Theoretical Threshold for Estimating the Impact of Ventilation on Materials' Emissions.

ABSTRACT: In new buildings, nonoccupant VOC emissions are initially high but typically decrease within months. Increased ventilation is commonly used to improve indoor air quality, assuming it speeds up VOC off-gassing from materials. However, previous research presents inconsistent results. This review introduces a simplified analytical model to understand the ventilation-emission relationship. By combining factors such as diffusivity, emitting area, and time, the model suggests the existence of a theoretical ventilation threshold beyond which enhanced ventilation has no further influence on emission rates. A threshold of approximately 0.13 L s^-1 m^-2 emitting area has been found for various VOCs documented in the existing literature, with which the conflicting results are expl

SUBMITTER: Domhagen F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10956430 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature