High-frequency fluctuations of indoor pressure: A potential driving force for vapor intrusion in urban areas.

ABSTRACT: In this study, we examine the impact of a building's indoor pressure fluctuations in drawing subsurface volatile contaminants into the building, and how the presence of an impervious pavement surrounding the building influences this. Even in the absence of communication between the subsurface soil gas and ambient air fluctuations of building indoor pressure can cause upward advection of contaminated soil gas from the subfoundation zone into a building. For cases with the paved ground surface, the simulated volumetric soil gas entry rates are lower than steady-state cases with constant -5 indoor-outdoor pressure difference, by at least half an order of magnitude. When the indoor pressure fluctuation rate exceeds about 5 Pa/h (which corresponds a sinusoidal fluctuation with a period of 2 h),

SUBMITTER: Yao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7532941 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature