HUMIDITY ENVIRONMENT IN HOUSES OF ELDERLY IN NIIGATA

室内湿度环境影响居民健康。适当的湿度可以预防流感和皮肤干燥，特别是对老年人。本研究报告新泻县老年人住宅的湿度环境测量。在每个季节对12个住宅进行了测量，并对居民的湿热环境进行了访谈。本研究的目的是评估室内热环境的影响因素，以改善低湿环境。(1)冬季室内热环境差异最大的是受保温材料、房屋结构和采暖方式的影响。2)受房屋结构、热工性能及采暖方式的影响，不同季节居室湿度环境不同。房屋间的差异在一年中湿度最低的冬季最为显著。3)各季节室内外湿度环境差异不同。夏季差异最小，冬季差异最大。4)室内相对湿度在冬季有下降到30%左右的趋势。在大多数情况下，绝对湿度在8g/kg左右。5)冬季皮肤表面水分和湿度感“非常干燥”或“中性”偏多，表明低湿度的影响。6)冬季对3个不同湿度环境的住宅进行测量调查，考察加湿器对湿度环境的影响。由于每栋房屋的墙体吸湿条件及其他影响热环境的因素不同，因此不同房屋的绝对湿度及其加湿前后的变化也不同。室内湿度感、口渴感和皮肤表面水合感则反映了加湿的效果。

The indoor humidity environment influences residents' health. Proper humidity condition prevents influenza and dry skin, especially for people of advanced age. This study reports the humidity environment measured in houses of elderly people in Niigata prefecture. The measurement was conducted in 12 houses in every season and the residents were interviewed on their hygrothermal environment. The purpose of this study is to assess contributing factors of indoor thermal environment and to improve low-humidity environment.1) There was the biggest difference of indoor thermal environment in winter influenced by insulations, structures of houses, and the ways of heating.2) The humidity environment in living rooms was different in each season influenced by structures and thermal performance of houses and the ways of heating. The difference between houses was most notable in winter when the humidity was the lowest in the year.3) The difference of humidity environment between indoor and outdoor was different in each season. There was the smallest difference in summer and the biggest in winter.4) Indoor relative humidity tended to drop to undesirable percentage in winter, around 30 % in some cases. The absolute humidity was around 8g/kg in most cases.5) There was more "very dry" or "neutral" in winter in terms of the skin surface hydration and the sense of humidity, which indicates the influence of low humidity.6) A measurement survey was conducted in winter in three houses with different humidity environment to examine the change of humidity environment by using humidifiers. Since each house had different conditions of hygroscopicity of walls and other factors to change thermal environment, the absolute humidity and its changes before and after humidification was varied between houses. The sense of humidity indoors, thirstiness and skin surface hydration, however, reflected the effect of humidification.