• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.140-151
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• 2019

It is to assess the indoor air quality of the chemical hazardous materials exposed to the fire after firefighters returned to the fire scene. The research subject randomly selected four fire stations located in Seoul, Korea. Two fire stations were set up as control groups after the return of the firefighting activities at the actual fire scene, and two other fire stations were set up as control groups to measure the air quality of the room at normal levels regardless of the action. We conducted 24-hour monitoring for all fire accidents that occurred in Seoul Metropolitan using fire safety map computer system. Also, indoor air quality was measured immediately after homecoming if the experiment group was to be dispatched due to an accident of intermediate or larger scale. 11 hazardous substance items such as fine dust, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, PAH, VCM, acidity, asbestos, CO₂, NO₂, O₃ were measured according to the process test method. Three of 11 types of harmful substances exceeded domestic and foreign standards, and one of them was found to be close to foreign standards. In particular, total volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide and sulfuric acids were 2.5 times, 2.2 times and 1.1 times higher than the standard. Also, for formaldehyde and sulfuric acid, it was measured higher in the control group than in the case group. This findings could be used in policies to improve indoor air quality in the fire station of the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.89-94
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• 2010

A large portion of the energy cost of a building is cooling and heating to maintain a comfortable indoor environment. Air conditioning is now one of the important parts in the building design, as increase in energy consumption and pollutant emission in energy conversion process. In this study, elements that affects the energy consumption of model building are identified and the perfomance analysis of the alternative a Low Energy Cooling Systems considering characteristics of model building and energy saving performance is analyzed. In this study, elements that affect the energy consumption of office building are identified and energy saving performance of the alternative air conditioning system is analyzed. As a result, applied to earn and suggest basic data for energy saving measures. In this study, EnergyPlus simulation program was used to evaluate the energy load when alternative Low Energy Cooling Systems are applied to the model building. The reliability of simulation program is verified by comparing actual energy load from operation data of building management office and predicted energy load using simulation program. For Low Energy Cooling System application which considers the purpose and characteristics of the building, reasonable and energy-saving air conditioning method obtained by analyzing energy consumption elements for each expected air conditioning methods is used to deduct result of this study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2021.05a
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• pp.74-75
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• 2021

In the recent 2017 annual average fine dust concentration (PM2.5) statistics released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Korea has a high concentration of 25.14㎍/m3, which is about twice the average of 12.5㎍/m3 in OECD countries. Fine dust (PM2.5) is the main source of secondary pollutant production by the reaction of primary pollutants emitted from automobiles and thermal power plants, mainly composed of sulfates, nitrates, and organic carbon. The permeable block is an eco-friendly product that prevents rainwater from collecting on the surface of the road because it does not penetrate the groundwater properly, and is widely constructed on sidewalks or parking lots to recharge groundwater in case of rain. In addition, the pavement of the permeable block is a fundamental solution to reduce pollution by preventing rainwater from flowing into the stream, and it also has the advantage of easy replacement as well as low replacement costs. Therefore, this study was a basic experiment to produce permeable blocks mixed with TiO2 and diatomite to improve indoor air quality, and intended to analyze the flexural strength and compressive strength of permeable blocks mixed with TiO2.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.319-329
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• 2017

In this study, formaldehyde concentrations in two exhibition halls were monitored using a passive sampler from May 2012 to April 2013. Formaldehyde concentrations in the exhibition halls were 5 to 36 times higher than concentrations outdoors. Concentrations inside the exhibition room and showcase varied according to pollutant source, HVAC(heating, ventilation, air conditioning)system and environment management. The formaldehyde concentration levels were corrected according to a standard method prescribed by Indoor Air Quality Management Law of the Ministry of Environment, Korea. As a result, Most concentration levels exceeded the exhibition standard of the Ministry of Environment($100{\mu}g/m^3$) and artifacts conservation standard of Tokyo National Museum($50{\mu}g/m^3$). Seasonal concentrations in the exhibition room and showcase were in the order summer>fall>spring>winter. Formaldehyde emissions increased in summer when air temperature and relative humidity are both high. Formaldehyde concentration distribution according to the temperature and relative humidity showed positive correlation. Air temperature showed good correlation because $R^2$ was in the range of 0.8~0.9. Analysis of formaldehyde emission characteristics in the exhibition hall would be helpful in efforts to improve indoor air quality.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.93-106
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• 2022

Ventilation plays an important role in controlling indoor air quality. Due to the recent spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and with people spending more time indoors, there's been increased attention on the importance of ventilation performance. In many countries, ventilation is regulated by airflow rates and the number of air changes per hour (ACH). However, airflow rates and ACH alone do not provide an accurate account of actual indoor pollutant removal and ventilation uniformity in a space. This study looked into the ventilation performance of an actual residential unit using several sampling points instead of basing it off of airflow and air change rates. Literature review was used to derive relevant influencing factors and the tracer gas dilution method was used for the field test. The study measured air velocity, age of air, and ventilation efficiency at several locations and compared them to the average value at the center of the test space to determine the differences in ventilation performance at the selected measurement points. The study showed that different sampling locations resulted in different ventilation values. Findings of this study will be used to develop an experimental procedure for evaluating indoor ventilation performance of actual residential spaces.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.42-46
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• 2012

In this study, a mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) activated using KOH was applied to the adsorption of formaldehyde, a representative indoor air pollutant. Activation process was carried out by putting KOH-treated CMK-3 in a reactor maintained at $700^{\circ}C$ in $N_2$ atmosphere. The activated sample was characterized using BET, XRD, XPS and FT-IR analysis. The formaldehyde adsorption performance of the mesoporous carbon was improved, which is attributed to the formation of oxygen and nitrogen functional groups on the mesoporous carbon surface by the activation process.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.72-84
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• 2013

