Abstract
Temporal variability in indoor air contaminant concentrations at vapor intrusion (VI) sites has been a concern for some time. We consider the source of the reported variability at VI sites located near Hill Air Force Base (AFB) in Utah, an EPA experimental house in Indiana, and Naval Air Station North Island in California. We focus in particular on how the indoor/outdoor pressure differences and air exchange rates affected indoor air contaminant concentrations at these sites. We investigate how these dynamics differ for a site that is characterized by a preferential pathway (like Hill AFB) and VI sites that are not influenced by such pathways, using three-dimensional fluid dynamics models and statistical analysis of the aforementioned sites. A preferential pathway can dramatically increase a VI site's sensitivity to build pressurization, provided there exist a medium allowing effective communication between a contaminant-delivering preferential pathway and the indoor air space, e.g. a permeable subslab space that may be provided by a gravel layer. Preferential pathways may also erroneously indicate the presence of indoor contaminant sources. At sites characterized by significant advective transport from the subslab to the indoor air space, much of the short-term variability in indoor air contaminant concentration can be explained by an impact of fluctuations in indoor/outdoor pressure differences. Meanwhile, air exchange rate variation drives most of the short-term variability at sites characterized by minor variations in advective transport.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 106196 |
| Journal | Building and Environment |
| Volume | 161 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 15 2019 |
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Keywords
- Air exchange rate
- Attenuation factor
- Indoor/outdoor pressure difference
- Preferential pathways
- Temporal variability
- Vapor intrusion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Engineering
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Building and Construction
Cite this
Factors affecting temporal variations in vapor intrusion-induced indoor air contaminant concentrations. / Ström, Jonathan G.V.; Guo, Yuanming; Yao, Y.; Suuberg, Eric M.
In: Building and Environment, Vol. 161, 106196, 15.08.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors affecting temporal variations in vapor intrusion-induced indoor air contaminant concentrations
AU - Ström, Jonathan G.V.
AU - Guo, Yuanming
AU - Yao, Y.
AU - Suuberg, Eric M.
PY - 2019/8/15
Y1 - 2019/8/15
N2 - Temporal variability in indoor air contaminant concentrations at vapor intrusion (VI) sites has been a concern for some time. We consider the source of the reported variability at VI sites located near Hill Air Force Base (AFB) in Utah, an EPA experimental house in Indiana, and Naval Air Station North Island in California. We focus in particular on how the indoor/outdoor pressure differences and air exchange rates affected indoor air contaminant concentrations at these sites. We investigate how these dynamics differ for a site that is characterized by a preferential pathway (like Hill AFB) and VI sites that are not influenced by such pathways, using three-dimensional fluid dynamics models and statistical analysis of the aforementioned sites. A preferential pathway can dramatically increase a VI site's sensitivity to build pressurization, provided there exist a medium allowing effective communication between a contaminant-delivering preferential pathway and the indoor air space, e.g. a permeable subslab space that may be provided by a gravel layer. Preferential pathways may also erroneously indicate the presence of indoor contaminant sources. At sites characterized by significant advective transport from the subslab to the indoor air space, much of the short-term variability in indoor air contaminant concentration can be explained by an impact of fluctuations in indoor/outdoor pressure differences. Meanwhile, air exchange rate variation drives most of the short-term variability at sites characterized by minor variations in advective transport.
AB - Temporal variability in indoor air contaminant concentrations at vapor intrusion (VI) sites has been a concern for some time. We consider the source of the reported variability at VI sites located near Hill Air Force Base (AFB) in Utah, an EPA experimental house in Indiana, and Naval Air Station North Island in California. We focus in particular on how the indoor/outdoor pressure differences and air exchange rates affected indoor air contaminant concentrations at these sites. We investigate how these dynamics differ for a site that is characterized by a preferential pathway (like Hill AFB) and VI sites that are not influenced by such pathways, using three-dimensional fluid dynamics models and statistical analysis of the aforementioned sites. A preferential pathway can dramatically increase a VI site's sensitivity to build pressurization, provided there exist a medium allowing effective communication between a contaminant-delivering preferential pathway and the indoor air space, e.g. a permeable subslab space that may be provided by a gravel layer. Preferential pathways may also erroneously indicate the presence of indoor contaminant sources. At sites characterized by significant advective transport from the subslab to the indoor air space, much of the short-term variability in indoor air contaminant concentration can be explained by an impact of fluctuations in indoor/outdoor pressure differences. Meanwhile, air exchange rate variation drives most of the short-term variability at sites characterized by minor variations in advective transport.
KW - Air exchange rate
KW - Attenuation factor
KW - Indoor/outdoor pressure difference
KW - Preferential pathways
KW - Temporal variability
KW - Vapor intrusion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068440258&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85068440258&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106196
DO - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106196
M3 - Article
VL - 161
JO - Building and Environment
JF - Building and Environment
SN - 0360-1323
M1 - 106196
ER -