1 / 28

Indoor Air Quality in Rural Alaskan Homes

Indoor Air Quality in Rural Alaskan Homes. Leif Albertson University of Alaska Fairbanks Bethel, Alaska. IAQ and Environmental Health. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) Damp Building-Related Illness (DBRI) Stachybotrys Legionellosis. Purpose.

nadine
Download Presentation

Indoor Air Quality in Rural Alaskan Homes

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Indoor Air Quality in Rural Alaskan Homes Leif Albertson University of Alaska Fairbanks Bethel, Alaska

  2. IAQ and Environmental Health Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) Damp Building-Related Illness (DBRI) Stachybotrys Legionellosis

  3. Purpose Go over basic IAQ concepts and how they relate to us in Alaska Explain why we might face unique IAQ situations in rural Alaska Summarize available information specific to rural Alaska to prioritize IAQ concerns

  4. IAQ Basics People spend a lot of time indoors (maybe 90% in Alaska) People breathe a lot

  5. Aspects of Air Quality VOCs Tobacco smoke (ETS) Combustion products Lead Radon Dust mites Odors Dust Pollen Pathogens (bacteria, virus) Temperature Humidity Pet dander

  6. What affects the air in our homes? Human metabolism Human activities (cooking, smoking) Off-gassing (Carpets, treated woods, chemicals under sink, etc) Heating appliances Co-habitants (roaches, dogs, dust mites) Bad stuff from outside (smoke, dust, radon)

  7. Ventilation • Passive Ventilation • Stack Effect • Wind Effect • Free and easy • Often unintentional and unregulated

  8. Passive Ventilation: Stack Effect

  9. Active Ventilation Local Exhaust (unbalanced)

  10. Heat Recovery Ventilation Example of “Balanced Ventilation” Energy efficient Require maintenance

  11. Humidity • Relative humidity is what matters • If moisture held constant, temperature controls RH • Heating air makes it “drier” Cold air holds less moisture than warm air

  12. Stack Effect, Condensation

  13. Last Frontier

  14. Houses in the village are often… Small: Homes in Hooper Bay generally 300-700 ft² Crowded: Hooper Bay Avg 4.97 person/home Hot (65°-81°F) Old Dry (often below 30%) Built/maintained in difficult environments Used for workshops Have reduced access to qualified installation, maintenance, repair personnel

  15. Priorities for Rural Alaskan Homes Carbon monoxide Environmental Tobacco Smoke Humidity Pathogens

  16. 1. Carbon Monoxide Alaska has nation’s highest rate of CO deaths Heating appliances / water heaters Vehicles left running House fires

  17. Heating Appliances

  18. Water Heaters

  19. Carbon Monoxide Deaths

  20. Pollutants from Heating Appliances CO CO2 NOX SO2 Particulates Odors Benzene, Toluene, others H20

  21. 2. Environmental Tobacco Smoke High rates of smoking Cold climate High occupancy rates Poor Ventilation = Indoor air pollution • Chemicals • Particulates • Asthma, cancer, SIDS….

  22. ETS • Stop smoking • Smoke outside • Open windows • Turn on fan?

  23. 3. Humidity “The incidence of absenteeism or respiratory infections was found to be lower among people working or living in environments with mid-range versus low or high relative humidities” - A V Arundel, E M Sterling, J H Biggin, and T D Sterling, 1986

  24. Humidity

  25. 4. Pathogens • Alaska has very high rate of infectious respiratory diseases • RSV, Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, LRTIs, other

  26. Why Pathogens? Many generations living in close quarters with limited air flow Smoking damages lungs natural defenses Damp houses increase bacteria, fungus, viruses Dry houses irritate lungs and mucus membranes Poor hand hygiene

  27. Priorities • “I am concerned about the air in my home” • Do you have a functional CO detector? • Does anyone in your home smoke? • Is your house too damp or too dry? • Are sick people ever crowded together? • How is your house ventilated?

  28. Quyana Leif Albertson Bethel, Alaska lflea@uaf.edu (907)543-4553 Questions?

More Related