In the study, pollution levels of indoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in public facilities (vapor phase or particulate phase) were evaluated, and a health risk assessment (HRA) was carried out based on exposure scenarios. Public facilities in Korea covered by the law, including underground subway stations, funeral halls, child care facilities, internet cafes (PC-rooms), and exhibition facilities (6 locations for each type of facility, for a total of 48 locations), were investigated for indoor assessment. For the HRA, individual excess cancer risk (ECR) was estimated by applying main toxic equivalency factor (TEF) values suggested in previous studies. Among the eight public facilities, internet cafes showed the highest average $PM_{2.5}$ concentration at $110.0{\mu}g/m^3$ (range: $83.5-138.5{\mu}g/m^3$). When assuming a risk of facility exposure time based upon the results of the surveys for each public facility, the excess cancer risk using the benzo(a)pyrene indicator assessment method was estimated to be $10^{-7}-10^{-6}$ levels for each facility. Based on the risk associated with various TEF values, the excess cancer risk based upon the seven types cancer EPA (1993) and Malcolm & Dobson's (1994) assessment method was estimated to be $10^{-7}-10^{-5}$ for each facility. The excess cancer risk estimated from the TEF EPA (2010) assessment was the highest: $10^{-7}-10^{-4}$ for each facility. This is due to the 10-fold difference between the TEF of dibenzo(a,e)fluoranthene in 2010 and in 1994. The internet cafes where smoking was the clear pollutant showed the highest risk level of $10^{-4}$, which exceeded the World Health Organization's recommended risk of $1{\times}10^{-6}$. All facilities, with the exception of internet cafes, showed a $10^{-6}$ risk level. However, when the TEFs values of the US EPA (2010) were applied, the risk of most facilities in this study exceeded $1{\times}10^{-6}$.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.143-152
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide basic data for air pollutant exposure modelling and understanding the contribution of respective microenvironments by assessing the time-activity patterns of Korean students according to variables such as grade, sex, weekday, and weekend. Methods: In this study, we compared the residential time of 521 (both weekday and weekend) lower elementary students, 1,735 (1,054 on weekdays, 681 on weekends) upper elementary students, 2,210 (1,294 on weekdays, 916 on weekends) middle school students, and 2,366 (1,387 on weekdays, 979 on weekends) high school students in different microenvironments according to grade, sex, weekday, and weekend. We used data from the 2014 Time-Use Survey by the Korean National Statistical Office for upper elementary students through high school students, and surveyed time-activity patterns of 521 lower elementary students aged 7-9 years. Each microenvironment was divided into indoor, outdoor, and transport. Indoor environments were divided into home, school, and other places. In addition, the results of previous studies were compared to this study. Results: Weekday time-activity patterns of Korean students indicated that lower elementary students spent $16.02{\pm}2.53hr$ in the home and $5.37{\pm}2.32hr$ in school. Upper elementary students spent $14.11{\pm}1.79hr$ in the home and $6.27{\pm}1.37hr$ in school. Middle school students spent $12.83{\pm}2.22hr$ in the home and $7.48{\pm}1.88hr$ in school. High school students spent $10.65{\pm}2.86hr$ in the home and $10.23{\pm}2.86hr$ in school on weekdays. High school students spent the least amount of time in the home and the most time in school compared to other grades Conclusions: Students spent most of their time indoors, including in the home, school, and other indoors. On weekdays, as the grade increases, home residential times were decreased and school residential times were increased. Differences in time-activity patterns according to sex were not found for either weekdays or weekends. It is estimated that Korean students could be affected by school indoor air quality. High school students could be most affected by school indoor air quality since they spent the most time at school.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.500-508
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• 2024

Recently, there has been increasing interest in enhancing the indoor air quality, particularly in response to the growing utilization of public facilities. The focus of this study was on assessing the efficacy and safety of an air sterilizer equipped with electrolytic salt catalysts. To that end, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of the vapor spraying from the air sterilizer and its cytotoxicity in condensed form on human cell lines (HaCaT, BEAS-2B, and THP-1). Against the test organisms, which comprised five bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium) and one fungal strain (Candida albicans), the air sterilizer exhibited relatively high antimicrobial activities ranging from 10.89 to 73.98% following 1 and 3 hr of vapor spraying, which were notably time-dependent. Importantly, cytotoxicity assessments on human cells indicated no significant harmful effect even at a 1.0% concentration. Comprehensive safety evaluations included morphological observations, gene expression (Bcl-2, Bax) tests, and FACS analysis of intracellular ROS levels. Consistent with previous cytotoxicity findings, these estimates demonstrated no significant changes, highlighting the air sterilizer's safety and antimicrobial activities. In a simulated 20-hr operation within an indoor environment, the air sterilizer not only showed an 89.4% removal of total bacteria but also a 100.0% removal of Escherichia sp. and fungi. This research outlines the potential of the developed electrolytic salt catalyst air sterilizer to effectively remove indoor microbial pollutants without compromising human safety, underscoring the solution that it offers for improving indoor air quality.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.1306-1312
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• 2011

Underground Subway station's air pollutants are introduced from the indoor or outdoor. And Radon is a major pollutant in the subway station. Radioactive substances Radon is occuring naturally in granite tunnel wall and underground water. Especially inert gas Radon that causes lung cancer in human is anywhere but 5678 S.M.R.T. tunnels deep and pass through the granite plaque have a lot of Radon. The Radon concentration is determined by the following reasons : radon content of soil and concrete, underground water, ventilation, pressure difference, building structure, temperature, etc. So Radon concentration is hard to predict. And we can't only ventilate owing to era of high oil prices. This study focuses on our efforts for the reduction of Radon concentration. And the purpose is to provide basically datas of specially managed 15 subway station's Radon concentration.