Numerical simulation of indoor air pollution levels in a church and in a museum in Greece

Using the Nazaroff and Cass model, indoor air pollutant concentrations were predicted inside two buildings which house valuable cultural properties. B oth are located int he centre of Thessaloniki, Greece. One building is an e ighth-century Byzantine church, Agia Sofia, which is naturally ventilated; the other is an exhibition hall at the Archaeological Museum of Thessalonik i, with a conventional air-conditioning system. Model predictions were base d on outdoor air pollutant concentration measurements, on meteorological da t and on the design, use and operation of each building. The results, which over a typical wintertime two-day period for each building, show that in t hese buildings, despite their differences, the indoor concentrations of air pollutants such as O-3, NO, NO2, PAN and HNO3 were generally higher than t hose recommended by most air quality standards. Changes int he ventilation of the buildings, to mitigate air pollution, are also discussed.