• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.397-412
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• 1996

This study aims to present the fundamental strategies to improve the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in apartment buildings. To investigate the concentration of indoor air pollutants such as radon, formaldehyde, and VOCs, both the document survey and the field measurement were conducted. In addition, to identify the source of the air pollutants, the laboratory experiment was carried out for various building materials. Finally, the minimum period to be reserved befor3e building occupation to ensure healthy IAQ, which largely depends on the ventilation rates, was simulated using a simple compuer program. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: 1. In case of newly-constructed apartment houses, concentrations of formaldehyde, VOCs and radon were found to exceed the standard. Meanwhile, at existing apartment houses, concentrations of VOCs, particularly toluene and xylene, highly exceeded the standasrd level. Concentrations of formaldehyde and radon, however, had been lowered according to the duration of occupation. 2. The laboratory experiment of concentration of pollutants per square meter of building material surface area showed that radon gas was much emitted from the gypsumboard; formaldehyde from flooring and wallpaper; and VOCs from paints and kitchen furnishings. The emission rates of formaldehyde and VOCs were proportional to air temperature. 3. According to the simulation of the minimum period to be reserved before occupation, newly-constructed airtight houses required about 190-200 days, and naturally ventialted houses with fully-open-windows required about 20-45days, in order to keep the level of radon gas lower than standard. Therefore, with the current practice, the date of occupation should be delayed for about 15 days.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.163-176
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• 1998

In this study, airborne particle samples were obtained to determine the concentrations of particulate air pollutants in indoor and outdoor air of public facilities in Taegu area. Total of 12 public facilities, regulated by the Public Sanitary Law, were selected as sampling sites, which include three underground arcades, one railway and two bus terminals, three general hospitals, and three department stores. In each place, sampling was carried out seasonally during the period of October 1994 to July 1995, and four samples per each site per season were collected both indoors and outdoors simultaneously. After determination of suspended particulate matter (SPM) mass concentrations, the particle samples were divided into two parts for subsequent chemical analysis: one for the analysis of trace elements and the other for water soluble ions. Seasonal levels of SPM appeared to be the highest in spring and the lowest in summer both indoors and outdoors, while locational variations of highest in statioyterminals, and lowest in department stores . SPM concentrations indoors and outdoors did not show any significant differences each other in most places . However, there were significant correlations between indoor and outdoor levels of SPM and other chemical species . These results indicates that indoor SPM levels are likely to be significantly affected by outdoor sources in many places. The most significant source of SPM was estimated to be the resuspension of soil/road dust both indoors and outdoors . The concentrations of toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu) in underground arcades appeared to be very much lower than the established air quality guidelines for underground environments. In addition, it is likely that micro-environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, and air velocity, play a less significant role than outdoor air quality as a factor affecting the levels of particulate pollutants in indoor environments of public facilities in Taegu area.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.224-225
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• 2018

Modern people are more interested in the indoor environment as they spend more time indoors than in the past. Among the air pollutants in the indoor air, ladon gas is a colorless, tasteless, odorless, inert gas produced by nuclear decomposition of naturally occurring uranium in rocks and soils. It has been proven that ladon gas is introduced into the room through cracks on the floor of the building or basement wall, and it causes various diseases such as lung cancer when exposed to radon during human breathing. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specifies 4pCi / L as a necessary measure for radon, and the Korea Environmental Protection Agency has implemented comprehensive indoor radon management measures since 2007. Therefore, in this study, we intend to adsorb and reduce radon in indoor air pollutants.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.335-343
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• 2006

Indoor air pollution has been significantly aggravated due to hazardous pollutants emitted from petrochemical finishing materials in new apartments. Pollutants emitted into indoor environment have significant effects on the health of occupants, causing undesirable symptoms related to sick building syndrome such as headache, dizziness, difficulty in concentration, etc. Therefore, this paper attempted to investigate the reduction effect of bake out on VOCs emission in new apartments. Experiments were carried out in three households, one of which was naturally ventilated. The naturally ventilated showed the lowest indoor pollutant concentration and also showed the highest reduction rate by the use of bake out. The most desirable result was observed when the household was naturally ventilated after bake out. More detailed experiments are expected to be carried out afterwards on the prediction of reduction rate of each pollutant.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.108-112
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• 1997

Recently, the use of Dwelling House has been expanded due to the rapid urbainzation and congestion of population in City. Indoor Air Quality in apartment houses was investigated by measuring pollutants such as $CO_2$ gas, dust concentration. In this study, the mesurements of indoor air environment were performed in Dwelling house in Seoul area to investigate indoor air environment and the relation of air contaminative and the response level. Indoor air contamination and living environment of the occupants have been compared & analyzed with practical investigation of IAQ in Seoul, Korea and Tokyo, Japan.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2011

