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Tamarack believes it is important for you to know about indoor air quality and ventilation. Indoor air quality problems have the
greatest effect on children, the sick and the elderly. Ventilation is a vital part of all the mechanisms operating in a house to keep the occupants
healthy, safe, and comfortable.
On This Page: Articles About Indoor Air Quality
(IAQ)
Other Informative Selections
About Cooling
About Overheating
About Ventilation
Complete Index
Causes of Poor IAQ
There are dozens of causes of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) and ventilation won't cure them all. Many IAQ problems are caused by excessive
levels of humidity, and ventilation can help reduce the humidity levels in the building. The following are some of pollutants that can be found in a house.
Air Pollutants Commonly Encountered in Homes
| Air Pollutant | Description | Sources |
Health & Welfare Guidelines | Effects of Ventilation on Concentration |
| Formaldehyde (HCHO) | Colorless gas with a pungent odor at higher
concentrations | Furnishings, rugs, glues, some glued or processed wood products, some insulation | 0.10 ppm | Lowers Concentration | |
Radon | Colorless, odorless gas | From
ground through cracks in basement walls and floor, from ground water (wells) | 21 Pci/L (800 becquerels/m3) |
Lowers Concentration. Depressurization of the house can increase concentration. | |
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) | Colorless and odorless gas | Respiration (human and animal), fuel burning equipment, smoking |
3,500 ppm 1,000 ppm 8 hrs. (ASHRAE) | Lowers Concentration | |
Carbon Monoxide (CO) | Colorless and odorless gas | Combustion appliances, fireplaces, (can enter house if chimney and vents backdraft), smoking automotive engines (can enter house through improperly located air
intakes) | 11 ppm maximum for 8 hour exposure 25 ppm maximum for 1 hour exposure | Lowers Concentration | | Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) |
Colorless, odorless and tasteless gas formed during combustion |
Combustion appliances (for example: kerosene heaters, wood stoves), smoking | 0.05 ppm
maximum for 8 hour exposure 0.25 ppm maximum for 1 hour exposure | Lowers Concentration Should not
be present in home if appliances are vented properly | | Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) |
Most are visibly undetectable but often have a detectable smell |
Furnishings, pesticides, hobbies, crafts, adhesives, solvents, plastics, rubber products, cleaning & cooking products |
Varies depending on compound | Lowers concentration unless outside air has greater
concentration | | Water (H2O) | Humidity in the air, condensation on cooler surfaces in walls and on windows | Household activities such as
washing, bathing, showering, cooking, new furnishings, leaky basements | Suggested: Minimum 30% RH Maximum
55% RH | Winter: generally lowers RH Summer: generally raises RH | | Respirable Suspended Particulates (RSPs) | Particles less than 0.25 microns in
size suspended in the air 100 mg/m3 maximum for 1 hour exposure | Smoking, wood smoke, unvented appliances,
kerosene heaters | 40 mg/m3 maximum for 8 hour exposure |
Lowers concentration unless outside air has greater concentration |
Putting Risks in Perspective
Those of us in the ventilation field are acutely sensitized to any problem in Indoor Air Quality. But how serious are IAQ risks to home residents?
In an interesting article in the April 1998 newsletter put out by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, various "dangers in life" were ranked. This article brings a refreshing perspective to
an array of "problems" promoted one at a time by the popular press. The numbers are very difficult to scientifically quantify, and the article qualifies them as "judgmental" based on "the weight of
scientific evidence that any hazard exists, the number of Americans who might die each year (assuming the hazard is real), and the annual chance of premature fatality faced by individuals....."
They go on to urge readers to rank these hazards on their own before reading the articles conclusions: "accidentally falling, accidentally firing a gun, inhaling insulation fibers, exposure to fire
and burns, poisonings, inhaling radon gas, suffocation, exposure to electric and magnetic fields from power lines, inhaling environmental tobacco smoke, and inhaling formaldehyde emitted from building
materials."
The results are somewhat surprising. Note that this is only a brief description of the categories and the full article should be referred to.
Unintentional Hazard Evidence Deaths per year (USA) Death Rate per 100,000
1. Radon Gas Suggestive 15,000 5.8
2. Falls Definitive 8,200 3.1
3. Poisoning Definitive 8,200 3.1
4. Fires & Burns Definitive 2,900 1.1
5. Suffocation Definitive 2,100 0.8
6. Firearms Definitive 800 0.3
7. 2nd Hand Tob. Smoke Suggestive 600 2.4
8. Formaldehyde Gas Plausible 400 1.3
9. Insulation Fibers Plausible 20 .01
10. Elec. & Mag. Fields Weak NA NA
It has been suggested that we should wear helmets at home particularly on the stairs or in the bathtub! In any case, we would be happy to send you a complete copy of this report.
 Tamarack manufactures fans and controls designed to improve the air you live in. We also distribute a wide variety
of other products. Please contact us if you are concerned about the quality of the air in your home. We can help! |
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