Suite 100

PO Box 2377

La Crosse, Wisconsin 54602

Phone , ext. 484

Cell

Fax

mailto:wab@...

On the web at: http://www.michaelsengineering.com

" To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be

more fun? "

- Graham

>

> The European AIRVENT group has published an interesting literature

review on the association between ventilation rate and various health

endpoints:

>

> Wargocki P, Sundell J, Bischof W, Brundrett G, Fanger PO,

Gyntelberg F, Hanssen SO, on P, Pickering A, Seppänen O &

Wouters P (2002) Ventilation and health in nonindustrial indoor

environments. Report from a European multidisciplinary scientific

consensus meeting. Indoor Air, 12, 113-128

>

> on

>

> __________________________________________________________

>

> Dr T C on, BSc, PhD, CBiol, FIBiol

[Guest guest]

Dear Wane

Thank you for putting me right about the name of the EUROVEN Group - I should

have remembered really, I was on it!! Thanks also for providing the abstract.

Anyway, pleased to know you find my contributions helpful - I will continue to

provide info when I can, albeit from a rather European oriented perspective.