Breathe Easy: Engineering Air Quality Solutions Now 21 Oct 2016

Healthy Indoor Environments: Snapshot of

Some Evidence, Solutions and Gaps

Dr Marcella Ucci, m.ucci@ucl.ac.uk

American Journal of Public Health, 2002, 92(5)

Renewed Focus: Recent Industry-Focused Initiatives

Highlight: What is Health?

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the

absence of disease or infirmity.

ref: Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19

June - 22 July 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948. The definition has

not been amended since 1948. http://www.who.int/suggestions/faq/en/

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BUILDINGS PLACES NEIGHBOURHOODS BUILTENVIRONMENT

TOTALWBCONCEPTUAL

WELLBEINGCONCEPTUALISATIONSVS.SCALE

Environmentalsa8sfac8onand/orComfort Mentalhealth/Ill-beingPhysical/Physiologicalhealth Hedonic(Subjec8vewellbeing)Eudaimonic(Psychological) SocialOther Unspecified

MOISTURE IN BUILDINGS AND HEALTH

A MAPPING REVIEW STUDYMarcella Ucci, Charles McGilligan and Neil May

A donation from Saint Gobain in support of this project is gratefully acknowledged

•  Causal relationship for some risk factors •  Dose-response relationship largely unknown and underlying

causal mechanisms not fully understood •  Prevalence of dampness/mould and other moisture-related

risk not fully understood in UK •  Research studies utilise a compartmentalised approach which

does not account for contextual factors and synergies/interactions

•  Mistake to only focus on moisture: moisture and temperature should be considered together, when assessing potential health impacts

•  How does energy efficiency design/retrofit affect moisture/exposure and health?

Evidence and Uncertainties

Energy Efficient Housing: Increasing HDM Infestations?

No.~ Scenarios MitePredicAons (totalofcellA,B,

C) Energy

Consumpt.

14 Moisture:5kg/day 0.02 (1.0)# 9 Thermostat:22°C 0.03 1.20 3 Permeability:20m3/m2h 0.08 1.58 18 BoundarycondiAons:bestcase 0.10 (1.0)# 7 Extractfan,longeruse 0.45 1.07 1 U-value:1.6W/m2K 0.65 1.27 5 Windowsopenallnight 0.75 1.02 11 HeaAngperiod:plus2hours 0.94 1.05 6 Windowsclosed 1.03 1.00* 2 U-value:0.25W/m2K 1.10 0.97 10 Thermostat:18°C 5.40 0.80 8 Noextractfan 5.49 0.89 12 HeaAngperiod:minus2hours 5.59 0.94 13 Moisture:14kg/day 7.08 (1.0)# 19 BoundarycondiAons:worstcase 10.10 (1.0)# 16 MVHR,opAon2 20.40 0.33 15 MVHR,opAon1 159.53 0.31 4 Permeability:3m3/m2h 269.03 0.55 17 U-value0.25W/m2Kandpermeability3

m3/m2h 312.63 0.52 ~ScenariosNumber(fromTable7);#Nochangesexpected;*Verysmallenergyreduc8on

Ucci et al., 2011 Application of a transient hygrothermal population model for house dust mites in beds: assessment of control strategies in UK buildings. Journal of Building Performance Simulation , 4 (3)

HDM Scenarios Modelling: Conclusions •  Options reducing mite numbers:

–  Greater ventilation (e.g. extract fans, greater fabric permeability);

–  Greater thermostat setting; –  Reduced moisture production rates –  MVHR?

•  Strong threshold effects •  But further research is needed on the overall mite carrying

capacity of a mattress, particularly for: –  Effect of mite movement; –  Food and space availability.

•  Allergen Model

•  Health impacts? Gaps on dose-response and thresholds, and intervention studies inconclusive at best

•  Single focus policies can create unintended positive and negative consequences – see energy efficiency agenda and potential for poor Indoor Air Quality

•  Transdisciplinary approaches needed – and new type of professionals who understand connections and complexity.

•  This includes a reminder that ventilation is NOT the only way to address indoor air quality. In fact source control is equally if not more important but largely overlooked in UK – no strong policy drive, and yet again single focus – recommended ventilation rates are based on assumption regarding indoor emissions and concentrations – with no/limited empirical data!

Mind the Gap: New Approaches Needed

•  Set up in 2003, to co-ordinate and provide a focus for UK activity concerned with improving indoor environments for people.

•  We are a unique, independent and impartial multidisciplinary network of professionals working in the indoor environment field.

•  We are committed to promoting the development, synthesis, dissemination and application of evidence relating to policy and practice in the UK indoor built environment, with the ultimate aim of improving health and wellbeing.

www.ukieg.org

UK Indoor Environments Group (UKIEG)

NEW Master’s Degree! Health, Wellbeing and Sustainable Buildings

Virtual Open Day: 25 Nov 2016, 12.00-13.00

Creating a new generation of experts who can sustainably drive health and wellbeing in residential and non-domestic buildings

We are part of The Bartlett: UCL’s Global Faculty of the Built Environment

Website: www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/iede Course Director: m.ucci@ucl.ac.uk

Start: September 2017

m.ucci@ucl.ac.uk