학술논문

Overview of HOMEChem: House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry
Document Type
article
Source
Environmental Science Processes & Impacts. 21(8)
Subject
Environmental Sciences
Chemical Sciences
Health Sciences
Aerosols
Air Conditioning
Air Filters
Air Microbiology
Air Pollutants
Air Pollution
Indoor
Cooking
Environmental Monitoring
Gases
Housing
Humans
Particle Size
Particulate Matter
Medical and Health Sciences
Chemical sciences
Environmental sciences
Health sciences
Language
Abstract
The House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry (HOMEChem) study is a collaborative field investigation designed to probe how everyday activities influence the emissions, chemical transformations and removal of trace gases and particles in indoor air. Sequential and layered experiments in a research house included cooking, cleaning, variable occupancy, and window-opening. This paper describes the overall design of HOMEChem and presents preliminary case studies investigating the concentrations of reactive trace gases, aerosol particles, and surface films. Cooking was a large source of VOCs, CO2, NOx, and particles. By number, cooking particles were predominantly in the ultrafine mode. Organic aerosol dominated the submicron mass, and, while variable between meals and throughout the cooking process, was dominated by components of hydrocarbon character and low oxygen content, similar to cooking oil. Air exchange in the house ensured that cooking particles were present for only short periods. During unoccupied background intervals, particle concentrations were lower indoors than outdoors. The cooling coils of the house ventilation system induced cyclic changes in water soluble gases. Even during unoccupied periods, concentrations of many organic trace gases were higher indoors than outdoors, consistent with housing materials being potential sources of these compounds to the outdoor environment. Organic material accumulated on indoor surfaces, and exhibited chemical signatures similar to indoor organic aerosol.