Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality

Tips from Rosalind Dall

As readers know we typically feature documents and resources that are associated with research institutes or professional design firms. This week however we’re going to feature Rosalind Dall who contacted us with this message;

“Hi, My name is Rosalind and I'm one of healthyheating.com readers. I'd like to thank you for the excellent information I've found on healthyheating.com, it's one of my favorite readings on the web. I live in Florida where I have the passion to share with family and friends some tips to increase awareness on energy efficiency and promote a healthier indoor air quality. I figured you might be interested in including a guest article for healthyheating.com about a new research from the Purdue University that promises the opportunity to reduce AC heating bills by 50%.”

Well the information Rosalind speaks of from Purdue is interesting stuff as are the additional tips she provides in her writings over at her blog http://www.ductlessairconditioners.org

Rosalind joins our list of influential women we’ve featured here at the JIEQ who are making a difference one blog at a time.

Thanks for writing in Rosalind.

RB

See Rosalind's article in our guest editorial section and at her blog.

Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease

Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease An Update to the Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Abstract Excerpt: In 2004, the first American Heart Association scientific statement on "Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease" concluded that exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In the interim, numerous studies have expanded our understanding of this association and further elucidated the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved.

The main objective of this updated American Heart Association scientific statement is to provide a comprehensive review of the new evidence linking PM exposure with cardiovascular disease, with a specific focus on highlighting the clinical implications for researchers and healthcare providers.

RBc: “…exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.” Once again environments can be hurtful or healing – you have little control over the outdoor conditions but you do have a choice over your indoor environment.

See our previous comments on homes as miniature health care facilities and the need to reposition elements of architecture such as interior design and HVAC as part of the healthcare industry and removed out from under the control of the construction industry.

Learn more about: Particulate Matter, Allergens , Sneezing 

Air Pollution and Seniors

Air Pollution and Seniors - A Health and Air Quality Bulletin from Health Canada

Further to our post below on Blueprints for Senior Living July 2010 Edition, we bring your attention to a Health and Air Quality Bulletin from Health Canada.

Excerpt: If you are a senior, air pollution could have a negative impact on your health. This is because seniors are more likely than other adults to have health problems such as heart and lung disease. You can better protect yourself when you know that air pollution affects your health.

For more details download this docuement: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/alt_formats/hecs-sesc/pdf/pubs/air/seniors-personne_agees-eng.pdf

Also, published recently from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey: Healthy Aging The Canadian Community Health Survey focuses on the health of Canadians aged 45 and over by examining the various factors that have an impact on healthy aging, such as general health and well being, the use of health care services, social participation, and work and retirement transitions. The data were collected from December 2008 to November 2009, and about 30,900 individuals aged 45 years and older in the provinces were interviewed. The data are now available through the Statistics Canada website:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/100512/dq100512f-eng.htm

Blueprints for Senior Living July 2010 Edition

Just released by the AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community: Blueprints for Senior Living 07/10 edition

The mission of the AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community (DFA) is to foster design innovation and disseminate knowledge necessary to enhance the built environment and quality of life for an aging society. This includes relevant research on characteristics, planning, and costs associated with innovative design for aging. In addition, DFA provides outcome data on the value of these design solutions and environments.

For more information about the Design for Aging please contact your local chapter or the Design for Aging Advisory Group. More information can be found on www.aia.org/dfa or www.aiadesignforaging.org.

RBc: We've been a big fan of this group for the insight and creativity they bring to this very special topic. A highly recommended resource worthy of your support.

See our pages on Design for Aging and be sure to read the abstract titled, "Supportive living environments: A first concept of a dwelling designed for older adults with dementia."

Differences between Young Adults and Elderly in Thermal Comfort, Productivity, and Thermal Physiology

Differences between young adults and elderly in thermal comfort, productivity, and thermal physiology in response to a moderate temperature drift and a steady-state condition

Overview/edited excerpt: Results from naturally ventilated buildings show that allowing the indoor temperature to drift does not necessarily result in thermal discomfort and may allow for a reduction in energy use. However, for stationary conditions, several studies indicate that the thermal neutral temperature and optimum thermal condition differ between young adults and elderly.

