Air Quality and Health Impact
102-0347-00L, 3 credits, spring Semester
Lecturers: H. Schleibinger, J. Wang and M. Spillmann
1. Abstract
The air quality of both indoor and outdoor environments impacts the human health. Indoor air quality contributes to sick building syndrome and other pulmonary illness especially in developing countries. Outdoor air pollution has been correlated to excess mortality and led to numerous air quality standards. This lecture covers indoor air pollutants, design of building air handling system, fundamentals of human respiratory system, toxicity and health impact of air pollutants, and personal protection.
2. Objective
The students learn to access the volatile emission spectrum from building material; detect, evaluate and refurbish mould damage; assess the benefits and potential risks of HVAC systems in terms of indoor air quality. The student will also understand the fundamentals of human respiratory system and causes of adverse health impact; analyze the mechanisms of different toxic effects; and select proper protection equipment against air pollutants.
3. Contents
- Indoor air contaminants
- Mould growth, detection, and refurbishment
- Health effects of indoor air contaminants
- Sick building syndrome and building related illness
- Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality
- Design of air handling systems and their impact on IAQ
- Analytical methods for determining IAQ
- Fundamentals of human respiratory system
- Particles induced diseases
- Asbestosis and silicosis
- Health impact caused by ozone, NOx and other pollutants
- Toxicity of (engineered) nanomaterials
- Personal protection equipment
- Air pollutants: particle matter, gases and bioaerosols
4. Literature
Lists of suitable books and papers will be provided in the lecture.