Looking back over my last several articles, I see that I’ve been going off the deep end. Psychrometrics, hygrothermal analysis of double-stud walls, the physics of water in porous materials… That’s some heavy stuff. So this week I’m going light with some fun quotes about ventilation and indoor air quality.

I wrote a series of articles on ventilation for the Journal of Light Construction a little while back and came across some great material in my research. The last quote below makes a point about indoor air quality with a graphic underwear metaphor. It’s from an 1893 book whose author was a medical doctor interested in ventilation to prevent diseases like phthisis (what we now call tuberculosis).

The first quote is from a great article called The History of Ventilation and Temperature Control that appeared in the ASHRAE Journal in 1999. The author was discussing some of the mid-twentieth century research by Harvard scientist C.P. Yaglou on odor and ventilation rates. If you’re worried about the water-energy connection, you’ll be happy to know that “Only a 33% increase in ventilation was required for adults a week after a bath.” (John Janssen, in “The History of Ventilation and Temperature Control,” ASHRAE Journal, 1999.)

Naturally, ventilation cannot solve all IAQ problems. Sometimes source control is the best method: “If there is a pile of manure in a space, do not try to remove the odor by ventilation. Remove the pile of manure.” (Max von Pettenkofer, 1858.)

No list of ventilation quotes is complete without one that illustrates the immense power of fresh air: “There is nothing like the cure of fresh air for cases of bladder infection, paranoia, and Cartesian thinking.” (Rawi Hage.)

And finally, here’s that quote about dirty underwear that’ll make you think twice before you inhale again: “Most civilized men and women are unwilling to put on underclothing that has just been taken off by another person or to put into their mouths articles of food or drink that have recently been in other peoples mouths but they take without hesitation into their lungs air that has just come from other people’s mouths and lungs or from close contact with their soiled clothing or bodies.” (John Shaw Billings, Ventilation and Heating, 1893.)

Ventilation and indoor air quality are not only two of the most important topics in the world of building science and green building, but as you can see here, they’re also the source of some of the most interesting quotes. Got any other good ones?

Allison Bailes of Decatur, Georgia, is a speaker, writer, energy consultant, RESNET-certified trainer, and the author of the Energy Vanguard Blog. Check out his in-depth course, Mastering Building Science at Heatspring Learning Institute, and follow him on Twitter at @EnergyVanguard.