In this study, the effect of a moderate temperature drift on physiological responses, thermal comfort, and productivity of eight young adults (age 22–25 year) and eight older subjects (age 67–73 year) was investigated. They were exposed to two different conditions and the results indicate that thermal sensation of the elderly was, in general, 0.5 scale units lower in comparison with their younger counterparts. Furthermore, the elderly showed more distal vasoconstriction during both conditions.

Practical Implications

Because the stock of fossil fuels is limited, energy savings play an important role. Thermal comfort is one of the most important performance indicators to successfully apply measures to reduce the energy need in buildings. Allowing drifts in indoor temperature is one of the options to reduce the energy demand. This study contributes to the knowledge concerning the effects of a moderate temperature drift and the age of the inhabitants on their thermal comfort.

Published in the International Journal of Indoor environment and Health on behalf of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate, April 2010

RBc: This document does an effective job in pointing out the differences between age groups as it relates to indoor environments and the corresponding physiological and psychological responses to temperature changes.

We have said before that the traditional run of the mill contractor built home was/is constructed for the youth and not the elderly and yet it will be the elderly that someday will occupy these homes.

We have pointed out before that residential homes will become miniture healthcare centers for the elderly and have asked, “if we know a home will be operated as a miniature healthcare center why don’t we build it as such?” What does this mean? It means designing to healthcare standards with better ventilation and thermal comfort systems…instead of budgeting a meager 5% of construction costs on HVAC it means you have to spend 15%.

5% gets you bottom of the barrel minimum requirements…15% gets you into healthcare standards.

Read our past article in AIA’s, Blueprints for Senior Living, called, “The Human Element in Design for Aging” Additional reading includes:

1. Cortical, thalamic, and hypothalamic responses to cooling and warming the skin in awake humans: A positron-emission tomography study
2. Homes are miniature healthcare facilities
3. The Cost of HVAC Systems - Are You Paying Too Much for Downgrades?
4. The Total Comfort System - The "Un-minimum" System

 

Do LEED-Certified Green Buildings Protect Human Health?

Hartford, Conn., May 25, 2010—Do “green” buildings protect human health from environmental hazards?

The answer is “not necessarily,” according to a new report released today by Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), titled “LEED Certification: Where Energy Efficiency Collides With Human Health.”

EHHI is a non-profit organization composed of doctors, public health professionals and policy experts who specialize in research that examines environmental threats to human health.

LEED Standards Are Being Adopted into Many Laws

Green Building Council standards are being incorporated into federal, state and local laws through legislation, executive orders, resolutions, policies, loan-granting criteria and tax credits. As demonstrated in this report, LEED standards are clearly insufficient to protect human health, yet they are being adopted by many levels of government as law. Thus the Green Building Council, a trade association for the building industry, is effectively structuring the regulations. The number of jurisdictions adopting these standards as law is growing, which will make them difficult if not impossible to change, unless federal law and regulation supersede the “green” standards with health-protective regulations.

Read: LEED Certification Where Energy Efficiency Collides with Human Health, An EHHI Report

RBc: Last week one of our readers suggested we list Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) on our blog on environmental health. The report is another reason for people to understand the total definition of IEQ and specifically the relationships between bodies and buildings.

Also as we said last week: Study our slides on The Human Factors in HVAC and understand why we feel strongly that elements of architecture such as building enclosures, interior design and HVAC need to be removed out from under the world of construction and be repositioned within the healthcare industry.

Plus make note of our recent post where we provide advice related to the trust consumers place in the words of healthcare workers vs those of the trades, general contractors and developers. 

Health trumps energy everytime (Bud Offermann)...Again for the millionth time - your building can be therapeutic or threatening – it’s your choice.

Medical Doctors and Hydronic Radiant Heating Systems.

In 2002 William J, Rea, M.D. published his, “Optimum Environments for Optimum Health & Creativity”, a book we recently featured and now sits on my shelf along with numerous building science and engineering manuals collected over the years. I’ve given the good doctor space because he gave space in his book on something dear to me – that being the role that HVAC systems play in indoor environmental quality and specifically his recommendations for hydronic radiant heating as the best choice for conditioning people and places.

