Carbon dioxide indoor pollutant

Strengths 1. Effective against the complete range of indoor air pollutants including organic- bio-aerosols, VOCs, odors and carbon monoxide 2. New advanced technology 3. Inexpensive material 4. Easy to manufacture. Weaknesses 1. Unable to remedy inorganic aerosols 2. Low clean air delivery rate (< 100 cfm) 3. Produces carbon dioxide. 

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide (C02) are two major indicators of indoor air pollution in air-conditioned office buildings. Indoor air quality assessments would include VOCs and C02 measurements and attempt to identify their sources so that strategies for effective control may be implemented. Options for control may be source control and ventilation. Source control is the more effective while ventilation is potentially expensive, given the unpredictable (and usually rising) cost of energy. 

Heaters that are not vented to the exterior have the potential to act as indoor pollutant sources, especially gas heaters. While emissions of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide have received investigation for more than a decade, it has been found that low-NOx unflued gas heaters can act as sources of formaldehyde to indoor air (Brown, Mahoney and Cheng, 2004). Table 16.10 summarizes volatile organic emissions from an unflued gas heater (A) where it was apparent... 

Difficult as it is to avoid air pollution outdoors, it is no easier to avoid indoor pollution. The air quality in homes and in the workplace is affected by human activities, by construction materials, and by other factors in our immediate environment. The common indoor pollutants are radon, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and formaldehyde. 

Indoor air pollution is caused by radon, a radioactive gas formed during uranium decay carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, products of combustion and formaldehyde, a volatile organic substance released from resins used in construction materials. 

In the past, when human bioeffluents were considered to be the dominating pollutants of indoor air in non-industrial buildings, carbon dioxide (CO2) was generally accepted as an indicator for indoor air quality (lAQ). This function of CO2 is less important now, partly because today many more sources than human beings emit pollutants into indoor air. In fact, the widespread use of new products, processes and materials in our days has resulted in increased concentrations of other indoor pollutants, especially of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which may affect human health. 

Finally, we consider some examples of indoor pollutants such as radon, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde. (17.8)... 

---