"You can tell the people that if they succeed in killing me,
Is My House Killing Me?
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Transcript of Is My House Killing Me?
Fresh Air Ventilation Systems, LLCPresents
Dr. Richard CorsiProfessor, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental EngineeringPresident of Indoor Air 2011http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Corsi/
U. S. Dept of Environmental Protection www.epa.gov/iaq
California Air Resource Board www.arb.ca.gov
American Lung Association www.lungusa.org
Indoor Environment Connections www.ieconnections.com
World Health Organization www.who.int
Venmar Ventilation www.venmar.ca
With special thanks to the following contributors & sources of information
Indoor Air Pollution: Is my house killing me?
Hosted by Kurt T. Johnson HRAI Certified Design and Installation of Residential
Mechanical Ventilation Systems Board Member of The Maine Indoor Air Quality Council
Three Converging Trends
• Construction
• Chemicals & other pollutants
• Couch Potatoes
Changes in Construction
Old houses & buildings leaked a lot of air
1973 Oil Embargo Changed it
Note: As a result of the 1973 oil embargo, national energy conservation measures called for a reduction in the amount of outdoor air provided for ventilation from 15 to 5 cfm per person
The Apple & Atari Arrive in the late 70’s
Trend number 2
Americans spend 89% of our time indoors
6% traveling
5% outdoors
Klepeis, N.E., et al 2001
#3 Demand for Easy of Life
Wall-to-wall carpet
Cleaners
Air fresheners
Pesticides
Personal care products
Much more
Dr. Richard Corsi, University of Texas
Global Production: Synthetic Organic Chemicals
050
100150200250300350
1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
YearBi
llion
kg/
year
Pollution Sources
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Kitchen Sink Bathtub WashingMachine
Shower Dishwasher
Av
era
ge
Tra
ns
fer
Eff
icie
nc
y (
%)
AcetoneEthyl AcetateTolueneEthylbenzeneCyclohexane
Average Concentrations of VOCs
00.050.1
0.150.2
0.250.3
0.350.4
0.450.5
Co
nce
ntr
atio
n ( g
/m3)
ScentedUnscented
What Happened in the 80s & 90s
Sick Building Syndrome – 30% of new or remodeled buildings have excessive complaints - source World Health Organization (WHO) 1984
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
% of all complaints relating to Indoor Air Quality
1978 = 0.5% 1990 = 52% Dramatic increase in Respiratory diseases
More Bad News
The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health
Organization have concluded that 80% of all cancers are attributed to environmental rather than genetic factors, including exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, many of which are found in household cleaning products.
Is Vinyl Flooring Causing Autism?Scientists find "baffling" link between autism and the phthalates off-gassed by vinyl flooring, and other indoor air contaminants.
Asthma becomes Nation Epidemic
Asthma cases triple 1980 – 6.8 million 1996 – 14.6 million 1999 – 17.3 million 2005 – 22.2 million
Asthma Deaths also triple 1977 – 1,674 1998 – 5,438
Leading killer of young children!!!!
Asthma increase a mysteryApril 9, 2002 - source: by Ben Lieberman / National Review online
Costs 5.5 to 14.5% of family income to treat an asthmatic child
2005 Surgeon General Advisory
Millions of homes & apartments and 1 in 5 schools have indoor air quality problems
7.7% school age children with asthma Asthma = 14 million missed school days
Trend has continued to increase 8.9% in 2009 Maine – highest rate in the United States 10% of adults 10.7% of children
Cleaning Chemical Studies
European women using spray cleaners 4 days a week were more than twice as likely to have asthma
Women working in domestic cleaning
46 - 109 % more likely to develop asthma
Source National Jewish Health Feb 2009
Radon kills over 20,000 per year in the US
1 in 15 Homes have high radon levels at or above 4 (pCi/L)
Cancer risk at 4pCi/L = 1 in 44 In Maine, the average house is
at or above 4 pCi/L. Source EPA
Mold and other Particulates
60,000 deaths each year caused by particulate matter source American Heart Association
Exposure to air pollution contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke).
If so,..What can we do?
Does this concern you?
2 Effective Strategies
Source Control & Ventilation
Limit the pollutants from coming in
Remove the ones that do get in
VentilationNatural vs. Mechanical
We need to start thinking about a house as a system
2 Main Driving Forces of Air
High Pressure to low pressure
Warm air rises Cold air drops (Stack effect)
Very Important Principle Air out is equal to air in
Natural (wind & stack) & Mechanical
What can be trusted to consistently work?
