Indoor Air Quality Requirements in Green Building Certifications

International audienceGreen building certifications aim to achieve sustainable buildings that are healthy, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly. To construct healthy built environments for occupants, a high indoor environment quality (IEQ) has to be maintained. The goal of this paper is to analyze how and to what extent indoor air quality (IAQ), as a subset of IEQ, is taken into account in green building certifications worldwide. Thus, IAQ requirements were reviewed in 31 green building certifications from 30 countries worldwide. These certification programs include 13 countries in Asia, 9 in Europe, 5 in Americas, 2 in Oceania, and 1 in Africa. Fifty-five green building schemes were selected from among the 31 certifications. Rating systems are commonly used in green building schemes to evaluate the capability and level of a building to achieve life-cycle sustainability. The average contribution of IAQ to green building schemes worldwide is 2 7.5%. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the indoor air pollutants most frequently considered. Ozone (O3) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are mentioned in less than 6.7% of the certifications worldwide. Emission source control, ventilation, and indoor air measurement are the three main pathways used in green building schemes for IAQ management. All of the certifications include ventilation as a way to manage IAQ. Emission source control is included in 77% of the certifications and is mainly targeted at building material emissions. Indoor air measurement is included in 65% of the certifications but may be optional

A long-term dynamic model for predicting the concentration of semivolatile organic compounds in indoor environments: application to phthalates

International audienceSemivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in indoor environments can partition into the gas phase, airborne particles, and settled dust and onto available surfaces. A long-term dynamic model was developed to predict the hourly concentrations of SVOCs over a year in the gas phase, airborne particles, and settled dust and on each sink surface. The model takes into account mass transfer mechanisms, the reactivity of SVOCs with oxidants indoors, and the influence of four indoor environmental factors (the air temperature, relative humidity, concentration of indoor airborne particles, and air exchange rate) on the mass transfer parameters. The model was validated for DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) and BBzP (butyl benzyl phthalate) by comparing the predicted concentrations in all the phases with the measured concentrations obtained in an environmental chamber and a test house. The model was then used to predict the hourly averaged concentration of BBzP in all the phases under real environmental conditions over a year. More than 52% of the variance in the BBzP concentration was found to be associated with the covariance of the environmental factors. The air exchange rate contributed to 16% of the variance in the concentration. In addition, the indoor air temperature and relative humidity contributed 9% of the variance in the gas-phase concentration of BBzP and 7% of the variance in the settled dust concentration of BBzP. The variance in the concentration of the total suspended particles contributed 10% of the variance in the BBzP concentration on the walls and windows

Monitoring indoor air quality in French schools and day-care centres. Results from the first phase of a pilot survey

International audienceIndoor air quality surveillance in public premises, especially those hosting vulnerable populations such as children, was introduced in the second French national environment and health action plan and then regulated by the first "Grenelle Environnement" law, on August 3rd, 2009. A national pilot monitoring survey of indoor air quality in 310 French schools and day-care centres was performed in two phases from 2009 to 2011. The results of the first phase show that air quality is overall acceptable in 90% of the establishments with respect to the management values suggested by the French committee for public health. Nonetheless, a few cases required additional diagnoses or corrective measures. Furthermore, air stuffiness (based on CO2 measurements) was found to be very high in 16% of the classrooms. The Mayors and School Principals were informed and provided with means to identify the main sources of pollution and to implement remediation actions

Cumulative indoor exposures to Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs) in France: the ECOS project.

International audienceSemivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are widely used indoor as plasticizers, flame retardants, or pesticides. They are present in indoor environments both in air (as gas and suspended particles) and settled dust. Thus exposition to possibly harmful agents: (phthalates, polybromodiphenylethers, organophosphorous compounds...) occurs (Mitchell et al. 2007;Wu et al. 2007). Here is presented the framework of the ECOS project, which objective is to assess domestic cumulative exposure to these substances and associated health risks

Predicting indoor ozone and NOx concentrations

International audienceSimple modelling of indoor chemistry using FACSIMILE softwar

Applicability and relevance of six indoor air quality indexes

International audienceThe evaluation of indoor air quality (IAQ) in buildings is complex because IAQ involves a broad spectrum of substances and agents that vary over time and space. To address this complexity, IAQ indexes are used to describe, classify and improve IAQ by providing easy-to-understand and comprehensive rankings of IAQ levels in buildings. Although many IAQ indexes have been proposed all over the world, their relevancy regarding the evaluation of IAQ levels has not been fully studied in a large number of dwellings. In this study, six measurement-based IAQ indexes proposed for use in the USA, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong were evaluated. The calculation of IAQ levels was based on nine indoor parameters measured in 567 French dwellings, i.e., indoor air temperature, relative humidity, and concentrations of formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds, radon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, PM2.5, and PM10. A factorial analysis using the multiple correspondence analysis and the hierarchical cluster analysis methods was performed to determine whether the calculated IAQ levels of different indexes in the studied dwellings were repeatable across all indexes. The results showed that three of the indexes tended to provide only positive IAQ ratings, while the other three indexes were more discriminating. Three classes of IAQ levels in dwellings, along with indoor parameters associated with each class, were identified. All of the indoor parameters were associated with the classification of IAQ 2 levels, while the formaldehyde concentration and relative humidity were the key parameters to identify the dwellings with the best IAQ

