Indoor Air Pollution

Monitoring Guidelines
(Draft for comments)

CENTRAL POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT & FORESTS, GOVT. OF INDIA
EAST ARJUN NAGAR, DELHI 110 032
INDIA
WWW.CPCB@NIC.IN

[June 2014]
 The Team
Concept
Dr. D. Saha CPCB

Technical Review
Sh. J. S. Kamyotra CPCB

IAQ Task Force

Prof. Mukesh Khare IIT, Delhi

Dr. D. Saha CPCB, Delhi

Dr. Radha Goyal NEERI, Delhi

Dr. PriyankaKulshrestha University of Delhi

Consultative

Prof. Ajay Taneja Dr. BRA University,

Agra
Ms. Shaveta Kohli CPCB, Delhi

Sh. R. N. Jindal MoEF, Delhi

Sh. A. Pathak CPCB, Delhi

Coordination
Dr. D. Saha CPCB, Delhi

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 Monitoring Protocol for Indoor Air Quality

Introduction

The number of measurements in indoor atmospheric environment is increasing due to

growing number of complaints about the indoor air quality (IAQ). In the past, many such
measurements are performed by researchers to test the postulated hypothesis about the
effects between the complaints and the sources. The respective buildings generally
characterized as ‘sick building’ and the associated illnesses are classified under ‘sick
building syndromes’.

The causes of the complaints may be manifold that may include technical, chemical,
physical, medical, psychological, sociological and economic factors. Correspondingly, the
investigation strategies in ‘sick buildings’ must also be multi-interdisciplinary (Molhave,
1986). The successful investigation depends upon the efficient coordination between
various experts in such multi-factorial relations. In order to coordinate such co-operation a
protocol covering sampling, analyses, prediction and evaluation become an essential tool.
However, this protocol must also define the specific ‘goals’ and specify as to they are
achieved in such multi-factorial environment. The multi-factorial team may consists of
experts like, building managers, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
engineers, and those performing the sampling and analyses (e.g. analyst), and those
making predictions of IAQ (e.g. the IAQ modelers) and lastly those making the evaluation
of the building and taking decisions (e.g. the controlling authority). Besides, the protocol
must further ensure proper collection and recording of all information needed for the
specific goals.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the quality of the air inside buildings as represented by
concentrations of pollutants and thermal (temperature and relative humidity) conditions
that affect the health and performance of occupants. The growing proliferation of chemical
pollutants in consumer and commercial products, the tendency toward tighter building
envelopes and reduced ventilation to save energy, and pressures to defer maintenance and
other building services to reduce costs have fostered IAQ problems in most of the buildings.
As a result, occupant’s complaints of stale and stuffy air, and symptoms of illness or
discomfort breed undesirable conflicts among occupants/owners/tenants/building
managers. Therefore, it has become one of the most important issues of environment and
health worldwide considering the principle of human rights to health that everyone has the
right to breathe healthy indoor air.

To solve the problems related to IAQ, a steering committee of experts are required to
provide their opinions on the design, planning and implementation of IAQ measurement and
control programs. The experts need to identify the key parameters that should be
measured indoor in different types of buildings depending upon their use i.e. commercial,
residential or sensitive (the sensitive buildings are classified as hospitals, schools, and old
age homes etc. where sensitive receptors like women, children and old age people are
occupants).

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Causes of Indoor Air Pollution

 Inadequate ventilation - increases indoor pollutant levels by not bringing in enough

outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and by not carrying indoor air
pollutants out of the home.
 High temperature and humidity levels - increase concentrations of some pollutants.
 There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home. These include combustion
sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products; building
materials and furnishings as diverse as deteriorated, asbestos-containing insulation,
wet or damp carpet, and cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood
products; products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or
hobbies; cooling systems and humidification devices; and outdoor sources such as
radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.
 Outdoor air enters and leaves a house by: infiltration, natural ventilation, and
mechanical ventilation. In a process known as infiltration, outdoor air flows into the
house through openings, joints, and cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings, and around
windows and doors. In natural ventilation, air moves through opened windows and
doors. Air movement associated with infiltration and natural ventilation is caused by
air temperature differences between indoors and outdoors and by wind.
 High pollutant concentrations can remain in the indoor air for long periods after some
of these activities, and
 The use of cleaning products and pesticides in housekeeping.

