ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 793

Mold growth will often occur when excessive moisture gathers in building materials or in the entire building, specifically when the moisture is either not discovered or not resolved immediately.
It is very hard to eradicate mold or mold spores completely in indoor environment but surely
can be controlled by simply controlling moisture in those environments. Health problems and
odors vary when mold growth due to moisture problems happens. Issues as breathing difficulties,
headaches, skin irritation, worsening asthma symptoms and allergic reactions, all which could be
associated with mold exposure; potentially.
Every single form of molds has a possible cause of a health effect; they produce irritants, allergies
and toxins in some cases which can lead to severe reactions in humans whether a child, elderly,
adults and even pets. Even the severity and types of the symptoms may depend on the type of
mold present, exposure, which the individual has been, directly or indirectly to the mold, individual’s age and individual’s existing allergies and sensitivities (EPA 2014).
Humidification and Dehumidification Equipment; some structures, houses, buildings or even
areas within these indoor location there is a special need that deserve strict control of humidity,
such as the computer rooms or operating rooms. The control over humidity is often done by
using dehumidification equipment and controls or through humidification. The UAE is a country
filled with offices and compact work locations in an environment which is known for its high humidity, this raises the risks of many indoor air quality factors. In office and/or work facilities, it is
usually preferable to maintain relative humidity above 20 or sometimes 30% during the heated
season. In cooled season, it is more of below 60%. Using air conditioning system which has been
properly designed and operated will normally keep relative humidity below the 60% RH mark in
offices with a normal density and load (EPA 1991). Offices in buildings of indoor cool climates and
exterior hot climates should be in a thermally efficient envelope (e.g. insulation) and the economizer, a person who limits and controls spending and avoids waste, may need humidification to
sustain comparative humidity within the effected or concerned areas. When required, humidification must be added in a way which stops the growth of microbiological organisms within the
air handlers and duct work.
To prevent the exposure of occupants to chemicals, steam humidifiers should make use of clean
steam rather than simply just treated boiler water. Systems which use mediums other than clean
steam strictly must be regularly and consistently maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommendation in regards of the producer’s and methods to reduce the possibility of micro-biological growth occurs. Going back to the topic of molds are more likely to grow if the humidistat
set point in the occupied area is beyond 45%. In addition, to avoid condensation (with a possibility for increasing and growing mold growth) the high limit humidistat which is located usually in
the duck work down-stream of the point where water vaporizes is set at 70%. To add water vapor
to a structure, villa or building or any indoor area which has not been designed for humidification
can develop a chance to have a negative impact on the building’s structure and correlating directly to occupant’s health if any condensation follow in walls, roof cavities or cold surfaces (EPA 1991).
Ending this discussion would not be possible without mentioning some of the main devices used
in detecting and collecting the data for indoor air quality current situations and risks; the most
important steps of all are as follow:
Vacuum Pump; well-recognized airflow rates, which draws air through collection devices such as
sorbent tube, which entices certain chemical vapors to a powder such as carbon, filter that catches
airborne particles or impinge which is more of bubbles that impurities through a solution in a test

Air quality and sources of noise in residential buildings in the UAE

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