Environmental Chemistry:
Indoor Air Pollution Study at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
at Hobart and William Smith Colleges dept. of Chemistry
Fall 2019
With a small group, I conducted a five-week study looked at seven indoor air pollutants throughout five locations. CO, CO2, NO2, particulate matter, ozone, SO2, and volatile organic chemicals were all pollutants that were measured at each location for two similar 24-hour periods. The results for each chemical were shown temporally to illustrate any daily trends, as well as box-and-whisker plots to better show the levels of pollution and distribution of data.
Overall, it was found that five out of the seven chemicals investigated were reaching or exceeding EPA standards in some locations, and four of those chemicals were exceeding EPA standards in all locations. The arts building was found to be the location with the highest amount of pollutants due to the fabrication and poor ventilation. An example of a box and whisker plot can be seen to the right.
This study was given as an open presentation, where over thirty students and about half a dozen facility came to the 40-minute talk. The presentation can be found below.
