The Effects of Building Materials on Building Biology and the Resultant Air Quality

Year 2017, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 80 - 86, 25.02.2017

Nil Kokulu

Abstract

The
basic need of a human being is to lead a healthy life. Since people spend 90%
of their life indoors, the main function of a building should be providing a
healthy environment for its occupants. A building should meet its occupants’ biological,
psychological, social needs through its quality indicators related to the
outdoor-indoor environmental characteristics. Buildings, which are designed,
constructed and presented in a health supporting condition, may lose their
healthiness over time. The reason for this is that the quality indicators’ may change over time
(aging of the building and the user) and circumstances (function, environmental
characteristics, characteristics of the user). Building Biology can be defined
as the study of the relationships between people and their constructed
environment. It is a science that leads to natural healthy ecological buildings
that exist in harmony with the planetary environment. The main aspects of
building biology are interior climate, heat and moisture comfort, air quality,
radioactivity, electro-climatic pollution, acoustic violence and natural
lighting conditions and its effects.

According
to the studies, 65% of our buildings are polluted, sometimes as much as five to
ten times higher than outdoor city pollution. The harmful gases, volatile
organic compounds, particulate matter, lead, asbestos and dust have been
receiving considerable interest in indoor air field studies because of their
high emission rates from materials used in indoor environments. They can cause
diseases such as cancer, asthma, allergic reactions, pulmonary fibrosis and
many more.

In
this study; the definition of building biology, types and sources of indoor air
pollutants and the impact of materials on indoor environment and human health
are discussed in detail.

Keywords

Building Biology, Building Materials, Human Health, Indoor Air Quality

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