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I NDOOR A IR Q UALITY

T EDD N ATHANSON, P. Eng. Indoor Air Quality Consultant Tedd@IAQconsultant.com (613) 558 - 4545. I NDOOR A IR Q UALITY. Union of Taxation Employees November, 2015. IAQ FACTORS. Outdoor Air Quality:. Gases, Particulates, Seasons, Locations. Indoor Air Quality:.

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I NDOOR A IR Q UALITY

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  1. TEDDNATHANSON, P. Eng. Indoor Air Quality Consultant Tedd@IAQconsultant.com (613) 558 - 4545 INDOOR AIR QUALITY Union of Taxation Employees November, 2015

  2. IAQ FACTORS Outdoor Air Quality: Gases, Particulates, Seasons, Locations Indoor Air Quality: Building Envelope, Materials, Furnishings, Occupant Density and Activities, Processes HVAC System: Design, Operation and Maintenance

  3. IAQ Pollutants / Stressors • Pollutants - VOCs, formaldehyde, particulates, microbials, carbon monoxide • Stressors - temperature, RH, odours, air circulation, noise, lighting, vibration, privacy, housekeeping, social • Solutions - source control, ventilation, air flow (P), isolation, time of use, sealing, substitution

  4. CANADA LABOUR CODE: PART II Every employer shall insure that the safety and health at work of every person employed by the employer is protected [124]; Ensure that all permanent and temporary buildings and structures meet the prescribed standards [125 (a)]; Ensure that the levels of ventilation, lighting, temperature, humidity, sound and vibration are in accordance with prescribed standards [125 (1) (n)]; and Ensure that concentrations of hazardous substances in the workplace are controlled in accordance with prescribed standards [125.1(a)].

  5. LABOUR CANADA, PART II OSH REGULATIONS Revised in 2000, Division 3 : HVAC Systems • Built or when modified, to meet ASHRAE 62 - 1989 “as amended” • Design information to be available • All systems to have operating, inspection, testing, cleaning, maintenance and calibration instructions • Reports to be prepared by a "qualified person" and posted • IAQ investigation to be done when warranted (Technical Guide)

  6. STANDARDS ACGIH, Threshold Limit Values, Chemical Substances and Physical Agents ASHRAE 62, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality (under continuous revision) ASHRAE 55, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy

  7. Guidelines, Good Practices, Policies • Health Canada, IAQ in Office Buildings: A Technical Guide, 1995 • Canadian Construction Association, Mould Remediation Guidelines, 2004 • Health Canada, Fungal Contamination in Public Buildings, 1995, 2004 • PWGSC, Control of Legionella in Mechanical Systems, 2013 • Duty to Accommodate

  8. BUILDING RELATED HEALTH EFFECTS Building Related Illness Sick Building Syndrome Mass Psychologic Illness Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Environmental Sensitivity

  9. SICK BUILDING SYNDROME • Eye, nose throat irritation • Headache • Fatigue • Reduced concentration • Irritability • Dry skin • Nose bleeds

  10. 52% DUE TO CONTAMINATION • Microbials • VOC's, Formaldehyde • Carbon Monoxide • Particulates

  11. 48% DUE TO VENTILATION • Improve Operation • Lack of Maintenance • Poor Circulation • Exhaust Re-entrainment • High Temperature • Low Relative Humidity • High Carbon Dioxide

  12. GOAL - to provide a healthy comfortable and productive workplace

  13. IAQ AND PRODUCTIVITY $/sq.ft./y Construction Cost: Land, Design & Construction: $16.00 Furnishings and Office Equipment: $15.90 Operating: Utilities $2.00 Janitorial $1.00 Taxes and Insurance $2.00 Management, Services, Vacancies $3.50 $8.50 Employee Costs: Salaries & Benefits: $265.00 Indoor Air Quality Update, August 1989, Amortized at 9% for 30 years

  14. VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOC’S) • Off-gassing of chemicals from new materials - construction and renovation • Sources: • structural; particle board, glues, paints • furnishings; carpets, computers, furniture • consumer products; perfume, shampoo, cleaning agents • pesticides, disinfectants, etc.

  15. Biological Agents& Sources • Bacteria : humans / water / food • Fungi or mould: plants / soil / food • Viruses : humans / animals • Allergens/Antigens : animals (pets), cockroach / mites, by-products of bacteria (endotoxins) and moulds.

  16. MICROBIAL SOURCES • Wet carpet, ceiling tiles, insulation, walls (condensation, leaks, floods) • Spray humidifiers, reservoirs • Condensate pans • Water towers Dirt + WATER = Microbial Growth Water damage restoration important.

  17. Legal Precedent: 1989, Hospital, St. Foy, Quebec. “Mould should not grow in buildings.” Health Canada: 1999 Residential Guideline. Control humidity, repair water damage, clean mould growth. CMHC (1993): “People should not live in moldy houses.”

  18. Mould Exposure Guidelines • Visible or hidden microbial growth within a structure is not acceptable. • Indoor quantities should be lower than outdoors, and reflect the same rank order (biodiversity). • The confirmed presence* of toxigenic species requires risk management according to established guidelines. * defined by AIHA

  19. Environmental Sensitivity • ES may be classified as a disability. • Employer has a ‘duty to accommodate’ and employees have a ‘right to work’. • Employer must do so until the point of “undue hardship”. • This requires ‘one good try’ to accommodate. • Need support & cooperation of all.

  20. LEGIONELLA: Pneumonia American Legion Conventions, Philadelphia 1976 Bellevue Stratford Hotel; (182 affected, 29 died} Contaminated humidifiers, wet surfaces, hot water systems, hot tubs, vaporizers, cooling towers, condensers

  21. ASBESTOS • Insulation: pipe, walls, ceilings, ducts, boilers • Ceiling and floor tiles • Plaster and paints • Pro-active management program for disturbance, retrofit "Intact and undisturbed asbestos materials do not pose a health risk" EPA, NIOSH, OSHA

  22. RADON Decay of Radium Þ particles, colourless, odourless HC: 800 Becquerels/m³ action level, has been reduced to 200 in 2007.

  23. OTHER “” • Histoplasma capulatum : a soil fungi that grows with bird and bat excrement. Causes histoplasmosis, a lung disease. • Hantavirus : airborne viral infection found in urine, saliva or droppings of infected deer mice, can be fatal. (BC) • Anthrax : bacteria, Bacillus anthracis, affecting grazing animals, toxic. • Escherichia coli : bacteria found in feces. Total Coliforms (water quality). • TB, SARS, etc. from third-world countries • Lead in drinking water and in paint

  24. IAQ and the Future • Compliance and due diligence – building environmental audits. • Legal, liability, and insurance issues -- worker’s compensation, risk assessment, duty of building owner, employer, professionals, and trades. Certification. • Materials selection -- emissions, offgassing, “green products”. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings. • Information and awareness -- WWW, court cases, news media, more “consultants and experts”.

  25. Conclusions • Many IAQ problems can be prevented by educating facility management, staff and occupants about IAQ issues and factors. • The expense and effort required to prevent most IAQ problems is much less than that required to resolve problems after they develop. • When IAQ problems do arise, they can often be resolved using skills that are available in-house. • If outside assistance is needed to solve an IAQ problem, the best results will be achieved if building owners, managers and occupants are informed consumers. • Open and full communication is part of the successful resolution of an IAQ problem.

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