Arbejdsrapport fra Miljøstyrelsen, 1/2005 – Måling af den aktuelle flux mellem renseri og lejlighed på 2 lokaliteter

Measurement of Air Flux between Dry Cleaning Shop and Adjacent Flats at two Localities

English summary

Chemical dry-cleaning shops have proven to cause contamination of adjacent buildings. In the light of these facts, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency has since 2001 initiated a number of initiatives to reduce the impacts on apartments adjacent to dry-cleaning shops. Order no 532 of 18 June 2003 provides a number of specific requirements as to the organization and operation of this type of activity. The Order also lays down requirements as to the maximum contribution of cleaning fluid vapours from dry-cleaning shops to the adjacent buildings, and provides for control measurements to be performed in certain cases.

In 2002, in connection with a number of measurements, it appeared that in a number of buildings/cleaning shops that did not comply with the requirements, considerable temporal variations might occur in the air motion between the dry-cleaning shops and the superjacent apartments. If these variations also exist in dry-cleaning shops that comply with the requirements laid down in the Order, this could indicate difficulties as to when the control measurements are performed.

Measurements of the air motion flux have been made at two locations with dry-cleaning shops and superjacent apartments, in three periods in the autumn of 2004. Each measurement period had a duration of 14 days. The measurement periods were separated by 14 days without measurement. The air flux was measured using the tracer gas method developed for the project.

Parallel with the tracer gas measurements, the dry-cleaning shops and apartments were measured for cleaning fluid vapours (tetrachloroethylene).

The results of the tracer gas measurements indicate that the air flux between the dry-cleaning shops and the apartments in the locations studied is much smaller than previously seen at the same locations where the requirements specified in the Order were not met. The measurement results do not indicate seasonal variations.

The local authorities have previously performed indoor climate measurements for cleaning fluid vapours in apartments and dry-cleaning shops at the locations studied. At that time the measurements in the apartments showed values considerably exceeding the present requirements for maximum contribution from dry-cleaning shops to apartments.

Since the measurements were made, the dry-cleaning shops have undertaken the building and ventilation changes required to comply with the Order.

When the results obtained before and after the changes are compared, considerable reduction is seen in the concentration of cleaning fluid vapours in the superjacent apartments. Now the concentration of the cleaning fluid vapours is considerable below the requirements given in the Order for the maximum contribution from dry-cleaning shops. Following the implementation of the requirements of the Order, the requirements as to maximum impact to superjacent apartments in the two tested locations are now fulfilled.

A comparison of the results also indicates that the implementation of the requirements results in an improvement of the chemical working environment conditions in the dry-cleaning shop.