Air quality in archives housed in historic buildings: Assessment of concentration of indoor particles of outdoor origin

• Published in: Building and environment Vol. 180; p. 107024
• Main Authors: Mašková, Ludmila, Smolík, Jiří, Ondráček, Jakub, Ondráčková, Lucie, Travnickova, Tereza, Havlica, Jaromir
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air pollution measurements; Air quality; Air quality assessments; Air quality control; Archive; Archives & records; Degradation; Historic buildings & sites; Historical buildings; I/O ratio; Indoor air pollution; Indoor air quality; Indoor environments; Long-term storage; Mass balance; Mass size distribution; Naturally ventilated buildings; Outdoor air quality; Particulate matter; Pollution levels; Pollution monitoring; Seasonal variations; Ventilation; Naturally ventilated buildings; I/O ratio; Mass size distribution; Archive; Long-term storage
• ISSN: 0360-1323; 1873-684X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107024

Indoor air pollution in archives can cause irreversible degradation of materials stored there. Thus, detailed information about indoor air quality is essential before control strategies could be investigated. In a period 2008–2019, the relationship between the indoor and outdoor pollution was investigated in four naturally ventilated archives located in historical buildings and situated in regions with different outdoor air quality. The indoor and outdoor particle number, mass, and chemical size distributions were measured during different seasons. Moreover, air change rates (a), penetration coefficients (P), and deposition velocities (Vd) were determined. The results revealed that the most important source of the indoor particulate matter was the outdoor air. The size-resolved data with no indoor sources were evaluated using the steady-state solution of the mass balance equation as the I/O ratio. The results showed that all parameters (a, P, and Vd) determined in archives were comparable with low seasonal variation, probably due to the similar building characteristics. Further, the typical average values of the I/O ratio for naturally ventilated historical buildings were estimated. Finally, the long-term indoor concentrations, for periods when no measurement was in place, were determined using data from the local monitoring network. The results showed that the higher level of pollution and therefore the higher degree of degradation is expected in depositories located in highly polluted regions. •Indoor and outdoor size-resolved particle concentrations were measured in four archives.•The most important source of the indoor particulate matter was the outdoor air.•Data were evaluated from the steady-state solution of the mass balance equation as the I/O ratio.•All determined indoor parameters were comparable due to similar building characteristics.•Long-term indoor concentrations were estimated using data from the local monitoring network.