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Published on: May 7, 2013
Occupant behavior and indoor particulate concentrations in daycare centers
Chai Yoon Um1, Ning Zhang1, Kyungmo Kang1
1Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
Occupant behavior significantly impacts indoor air quality in daycare centers. Activities like vacuuming and opening windows during poor outdoor conditions can drastically increase particle concentrations, affecting children's health.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Indoor Air Quality
- Public Health
Background:
- Occupant behavior is a key determinant of indoor particulate matter concentrations.
- Daycare centers have unique occupant schedules that influence indoor air dynamics.
- Human-building interactions, like window use, affect outdoor particle infiltration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the impact of occupant behavior on indoor particle concentrations in daycare centers.
- To quantify particle source strengths from various human activities.
- To evaluate the influence of human-building interactions on indoor air quality.
Main Methods:
- On-site monitoring in four daycare centers in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
- Utilized Optical Particle Counters (OPS) for particulate concentration measurements.
- Calculated particle source strengths and evaluated contributions to indoor levels.
Main Results:
- Particle resuspension was higher when occupants were awake (41.0 particles·min⁻¹) versus asleep (9.2 particles·min⁻¹).
- Vacuuming generated the most particulate matter (9.8·10⁷ particles·min⁻¹), followed by physical activity.
- High indoor particle concentrations (up to 1217 particles·cm⁻³) occurred with prolonged window opening during poor outdoor air quality.
Conclusions:
- Daycare center indoor air quality is significantly affected by occupant activities and building interactions.
- Recommendations include avoiding vacuuming during occupied hours.
- Opening windows without considering outdoor air quality can severely degrade indoor air quality for children.
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