Perceived air quality (PAQ) is defined as evaluation of indoor air satisfaction and comfortable sensory by occupants. However, there are differences between criteria of indoor pollutants and lowest sensory thresholds. In this study, we compared indoor PAQ by questionnaire with measured benzene, toluene and nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$) concentrations in home indoors. The $NO_2$ concentration was the highest in Seoul, while benzene and toluene were the highest in Asan. Average PAQ score in winter was higher than that in summer. Significant correlations between PAQs of home indoor air pollution and measured pollutant concentrations were not shown and correlation coefficients (r) ranged between -0.453

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.221-229
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• 2004

We estimated decreasing rate of indoor air pollutants which are PM10 and $NO_2$ by the air cleaner in indoor environment. This study respectively examined concentration of PM10 and $NO_2$ two times in 34 sites located in Seoul and Kyung-gi Do from April to September in 2003. Sectional period was respectively divided for operating the air cleaner and non-operating the air cleaner. Moreover, questionnaire was executed to grasp physical characteristic of objective building and residential characteristic of residents by using method of self-entry. There was a trend that concentration of PM10 and $NO_2$ separated number of residents during operating period respectively decreased among indoor air. According to the existence of smoker in indoor, both concentration of PM10 and $NO_2$ during operating period decreased in each case, and according to existence of pets, both cases decreased concentration of pollutants by operating the air cleaner. We used Monte-Calro simulation to remove uncertainty and identify efficiency of eliminated pollutants such as PM10 and $NO_2$ by the air cleaner. Average efficiency of removal for PM10 and $NO_2$ were 61.84${\pm}$23.04% and 48.67${\pm}$18.03% respectively.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2007

Indoor air quality(IAQ) problems are not limited to large office buildings that are inadequately operated. In fact, many school buildings have significant potentials of air pollution and indoor air pollutants may be of particular concern because it is estimated that most young students who are physically weak to the pollutants spend about 90% of their time in classrooms. The goal of the study is to provide academic and architectural information on the major factors that influence indoor air quality in the elementary school. In order to gain a better understanding of IAQ problems in schools, a series of measurement studies of indoor air quality were designed and 3 different elementary school buildings located in Chuncheon were selected. The levels of CO, $CO_2$, and total volatile organic compounds(TVOCs) including formaldehyde(HCHO), major concern of this study, were measured in absence of students after class. As the results, it is noticeable that most indoor air pollution comes from sources inside the building, which are, for example, adhesives, upholstery, manufactured wood products, art and scientific supplies. The level of CO was measured similarly to that of outdoors, which means no impact on the indoor air problems since it is lower than the code. Ventilation played an important role in the level of $CO_2$ of which difference was 1.7 times in rough and 230 % of difference in the level was detected among the 3 school buildings. This concludes that indoor air problems might be result of poor building design with inadequate location of corridors within space organization or occupant activity patterns of ventilation.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.735-744
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• 2010

An efficient code has been developed to predict dispersion of indoor air pollutants. The computing capability of the code has been compared with that of a commercial code in a benchmark test. After that, the code has been employed to compute dispersion of a pollutant released from a new furniture, a kind of Sick Building Syndrome(SBS). A sofa which generates formaldehyde is implemented by using an immersed boundary method. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is employed to obtain time-dependent velocity and concentration fields. LES has been regarded as an academic tool, but the newly-developed code reveals a possibility of application of LES to practical problems, especially dispersion of indoor pollutants.

• The Journal of Sustainable Design and Educational Environment Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

It is indispensable for child care centers to investigate and manage indoor air quality (IAQ) because they perform education and day care for children who usually have weak immunity. Nevertheless, there is insufficient research being done, given its importance. This study aims to investigate indoor pollutants' concentration and to seek the causes in order to improve the air quality conditions. Also it aims to secure data which can be used for further researches. Measurements were performed for air temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, fine particle mass, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds. Temperature, humidity, CO and CO2 were measured 30times(1min/time) and PM10 was measured 10times (3min/time). Formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds were measured and analyzed based on The Indoor Air Quality Official Test Method. The results show that the temperatures were within the comfort zone in over half of the centers. CO2 was found to be the main pollutants as its concentration exceeded the IAQ standard. The concentrations of TVOC and PM10 exceeded the standard, by 32% and 24% respectively, whereas those of HCHO and CO were under the standard. HCHO and CO concentrations were under the guideline. 24% of child care centers for education were found to exceed the standard in 2 or more of the pollutants. 82% of were found to exceed the standard by 1 or more. Therefor it is requested for IAQ to manage and improve in child care center for education.