​

The Office of Research Facilities (ORF) collaborates on bioenvironmental research to improve indoor air quality and save energy in biomedical laboratories; and animal research and health care facilities. The Principal Investigator for Research Facilities is Dr. Farhad Memarzadeh (fm30c@nih.gov). The results of these studies have been adopted as national and international standards for labs and hospitals. Among the organizations, institutions and conferences that have adopted or use ORF-applied facility studies are:​

• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating​, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

• The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH)​​

• International Conference on Indoor Air Sciences

• International Conference on Healthy Buildings

• Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
  

• The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)​

• National Institute of Building Sciences Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG)

• University engineering and health and safety programs​

• Other federal agencies and departments (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ​[CDC], Department of Energy [DOE], Department of Administration [DOA], Food and Drug Administration [FDA], etc.)
  

 

To download Acrobat Reader click on Adobe Icon.

Following are links to the studies:

• Adding Amines to Steam for Humidification JCHAS July/August 2014  (860KB) 508 

• Analysis of Air Supply Type and Exhaust Location in Laboratory Animal Research Facilities Using CFD ASHRAE Transactions 2000 V. 106, Pt. 1   (904KB) 508

• Analysis of Efficacy of UVGI Inactivation of Airborne Organisms Using Eulerian and Lagrangian Approaches IAQ 2004  (418KB) 508

• Applications of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation disinfection in health care facilities: Effective adjunct, but not stand-alone technology Am J Infect Control 2010 38:S13-24  (328KB) 508 

• Assessing the Efficacy of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation and Ventilation in Removing Mycobacterium Tuberculosis- ( Handbook ) 508

• BSL-4 Pressure Decay Equivalency Test NIH DRM Dec 2006  (199KB) 508

• BSL-4 Pressure Decay Equivalency Test Correction for Pressure and Temperature NIH September 2009  (99KB) 508

• Comparison of Environment and Mice in Static and Mechanically Ventilated Isolator Cages with Different Air Velocity and Ventilation Design Contemporary Topics AALAS January 2004 V. 43, No. 1 I   (496KB) 508

• Comparison of Operating Room Ventilation Systems in the Protection of the Surgical Site ASHRAE Transactions 2002, V. 108, Pt. 2.  (963KB) 508

• Control of Ammonia Production in Animal Research Facilities Through Ventilation System Design ASHRAE Transactions 2005  V. 111, Part 2   (874KB) 508

• Controlling Lab IAQ and Energy Cost HPAC October 2007  (545KB) 508

• Design of a Specialized Airborne-Infection Isolation Suite HPAC February 2011  (1.7MB) 508

• Effect of Operation Room Geometry and Ventilation System Parameter Variations on the Protection of the Surgical Site IAQ 2004  (527KB) 508

• Effect of reducing ventilation rate on indoor air quality and energy cost in laboratories JCHAS, September/October 2000 V.16, No.5  (971KB) 508

• Effects of Air Changes Per Hour (ACH) on Particle Size Building and Environment 2015 246-255  (917KB) 508 

• Energy Efficient Laboratory Design: A Novel Approach to Improve Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort  Applied Biosafety 2007 V. 12, No. 3   (1.01MB) 508

• Experimental Study of Ventilation Performance in laboratories with chemical spills Building and Environment 57 2012 327e335  (1.88MB) 508

• Helium Reclamation System White Paper NIH November 2018(297KB) 508 
  

• Health and safety risk assessment methodology to calculate reverse airflow tolerance in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) or airborne infection isolation room (AII) environment Int. J. Risk Assessment and Management 2010 V. 14, Nos. 1/2,  (398KB) 508

• Laboratory Water-Its Importance and Application NIH March 2013  (844KB) 508

• Literature Review of the Effect of Temperature and Humidity on Viruses ASHRAE Transactions 2011 V. 117, Part 2  (365KB) 508

• Investigation of Static in Wind Tunnel Tests and Validation of CFD Cage Model Microisolators in Wind Tunnel Tests and Validation of CFD Cage Model ASHRAE Transactions 2000, V. 106, Pt. 1  (841KB) 508

• Mass Generation Rates of Ammonia, Moisture and Heat Production in Mouse Cages with Two Bedding Types, Two Mouse Strains, and Two Room Relative Humidities ASHRAE Transactions, V. 112  2006  Part 1  (606KB) 508

• Methodology for Minimizing Risk from Airborne Organisms in Hospital Isolation Rooms ASHRAE Transactions: Symposia January 2000   (1.1MB) 508

• Methodology for Optimization of Laboratory Hood Containment - Volumes I and II( Handbook ) 508

• NIH - Section 15991 Onsite Testing for Constant Volume Fume Hoods - June 2006  (162KB) 508

• NIH - Section 15992 Onsite Testing for Variable Volume Fume Hoods - June 2006  (224KB) 508

• Particulate concentrations within a reduced-scale room operated at various air exchange rates Building and Environment 65 2013 71e80  (846KB) 508

• Reducing Risks of Surgery ASHRAE Journal February 2003  (654KB) 508

• Role of air changes per hour (ACH) in possible transmission of airborne infections Build Simul 2012 V.5: 15 –28  (1.1MB) 508

• Room Ventilation and Airborne Disease Transmission The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) & The Facility Guidelines Institute 2013  (422MB) 508

• Stainless Steel Trap Corrosion White Paper  (601KB) 508

• Testing and performance verification methodologies for ventilation systems for Biological Safety Level 3(BSL-3) laboratories JCHAS, March/April 2012  (520KB) 508

• The Effects of Patient Movement on Particles Dispersed by Coughing in an Indoor Environment Applied Biosafety Vol. 19, No. 4, 2014  (2MB) 508 

• The Environment of Care and Health Care-Associated Infections The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) &  The Facility Guidelines Institute January 2011  (19.4MB) 508

• Thermal Comfort, Uniformity, and Ventilation Effectiveness in Patient Rooms: Performance Assessment Using Ventilation Indices ASHRAE Transactions: Symposia  (1.1MB) 508 

• Ventilation Design Handbook on Animal Research Facilities Using Static - Volumes I and II Microisolators - Volumes I and II ( Handbook ) 508

• Ventilation Design in Animal Research Facilities Using Static Microisolators ASHRAE Transactions 2000, V. 106, Pt. 1.  (521KB) 508 

• Ventilation Strategy for Laboratories HPAC Engineering August 2007  (1.2MB) 508

• Verification of Biological Safety Level 3 Labs Science, Safety, Security Newsletter September 2014 Issue 5  (207KB) 508