LAUSR

Abstract Building materials and furniture are mainly responsible for indoor volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, which can cause adverse health effects. Source control, through proper material selection, is an effective means to prevent air pollution. This study demonstrates the feasibility of improving material selection during the design stage, using indoor air-quality simulations. An apartment in a multiple-family residential building was selected to perform a case study. Computer simulations predicted the generation of unacceptable formaldehyde concentrations, if a wooden blockboard was to be introduced into the apartment. Unfortunately, ignoring the predictions, the blockboard was installed. The actual formaldehyde concentrations were measured and compared with the predicted values. Later, recognizing the unacceptable formaldehyde emissions, the material was removed, and the simulated and measured results were compared again. The simulation and field-measurement results were found to agree in both occasions, indicating that the proposed approach could forecast the initial occurrence of an air-quality problem, successfully. Thus, by using this method, preventive actions can be taken in a timely manner, according to the simulation results.