Indoor Environment of Buildings – Quality and Basic Ventilation Air Parameters: Part I
Abstract
A series of articles focused on the indoor environment of buildings. Articles discuss the importance of a quality indoor environment and the implementation of the measurement of the parameters of the outgoing air from the indoor environment in the ventilation shaft of an apartment building. The content of the first article is a description of pathogens disrupting the indoor environment, manifestations of sick building syndrome, the need for ventilation.
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Introduction
Air is irreplaceable for breathing of all living organisms. Millions of citizens within the WHO European Region spend approximately 90% of their time indoors: in their homes (2/3 of this time), workplaces, schools, and public spaces. In recent years, the covid 19 pan-demic, high workload, and ongoing climate change have had an impact on increasing the amount of time people spend indoors to this level. And that is why the quality of this internal environment is very important, on which our health, satisfaction, well-being, but also productivity and performance depend. [1, 2]
Indoor air can be defined as air that has an indirect connection with outdoor air and is so influenced by indoor sources and activities that its quality can differ significantly from outdoor free air. [3]
Conclusion
The quality of the internal environment of buildings is a topic that needs to be addressed now, especially in view of the still persistent increased risk of the spread of the Covid-19 virus and other respiratory diseases. There are also other threats to our health in connection with the prolonged exposure of humans in the internal, working or living environment of buildings. The quality of the internal environment needs to be addressed with the same importance even in view of the ongoing climate crisis. We need to deal more and more intensively with the transition from the use of fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources. And to the possibilities of how to minimize heat losses, for example by ventilation, but on the other hand, so that the internal microclimate is not affected by this. This means that it is necessary to maintain hygienic air exchange in the indoor environment. Before starting the measurement of the quality of the internal environment of the living space (more in the article Indoor Environment of Buildings – Quality and Basic Ventilation Air Parameters, Part II.) from the energy point of view, it was desirable to define this issue from a theoretical point of view, which was the content of this article.