Indoor Air Quality

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a delay in enforcement of the crystalline silica standard that applies to the construction industry to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers.

OSHA has determined that additional guidance is necessary due to the unique nature of the requirements in the construction standard. Originally scheduled to begin June 23, 2017, enforcement will now begin Sept. 23, 2017.

However, despite the standard’s delay, OSHA expects construction employers to continue to take steps either to come into compliance with the new permissible exposure limit, or to implement specific dust controls for certain operations as provided in Table 1 of the standard.

OSHA’s final rule to protect workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica includes these key provisions:

• Reduces the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an 8-hour shift.
• Requires employers to: use engineering controls (such as water or ventilation) to limit worker exposure to the PEL; provide respirators when engineering controls cannot adequately limit exposure; limit worker access to high exposure areas; develop a written exposure control plan, offer medical exams to highly exposed workers, and train workers on silica risks and how to limit exposures.
• Provides medical exams to monitor highly exposed workers and gives them information about their lung health.
• Provides flexibility to help employers — especially small businesses — protect workers from silica exposure.

Construction employers should also continue to prepare to implement the standard’s other requirements, including exposure assessment, medical surveillance and employee training.

OSHA estimates 2 million construction workers who drill, cut, crush, or grind silica-containing materials such as concrete and stone, and 300,000 workers in general industry operations such as brick manufacturing, foundries, and hydraulic fracturing are affected by the final rule.

See also: OSHA’s Crystalline Silica website for working safely with silica and how to prevent its non-curable health effects.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that air in sealed-up houses, schools and offices can have concentrations of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) up to 10 times higher than those outdoors. Poor indoor air can sicken occupants, with chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene causing fatigue, headaches and longer-term health hazards. The cumulative effects of indoor air pollution are not trivial, given that most Americans spend roughly 90 percent of their lives inside. Plants are just one line of defense against “sick building syndrome.” It’s best to start by controlling sources: avoid furnishings that off-gas chemicals; select low- or no-VOC paints and building supplies; and banish toxic cleaning products, scented laundry products and candles, clothes dry-cleaned with tetrachloroethene, and alleged “air fresheners.” Pollutants can remain in household air long after an aerosol can is sprayed or a dryer sheet used. They linger most in houses that are well-insulated and sealed, and lack venting systems to provide an adequate exchange with outside air. Efforts to control sources can improve indoor air, but they won’t entirely eliminate pollution. Even our own bodies generate what scientists none too delicately call bioeffluents. These aren’t the emissions that might follow a big chili dinner but are atmospheric pollutants like acetone naturally generated by metabolic activity. Whether chemical vapors come directly from us or from the stuff that fills our homes, having plants indoors can markedly reduce pollutants’ damaging impact. The plants deliver airborne toxins to soil microbes that break them down. Houseplants also mitigate dry winter air by serving as natural humidifiers. The drier the air, the more moisture they release; talk about accommodating houseguests! According to B.C. Wolverton’s book “How to Grow Fresh Air,” plants even “release phytochemicals that suppress mold spores and bacteria found in the ambient air.” (This beneficial effect can be undermined by operator error, though, as I can attest: Overwatering will turn houseplants into mold factories. Spare yourself this hard-earned lesson and water plants sparingly in winter months.) Many findings in Wolverton’s book trace back to NASA studies done in the early 1980s, when the agency began experimenting with how to maintain healthy air in sealed-chamber settings – an obvious need on space flights. They tested different varieties of plants to identify which were most effective for specific toxins. In terms of tackling pollutants, the plants are remarkably specialized. Palm plants, for example, are exceptionally good at reducing chemicals like xylene and ammonia. The peace lily does poorly with xylene, but is a standout at removing acetone. While the detailed breakout Wolverton provides is interesting, the bottom line appears to be that diverse ecosystems are best – indoors as well as out. Plan on an assortment of plants and keep good air circulation among them if grouped.= Wolverton suggests that people bring plants into the immediate spaces indoors they frequent most – what he terms the “personal breathing zone” of 6 or 8 cubic feet near one’s desk, bed or favorite chair. Concentrating houseplants in these areas can ensure that residents derive the greatest benefits from plants’ ongoing service purifying the air. Houseplants offer a salve for the eyes and lungs throughout the year. But in the depths of mud season, their effect is especially salubrious – for body and soul.

When you think of pollution, your mind may conjure images of car exhaust fumes and toxic factory smoke clouding the sky. But your sanctuary – the indoor space you call home – is two to five times more toxic than your outdoor environment? At least that is what the Environmental Protection Agency reports. Luckily, there are steps you can take to make your home less toxic by taking steps to reduce indoor air pollution. The World Health Organization attributes three percent of the world’s burden of diseases on indoor air pollution. And with 80 percent of all cancers linked to environmental factors rather than genetic ones, it’s ever the more important to consider every aspect of your surroundings and make sure that it isn’t hurting more than it is helping you.

Humans reportedly spend nearly 90 percent of their time indoors and are exposed to a host of toxic materials, from mold, synthetic chemicals in cleaning supplies, carbon monoxide from cooking and heating, tobacco smoke, formaldehyde from pressed wood used for shelving and furniture, and other chemicals in house paint, glue, and insulation. The list goes on and on. And while you may not be able to eliminate your home of all toxins, you can take active steps to significantly decrease the load.

