APPLYING THE 2-RESISTANCE THEORY TO CONTAMINANT VOLATILIZATION IN SHOWERS

The two-resistance theory is applied to the transfer of volatile contaminants from shower water to indoor air by means of two transient mass balance models. Mass-transfer coefficients are calculated from reported experimental data for five full-scale shower systems. Liquid- and gas-phase coefficients differ substantially from one shower system to another although both appear to increase with water flow rate. Mass transfer in showers appears to be strongly influenced by the type of showerhead but is unaffected by the presence of a showering individual. The calculated mass-transfer coefficients enable predictions to be made of the accumulation of volatile contaminants in shower and bathroom air during a typical shower. Exposures are calculated for volatile organic compounds representative of the range of volatilities found in water supply systems.