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Building Ventilation Systems

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Ventilations Systems Introduction Millions of Americans work in buildings with mechanical heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems which have been designed to provide air at comfortable levels of temperature and humidity. Most never worry about harmful concentrations of air pollutants that may exist in the air they breathe. While heating and cooling are basic operations, the more complex processes involved in ventilation are paramount in ensuring high quality indoor air. Ventilation is much more than air flowing throughout a building. Most ventilation systems introduce outdoor air, condition it by mingling it with portions of indoor air and then distributing the resulting combined air throughout the building, usually dispelling small portion outside of the building structure. If any part of the process is inadequate or faulty, the quality of indoor air may be jeopardized and can result in harmful toxins or pollutants circulating in enclosed spaces where they can pose health risks. Ventilation, either natural or mechanical, is an effective approach to providing acceptable indoor air. General ventilation of a building is needed to satisfy the respiratory needs of its occupants and to remove any body odors and tobacco smoke, should smoking be permitted. On a more serious level, systems that are improperly operated or maintained have been known to contribute to sick building syndrome (SBS); SBS has physical symptoms without clearly recognizable causes.

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