Indoor air quality in California homes with code-required mechanical ventilation.

Data were collected in 70 detached houses built in 2011-2017 in compliance with the mechanical ventilation requirements of California's building energy efficiency standards. Each home was monitored for a 1-week period with windows closed and the central mechanical ventilation system operating. Pollutant measurements included time-resolved fine particulate matter (PM ) indoors and outdoors and formaldehyde and carbon dioxide (CO ) indoors.

Potential airborne pathogen transmission in a hospital with and without surge control ventilation system modifications.

To better understand the transport of airborne particulate matter (PM) in hospital environments when surge control strategies are implemented, tests were conducted in a recently decommissioned hospital during a one-week period. An aerosol was released within a patient room and concentrations measured in the room and hallway with and without surge control ventilation system modifications. The average hallway protection efficiencies were high (>98%) both for the baseline ventilation configuration and when the ventilation system was modified for whole floor negative pressure, indicating very little PM reached the hallway.

Engineering case report. Toluene and methyl ethyl ketone exposure from a commercially available contact adhesive.

A maintenance worker became ill after working indoors over the course of 3 days with a commercially available contact adhesive containing toluene and methyl ethyl ketone. Respiratory protection or local exhaust ventilation was not used. The worker subsequently suffered from numerous medical symptoms including tremors and elevated blood pressure.