ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 804

Particulate Matter (PM) Particulate matter may be solid or liquid or a mixture of both found in the indoor air. Aerosols are particulate matter that are between the size 0.01µm and 200µm and these can be inhaled and can reach till the alveoli in the lungs, whereas particulates which are smaller than 10µm (PM 10) can reach till the thorax and cause irritations (Bluyssen 2009). Particulate matter enters the indoor environment through many sources such as the occupants, ventilation, and can cause serious respiratory effects in the occupants of the indoor space. In the retail shops in the UAE, particulate matter may be an issue as its hot arid climate with frequent sandstorms may lead to the introduction of dust from the outside environment to the indoor conditioned space. Strategies and Control Measures Burroughs and Hansen (2011) argued that there are only three methods by which indoor pollutants can be controlled. The methods are elimination or removal of the source, dilution by ventilation and extraction by methods of filtration and cleaning of air. The EPA firmly states that source control is the most efficient way of controlling pollutants in an indoor environment. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Guide (2001) for ventilation and air conditioning gives a set of design requirements and strategies for shops and retail premises. The most important strategy being ventilation, selecting the type of HVAC to be used, maintenance and operations, and positive pressurization of the building are also important. For food store areas, particular strategies in ventilation are to be followed to control the humidity and temperature of the space. The ASHRAE Indoor Air Quality Guide (2009) has clear strategies and objectives for designing, constructing and commissioning for indoor air quality. The guide has noted many objectives to achieve good IAQ by using an integrated approach. The objectives include; managing primary design and construction processes, controlling moisture in the structure, controlling entry of contaminants from the outdoor environment, limiting the contaminants and moisture in HVAC systems, indoor source control, contaminants eradication by capture and exhaust, use of ventilation, filtration and air cleaning and other improved ventilation approaches. Through the survey conducted in this study, most of the customers in retail shops felt discomfort at the frozen foods area, spices area and the fish and poultry section. The frozen foods area is said to be too cold and dry for the customers this is also known as the frozen aisle effect and this can be diminished by using a ventilation system to split the cold air from the display cases and used to ventilate to other areas (CIBSE 2001).The spices area where the spices are kept open is found to be causing irritation to the customers eyes and nose. This is due to the increased particulate count in this area and this can be reduced by the used of closed glass boxes to display and store the spices rather than keeping it open or the retail store can use packaged products only. This area should have adequate exhausts and air filtering to capture these contaminants and stop the recycling of these particulates. The odour in the poultry and fish section is due to decreased ventilation and capture and exhaust of these contaminants should be done. Visual / Lighting Quality Built environments are human made shelters to protect them from the climatic conditions of a region. These built environments, usually built from steel and concrete tends to block out the needful sunlight which leads to the introduction of artificial lights. Lighting is an important part of the interior environment as it is said to effect a person’s mood, performance and visual com