Starting Points of action

 IAQ is a too much relevant issue for health (e.g. respiratory diseases)
 Indoor air tends to be more polluted than ambient air, but...
 Despite having been tackled for long by public policies, outdoor ambient air keeps
being a basic pollution source for indoor air
 Buildings as diodes between two environments must be addressed under a holistic
and lasting intervention/ perspective which should integrate the concerned aspects of
policies related to safety, health, energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings
 Materials and products going inside buildings shall be such that they won’t become
relevant sources of air pollution whatsoever
 Occupant’s activities and behaviour indoors to call upon public awareness and
responsible participation

Areas of Investigation

 Environmental measurements
 Building and ventilation characterization
 Time activity assessment and Occupant’s health assessment.

Monitoring Objectives

 Defining the objective.

 Evaluating the methods for measurement of pollutants
 Individual exposures of the receptors within the building.
 Identifying the effects of variations in ventilation on IAQ.
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Team Members

 Environmental Scientist
 Epidemiologist (public health expert)
 Building Design Engineer (Architect)
 HVAC Engineer
 Building Manager (management person)
 Analyst

Strategies of implementation

 Integration of health into know-how of architecture, engineering, managerial and

social sciences (multi-disciplinary approach)
 Involvement of all the sectors of the public administration (Regional and Local
Governments)
 When appropriate, use of market and fiscal incentives
 Information and health education to promote active role of population in health
prevention

Proposed actions at regulatory and Technical levels

1. Functional requirements of the indoor environments and standards/guideline

values for indoor air quality

 Definition of minimum IAQ requirements and recommended IAQ values for: offices
and public buildings, schools, hospitals, residences, and transport means.
 Ventilation standard setting
 Inclusion of radon preventive measures in building codes
 Definition of reference measurement methods for indoor air pollutants
 Accreditation of private and public services for IAQ

2. Specific actions for sources or pollutants

 Radon
 Particulate matter
 Gaseous Pollutants
 Biological agents
 Allergens
 Construction and furnishing materials
 Chemical commodities

3. Production and management of buildings

 Revision of existing norms on building hygiene, HVAC hygiene and building codes
 Guidelines for building design, minimum ventilation requirements, and ventilation
testing
 Norms on building commissioning

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  Norms for building, HVAC and technical installation maintenance and institution of
the “maintenance recording book”
 Accreditation of the building maintenance and IAQ consultant services

4. Technical education and training

 Education and continuing education programmes for professionals of HVAC

engineering, building sector, and health and environment professionals
 Inclusion of IAQ information in the high school and university curricula and education
of teachers
 Specific training of the National Health Service personnel on risk assessment,
remedial technical measures, and prevention in the indoor environments

5. Information and health education of the population

 Preparation of scientifically sound information materials and their dissemination in

co-operation with the professional associations of medical doctors, engineers,
architects and building related professions.
 Set up of information campaigns for the general population and specific groups
(asthmatics, etc.)

An integrated IAQ protocol

An integrated IAQ protocol includes following components that need to be performed:

 Selection of type of building i.e. commercial, residential, sensitive.

 Conducting an IAQ building audit;
 Diagnosing IAQ related health problems;
 Selection of pollutants of concern corresponding to the type of building;
 Designing the monitoring programme of selected pollutants of concern;
 Setting up of IAQ guideline values for selected pollutants
 Establishing an IAQ management and maintenance program to reduce IAQ risks;
 Protecting occupants from exposures to construction/renovation contaminants; and
 Calculating the cost, revenue, and productivity impacts of planned IAQ activities.

