ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 789
erly. In addition, the excessive use of air conditioning, a lot which are not regularly maintained,
can cause air conditioning system failure which in return causes a significant accumulation of various air contaminants in the air conditioning duct System. Those contaminants are of two sources,
(A) Chemical and (B) Biological; such as paint carpet adhesive and germs. What exactly takes place
is that mildew spores thrive in damp and poor ventilation areas without much significant natural
light in building and/or houses which can lead the cause of many symptoms such as, cough, dry
skin, itching, sore throat, naves, dizziness, breathing difficulty, headaches, runny nose and many
much more of such similar symptoms.
Furthermore, the disproportionate noise that is produced due to the over use of air conditioning
and refrigerators, wash send dryers, dishwashers, etc. can negatively influence human’s health
both physically, such as causing some hear loss, and psychologically, such as becoming easily
irritated, angry or distressed which is an intangible consequence. All these can increase the possibility to affect the comfort level and health of inhabitants who live in a climate controlled environment (Ioan and Ursu 2012:880).
Figure 1: Source of indoor pollutants (Urbaneer.com)
Ventilation
Ventilation is required in residential buildings in order to control the pollution which is caused by
indoor factors. Surprisingly and as easy as it may be, controlling such factors to prevent the issue
of pollution is the solution for a better ventilated environment for all inhabitants. How does the
ventilation work? The ventilation system consists of a supply and exhaust structure which is done
either naturally, through building opening of windows, doors or any other, or mechanically by
HVAC systems. However, mechanical systems allow us the ability to control the rate of ventilation
but it may fail if it is not implemented mechanically in an efficient and effective manner, or not
maintained regularly (Zhou et al. 2007; Yamamoto et al. 2010). Low rates of ventilation can lead to
catastrophic issues to the building or house occupants, and the structure’s envelope caused by
the high level of humidity and moisture which causes molds and mites to destroy the building
finishes and envelope causing several diseases and illnesses (Seppanen and Fisk 2004:108).
Air quality and sources of noise in residential buildings in the UAE
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