TY - JOUR KW - Exposure assessment KW - Air pollution KW - Natural ventilation KW - Leakage KW - Mechanical ventilation KW - Air exchange rate models AU - Michael S Breen AU - Bradley D Schultz AU - Michael D Sohn AU - Thomas Long AU - John Longstaff AU - Ronald Williams AU - Kristin Isaacs AU - Qing Yu Meng AU - Casson Stallings AU - Luther Smith AB -

A critical aspect of air pollution exposure assessments is estimation of the air exchange rate (AER) for various buildings where people spend their time. The AER, which is the rate of exchange of indoor air with outdoor air, is an important determinant for entry of outdoor air pollutants and for removal of indoor-emitted air pollutants. This paper presents an overview and critical analysis of the scientific literature on empirical and physically based AER models for residential and commercial buildings; the models highlighted here are feasible for exposure assessments as extensive inputs are not required. Models are included for the three types of airflows that can occur across building envelopes: leakage, natural ventilation, and mechanical ventilation. Guidance is provided to select the preferable AER model based on available data, desired temporal resolution, types of airflows, and types of buildings included in the exposure assessment. For exposure assessments with some limited building leakage or AER measurements, strategies are described to reduce AER model uncertainty. This review will facilitate the selection of AER models in support of air pollution exposure assessments.

BT - Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology DA - 11/2014 DO - 10.1038/jes.2013.30 IS - 6 N2 -

A critical aspect of air pollution exposure assessments is estimation of the air exchange rate (AER) for various buildings where people spend their time. The AER, which is the rate of exchange of indoor air with outdoor air, is an important determinant for entry of outdoor air pollutants and for removal of indoor-emitted air pollutants. This paper presents an overview and critical analysis of the scientific literature on empirical and physically based AER models for residential and commercial buildings; the models highlighted here are feasible for exposure assessments as extensive inputs are not required. Models are included for the three types of airflows that can occur across building envelopes: leakage, natural ventilation, and mechanical ventilation. Guidance is provided to select the preferable AER model based on available data, desired temporal resolution, types of airflows, and types of buildings included in the exposure assessment. For exposure assessments with some limited building leakage or AER measurements, strategies are described to reduce AER model uncertainty. This review will facilitate the selection of AER models in support of air pollution exposure assessments.

PY - 2014 SP - 555 EP - 563 ST - J Expos Sci Environ Epidemiol T2 - Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology TI - A review of air exchange rate models for air pollution exposure assessments VL - 2410370861483 SN - 1559-0631 ER -