Natural Ventilation Wind is inconsistent Winter vs. Summer No Control 100% heat loss Tight house has few
holes and where?
Mechanical Ventilation Air flow Controllable Properly Designed will
vent every room Heat Recovery (with Air
Exchanger) up to 95% of heat from exhaust air
Mechanical Ventilation is Superiorbut which one….
Exhaust only vs. Balanced
Which one is really effective when it comes to complete ventilation of entire house?
Does it remove the pollutants from all rooms?
Very Important Questions?
What room do you spend the most time in?
And your children?
“Bedtime is anything but pleasant for people with allergies and asthma since that’s very often the time when
symptoms worsen.” Source Amer. Lung Assoc.
Formaldehyde found in baby cribs
• Many baby nursery furnishings emit formaldehyde.
• A baby sleeping in a nursery furnished with a high- emission crib and changing table may face an increased risk of developing allergies and/or asthma.
• Formaldehyde exposure can cause cancer in the long term. “… 2 ppb (parts per billion)”
• 6 tested furnishings released “enough formaldehyde to contaminate an entire home with levels of formaldehyde greater than this threshold.Environment California 2008
This is just 1 of the many house components releasing formaldehyde and other chemicals
Does Exhaust only really work?
• Bath and kitchen fans have been used for many years
• Do they really ventilate the bedrooms?
• Are they effective ventilating every room?
Let’s see….
Exhaust Ventilation
Exhausts air in bathroom and kitchen.
No control of fresh air May not be used properly Depressurizes building May cause back drafting May pull pollutants in from
garage 100% heat loss Can be noisy
Air Moves from High to Low PressureSince air out is replaced by air coming back in….
So… Where does the air come in?.... Front door Basement Garage Flue Other not in use vents
Where does it go? . . . Right to the low pressure (bathroom, kitchen)
Question? How does the bedroom get fresh air?
We really don’t know…. Because every house is different. This method only hopes to ventilate the bedroom but there is no direct control. This is really a “hope so” method.
Designed and Balanced Ventilation
• Ventilates all rooms• Controls air flow• Heat recovery up to 95%• Recovers bath heat loss• In Winter, can control humidity• Programmable• Low elec. cost as low as $3 per month (ECM motors)
Types of Ventilators
HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilators)
• Heat recovery up to 95%
• Removes all moisture within exhaust air
• Good for colder climates with excess indoor humidity
ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator)
• Heat recovery up to 95%
• “Bounces” some moisture back to its source
• Good from warm humid climates or dry houses
•No condensation drain
How Air Exchangers Work
A core with lots of surface area transfers heat
Pollutants and moisture are removed and heat is
recovered
Ventilation and Filtration
• captures 99.97% of all dust and particles even those as small as 0.3 micron (150th of a human hair)
• Removes moisture and gases
For best quality airwhole house HEPA air exchanger
Other filters available•Pleated•Charcoal•Electrostatic
All of the data presented so far has been from houses built based on the changes of
the late 70’s and 80’s. Not very tight.
What will be the consequences of the latest changes with the whole country going GREEN?
Maine’s mandatory residential energy code Dec 2010
Cash for Caulkers
Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency $5 billion to weatherize more than 1 million homes
What is a “tight” house?
“Home Building Envelope Air Leakage Area. The median ACH50 (air changes per hour at
50 pascals) for the homes in this study was 4.8 air changes per hour, which compares to a
median of 5.2 air changes per hour for a group of homes built since 1992 and 8.6 air
changes per hour for a group of homes built before 1987. New Californian homes are generally being built tighter,
but not exceptionally tight, like those found in colder climate regions.”
Pre 1987 = 8.6 ACH50Since 1992 = 5.2 ACH50
2003-07 = 4.8 ACH50 (Calif. Study Houses)
In Maine, If an energy auditor tests your home and it is at or above 3.5 ACH50 you will be told that you have plenty of natural ventilation and
that you do not need any additional.
Signs and Symptoms of Air Pollution
Headaches Congestion Watery Eyes Coughing Shortness of Breath Dizziness Lethargy Fever Digestive Problems
Moisture on Windows Black mold around
windows and low or high on walls
High radon readings Poor Combustion Flue Back Drafts Chronic Stale Smell
effects are similar to those from colds or other viral diseases
Please share this video with someone you care about
Fresh Air Ventilation Systems, LLC155 Spring St.Lewiston, ME 04240207 [email protected]
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