Dr. Rea is a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon with a strong passion for the environmental aspects of health and disease and Founder of the Environmental Health Center (EHC-D) and he’s not the lone physician when it comes to opining on heating systems. There are numerous professionals in the heath or building sciences that “get” the link between bodies and buildings and their work can be seen in such projects as CHMC’s Healthy House Toronto project or Seattle-Kings County Breathe Easy Homes - both are considered Gold Standards in healthy homes and both use hydronic radiant based HVAC systems.

I find it interesting how healthcare as possibly one of the greatest public relation machines on earth is overlooked by specific sectors within the HVAC industry when medical doctors such as W.J. Rea, S.D. Lockey lll, or A.C. Engler acknowledge radiant heating in their respective practices.

Another physician specializing in respiratory issues is Dr. P. Field who has served as a consultant to Asthma NSW and recognizes that, "radiant heating such as in-ceiling, in-floor or panel wall heaters are preferred as they are less likely to trigger asthma symptoms." This is echoed in a physician reviewed recommendation from The Children's Hospital at the Anschutz Medical Campus in their ‘Creating an Asthma-Safe Home’ they suggest when, “purchasing a home, consider buying one with baseboard or radiant heating.”

One of the best summaries I’ve found on low temperature hydronic radiant heating and indoor environments comes from, “The Health, Safety and Comfort Advantages of Low Temperature Heating Systems - A Literature Review” published from the Healthy Buildings Conference in August 2000. In a nutshell the report supports the sentiment found amongst allergists and other medical doctors.

Although I would strongly caution anyone making the leap that hydronic radiant heating improves people’s health it is safe to say that indoor environments using radiant based HVAC systems are recognized by some physicians as significant contributors to a healthier home. This has a strong appeal to two powerful decision makers - that being older adults and mothers.

My council to the various hydronic industry groups is this:

1. Recognize that marketing and public relations efforts directed on using the features and benefits of efficiency and comfort are ultimately trumped by health concerns...and as continually demonstrated by Readers Digest annual survey, consumers ultimately have far more confidence in the words of the healthcare worker than words from the trades person or home builder.
2. Find a way to work with the healthcare industry to communicate to consumers that radiant based HVAC systems do contribute to healthier homes.

Study our slides on The Human Factors in HVAC and understand why we feel strongly that elements of architecture such as building enclosures, interior design and HVAC need to be removed out from under the world of construction and be repositioned within the healthcare industry.

Learn more about the complete definition of Radiant Based HVAC

Sources:

1. http://www.ehcd.com/books/home_building_designing.html
2. http://www.asthmansw.org.au/assets/146/File/AsthmaMatters_Winter01_LRes.pdf
3. http://www.rockymountainchildrens.org/wellness/info/parents/39154.aspx
4. http://www.readersdigest.ca/specialfeatures/trustsurvey/cms/xcms/top-jobs--the-professions-we-trust-most_3733_a.html

Optimum Environments for Optimum Health and Creativity

It’s not every day you get to read a book on building construction by a medical doctor so when, “Optimum Environments for Optimum Health and Creativity” by William J. Rea, M.D. came across our radar screen we had to dig into it.

Dr. W.J. Rea, is a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon with a strong passion for the environmental aspects of health and disease and Founder of the Environmental Health Center (EHC-D) with clinics in Dallas and Chicago. His book first published in 2002 is well researched and illustrated with practical information for anyone designing or managing a home or office.

I give it two thumbs up for content and recommend it to all.

The only negative comment I have is actually for all publishers – hard copy books are expensive to import...make your materials available in a .pdf format - this saves on postage and duty charges which unnecessarily triples the cost of a book when importing it into Canada. In this case the book was $20 but it cost me an additional $40 for bringing it in!

Message to authors - it’s not the price of the book – I and many others would pay more for educational materials if we didn't have to pay for outrageous postage and duty charges.

Here’s a shortlist of resources to environmental health where board certified medical doctors influence the content:

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM)
Visual Contrast Sensitivity Test Center
National Institutes of Health • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Center for Environmental Health 
James Craner, MD, MPH, Occupational & Environmental Medicine Internal Medicine
International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
Note: Beginning in 2011, the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health is expanding its scope to include consumer health, a rubric we define to include the aspects of human disease and injury that are determined or influenced by exposure to consumer goods and their components, including pharmaceuticals, food additives, and other purchased products.)
Canadian Society for Environmental Medicine
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)  
World Health Organization
Where Are You on the Continuum of Environmental Health, Lisa Nagy, MD
The Human Ecology Foundation of Canada 

See also:

Current State of the Science: Health Effects and Indoor Environmental Quality - includes links to numerous other resources.

