Carbon Monoxide Dispersion in Residential Buildings: Literature Review and Technical Analysis.
Carbon Monoxide Dispersion in Residential Buildings:
Literature Review and Technical Analysis.
(4887 K)
Persily, A. K.
NISTIR 5906; 74 p. October 1996.
Sponsor:
National Fire Protection Research Foundation, Quincy, MA
Available from:
National Fire Protection Research
Foundation (NFPRF), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA
02269-9101.
Telephone: 617-984-7283;
Fax:
617-984-7010.
Website: http://www.nfpa.org
Keywords:
carbon monoxide; exposure; indoor air quality;
literature reviews; residential buildings; ventilation;
occupants
Abstract:
Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are being used
increasingly in residential buildings to warn occupants
about CO concentrations that could potentially cause
acute health effects. While the use of CO detectors can
decrease the likelihood of exposure to such CO levels,
questions exist concerning the installation of these
devices in residential buildings, primarily with regards
to the location and number of detectors. Efforts to
develop installation guidance and standards have been
faced with these question of location, and the
availability of technical information to support the
development of installation recommendations has been
questioned. As the first task of a project to analyze
the distribution of CO in residential buildings as it
relates to the installation of CO detectors, a
literature review and technical analysis was conducted
to assess information on CO dispersion in residential
buildings that could support the development of guidance
on detector installation. The review covered a number
of issues including CO concentration measurements in
residential buildings, sources of indoor CO, mixing
within and between rooms, tracer gas techniques for
assessing building airflow, and computer models of air
movement and contaminant dispersal in buildings. The
material obtained in the literature review is discussed,
and a technical analysis of the issues related to CO
dispersion in residential buildings is presented.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899