Barceló PC, González SY, Guzmán PR, Ramírez SJC, Calderón BJ, Sao RL

Language: Spanish
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ABSTRACT

Introduction: the housing problem is global in scope. Solution to qualitative and quantitative housing deficit in Cuba has been addressed from various different perspectives. Several settlements in the country have been built with prefabricated industrial houses made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These are known as petrohouses. Some studies have reported thermal stress inside these houses, resulting from insufficient ventilation and the heating of roofs exposed to the sun.
Objective: carry out an environmental health evaluation of physical risk factors present in the indoor environment of petrohouses as compared with the outside environment after roof replacement.
Method: an experimental evaluative study was conducted of physical risk factors present in the indoor environment of petrohouses based on a proposal of modification of the roof material with the purpose of reducing thermal stress. For this purpose, two petrohouses were built with the same orientation of their main facade, but different roof material. One was roofed with expanded polystyrene, while the other retained its original roof (aluminum sheets and asphalt paper). The following physical risk factors were evaluated comparatively: noise, magnetic component of the low frequency electromagnetic field, natural and artificial lighting, ventilation, and mainly microclimate, to evaluate the efficacy of the change made. Statistical evaluation was conducted with descriptors, regression models and bivariate power spectrum, using the statistical software packages SPSS v. 17.0 and Statistica v. 8.0.
Results: indoor environment in the petrohouse with an aluminum-asphalt roof is somewhat more unfavorable in terms of thermal welfare than in the polystyreneroofed house. Ventilation is deficient in both.
Conclusions: roof replacement in petrohouses provides an indoor environment somewhat more favorable to the welfare of dwellers.