Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Ventilation Positive Pressure Intervention Effect on IAQ in a School Building with Moisture Problems

Camilla Vornanen-Winqvist
* ,
Kati Järvi
,
Sander Toomla
,
Kaiser Ahmed
,
Maria A. Andersson
,
Raimo Mikkola
ORCID logo ,
Tamas Marik
,
Laszlo Kredics
ORCID logo ,
Heidi Salonen
,
Jarek Kurnitski
Version 1 : Received: 30 November 2017 / Approved: 1 December 2017 / Online: 1 December 2017 (07:06:04 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Vornanen-Winqvist, C.; Järvi, K.; Toomla, S.; Ahmed, K.; Andersson, M.A.; Mikkola, R.; Marik, T.; Kredics, L.; Salonen, H.; Kurnitski, J. Ventilation Positive Pressure Intervention Effect on Indoor Air Quality in a School Building with Moisture Problems. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 230. Vornanen-Winqvist, C.; Järvi, K.; Toomla, S.; Ahmed, K.; Andersson, M.A.; Mikkola, R.; Marik, T.; Kredics, L.; Salonen, H.; Kurnitski, J. Ventilation Positive Pressure Intervention Effect on Indoor Air Quality in a School Building with Moisture Problems. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 230.

Journal reference: Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 230
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15020230

Abstract

This case study investigates the effects of ventilation intervention on measured and perceived indoor air quality (IAQ) in a repaired school where occupants reported IAQ problems. Occupants´ symptoms were suspected to be related to the impurities leaked indoors through the building envelope. The study’s aim was to determine whether a positive pressure of 5-7 Pa prevents the infiltration of harmful chemical and microbiological agents from structures, thus decreasing symptoms and discomfort. Ventilation intervention was conducted in a building section comprising 12 classrooms and was completed with IAQ measurements and occupants´ questionnaires. After intervention, the concentration of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decreased, and occupants´ negative perceptions became more moderate compared to those for other parts of the building. The indoor mycobiota differed in species composition from the outdoor mycobiota, and changed remarkably with the intervention, indicating that some species may have emanated from an indoor source before the intervention.

Keywords

ventilation; positive pressure; indoor air quality; mycobiota; indoor air questionnaire; moisture damage

Subject

ENGINEERING, Civil Engineering

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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