IAQ protocol needs to incorporate three major areas of investigation: Environmental

measurements, building and ventilation characterization, and an occupant questionnaire.
Framework for understanding how indoor and outdoor sources of pollution together with the
ventilation affect the IAQ in buildings is one of the essential requirements. The monitoring
protocol also include the schedule of measurements, the specifications of the measurement
equipment’s’, how to select the representative space(s), and how to select the sampling
sites in each space. Data collection program allow entry of majority of data and its findings
in a readily accessible database so that it can be used by any interested party for a number
of applications: developing the distribution of IAQ/ building/ventilation characteristics,
predicting IAQ (modeling), developing new hypothesis, establishing standard protocols,
examining the relationship of symptoms to building and ventilation characteristics,
exposure assessment/modeling, developing guidelines for building design and orientation,
construction, operation and maintenance etc.

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The first step in the preparation of a protocol is the definition of the sampling objectives or
of the hypothesis to be tested. These objectives are generally problem oriented and so need
‘mapping’ or documentation of complaints in the building, control of compliance with
standard or exposure limits and identification of the sources. Other objectives are the
evaluation of the methods for measurements of pollutants, individual exposures of the
receptors within the building, the identification of the effects of the variations in ventilations
on IAQ. Each of these objectives call for different protocols and a detailed description of the
aim is essentially the first step in any planning of the protocol.

Once the sampling/monitoring objectives have been defined, the second step is to establish
a list of all relevant sampling/monitoring variables and their variation range as given below:

Indoor Environment Contaminants:

Biological exposure: Allergens or microbiological;
Chemical exposure: Dust, aerosols or vapors;
Physical exposure: Acoustic environment, humidity, air movement, thermal environment

Emission controlling variables: Building site and type, materials, ventilation type,
outdoor pollution, emission rates, elimination rates
Co-variables for human reactions: Genetic factors, personal co-factors, building related co-
factors, social environment, work environment, exposure times
Human Reactions: Symptoms from eyes, nose and upper airways, throat, mouth, lower
airways, stomach, heart, ear, hyper-reactivity, skin reactions, heat balance, neurological
effects, psychological effects, changes in human activity patterns.
Non-human reactions: From animals and plants and effects of buildings and other
properties.

The variation range of each variable may be found in literature or by pilot study. The pilot
study may provide a data base of frequencies and variations as well as other basic
quantitative information. For each of the selected variables, a sampling/monitoring
specification is then established.

I. Identification of relevant measuring parameters

The comfort parameters (temperature, relative humidity and airflow) are important
dimensions of indoor air quality. Generally, independent measurements of temperature and
relative humidity will be sufficient. However, some instruments will integrate these and
other measurements and provide a read out of comfort consistent with ASHRAE Standard
55-1992. For temperature and humidity measurements, instruments can be a simple
thermometer and humidity gauge, a sling psychrometer, or an electronic thermo
hygrometer. Such meters integrate several comfort parameters and will provide a direct
indication as to whether comfort is in the acceptable range according to ASHRAE Standard
55-1992.

The environmental measurements include measuring Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and other
contaminants. CO2 measurements are done by using sorbent tubes, which are readily
available and are inexpensive. However they are with accuracy of only 25% and are not of
much value for indoor air quality diagnostics. Digital infrared spectrometry though more
expensive is mostly used with more accurate and appropriate measurements. Indoor CO2
should be measured at peak values. However, if measurements in the occupied space are
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ever above 1000 ppm, check for improperly vented combustion appliances, which could
also be producing carbon monoxide (CO). Check the CO2 levels outside; and calculate the
indoor-outdoor values and compare with the above mentioned thresholds for 15 and 20 cfm
per occupant. If neither of these conditions can explain why the CO2 levels are above 1000
PPM, it is a valid presumption that the outdoor air ventilation rate is too low. Real-time
measurements of CO2 with data-logging equipment can be also be used to see how CO2
values rise and fall in an occupied space during the day, reflecting the pattern of changing
occupancy, or changing outdoor air ventilation rates. This can provide clues as to what is
happening in the building and this information can help in the diagnostic process. Most of
the IAQ problems can be solved with investigation of CO2 and ventilation indoors without
measuring specific contaminants. However, their measurements are sometimes helpful to
clearly identify the sources and target contaminants to measure specific contaminants that
have no acute affects but which could cause serious long term illness. This would help in
taking mitigation measures to control the contaminant. When measurements are taken,
qualified, experienced persons should take them and adhere to protocols and quality
assurance procedures. Other essential parameters for IAQ measurement may include
respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM – PM10, PM2.5, and PM1.0); volatile organic
carbons (VOC) including formaldehyde; Ozone (O3); carbon monoxide (CO).

