The results of this study contribute toward deeper understanding the degree of protection provided by the buildings from pollution of outdoor origin.
Our study is restricted to pollutants of outdoor origin, i.e. it does not incorporate intake in a microenvironment from direct emissions into that microenvironment.
Widespread economizer implementation, however, has been hindered by potential reliability concerns associated with exposing information technology equipment to particulate matter of outdoor origin.
Grady ST, Koutrakis P, Hart JE, Coull BA, Schwartz J, Laden F, Zhang JJ, Gong J, Moy ML, Garshick E. Indoor black carbon of outdoor origin and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
These findings indicate that economizer use combined with improved filtration could reduce data center energy demand while providing a level of protection from particles of outdoor origin similar to that observed with conventional design.
In data centers, this strategy is not widely used, owing to concerns that it would cause increased indoor levels of particles of outdoor origin, which could damage electronic equipment.
Because people spend the vast majority of their time indoors, reduction in indoor levels of ozone of outdoor origin would lower population exposures and might also lead to a reduction in ozone-associated adverse health effects.
Sulfate was strongest in outdoor samples, which is consistent with the generally accepted understanding that sulfate is of outdoor origin.
As assumptions became more realistic (from the first, most constrained model to the fourth, least constrained model), the mean concentration of PM2.5 of outdoor origin increased.
Even though this review focuses on particles of outdoor origin, mention should be made of other specific sources of fine and ultrafine particles which may be of interest.
