Paper Conference

2018 Building Performance Analysis Conference and SimBuild co-organized by ASHRAE and IBPSA-USA

     

Assessing Indoor Concentrations of Formaldehyde in Single-Detached Canadian Households Due to Oriented Strand Board (OSB) Wall Sheathing

Matthew David Baffa, David Raymond Wach
Building Sciences Inc., Concord, Canada
Engineering Link Incorporated, Toronto, Canada

Abstract: Oriented strand board (OSB) is a building material used in new Canadian residential household construction. OSB emits formaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen that may pose a health risk to residents of Canadian households. This study employs a time-averaged mass balance model and Monte Carlo simulations under quasi-steady state conditions to assess indoor concentrations of formaldehyde attributed to the presence of OSB wall sheathing within the building envelope of single-detached Canadian households. This study suggests 7.6% to 14% of the total indoor concentration of formaldehyde could be attributed to the off gassing of OSB wall sheathing during initial homeowner occupancy.
Pages: 290 - 297
Paper:
simbuild2018_C040