Ventilation Measurements in IAQ Studies: Problems and Opportunities

Published

August 30, 2011

Author(s)

Andrew K. Persily, Hal Levin

Abstract

Building and space ventilation rates are primary determinants of indoor pollutant levels and occupant exposures, and the impacts of ventilation on health and comfort have long been recognized in ventilation standards and regulations. Despite the importance of ventilation, its measurement is often neglected in indoor air quality studies. In many cases when ventilation rates are presented, the measurement approaches are not described in sufficient detail to evaluate their quality or applicability to the study design. To demonstrate this point, ventilation measurements in 26 indoor air quality studies are evaluated in terms of the methods employed and the thoroughness with which there are described. The results reveal the use of a number of different ventilation performance parameters and a generally poor description of the measurement methods. The paper also makes recommendations on the information that should be included when reporting building ventilation rate measurements.

Proceedings Title

The 12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate

Conference Dates

June 5-10, 2011

Conference Location

Austin, TX

Conference Title

Indoor Air 2011

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

experimental design, field studies, measurement methods, study design

Citation

Persily, A. and Levin, H. (2011), Ventilation Measurements in IAQ Studies: Problems and Opportunities, The 12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Austin, TX, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=907718 (Accessed October 16, 2025)