The effect of occupants' lifestyle on the indoor air quality in residential units: A case study of Arab residents in Ankara

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is considered as one of the most important aspects in the design of interior spaces regarding residential units, especially for the reason that people spend the majority of their time in these spaces. Therefore, the indoor environment and air quality have direct and indirect impacts on the health of the occupants. This study aims to investigate the impact of interior design criteria and occupants' lifestyle on the indoor air quality, and the preference and satisfaction from IAQ, within residential units in Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey. Objective measurements (total VOC, CO and CO2) are recorded in the living room space through visits to the houses of 20 people using measuring devices (MultiRAE Lite for TVOC and ToxiRAE Pro PID for CO and CO2), while the researcher performed an investigation on architectural design aspects, including cross-ventilation and finishing materials. Information of the lifestyle habits (cooking, cleaning and smoking) are collected through a questionnaire methodology. The results show that cross-ventilation is correlated to less total VOC readings, as well as less sickness frequency and allergies within the members of the household. Moreover, using open windows as a ventilation method in the kitchen and using non-chemical cleaning agents are found to be correlated to less pollutants' concentration in the indoor environment. Keywords: indoor air quality, cross-ventilation, indoor pollutants, household lifestyle