Indoor Air Quality Analysis

Improved Essays
Introduction: In the Fairbanks Northstar Borough the top air quality issues are particulate matter and indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution may be many times more toxic and affect the old and young who may be at greatest risk of adverse health effects. My talents may, in fact, contribute to decreasing the levels of these hazards.

The Fairbanks area is well known for a meteorological condition known as temperature inversion. This inversion of temperature, keeping warmer, unhealthy air near the ground by cold, dense air sitting over the top of the Fairbanks bowel. This condition causes polluted air to be trapped and then further concentrated. This condition is directly correlated with higher particulate matter
…show more content…
Newer automobiles have led to the discontinuance of the Borough auto emissions testing program half a decade ago. Newer, EPA certified, biomass/solid fuel heaters are replacing the older models and the advancement of sophisticated masonry heater technology has also led to a decrease of PM 2.5. Carbon monoxide if far less of a problem than it was 20 years ago. To help the air quality improve, the Borough and State have initiated a wood stove buy-out program and have also made selling a home with a solid fuel burning appliance difficult. Removal of these systems is required in many instances.

I potentially more dangerous condition in Fairbanks is indoor air pollution. With pollution levels from 4 to 100 times higher than outdoor air pollution, this is a serious problem for the elderly and the young that spend as much as 90% of their time indoor in the winter months when temperatures can reach -40f. The tight air seal of homes, designed to increase energy efficiency, now create an air-tight chamber that concentrates carbon monoxide, cleaning solvent fumes and other pollutants (State of Alaska DEC,
…show more content…
I build custom controls for heating systems; in particular, renewable energy add-ons to conventional systems. My controls increase efficiency many fold and decrease the use of carbon fuels and solid fuels, deemed responsible for PM2.5. Our designs are currently in the EPA approval process and international patenting stages at the time of this assignment.

I also assist in the healthy design of homes and have been an advocate for installing highly controlled HRV systems in new construction. HRV systems filter and exchange the air while recovering much of the heat in the air being exhausted from the home. These systems can decrease indoor air pollution dramatically. I also install alarm systems for carbon monoxide. These systems are required by local codes and save lives at very little increased cost. If you do not have carbon monoxide sensors in your home, please install them. They may save your

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Snowmobiles Research Paper

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Snowmobiles have existed since the 1900’s, but it has managed to reform itself since then. The culture of snowmobiles altered from needed transportation to entertainment. The use of these vehicles has increased quite efficiently and has caused various issues regarding the overall use of it as well. As far as we could remember snowmobiles have been around for a while now. It is a part of the Indigenous culture and represented how the indigenous people transported in the arctic.…

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The amount of particulate matter in the central valley has exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (Gorrin, Collett,& Herckes, 2006). Particulate matter in the atmosphere is very dangerous specially to people who have a health disadvantage like asthma, diabetes, or even just a weak immune system. The level of particulate matter in the central increases during the winter due to wood burning this is especially dangerous because wintertime calls for a cold, flue, among other seasonal illnesses, with increased pollutants in the air minor illness can lead to more serious health…

    • 1965 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Canadian Car Industry

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The environmental and economical issues facing the automobile industry in Canada is very competitive and accounts for an major part of the annual GDP. The industry is progressing to meet the demands of consumers and government alike. They have set the standards to manufacture environmental friendly, fuel efficient vehicles. The Canadian vehicle industry is a part of the NAFTA trade agreement which includes the U.S, Mexico and Canadas combined agreement for free trade, economic growth and increasing the quality of life for its people. Global Competition…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency or EPA, “The San Joaquin Valley has some of the nation’s worst air quality, failing to meet federal health standards for both ozone (smog) and particulate pollution. Ground level ozone pollution has a corrosive effect on the lungs which may cause a decrease in lung functions while particulate matter such as soot, can enter the lungs and stick to them causing heart problems and breathing complications There are also several other health implications that can occur due to air pollution, some of those include, dry throat, chest pain and tightness, dry throat, head ache, nausea, and can also be more severe such as developing chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis (ValleyAir.org, n.d.). One of the health risks that is most common is Asthma. A health survey from 2001 by the California Health Interview Survey showed that there was a 24% higher prevalence of asthma in children in the San Joaquin Valley when compared to the rest of the state. In adults the survey showed that there was a 19% higher prevalence, overall there are approximately 110,000 children and 240,000 adults with asthma in the San Joaquin Valley alone.…

