Transport of indoor aerosols to hidden interior spaces

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Abstract

Most studies on indoor aerosols have focused on the open spaces within buildings that are visible to occupants, while the hidden spaces in buildings receive much less attention. Indeed, little is known about the extent to which indoor aerosols are transported into closets, cabinets and drawers. Aerosols deposited in these hidden spaces serve as a reservoir for particulate matter with the potential for resuspension within homes. To investigate aerosol transport to indoor hidden spaces, a series of experiments were conducted in a full-scale test house. Specifically, aerosols released indoors were tracked using a fluorometric method and the air circulation between the open and hidden spaces were measured using tracer gas techniques. The results show that momentum-driven flow caused by fan operation had a negligible impact on the overall air circulation between rooms and hidden spaces. Rather, the circulation was driven primarily by buoyancy forces caused by temperature differences between the hidden spaces and adjacent rooms. In the well-controlled, three-bedroom two-bathroom test house used in this study, aerosols released indoors dispersed and deposited across the open spaces and even within closets with closed doors. For more sealed spaces like closed drawers within closed cabinets, the air circulation rates between the adjacent room and hidden space were substantially lower and a much lower fraction of the indoor aerosols deposited in these areas. Nevertheless, the results indicate that at least one percent of the indoor aerosol source penetrated into the most remote indoor hidden spaces. Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research.

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APA

Tang, M., Zhu, N., Kinney, K., & Novoselac, A. (2020). Transport of indoor aerosols to hidden interior spaces. Aerosol Science and Technology, 54(1), 94–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2019.1677854

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