BAA defines and proposes exposure scenarios for new and existing residences

The potential for inhalation exposures to toxic chemicals may be greatest in our homes due to relatively low residential building ventilation rates and the typically greater periods of time spent at home.

Currently the focus of IAQ product testing and evaluation programs is on office building and classroom environments. In these programs, the emission rates of volatile chemicals from products and furnishings determined from chamber measurements are mathematically applied to standardized building scenarios. These calculations estimate the impacts of the emissions on airborne concentrations of toxic chemicals. Then the predicted concentrations are evaluated relative to safe exposure levels to determine the acceptability of a product's emission profile.

The extension of the same testing and evaluation strategies to building products and furnishings for home use has been hindered by the lack of relevant modeling scenarios that account for residence sizes, configurations and ventilation rates. This need is addressed in the new BAA white paper, "Residential Exposure Scenarios for Estimation of the Impacts of Products on Indoor Air Quality ," that defines and proposes four generic scenarios covering new and existing single-family and multi-family homes.