1. Improve Ventilation – To reduce the concentration of indoor pollutants in your home, it is important to increase the flow of outdoor air coming indoors. Ventilation helps to remove or dilute indoor airborne pollutants coming from indoor sources. Most homes are equipped with heating and cooling systems that don’t allow outdoor air to enter indoors. To remedy this, try keeping a few windows ajar, weather permitting, or install local bathroom and kitchen fans that exhaust outdoors and thus transfer contaminants from the inside of your home, to the outside. Another approach would be to install a mechanical system that brings outdoor air into the home. Indoor air quality can get particularly poor if indoor air is humid, because humid air is ideal for bacteria and other airborne contaminants to thrive. Purchase a dehumidifier and keep it on in whichever room you spend the most time in, or next to your bed while you are asleep, to improve air quality.
2. Toss the Obvious Culprits –  Take inventory of each room in your house and take notes. What feels wrong? What feels synthetic? Pay extra close attention to the kitchen and bathroom. If you are having trouble identifying the culprits (it’s not always that obvious), hire a professional to test your house for molds and toxins. Replace mainstream harsh cleaning products with eco-friendly varieties. Use toxic free paints, replace carpets where bacteria and mold can bury, and embrace hard-wood floors.
3. Get an Air Cleaner –  There are plenty of air cleaners to choose from, and it requires a lot of research before you pick the one right for you. Mechanical air filters and electronic air cleaners remove particles form the air by capturing them in their filters. Gas-phase air filters remove gaseous pollutants with the help of sorbent, which adsorbs pollutants. Meanwhile, ultraviolet (UV) germicidal irradiation and photo-catalytic oxidation cleaners use UV light to destroy viruses, bacteria, allergens, molds, and/or gaseous pollutants.

Daily Press – The clock almost ran out, but Chinese drywall legislation was overwhelmingly approved by Congress last week, sending the bill to President Barack Obama’s desk to be signed into law. Had the bill not been approved by Jan. 2, legislators would have had to start over because the new Congress started on Jan. 3. Eric Bailey of Newport News and Colleen Stephens of Virginia Beach – both of whom have been activists on the toxic drywall issue for years – said they didn’t feel much like celebrating upon hearing the news. The drywall, imported from China during the building boom of the mid-2000s when U.S.-made drywall supplies were low, contained chemicals that corroded wires and caused appliances to malfunction.

Three senators this week introduced a bipartisan amendment to help prevent toxic drywall from entering U.S. markets. Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) have cosponsored David Vitter’s legislation. Since Hurricane Katrina, many homes in Louisiana were rebuilt with toxic Chinese drywall, leaving homeowners with few options to remedy the situation. The amendment has cleared any Republican objections and awaits approval by Democrats to allow it to pass by unanimous consent.

As property owners tighten building envelopes to make facilities more energy efficient, they also need to be more vigilant about properly maintaining cooling, heating and ventilation systems to ensure good indoor air quality.  Buildings owners and operators who do the former and neglect the latter run the risk of recirculating stale — and possibly bacteria laden — air at their properties, which can make occupants sick.

In addition to proper maintenance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, keeping fresh air intakes open as recommended by HVAC design is important, says Boyle.  Here is her list of tips for improving indoor air quality:

1. Relocate any fresh air intakes to avoid pulling in outside contaminants from incinerators, garbage bins or loading docks.
2. Follow the maintenance schedules on HVAC systems.
3. Increase the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of air conditioning filters to the highest level acceptable for the AC system.
4. Minimize copy toner and other chemical use in office space.
5. Purchase office furniture with low or no formaldehyde and other volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
6. Use low VOC paints for remodeling or decorating.
7. Vacuum floors using equipment with HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters.
8. Respond to any leak in the plumbing system, roof or windows within 24 hours and thoroughly dry any moist materials to prevent mold growth.
9. Store chemicals in a central location with adequate ventilation to the outside.
10. Use natural or organic janitorial cleaning and pest control products.

Environmental Expert

Core, one of the most recognized providers of commercial indoor air quality (IAQ) services, utilizes dry ice remediation techniques to safely remove toxic mold from buildings. Today most people recognize that mold and bacteria can cause a host of health issues when found in buildings.  Floods, leaks, plumbing problems and elevated humidity can all cause microbial contaminates to grow in indoor environments.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced that her legislation, the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Act, has passed the full House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Klobuchar and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) last September, will establish national health standards for formaldehyde in composite wood products, protecting consumers from potentially hazardous levels of the chemical. The new standards would apply to both domestic products and foreign imports.  The bill will now be sent to President Obama to be signed into law. Under the proposed federal legislation, by January 1, 2013, these products sold in the U.S. would have to meet a formaldehyde emission standards of about 0.09 parts per million.

In a time when the U.S. economic stimulus plan is emphasizing retrofitting commercial and residential buildings, ASHRAE has approved a change to its residential ventilation standard to encourage home retrofits to improve indoor air quality.

“With the U.S. economic stimulus having a great deal of focus on weatherization and other residential retrofits, we developed this change to help improve indoor air quality for public health and safety,” Steven Emmerich, committee chair, said.

Addendum e to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, allows alternative methods for meeting the standard’s requirements regarding kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. The standard currently requires fans in those rooms.

According to the federal government website AIRNow.gov, pollution particles often make their way indoors, where they can cause respiratory problems and other ailments. A recent announcement from the website cites EPA statistics showing that indoor pollution can occasionally be as much as five times higher than outdoor pollution.

The website goes on to offer consumers some tips on how to maintain healthy indoor air quality. For example, one way to avoid unwanted pollutants in the home is to take off one’s shoes at the door, since these can be tracked in. Homeowners can also remove any known allergens from around their property and are also advised to keep their vacuum bags fresh and to consider ones that contain a HEPA filter.

Keeping air vents sealed and pets groomed is another way to avoid unwanted allergens and other contaminants. Another way to avoid contaminants is to close gaps, such as those connecting exhaust fans, which can allow moisture and mold spores to get a foothold that will require additional steps, such as a dehumidifier.