Observational Data: (i) average number of people in the venue, (ii) activities in the venue
viz. burning activities, indoor exercises etc. (iii) age-group, socio-economic status, food &
smoking habit, (iv) interaction on the intrusion of neighbor-hood pollution, (v) building
orientation, height, exit (door) / windows details / ventilators, (vi) compliance of field
protocols (vii) health records / disease records etc. are very important towards correlation
of indoor air quality data.

II. Sampling locations

The optimal sampling site depends on the sampling objectives. If the sampling is planned
for a specific environments (offices, residential dwellings etc.), the locations are preferred
inside these environments. However, if the sampling/monitoring are representative of a
given type of residences, commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, the investigators must
first ensure the representatively in his selected sampling sites. Least potential problem
control zone also needs to be considered, while identifying the sampling sites in specific
environments. After selecting proper sampling/monitoring sites, the sampling/monitoring
locations inside the environment or building must be considered. This is important as the air
inside the environment is not uniformly distributed. One strategy is to locate and
investigate the areas of highest concentrations of contaminants. Woods et al. (1985) and
Maldonado and Woods, (1983) have suggested a procedure for choosing the sampling
locations inside a residence using four concepts:

I. Location of the problem or contaminant source.

ii. The relative exposure index (REI) or
iii. The ventilation effectiveness (VE) and
iv. Occurrence of complaints

REI and VE methods use tracer gas technique for identifications of problem areas within the
building. Later, for mathematical analysis and predictions, each sampling/monitoring
location will represent a homogeneous microenvironment which means that variance of
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variables under consideration in each microenvironment will be smaller than variance
among the averages for different microenvironments (Moschandreas, 1981). Therefore
different microenvironments constitute together the entire non-homogeneous
sampling/monitoring microenvironments while each sampling/monitoring location is
representing a homogeneous microenvironment. Each of this microenvironment must be
decided prior to sampling/monitoring and separate sampling/monitoring protocol may be
fixed for each of them. The size of the microenvironment depends upon the variations in
space and time of the selected variable.

In addition to sampling/monitoring in the building, samples from the microenvironment

outside are of particularly important for indoor/outdoor (I/O) analysis and also for locating
the dominant source of pollution outside.

III. Time of sampling/monitoring

The contaminants concentrations indoors are related with cofactors such as humidity,
human activity and air temperature. The time of sampling/monitoring must then be chosen
accordingly so as to minimize the influence of the cofactors e.g. when the potential
cofactors are expected to be constant and at average level. Such choice of time may not be
acceptable or achievable all the time in relation to the overall aims of the investigations.
Hence the sampling/monitoring programme must always allow estimate of the range of
variations of relevant cofactors.

For Indian scenario, the timing protocols proposed are:

 Residential (morning & evening, one hour in each case)

 Schools / colleges /educational institution (two working hours)
 Offices (two working hours)
 Health care units (morning and evening, one hour in each case)
 Restaurants (two hours in the evening)
 Museums/Historical Buildings (two hours during the visiting hours)
 Industrial establishments (short time or long time during working hours)

Note: Full day monitoring protocol is also proposed as and when required in some cases of
specific environment types

IV. Duration of sampling/monitoring

The sampling duration must represent ‘peak’ exposure and ‘average’ exposure indoors.
Both long term and short term sampling/monitoring may be required to reflect the desired
time resolution of the sampling/monitoring programme. The greatest time resolution
obtainable is the shortest sampling/monitoring duration and interval. In addition to the
sampling /monitoring efficiency together with the sensitivity of the analytical method also
determines the sampling/monitoring duration. For chemical characterization of pollutants /
species, long duration monitoring is specifically required. Short time sampling/monitoring
(< 15 min) is chosen for investigating acute effects; investigation of chronic effects are
evaluated by carrying out sampling/monitoring for longer duration of several hours or even
days.

