Measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural Gambian houses: a pilot experimental study
Abstract Background African houses are frequently too hot and uncomfortable to use a bed net at night. Indoor thermal comfort is often evaluated by measuring temperature and humidity, ignoring ventilation. This study explored ways to measure ventilation in single-roomed rural Gambian houses during t...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:753f5774cb664dcf98d9a0b71e5c1834 2023-05-15T15:17:42+02:00 Measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural Gambian houses: a pilot experimental study Jakob B. Knudsen Margaret Pinder Ebrima Jatta Musa Jawara Mahamed A. Yousuf Amalie T. Søndergaard Steve W. Lindsay 2020-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-020-03327-0 https://doaj.org/article/753f5774cb664dcf98d9a0b71e5c1834 EN eng BMC http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12936-020-03327-0 https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/s12936-020-03327-0 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/753f5774cb664dcf98d9a0b71e5c1834 Malaria Journal, Vol 19, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2020) Ventilation Airflow Housing Malaria The Gambia Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-020-03327-0 2022-12-31T12:46:58Z Abstract Background African houses are frequently too hot and uncomfortable to use a bed net at night. Indoor thermal comfort is often evaluated by measuring temperature and humidity, ignoring ventilation. This study explored ways to measure ventilation in single-roomed rural Gambian houses during the malaria transmission season and evaluated building designs that could increase airflow at night and help keep the occupants comfortable. Methods Two identical mud-walled houses were constructed with a metal roof, three doors and closed eaves. Experiment 1 compared five methods for measuring ventilation in a building: (1) using a blower door, (2) increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels indoors using an artificial source of CO2 and then measuring the rate of gas decay, (3) using a similar approach with a natural source of CO2, (4) measuring the rise of CO2 when people enter a building and (5) using hot-wire anemometers. Experiment 2 used CO2 data loggers to compare ventilation in a reference metal-roofed house with closed eaves and badly-fitting doors with a similar house with (1) thatched roof and open eaves, (2) eaves tubes, (3) screened doors and (4) screened doors and windows. Results In experiment 1, CO2 data loggers placed indoors in two identical houses showed similar changes in airflow (p > 0.05) for all three methods recording either decreasing or increasing CO2. Blower doors were unable to measure airflow in houses with open eaves or screened windows and the anemometers broke down under field conditions. In experiment 2, open eaves in thatched houses, screened doors alone, and screened doors and windows increased indoor ventilation compared to the reference metal-roofed house with closed eaves and badly fitting doors (p < 0.05). Eaves tubes did not increase ventilation in comparison to the reference house. Conclusion CO2 data loggers proved to be a simple and efficient method for measuring ventilation in rural houses at night. Ventilation of metal-roofed houses can be improved by adding two screened ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Malaria Journal 19 1 |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Ventilation Airflow Housing Malaria The Gambia Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
spellingShingle |
Ventilation Airflow Housing Malaria The Gambia Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Jakob B. Knudsen Margaret Pinder Ebrima Jatta Musa Jawara Mahamed A. Yousuf Amalie T. Søndergaard Steve W. Lindsay Measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural Gambian houses: a pilot experimental study |
topic_facet |
Ventilation Airflow Housing Malaria The Gambia Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
description |
Abstract Background African houses are frequently too hot and uncomfortable to use a bed net at night. Indoor thermal comfort is often evaluated by measuring temperature and humidity, ignoring ventilation. This study explored ways to measure ventilation in single-roomed rural Gambian houses during the malaria transmission season and evaluated building designs that could increase airflow at night and help keep the occupants comfortable. Methods Two identical mud-walled houses were constructed with a metal roof, three doors and closed eaves. Experiment 1 compared five methods for measuring ventilation in a building: (1) using a blower door, (2) increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels indoors using an artificial source of CO2 and then measuring the rate of gas decay, (3) using a similar approach with a natural source of CO2, (4) measuring the rise of CO2 when people enter a building and (5) using hot-wire anemometers. Experiment 2 used CO2 data loggers to compare ventilation in a reference metal-roofed house with closed eaves and badly-fitting doors with a similar house with (1) thatched roof and open eaves, (2) eaves tubes, (3) screened doors and (4) screened doors and windows. Results In experiment 1, CO2 data loggers placed indoors in two identical houses showed similar changes in airflow (p > 0.05) for all three methods recording either decreasing or increasing CO2. Blower doors were unable to measure airflow in houses with open eaves or screened windows and the anemometers broke down under field conditions. In experiment 2, open eaves in thatched houses, screened doors alone, and screened doors and windows increased indoor ventilation compared to the reference metal-roofed house with closed eaves and badly fitting doors (p < 0.05). Eaves tubes did not increase ventilation in comparison to the reference house. Conclusion CO2 data loggers proved to be a simple and efficient method for measuring ventilation in rural houses at night. Ventilation of metal-roofed houses can be improved by adding two screened ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jakob B. Knudsen Margaret Pinder Ebrima Jatta Musa Jawara Mahamed A. Yousuf Amalie T. Søndergaard Steve W. Lindsay |
author_facet |
Jakob B. Knudsen Margaret Pinder Ebrima Jatta Musa Jawara Mahamed A. Yousuf Amalie T. Søndergaard Steve W. Lindsay |
author_sort |
Jakob B. Knudsen |
title |
Measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural Gambian houses: a pilot experimental study |
title_short |
Measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural Gambian houses: a pilot experimental study |
title_full |
Measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural Gambian houses: a pilot experimental study |
title_fullStr |
Measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural Gambian houses: a pilot experimental study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural Gambian houses: a pilot experimental study |
title_sort |
measuring ventilation in different typologies of rural gambian houses: a pilot experimental study |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-020-03327-0 https://doaj.org/article/753f5774cb664dcf98d9a0b71e5c1834 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Malaria Journal, Vol 19, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2020) |
op_relation |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12936-020-03327-0 https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/s12936-020-03327-0 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/753f5774cb664dcf98d9a0b71e5c1834 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-020-03327-0 |
container_title |
Malaria Journal |
container_volume |
19 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1766347948859326464 |