Sarah E. Frey

The effects of an energy efficiency retrofit on indoor air quality

To investigate the impacts of an energy efficiency retrofit, indoor air quality and resident health were evaluated at a low-income senior housing apartment complex in Phoenix, Arizona, before and after a green energy building renovation. Indoor and outdoor air quality sampling was carried out simultaneously with a questionnaire to characterize personal habits and general health of residents. Measured indoor formaldehyde levels before the building retrofit routinely exceeded reference exposure limits, but in the long-term follow-up sampling, indoor formaldehyde decreased for the entire study population by a statistically significant margin. Indoor PM levels were dominated by fine particles and showed a statistically significant decrease in the long-term follow-up sampling within certain resident subpopulations (i.e. residents who report smoking and residents who had lived longer at the apartment complex).

Characterization of indoor air quality and resident health in an Arizona senior housing apartment building

A survey of key indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters and resident health was carried out in 72 apartments within a single low-income senior housing building in Phoenix, Arizona. Air sampling was carried out simultaneously with a questionnaire on personal habits and general health of residents. Mean PM10 concentrations are 66±16, 58±13, and 24±3 μg/m3 and mean PM2.5 concentrations are 62±16, 53±13, and 20±2 μg/m3 for the living room, kitchen, and outdoor balcony, respectively. Median PM10 concentrations are 17, 18 and 17 μg/m3 and median PM2.5 concentrations are 13, 14, and 13 μg/m3, respectively. The initial results indicate that increased indoor particle concentrations coincide with residents who report smoking cigarettes. Indoor formaldehyde concentrations revealed median levels of 36.9, 38.8, and 4.3 ppb in the living room, kitchen, and balcony, respectively. Results show that 36% of living room samples and 44% of kitchen samples exceeded the Health Canada REL for chronic exposure to formaldehyde (40 ppb). Associations between occupants’ behavior, self-reported health conditions, and IAQ are evaluated. Implications: This study provides a characterization of indoor air quality (IAQ) of subsidized apartments for seniors in Phoenix, Arizona. It is important for policy makers to understand the environments in which low-income seniors live, as they are vulnerable to the health impacts from poor IAQ. Formaldehyde concentrations were found to exceed the Health Canada 8-hr reference exposure level (REL) for up to 44% of indoor samples. Particulate matter exposure was governed by resident behavior (i.e., smoking). Associations between occupants’ behavior, IAQ, and self-reported health conditions are evaluated. This work can provide a foundation for subsequent remediation of IAQ conditions.

Molecular-beam optical Stark and Zeeman study of the A {sup 2}{Pi}--X {sup 2}{Sigma}{sup +} (0,0) band system of BaF

The A {sup 2}{Pi}-X {sup 2}{Sigma}{sup +} (0,0) band system of barium monofluoride (BaF) has been recorded using high-resolution laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy both field-free and in the presence of static magnetic and electric fields. The field-free spectra for the {sup 135}BaF, {sup 137}BaF, and {sup 138}BaF isotopologues were modeled to generate an improved set of spectroscopic constants for the A {sup 2}{Pi}({upsilon} = 0) and X {sup 2}{Sigma}{sup +}({upsilon} = 0) states. The observed optical Stark shifts for the {sup 138}BaF isotopologue were analyzed to produce the permanent electric dipole moments of 1.50(2) and 1.31(2) D for the A {sup 2}{Pi}{sub 1/2}({upsilon} = 0) and A {sup 2}{Pi}{sub 3/2} ({upsilon} = 0) states, respectively. The observed optical Zeeman shifts for the {sup 138}BaF isotopologue were analyzed to produce a set of magnetic g factors for the A {sup 2}{Pi}({upsilon} = 0) and X {sup 2}{Sigma}{sup +}({upsilon} = 0) states.

Capacitive measurement of mercury column heights in capillaries

The detection of changes in volume, e.g., in expansivity or aging measurements, are often translated into mercury column height within a glass capillary. We propose a capacitive technique for measuring the meniscus position using a cylindrical capacitor with mercury as the inner electrode, the capillary material as the dielectric, and a metal coat covering the outside surface of the capillary as the second electrode. The measured capacitance changes linearly with meniscus height, as long as the top mercury level remains within the range of the outer electrode. With the demonstrated noise level of 48 nm for our preliminary setup, meniscus height changes beyond 100 nm can be observed via the capacitance.