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V. Number of samples/monitored data

The number of samples or data points must be planned prior to start of

sampling/monitoring. It is needed so that the results are within the desired confidence
limits. To accomplish this, pilot studies are conducted. The distribution of contaminants
indoors is approximated by a logarithmic normal distribution which is characterized by the
geometric mean and geometric standard deviation. Corn (1985) has described thumb rule
to find out the number of samples/data points in the desired confidence interval. In any
event, minimum three samples/ monitored data should be collected before any statement is
made. If the range of these exceed 25% of their average, additional samples/monitored
data points should be obtained. NIOSH (1984) has described the procedure for maintaining
the quality control of the analysis report.

For Indian conditions, the following protocol is proposed:

Minimum 50 samples said to be adequate. Number-criteria may be decided, as under:

a. 10% of residential / houses in particular location / area
b. 05% of offices / work places
c. 10% of class-rooms at schools / colleges / educational institutions
d. 15% of rooms at health care centre’s

Number of samples may be based on the following criterion:

By means of random numbers
All corners, central place at all floors
Building / house orientations
Pre-dominant wind direction (up-wind and down-wind)
Depending of the fuel usage
Income group

VI. Instrumentation

For each of the relevant variables, separate sampling/monitoring instructions accompany

the analytical protocol. The preparation of sampling/monitoring instructions must ensure
that the finally selected sampling/monitoring and analytical method meet the objectives
of investigations. That requires consultations with laboratory prior to the selection of the
analytical methods. Table I describes a few common sampling/monitoring and analytical
methods for measurement and analysis of the ambient indoor air pollutants and
corresponding exposure factors.

VII. Calibration

The sampling/monitoring instruments must be calibrated against a secondary

standard prior to and immediately following sampling/monitoring. Besides, the
instruments should be regularly checked for its calibration against primary standards.

VIII. Building and ventilation characterization

Characterization of building parameters, i.e. type, size, age, location, building fabric, its
furnishing and equipment, its occupants and their activities need to incorporate in IAQ
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protocol. The elements of ventilation, i.e. airflow rate, air volume and air velocity from
openings in natural systems or from heating

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Table 1: Sampling and Measuring Procedure/Instrumentation for IAQ study

S. No. Parameters Sampling/Monitoring Sensitivity

procedure/instrument
1 Pollutants/ Primary RSPM including Gravimetric/light-scattering/ Air flow-1.1 lpm or
contaminants PM10, PM2.5 and beta attenuation based recommended flow for low
PM1.0 instruments volume or medium volume
sampler /Measuring range-
0.20-32 microns/Resolution-
±2 µg/m3
VOCs Dual section, charcoal tube, In GC, retention time of
polymer absorber based various organic compounds
samplers followed by GC is varies/Stationary phase is
most influencing the
separation of compounds
Secondary CO Non dispersive infra red Least count-0.1ppb
(NDIR) spectroscopy
SOx Improved West &Gaek, Reflective filter for high
Ultraviolet Fluorescence sensitivity/ A lower detection
limit of 30 ppb
NOx Modified Jacob and When the NOx measuring
Hochheiser method system is calibrated using
Chemiluminescence NO2 standard gas, its
sensitivity for NO becomes
higher than the sensitivity of
the NO measuring system
that is calibrated using a
standard gas of NO if the
converter efficiency is less
than 100%
Special* O3 UV Photometric
Precision-0.003 ppm/flow
(only for Chemiluminescence
selected Chemical method rate-1to 3 lpm
types of Formaldehyde Solvent extraction followed Injection volume-5 to 100 µL
buildings) by HPLC /GC analysis
Microbial Agents Anderson samplers, Incubation @ 37oC for 24hrs
Gravimetric followed by
culture method

