Indoor apphcations

Residential risk assessment to pesticides typically involves more than one sonrce and mnitiple pathways and rontes, e.g. a given active ingredient may be nsed for multiple indoor apphcations, and in some cases, for outdoor applications. In some cases, the applications may overlap with respect to timing (calendar days). The potential co-occurrence of applications and potential exposures requires temporal product use information. Such information is rarely available. 

In the construction industry, residual solvent evaporation becomes an increasingly more critical issue, especially in Ae case of products used for indoor apphcations. Sealants, adhesives, and paints are now a major focus of this concern since they contribute to indoor pollution. Similar trends are observed in the automotive industry where both solvents and plasticizers are suspected of contributing to a plastics odor in car interiors. 

Among the biocomposite products developed, automotive and structural materials for indoor apphcations are gaining commercial importance. In Europe, where natural fiber composites are largely used for automotive apphcations [6], the sales of natural fibers for composites were 20 000 tons in the year of 2010, with a projected increase to 40000-50000 tons by 2015 [7]. ParaUel to this scenario, the estimated global market of wood plastics and natural fiber composites is about 900 000 metric tons [8]. In view of their importance, apphcation to automotive and stmctural materials is the focus of this chapter. 

Eigure 3 shows the winter and summer comfort zones plotted on the coordinates of the ASHRAE psychrometric chart. These zones should provide acceptable conditions for room occupants wearing typical indoor clothing who are at or near sedentary activity. Eigure 3 appHes generally to altitudes from sea level to 2150 m and to the common case for indoor thermal environments where the temperature of the surfaces (/) approximately equals air temperature (/ and the air velocity is less than 0.25 m/s. A wide range of environmental appHcations is covered by ASHRAE Comfort Standard 55 (5). Offices, homes, schools, shops, theaters, and many other appHcations are covered by this specification. 

Because the system likely is nonisothermal, the analysis of a closed-desiccant system requites knowledge of the temperature of the desiccant as well as the dew point (ice point) or water concentration (partial pressure) specification. Indeed, the whole system may undergo periodic temperature transients that may compHcate the analysis. Eor example, in dual-pane windows the desiccant temperature is approximately the average of the indoor and outdoor temperatures after a night of cooling. However, after a day in the sun, the desiccant temperature becomes much warmer than the outdoor temperature. When the sun sets, the outdoor pane cools quickly while the desiccant is still quite warm. The appropriate desiccant for such an appHcation must have sufficient water capacity and produce satisfactory dew points at the highest temperatures experienced by the desiccant. 

Lewis, R.G. and M.G. Nishioka (1999). Residential indoor exposures of children to pesticides following lawn apphcations, in Indoor Air 99 Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, Vol. 2, Paper No. 436, pp. 416-421. 

Non-volatile products which are not readily aerosolized, and which are not heated, evaporated or diluted to an inhalable state during apphcation. Non-volatile products are defined as those having vapor pressures less than 1 x 10 kPa (7.5 X lO mmHg) for indoor uses, and less than 1 x lO kPa (7.5 x 10 mmHg) for outdoor uses at 20-30 °C. 

Pesticides may be tracked into the indoor environment after a certain outdoor apphcation [18, 19] or through transport from the workplace to the home (para-occupational or take-home exposure). Collection of floor dust both prior to and after lawn-apphed 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), indicated that turf residues are transported indoors [20]. Carpet dust levels of 2,4-D and dicamba and carpet surface dislodgeable residue levels were highly correlated with turf dislodgeable residue levels [21]. 

For the wood preservative PCP, however, there was a relation between concentrations in air and in dust during the first 2 years after painting timber [121]. After this time this relation was no longer observed. No correlation for PCP in air and dust measured at least 20 years after the apphcation was reported by Liebl et al. [119],but Schnelle-Kreis et al. [81] still found a highly significant correlation of PCP in freshly settled house dust and indoor air. 

Problems associated with fastness properties of thermochromic composites remain to limit a wide range of apphcation possibUities, and at the forefront of the most important issues to be dealt with is poor fastness to UV irradiation, which excludes long-term exposure to daylight and direct sunlight, thus limiting the products for indoor use only. It was also found that temperature directly influences the properties of organic thermochromic pigments, and therefore they should be shielded from undesirable sources of heat. 

Case apphcations, e.g. fundamental differences of indoor and outdoor coatings. 

Graphic arts coatings n. Coatings which are marketed solely for apphcation to indoor or outdoor signs and include lettering enamels, poster colors and bulletin colors. 

Because the appHcations of optical fiber and fiber optic cable are diverse, so are the environments in which they are employed. Most environments faU into one of three main categories that are generally referred to as indoor, indoor/outdoor, and outdoor. These environments wiU be discussed in more detail... 

Green composites are used for indoor stnuTural appHcations in housing. The composite used for the interior decorations are banana, jute, hemp, kenaf, sisal fiber, and its composites. Also the walls can be covered with the boards, which will be attractive and wiU decrease the cost of construchon. 

There is a variety of applications for fiber-based surfaces with self-cleaning characteristics. This includes outdoor apphcations, such as textile roofs for airports and railways, sunscreen textiles, outdoor clothing, but also indoor applications, which come into contact with water or water-based solutions (Fig. 15.10). ... 

---