    • 1661 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Risks There are several hazards within the community. However, with reference to the risks from the environment - air pollution is a huge concern. In Central Florida, apart from the SunRail and Lynx, most of the community members use cars for their means of transportation. With that, it exposes them to perilous agents in air.…

    • 1445 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Inwood Walking Survey Geography Inwood is a neighborhood that is at the most northern point of the borough of Manhattan. It consists primarily of apartment buildings, with a wide variety of mom and pop business stores. The neighborhood is full of hills and mountainous areas and bordered by two bodies of water; The Harlem River to the north and east, and the Hudson River on the west, which places most of the neighborhood in hurricane evacuation Zone 2 (“Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder”, 2016). Inwood begins on 200th street better known as Dyckman street to 220th street, with various intersecting avenues, Broadway is the main avenue.…

    • 2029 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Northern Ontario consist of multiple region such as St. Charles, Whitefish Lake, Massey, Atikameksheng Anishinabek, North Bay the district of Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, and a city in North Bay this report is on focused on the towns and communities listed above. According to Census population (2011), the population of greater Sudbury is 160,274. The city of Sudbury lies on the western edge of Ramsey Lake. Sudbury has traditionally been known as a mining-based region. St. Charles is surrounded by the West Arm of Lake Nipissing and Lake Nepewassi.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Cleveland area is surrounded by a vast variety of factories where air quality is an issue. Hence, poor air quality has a negative impact on asthmatic, elderly, and children. Children are still growing, for that reason they are breathing and inhale quickly than grownups. For example, during the summer time children are spending the majority of the time playing outside so, they are exposed to the air pollution caused by a high level of smog what increase the threat asthma, and cardiovascular…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Inequality, Poverty, and Pollution Introduction A. Throughout the United States, low-income and minority areas are among the heaviest populated with landfills, waste sites, and hazardous facilities, inequality in our country is everywhere, including the air in which we breathe. B. Approximately 56 percent of minorities and low-income Americans reside in areas within two miles of hazardous commercial waste sites. Poverty rates are 1.5 times higher in these neighborhoods than anywhere else in the country (Climate Central). C. Hazardous waste, air pollution and high level of toxins are associated with many types of health conditions such as respiratory, and cardiovascular disease. Minority and low-income areas harbor the highest levels of air…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Montgomery County’s environment was classified amid the filthiest twenty percent, for carcinogen emissions, of all United States counties in 2002. Before that, in 1999, it was categorized among the worst thirty percent in unpredictable organic compound outputs. Also, three percent of homes are vulnerable to a high risk of lead exposure. Fortunately, there are is no record of any waste sites on the EPA’s official list. Therefore, the area most seriously affected by pollution in this particular environment is air.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The tundra biome is one of the few biomes that interests me the most, and is also one of the many biomes that may be in danger. The tundra has many threats such as construction, Ozone depletion, oil spills, and air pollution. Almost 20% of the world is in a tundra area, which is housing many different animals and plant life depending on this type of biome. When construction happens, buildings and roads get created, while knocking everything down in the process. The construction causes the descruction of animal homes and plants and puts heat and pressure on the permafrost layer causing it to melt.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    and company growth. One of Ms. News’s housing prerequisites is it has to be a smoke-free environment. Also, accessibility to fitness is a must. The author has easy access to physical conditioning; there is a bike trail right outside of her home. So accessibility is key to residents that may not have an option otherwise.…

    • 1137 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    I am writing to you because of the air pollution problem we have in Utah. Air pollution affects health issues, especially in older, people, babies and people with lung disease. Lung disease is a huge problem because of how polluted the air is in Utah. In fact, we are the 7th most air polluted city in the nation.…

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On October 26, 1948 smog, that was confirmed to be fatal, had encompassed a small town named Donora, located in Pennsylvania. The majority of these residents were used to the smoke that had emerged or arose due to a local zinc smelter. However, on this day there was an adjustment in temperature and a deficiency of wind that confined a deadly mixture of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and metal dust. This toxic mixture ends up remaining in the air for five days. Forlornly, due to this environmental disaster, 20 residents had lost their lives and 7,000 other residents agonized from conditions such as: nausea, vomiting, headaches, abdominal cramps, and choking or coughing on blood.…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The pollutants that are outdoors will be brought indoors. There will always be pollutants outdoors that people naturally bring indoors. And as people are spending more and more times indoors, this creates the problem of indoor air pollution (WHO). Studies show that there are more pollutants indoors than outdoors (Hollowell). And more and more chemicals will be developed.…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics