HUMIDITY ENVIRONMENT IN HOUSES OF ELDERLY IN NIIGATA

室内湿度环境影响居民健康。适当的湿度条件可预防流感和皮肤干燥，特别是对高龄人群。本研究报告了新泻县老年人住宅内湿度环境的测量结果。在每个季节对12户人家进行了测量，并对居民的湿热环境进行了采访。本研究的目的是评价室内热环境的影响因素，改善低湿环境。1)冬季室内热环境受保温层、房屋结构和采暖方式的影响差异最大。2)不同季节居室内湿度环境受房屋结构、热性能和采暖方式的影响不同。冬季室内湿度最低，居室间湿度差异最为明显。3)室内湿度环境与室外湿度环境在不同季节差异较大。夏季差异最小，冬季最大。4)冬季室内相对湿度趋于下降至不理想的百分比，有些情况下在30%左右。绝对湿度大多在8g/kg左右。5)冬季皮肤表面水份和湿感的“非常干燥”或“中性”较多，表明低湿度的影响。6)冬季对三个不同湿度环境的房屋进行了测量调查，以了解使用加湿器后湿度环境的变化。由于不同房屋的墙体吸湿性条件不同，以及改变热环境的其他因素不同，不同房屋的绝对湿度及其增湿前后的变化也不同。然而，室内湿度、口渴和皮肤表面保湿的感觉反映了湿化的影响。

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.