Loughborough University
Browse
Ferguson et al Build and Environ 1995 - postprint.pdf (1.08 MB)

Contamination of indoor air by toxic soil vapours: a screening risk assessment model

Download (1.08 MB)
journal contribution
posted on 2013-01-31, 14:35 authored by Colin C. Ferguson, Victor V. Krylov, P.T. McGrath
A simple steady-state model is derived for estimating the concentration of vapourphase contaminants in indoor air, given the contaminant concentration in the soil. The model includes the key mechanisms of transport and dispersion - contaminant partitioning into the soil-vapour phase, molecular diffusion, suction flow, and ventilation rate. It is shown that indoor air concentrations are largely controlled by two variables: soil permeability, and the half-life for contaminant removal from soil. A worked example shows the effect of these two variables on the concentration of benzene in soil that would give rise to a concentration of benzene in indoor air of 5 ppb (the recently proposed UK Air Quality Standard).

History

School

  • Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering

Department

  • Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering

Citation

FERGUSON, C.C., KRYLOV, V.V. and MCGRATH, P.T., 1995. Contamination of indoor air by toxic soil vapours: a screening risk assessment model. Building and Environment, 30 (3), pp. 375 - 383.

Publisher

© Elsevier

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Publication date

1995

Notes

This article was published in the journal, Building and Environment [© Elsevier] and the definitive version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0360-1323(95)00005-Q

ISSN

0360-1323

Language

  • en

Usage metrics

    Loughborough Publications

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC