Cain, WS; Leaderer, BP; Isseroff, R; Berglund, LG; Huey, RJ; Lipsitt, ED; Perlman, D
Psychophysical measurements of odor were taken to evaluate ventilation requirements for smoking and nonsmoking occupancy in an environmental chamber. The chamber was designed to compare the impressions of visitors, subjects who inhaled air from the chamber only briefly, with those of the occupants. Measurements were made with n-butanol (71363) (NBT) or cigarette smoke. In the experiments with NBT, 47 combinations of occupancy (4, 8, or 12 subjects), ventilation rates of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, or 10 liters per second (liters/sec), temperatures of 20, 23, or 25.5 degrees-C, and various relative humidities were used. With the cigarette smoke measurements, 38 combinations of cigarette smoking, ventilation rates of 5.5, 10, 17.5, or 34 liters/sec, and the other environmental conditions were utilized. Carbon-monoxide (630080) (CO) and suspended particulate concentrations were also measured. The subjects recorded their perceptions of odor intensity and extent of acceptability. Odor intensity perceptions of NBT depended on the ventilation rate per person and was independent of the number of persons in the chamber. The ventilation rate required to satisfy 75 percent of the visitors was between 2.5 and 5 liters/sec. Seventy five percent of the occupants were satisfied with a ventilation rate of less than 2.5 liters/sec. In the experiments with cigarette smoke, the ventilation required to satisfy 75 percent of the visitors was 17.5 liters/sec. Temperatures of 25.5 degrees and relative humidities greater than 70 percent aggravated the odor problem. Maximum CO concentrations were approximately 11 parts per million when cigarettes were being smoked at the rate of 16 per hour at a ventilation rate of 5.5 liters/sec. Suspended particulate concentrations in most cases exceeded the primary air quality standard of 260 micrograms per cubic meter for outdoor air. The authors conclude that although ventilation can exert some control over indoor particulate concentrations, only suitable filtration can bring the indoor concentrations down to nonhazardous concentrations.
