Passive PM2.5 control plan of educational buildings by using airtight improvement technologies in South Korea

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Feb 5;423(Pt A):126990. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126990. Epub 2021 Aug 20.

Abstract

Modern people spend most of their time indoors. Therefore, controlling indoor air quality is one of the most important factors for health. The indoor fine dust concentration is affected by the outdoor fine dust concentration. When the latter is high, it increases due to immersion. Therefore, improving the sealing performance of a building is an effective strategy to reduce indoor fine dust concentration during periods of severe outdoor fine dust without considering indoor fine dust generating factors. Traditional methods of improving the airtightness of a building have focused on replacing windows or doors. However, for reasons such as constructability and economic feasibility, more diverse technologies need to be considered. Due to this necessity, this study applied technologies such as sealing film, sealing lid, and padding to the educational building, and then derived the airtight performance through the blower door experiment, and measured the fine dust concentration to evaluate the effect. As a result of the experiment, it was analyzed that air leakage was reduced by up to 37% and fine dust by 22%.

Keywords: Air-tightness; Educational building; Infiltration, particulate matter; Particulate matter; School.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants* / analysis
  • Air Pollution, Indoor* / analysis
  • Dust / analysis
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Humans
  • Particle Size
  • Particulate Matter / analysis

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Dust
  • Particulate Matter