What are you doing to redefine our future?

What are you doing to redefine our future?

The US Green Building Council says “Generation Green is not an age group. It’s not about politics or personality, demographics or geography. It’s all of us. You are Generation Green” and they are giving everyone a chance to tell the world what you are doing to redefine our future.

So here it is - straight from The U.S. Green Building Council's president, CEO and founding chairman, Rick Fedrizzi…

Send us your videos! What are you doing to redefine our future? We’re not looking for expensive, well-produced videos. Your ideas can be simple or profound, general or specific. Just tell us, in 30 seconds or less, how you are building a future of economic, environmental and social prosperity.

You are Generation Green, and your ideas will inspire the world to act today. And they may be featured at Greenbuild 2010 in Chicago! … No action is too small, no goal too idealistic, and no person too young or too old or too powerless to make a difference. We want to hear from everyone – you, your kids, your grandparents. Your colleagues and your classrooms; your mayors, governors and Congress members; your PTA board and your USGBC Students group.

Submitting your video is easy. Just click "How to Upload a Video" at the top of USGBC press release.

RBc: So what have we done? …in the past several years we’ve: replaced our entire lawn with rundle rocks and stone and low maintenance plants of native species to eliminate the need for fertilizers, chemicals and unnecessary water use; we did a major upgrade in our basement and roofing systems with spray foam and cellulose insulation including caulking, sealants and gaskets around openings and outlets; we use night time ventilation and management of blinds to control summer time over heating… I also consolidated my offices a few years ago and now work from home - translation – I rarely drive my 2000 model truck which has only 120,000 km on the odometer - that’s only 74564 miles for our American readers…and I suspect I’ll get another 10 years out of it before it rusts away. What else? Well we installed an HRV and operate it on timers and demand,  we’ve reduced parasitic plug loads by getting rid of clocks we don’t use…placed entertainment and office equipment on power bars that get switched off after use…we’ve even started to store the morning coffee in a thermos rather than let sit idle on the warmer. Small stuff we should have done years ago but it all counts and despite the things we’ve done – we still have lot’s more to do!

So what are you doing? Do tell…the world wants to know.

Glazed Over – Raising the Awareness to Improve Building Enclosures

Journal of Building Enclosure Design - Current Issue

Excerpt:  “In my message to you in the Summer 2009 issue of Journal of Building Enclosure Design, I discussed the need to raise awareness to improve building enclosures. I outlined several examples in that article, such as recognizing David Altenhofen for his efforts to establish Building Enclosure Councils (BECs) throughout the country, the work Congressman Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) is doing to bring awareness to the issue of high-performing buildings, the programs held at the 12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology, and the December 2009 Ecobuild America Conference held in Washington, D.C.

Each of these examples addressed a consistent theme: education. These examples all focused on the need to improve our knowledge base to better utilize the latest technology to advance our building systems and to gain greater return on our investments. Investing in education is money well spent.”Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, President, National Institute of Building Sciences

Visit the National Institute of Building Sciences and download the Journal of Building Enclosure Design

RBc: Henry gets it right with, “Investing in education is money well spent.”

Somehow clients and architects need to get beyond interior and exterior aesthetics as primary driving forces in form. Why? Because there is piling up of discouraged engineers and building scientists who despite their best efforts face a constant battle over enclosures and systems attributable to what is wrongly perceived as high fee’s related to the design and management of comfortable, healthy and energy efficient structures.

Remember sustainability is branch of philosophy and there is still significant philosophical conflicts occurring between what is scientifically right (engineers, architects and interior designers) and what creative enclosure gets built (architects, interior designers and clients).

Education brings awareness to the issue of high-performing buildings but as we have all experienced, having the knowledge means nothing unless it is applied/ executed in practice.

For further commentary on this topic read:

Are you paying too much for down grades?

Radiant Based HVAC - Starts with the architecture.