Industry News

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.

Atlanta Journal Constitution – Oil found naturally on human skin can “trap” large amounts of indoor ozone, then “spit” it out in the form of chemicals that may irritate the skin and the lungs, new research suggests. “They are saying that compounds on the skin react to the ozone and cause more irritation to the skin,” explained one expert, Rajat Sethi, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Texas A&M Health Science Center’s Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy in Kingsville. “They have identified those compounds.” Nolen advised against using products that produce ozone, such as air-purifying devices. “If it’s a mechanism with a filter of some kind, then you’re not going to be producing ozone,” she said. “If you’re using something that uses electric static or a chemical process, the odds are that you’re going to be producing ozone.”

NEW ORLEANS – A jury has been seated in the first trial over whether Gulf Coast storm victims were exposed to potentially dangerous fumes while living in government-issued trailers. The five-man, four-woman jury picked Monday will hear the case against trailer maker Gulf Stream Coach, Inc. The lawsuit was filed by New Orleans resident Alana Alexander and her son, Christopher Cooper. The federal government won’t be on trial in this case. Judge Kurt Engelhardt ruled last month that a two-year statute of limitations bars Cooper’s claims against the government. Lawyers plan to appeal that ruling. Hundreds of consolidated lawsuits claim FEMA trailers exposed residents to “elevated levels” of formaldehyde, which can cause breathing problems and is classified as a carcinogen.

Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who rose to national prominence by handling the complex Vioxx litigation, is fast-tracking the numerous Chinese drywall cases to a pace rarely seen in the plodding federal court system. Fallon, who is overseeing the combined litigation in New Orleans, has advised attorneys that trials could start as soon as six months from now. In short order, Fallon is set to announce which lawyers will take the lead on either side — forming what are known as the “steering committees.” The court also wants agreed-upon guidelines for inspecting affected homes, with inspections themselves completed one month later. “He is the guru among all federal judges for handling MDLs fast, quick and fairly to both sides,” said New Orleans attorney Daniel E. Becnel Jr., who favored Fallon getting the drywall cases and previously argued the Vioxx case before him. “The defendants respect him as much as the plaintiffs do. He doesn’t tip the scale in any direction, and he gets the job done.”

-Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Americans now spend on average 90 percent of their time indoors, being exposed to indoor air contaminants,” Bahnfleth notes. “The sheer exposure time amplifies the significance of any harmful substances in indoor air-but indoor concentrations of some contaminants may also be several times higher than outdoors.” These contaminants are many and varied, including off-gassing of toxic chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from building materials and furniture; carbon monoxide; radon; spores and mycotoxins from mold; pesticides; allergens from pets, insects, dust mites and other sources, and tobacco smoke.

Is a building you inhabit at home or work making you sick? The EPA describes Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) as a situation “in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified.” Says Bahnfleth, SBS symptoms include headache; eye, nose, or throat irritation; dry cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; difficulty in concentrating; fatigue; and sensitivity. “Because, by definition, there is no apparent cause of SBS, the responses to it may be broad brush, including increasing ventilation rates, looking for contaminant sources that might be a specific cause, and removing contaminant reservoirs such as carpets,” he explains. “In the home, the use of scented candles and air fresheners, cleaning fluids, and other chemicals can be removed to see if symptoms diminish.”

Individuals can take some steps themselves that can make a big difference, he suggests. Get your home tested for radon-and have it radon mitigated professionally if needed; consider investing in air purifiers that can filter out VOCs and fine particles that can deposit deep in the lungs, as well as dehumidifiers to reduce the likelihood of moisture condensation indoors, which promotes mold growth. Other simpler steps involve replacing toxic cleaning products with natural alternatives, not letting your car motor run while in the garage, and even just opening windows more often in your home.

According to conventional wisdom, dirty air is associated with factories or exhaust pouring out of cars and buses. “Polluted” is usually not a word associated with the air inside someone’s home. Yet, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is often more contaminated than the air outside – up to five times more polluted.  The EPA estimates that most people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors – in their homes, in offices and in stores. This would be especially true during the colder months of winter, when outside activities are much less appealing. And unclean air in the home may cause several problems, ranging from slight discomfort to some forms of cancer. So, improving the air quality in our homes is something we should all take seriously.  Unfiltered air in the home can also be filled with pollen, mold spores, dust, dirt and other allergens that can act as triggers for asthma, allergy attacks or other breathing-related ailments. According to the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, allergies, which are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease, affect as many as 40 million to 50 million people in the United States. And even people without breathing problems should be concerned with purifying the air in their homes.