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Building Simulation 2008, 1(2): 144-157 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-008-8312-8
Research Article | Issue | Published: 19 June 2008

Effectiveness of Urban Shelter-in-Place. Ⅲ: Commercial Districts

Show Author's Information Wanyu R. Chan1,2( ),  William W. Nazaroff3,  Phillip N. Price2,  Ashok J. Gadgil2
Environmental Sciences, Exponent, 15375 SE 30th Place, Suite 250, Bellevue, WA 98007, USA
Indoor Environment Department, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Mailstop 90R3058, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1710, USA
Keywords:
infiltration, air-exchange rate, commercial buildings, toxic chemical, emergency response
Cite this article:
Chan WR, Nazaroff WW, Price PN, et al. Effectiveness of Urban Shelter-in-Place. Ⅲ: Commercial Districts. Building Simulation, 2008, 1(2): 144-157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-008-8312-8
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Abstract Full text About this article

In the event of a toxic chemical release to the atmosphere, shelter-in-place (SIP) is an emergency response option available to protect public health. This paper is the last in a three-part series that examines the effectiveness of SIP at reducing adverse health effects in communities. We model a hypothetical chemical release in an urban area, and consider SIP effectiveness in protecting occupants of commercial buildings. Building air infiltration rates are predicted from empirical data using an existing model. We consider the distribution of building air infiltration rates both with mechanical ventilation systems turned off and with the systems operating. We also consider the effects of chemical sorption to indoor surfaces and nonlinear chemical dose-response relationships. We find that commercial buildings provide effective shelter when ventilation systems are off, but that any delay in turning off ventilation systems can greatly reduce SIP effectiveness. Using a two-zone model, we find that there can be substantial benefit by taking shelter in the inner parts of a building that do not experience direct air exchange with the outdoors. Air infiltration rates vary substantially among buildings and this variation is important in quantifying effectiveness for emergency response. Community-wide health metrics, introduced in the previous papers in this series, can be applied in pre-event planning and to guide real-time emergency response.


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About this article

Effectiveness of Urban Shelter-in-Place. Ⅲ: Commercial Districts

Show Author's information Wanyu R. Chan1,2( ), William W. Nazaroff3, Phillip N. Price2, Ashok J. Gadgil2
Environmental Sciences, Exponent, 15375 SE 30th Place, Suite 250, Bellevue, WA 98007, USA
Indoor Environment Department, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Mailstop 90R3058, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1710, USA

Abstract

In the event of a toxic chemical release to the atmosphere, shelter-in-place (SIP) is an emergency response option available to protect public health. This paper is the last in a three-part series that examines the effectiveness of SIP at reducing adverse health effects in communities. We model a hypothetical chemical release in an urban area, and consider SIP effectiveness in protecting occupants of commercial buildings. Building air infiltration rates are predicted from empirical data using an existing model. We consider the distribution of building air infiltration rates both with mechanical ventilation systems turned off and with the systems operating. We also consider the effects of chemical sorption to indoor surfaces and nonlinear chemical dose-response relationships. We find that commercial buildings provide effective shelter when ventilation systems are off, but that any delay in turning off ventilation systems can greatly reduce SIP effectiveness. Using a two-zone model, we find that there can be substantial benefit by taking shelter in the inner parts of a building that do not experience direct air exchange with the outdoors. Air infiltration rates vary substantially among buildings and this variation is important in quantifying effectiveness for emergency response. Community-wide health metrics, introduced in the previous papers in this series, can be applied in pre-event planning and to guide real-time emergency response.

Keywords: infiltration, air-exchange rate, commercial buildings, toxic chemical, emergency response

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Publication history

Received: 02 January 2008
Revised: 27 March 2008
Accepted: 28 March 2008
Published: 19 June 2008
Issue date: June 2008

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© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Office of Chemical Biological Countermeasures, of the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security, and performed under US Department of Energy Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

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© Tsinghua Press and Springer-Verlag 2008

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