- Author
-
Persily, A. K.
|
Dols, W. S.
|
Nabinger, S. J.
|
VanBronkhorst, D. A.
- Title
- Air Quality Investigation in the NIH (National Institutes of Health) Radiation Oncology Branch.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
- Report
-
NISTIR 89-4145,
August 1989,
134 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
ventilation; air flow; radioactive contaminants; human factors engineering; design standards; safety engineering; gas flow; graphs (charts); recommendations
|
occupants
- Identifiers
- National Institutes of Health Radiation Oncology Branch; air quality; HVAC systems; indoor air pollution; building technology; office buildings
- Abstract
- The Radiation Oncology Branch (ROB) is located in the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The occupants of the ROB facility have expressed dissatisfaction with the air quality within the facility for several years. To identify the sources of the air quality problems in the ROB facility and to obtain recommendations for their solution, the Center for Building Technology at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly The National Bureau of Standards) conducted an indoor quality investigation of the ROB facility. Results revealed several deficiencies in the design and current condition of the ROB ventilation system, such as significant differences between the design airflow rates and those recommended in current standards and guidelines. The airflow measurements showed many instances in which measured airflow rates were different from their design values and revealed the existence of airflows leading to the potential for pollutant transport within the building. The contaminant measurements fell generally well below the maximum values in the ASHRAE air quality standard. Thermal comfort measurements revealed instances when the temperature and relative humidity were outside of ASHRAE comfort limits. Recommendations are made to remedy the deficiencies noted and to control the conditions contributing to the building's air quality problems.