AAAR 35th Annual Conference October 17 - October 21, 2016 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
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Low-income Single Family Home Air Tightness, Indoor Air Quality and Respiratory Heath in Colorado during Fire Season
PRATEEK SHRESTHA, Shelly Miller, Jamie Humphrey, John Adgate, Elizabeth Carlton, Elisabeth Root, University of Colorado Boulder
Abstract Number: 637 Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods
Abstract In this EPA-funded study we are assessing home tightness and characteristics, indoor air quality and respiratory health of residents in low-income communities in the front range across Colorado during the 2016 fire season. In 15 single-family low income homes that have had energy efficiency improvements (sometimes called weatherization) and 15 single-family homes that have not been weatherized we are assessing the homes ability to “protect" residents from fire air pollution, through a combination of direct air sample measurements, questionnaires, lung function testing, household walkthrough, blower door testing. The selected homes will be a subset of larger sample of 250 homes in which direct measurement of air samples is not performed, but all other measures are collected including blower door testing to assess building air tightness during non fire season. All homes are selected in neighborhood pairs (energy efficient and non-energy efficient) and are screened using the income-eligibility requirements of HUD programs. Home infiltration rates are estimated using a model linking weather data and leakage area. The outputs of this work are quantitative data on pollutant levels, housing characteristics and respiratory health. This information is crucial to determine if home tightness impacts health, especially to see whether weatherization activities provide any protection against elevated outdoor pollutant levels during wildfire seasons. Outcomes of this study will provide guidance on efficiency measures that reduces energy use in homes while still providing a healthy indoor environment. Data collection is ongoing and results will be reported for the subset of homes that have been investigated.