2. Ventilation For indoor CO2 IR based IAQ monitors Least count- 1ppm
parameters space
carrying
capacity
For Air Air flow rate Tracer gas technique/ Grid with sensitivity of 1.5 to
change airflow grids/ pitot tubes 30 min/sec as per BS1042
rate (ACH)
For Air Simulation CFD CFD Software
circulation
3. Comfort Temperature Thermometer, thermo Least count-1oC/Wet bulb
parameters hygrometer maximum- 64oF for winter &
68oF for summer as per
ASHRAE 55-1992

RH humidity gauge, Least count-1%/ 30% to

psychrometer, 60% for both winter &
summer as per ASHRAE 55-
1992

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Ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system are important to IAQ. Its information is
important to develop the protocols for the operating set points and schedules consistent
with good IAQ performance. Measurement instruments and techniques, which are generally
available to building personnel, can be extremely useful in assessing the performance of the
right ventilation system for both exhausting and diluting pollutants. Useful measuring tools
include: Smoke tube to measure airflow, Flow hood to measure air volume, Velocity meter
to measure air velocity, and measuring CO2 to estimate the percentage of outdoor air or to
generally evaluate outdoor air ventilation. It acts as surrogate index for analyzing the
ventilation and so the IAQ. Besides, air flow grids can also be used to measure differential
pressure and air flows in the buildings.

IX. Occupant questionnaire

The sampling methods for biological effects are numerous. Therefore to simplify the
measurement protocol for biological effects of indoor pollutants, the ‘questionnaire’ tool is
generally used. The questionnaire will collect information on various factors, i.e. general
information on building (as mentioned in building characteristics), its environmental and
ventilation condition, occupants and their work responsibilities, SBS symptoms and
occupant’s perception on their health. However, there are ‘gaps’ in this tool such as, the
questionnaire is neither able to prove causality, nor document whether the complaints are
caused by ‘hypersensitivity’ or high level of indoor pollutants. In spite of these
shortcomings, the questionnaire tool is invariably used in analyzing the IAQ problems.

X. Sampling/monitoring administration

The protocol must include proper numbering of all samples/monitored data, data sheets for
each variable or co-variable. Strict storage norms and routine for the collected data must
be established to secure the validity of the samples/data. Active information plan must be
distributed to the occupants of the building before any study is started as the success of the
IAQ study depends upon the cooperation of the individual occupant, building manager, the
producer of the building material, the authorities, the resident welfare associations etc. The
information activities should not be biased to any individual stakeholder of the site being
investigated.

XI. IAQ Prediction Models

Predictions of IAQ for different types of buildings are essential in order to avoid repeated
IAQ monitoring which involves money and manpower. Various modeling techniques are
used to develop the IAQ models that includes the most used and simple technique based on
mass balance approach. For many studies in IAQ, wind tunnel simulations can also be used
which may provide coefficients controlling the air change rate (ACH), re-suspension and/or
re-entrainment of the settled particulates etc. Such studies would help in eliminating
uncertainties affecting the predictive efficiency of the IAQ models.

Summary

This report on the IAQ protocol is a check list for establishing a IAQ study protocol that
includes sampling, monitoring, and analysis and prediction. After formulation of the
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hypothesis or aim of the IAQ investigation all relevant variables and co-variables should be
identified. The list of items to consider for each protocol and may act as list of contents for
a standard sampling/monitoring protocol. These standard items which are to be considered
during establishing the IAQ protocol can be summarized as below:

Sampling/monitoring identification: Sample numbering and laboratory identification.

Sampling/monitoring procedure: Sampling/monitoring method, analytical method,

calibration, validation, sampling/monitoring dates, duration, and interval.

Sampling/monitoring site identifications: Site, type of building, age of building, floor level,
location in the room, recent renovation activity.

Co-variables: Ventilation system, time and status during sampling/monitoring and before
sampling/monitoring; temperature and humidity; meteorological conditions; presence of
biological sources like occupants and pets and plants; consumer products; smoking;
appliances.

IAQ modelling: Model type identification and formulation; calibration and validation.

Effects: Exposure assessment and prediction; health effects

Figure I describe, in a nutshell, the proposed IAQ protocol.

