Physiological and toxicological considerations

This chapter introduces fundamentals of human physiology and health requirements relevant to the control of indoor environment within industrial buildings. Humans seek and want thermal comfort, even at work in industrial settings. Thus, thermal comfort is clearly desirable and important to the wellbeing and productivity, and thereby the financial health, of industry. An understanding of the principles of thermal comfort and discomfort can help guide a designer's efforts in creating and operating industrial environments that are both energy-efficient and thermally acceptable to the occupants. Industrial environments expose individuals to a plethora of airborne chemical compounds in the form of vapors, aerosols, or biphasic mixtures of both. Inhaling potentially noxious airborne mixtures exposes respiratory tissue and the supporting vasculature to disease and injury. Consequently, understanding the relationship between industrial ventilation and human health requires knowledge of how the respiratory tract interacts with the surrounding environment. Ventilation engineers and occupational hygienists must be aware of the risks of chemicals with a high acute toxicity. Noise generated from ventilation systems can constitute a big problem, particularly in environments where other ambient noise is low. There is a pronounced need to take more effective measures against this type of noise.