Risk assessment of biogas in kitchens

International audienceThe health risk associated with human exposure to pollutants while using biogas for cooking was assessed following the methodology described by the US - National Research Council. Information of hazardous compounds and compositions of several biogas types were extracted from scientific literature. Compositions were dependent on the biogas origin (production process). First, a quantitative approach was conducted to identify substances with a high health risk based on their Human Toxicity Values. Then, a subsequent qualitative analysis was performed to complete the health risk assessment based on other toxicology data, effectiveness of purification processes, variability of the waste materials used for biogas generation and, when possible, a comparison with natural gas. The main conclusion of the study was that the injection in the grid of upgraded biogas originating from household and organic waste landfills, did not present an increase of health risks when compared to the domestic use of natural gas

Base de référence nationale sur la qualité de l'air intérieur et le confort des occupants de bâtiments performants en énergie : deuxième état descriptif de la qualité de l'air intérieur et du confort de bâtiments d'habitation performants en énergie

Ce travail, réalisé dans le cadre de la convention 2014-2015 du programme "Bâtiments Performants en Énergie" de l'OQAI, fournit un deuxième état descriptif des données de qualité de l'environnement intérieur de bâtiments d'habitation performants en énergie. Il porte sur les données d'enquête relatives à 72 logements répartis dans 43 bâtiments. Le rapport, structuré en trois parties, présente : 1 /les caractéristiques des bâtiments, des logements et de leurs occupants ; 2 /les résultats des mesures de concentration du CO2, des indicateurs de qualité d'air intérieur, des paramètres de confort thermique et des débits/pressions aux bouches des systèmes de ventilation mécanique ainsi que la mise en perspective de ces résultats avec la population nationale de logements et les réglementations en vigueur non spécifiques à l'habitat ; 3/ les résultats d'une étude exploratoire sur l'influence de trois variables d'intérêt liées au bâtiment (pièce de mesure, type d'habitat et catégorie de logement) sur la qualité de l'environnement intérieur. Cette deuxième exploitation des données de la base nationale OQAI-BPE confirme les premières tendances observées lors de la première étude, à savoir une qualité de l'air intérieur globalement comparable dans les logements performants en énergie étudiés par rapport à la population nationale de logements, avec néanmoins quelques différences mises en évidence. Ainsi, dans les logements performants en énergie, on observe un indice de contamination fongique plus élevé en proportion, des concentrations en hexaldéhyde, alpha-pinène et limonène plus élevées, et des températures intérieures plus élevées. La suite de l'exploitation de la base OQAI-BPE vise à l'analyse approfondie des données de mesures en fonction des caractéristiques des bâtiments et de leurs occupants

Measuring perceived air quality and intensity by means of sensor systems:The European project SysPAQ

International audienceAt present, indoor air quality is assessed exclusively by human panels. As this method is time consuming and cost intensive, little attention is paid to indoor air quality in the planning and operation of buildings. In recent years multi-gas sensor systems have been developed in order to mimic the human sense of smell. These systems comprise an array of gas sensors, with sensors of different sensitivity and selectivity, and a data processing unit. Up to now the sensors are not sensitive enough to mimic the perception of a human being. To further the development of these systems, the European research project SysPAQ (Innovative Sensor System for Measuring Perceived Air Quality and Brand Specific Odours) was started in September 2006. It will end in September 2009

Physical activity and exercise for the prevention and management of mild cognitive impairment and dementia:A collaborative international guideline

Background: Physical activity and exercise have been suggested as effective interventions for the prevention and management of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, but there are no international guidelines. Objectives: To create a set of evidence- and expert consensus-based prevention and management recommendations regarding physical activity (any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure) and exercise (a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive), applicable to a range of individuals from healthy older adults to those with MCI/dementia. Methods: Guideline content was developed with input from several scientific and lay representatives' societies. A systematic search across multidisciplinary databases was carried out until October 2021. Recommendations for prevention and management were developed according to the GRADE and complemented by consensus statements from the expert panels. Recommendations: Physical activity may be considered for the primary prevention of dementia. In people with MCI there is continued uncertainty about the role of physical activity in slowing the conversion to dementia. Mind-body interventions have the greatest supporting evidence. In people with moderate dementia, exercise may be used for maintaining disability and cognition. All these recommendations were based on a very low/low certainty of evidence. Conclusions: Although the scientific evidence on the beneficial role of physical activity and exercise in preserving cognitive functions in subjects with normal cognition, MCI or dementia is inconclusive, this panel, composed of scientific societies and other stakeholders, recommends their implementation based on their beneficial effects on almost all facets of health