Spatial and temporal scales of variability for indoor air constituents.
Pascale S J LakeyYoungbo WonDavid R ShawFreja F Østerstro MJames M MattilaEmily ReidyBrandon BottorffColleen Marciel F RosalesChen WangLaura AmpolliniShan ZhouAtila NovoselacTara F KahanPeter F DeCarloJonathan P D AbbattPhilip S StevensDelphine K FarmerNicola CarslawDonghyun RimManabu ShiraiwaPublished in: Communications chemistry (2021)
Historically air constituents have been assumed to be well mixed in indoor environments, with single point measurements and box modeling representing a room or a house. Here we demonstrate that this fundamental assumption needs to be revisited through advanced model simulations and extensive measurements of bleach cleaning. We show that inorganic chlorinated products, such as hypochlorous acid and chloramines generated via multiphase reactions, exhibit spatial and vertical concentration gradients in a room, with short-lived ⋅OH radicals confined to sunlit zones, close to windows. Spatial and temporal scales of indoor constituents are modulated by rates of chemical reactions, surface interactions and building ventilation, providing critical insights for better assessments of human exposure to hazardous pollutants, as well as the transport of indoor chemicals outdoors.
Keyphrases
- air pollution
- particulate matter
- health risk
- endothelial cells
- essential oil
- heavy metals
- molecular dynamics
- transcription factor
- risk assessment
- mechanical ventilation
- respiratory failure
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- acute respiratory distress syndrome