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 Figure 1: An Integrated IAQ protocol
Indoor Air
Quality

Urban Rural
Localities
Localities

Natural +
HVAC Naturally
Mechanically
buildings Ventilated
Ventilated Buildings
Buildings
Air circulation indoors +
measurement of ventilation

Identification of
contaminants/
their sources

Monitoring of contaminants/
ventilation/comfort parameters at
various locations (at least 3 locations
in each building type)

Data interpretation/analysis Record of occupant’s

(Indoor- outdoor / health complains
exploratory/statistical) (questionnaire study)

Laying down the standards/limits for

Prediction of IAQ Identification of various contaminants and ventilation 14
Control measures parameters for different building types by
Govt. Bodies
 Questionnaire For Indoor Air Quality Diagnostic Protocol

Name of Person Interviewed

Site Location (Address)

Date & Season

Area & Locality

Carpet Area

Home age

Height of Home

No. of stories in house

No. of rooms in the house

Roofing material
Tile / Thatched / Concrete / Corrugate Iron / Others (Specify)

Wall construction material

Brick wall / Thatched / Concrete / Corrugate Iron / Wood / Mud / Others
(Specify)

Floor construction material

Concrete / Brick / Wood / Mud / Bamboo / Others (Specify)

House ventilation related factors

Acceptable / Somewhat Acceptable / Somewhat Unacceptable /
Unacceptable

No. of windows in house

No. of doors in house

Allow cross ventilation? (Yes/No)

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Chimney/Exhaust Fan? (Yes/No)

Air Conditioning & No. of Fans

No. of family members (Adult, Children & Sick)

Average time a person stays indoor

Family income (monthly)

Total monthly (cash) expenditure of the household

INDOOR CONTAMINANT SOURCES

No. of persons who smoke

Cooking devices
Gas Stove / Electric / Kerosene Stove / Mud Stove / Others (Specify)

Fuel type
Firewood / Sawdust / Tree residue / Straw / Rice husk / Jute Sticks /
Bagasse / Briquette / Animal residue / Charcoal / Kerosene / Piped natural
gas / LPG / Bio gas / Electricity / Others (specify)

Cooking Oil
Mustard Oil / Refined Oil / Olive Oil / Ghee / Others

How many times a day does household typically cook?

Insecticides / Hair spray / Cleaning Solvents / Cologne / Perfume / Air

freshener / Kerosene Storage Cans

Does the residence have attached garage or vehicle parking area?

(Yes/No)

Furniture & Upholstery

Pets? (Yes/No)

Have you noticed any unpleasant odor(s)? (Yes/No)

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 OUTSIDE CONTAMINANT SOURCES

Heavy Vehicular traffic nearby? (Yes/No)

Other stationary sources nearby (1000-ft radius)

HEALTH ISSUES

What health complaints have you experienced?

Allergies / Dermatitis or other skin problem / Sinus / Cold or Flu / Nausea
or Dizziness / Eye or Nose irritation / Headache/Mental fatigue or any
other (Specify)

When do the symptoms occur? How often?

All the Time / Anytime / A.M. / P.M.

Any other comments

References

Corn M. (1985) Strategies of air sampling. Scand.J.Work. Envir.Hlth 11, 173-

180.

Maldonado E.A.B. and Woods J.E. (1983) A method to select Locations for
indoor air quality sampling. Building Envir. 18, 171-180.

Molhave L. (1986) Indoor air quality in relation to sensory irritation due to

volatile organic compounds. ASHRAE Trans. (Dec.) paper No. 2954.

Moschandreas D.J. (1981) Exposure to pollutants and daily time budgets of

people. Bull.N.Y.Acad. Med. 57, 845-859.

NIOSH (1984) Manual of Analytical Methods, 3rd edn, Vol.1, pp.15-28.

Woods J.E., Krafthefer B.C.and Janssen J.E. (1985) solutions to indoor air
quality problems in light housing, presented at Energy ’85, Washington DC,
March 1985.

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Kindly send your comments/suggestions to:

Prof.Mukesh Khare Dr.D.Saha

mukeshk@civil.iitd.ac.in mailcpcb@gmail.com

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