Abstract

In recent years, the Montreal Catholic School Commission (MCSC) has grappled with a number of air-quality and air-exchange problems in one of its buildings – problems that necessitated relocating the building's occupants. As a aresult, the Régie régionale de santé publique (Regional Public Health Board) and MCSC asked the IRSST to determine the sources of the contamination and to suggest corrective measures.

Because the Institute regularly receives requests of this nature, it has decided to develop expertise in the assessment of ventilation system function by tracer gases. This method involves the injection of a tracer gas in a closed space and the measurement of its dispersion kinetics. This method is not currently widely used in Québec, and its operating parameters must be better defined.

This project will develop local expertise and evaluate the relevance of producing a methodological guide for occupational health specialists, detailing potential applications of tracer gas techniques.