Open AccessLog‐Normality of Air Contaminants and Its Hidden Characteristics Useful for Industrial Hygiene Technology
Author(s) -
Koizumi Akio,
Katahtra Masayuki,
Sekiguchi Takeshi,
Shiota Yasunobu
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of occupational health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 1348-9585
DOI - 10.1539/joh.42.281
Subject(s) - normality , randomness , contamination , ventilation (architecture) , environmental science , statistics , mathematics , computer science , meteorology , physics , biology , ecology
Log‐Normality of Air Contaminants and Its Hidden Characteristics Useful for Industrial Hygiene Technology: Akio Koizumi, et al. Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, Kyoto University —It is well known that concentrations of contaminants in the air fluctuate log‐normally, but there has been no mathematical model that can describe the stochastic nature of this. In the present study we constructed a stochastic model that can describe log‐normal distribution of the air contaminantion in workplaces. The so‐called Ito‐process can describe the log‐normality of the stochastic nature of the air contaminants by using two parameters: ventilation performance and random release of contaminants from the source. We also derived a theorem from the model. It indicates that splitting the source into small independent compartments decreases randomness and thereby reduces exposure intensity. The reduction of randomness of contaminant release is considered to be as effective as improvement of ventilation performance in reducing workers' exposure.