Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality

Fresh Air in Your Home - What the Government is Doing to Make it Right

Canadian researchers work diligently to close the gap between indoor air quality and tight home construction.

Energy efficiency is becoming a key component of modern-day construction as homeowners are searching for the most tightly-built, energy efficient homes on the market. It’s a huge change from 60 years ago, when home construction was looser, with more opportunity for air and energy to escape. But with these air-tight improvements, comes a hidden catch — one that many homeowners don’t even know about. The tighter a home, the less energy escapes. But tighter construction can affect airflow and indoor air quality as well, and not for the better. Despite the importance of clean air inside the home, Canadian homeowners know very little about indoor air quality, and probably know even less about the role that construction can play in ensuring the quality of the air inside their house. But there could be a reason for that — very little accessible scientific data exists on the subject. That’s something the National Research Council Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC) is currently trying to remedy, with an ongoing study called the Indoor Air Initiative, led by the NRC’s Indoor Environment Program.

Download the full report.

RBc: We had an opportunity to interview the researchers on this project, you can read about it in the Sept/Oct Issue of HPAC Canada.

See also: How your lungs work.

National Nonprofits Plan to Combine Forces to Advance Healthy Homes and Communities

Washington, DC -The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and the Alliance for Healthy Homes (Alliance) today announced their plans to join forces. The consolidated organization will continue to operate as the National Center for Healthy Housing, led by Rebecca Morley, with offices in Columbia, Maryland and Washington, DC. Patrick MacRoy, former executive director of the Alliance, will lead NCHH's Community-Based Initiatives. The merger will consolidate all aspects of healthy homes within a single organization - research and evaluation, policy advocacy, consumer education, training, and assistance to local governments and community-based organizations. Nearly 5.7 million families live in substandard housing conditions placing millions of children at risk for asthma, cancer, lead poisoning, and injuries. As a unified organization, the groups will be able to better serve the interest of these families.

For further information see the full press release and information on the upcoming conference.

RBc: For more information on healthy housing see these articles:

1. Current State of the Science: Health Effects and Indoor Environmental Quality
2. Elements That Contribute to Healthy Building Design
3. Toxic homes, toxic bodies

New Guidance on Clearing the Indoor Air through Improved IAQ

ATLANTA – Ensuring good indoor air quality (IAQ) means everyone breathes a little easier: occupants who experience improved health, comfort and productivity, and owners who see increased building value and reduced risk.

New guidance for achieving enhanced IAQ is available from five leading building industry associations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The book and CD provide strategies needed to achieve good IAQ using proven technologies and without significantly increasing costs.

“The health and comfort of buildings occupants is too important to leave IAQ as an after-thought in design, construction and operation,” said Andrew Persily, Ph.D., chair of the committee that wrote the new guidance. “There is plenty of experience out there to help avoid IAQ problems in buildings, allowing all of us to breathe a little easier.

The Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning is a collaboration between ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects, the Building Owners and Managers Association International, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors of North America and the U.S. Green Building Council.

The book describes 40 strategies for achieving critical IAQ objectives related to moisture management, ventilation, filtration and air cleaning and source control. It also highlights how design and construction teams can work together to ensure good IAQ strategies are incorporated from initial design through project completion.

The full publication complete with a CD that contains detailed guidance essential for practitioners to design and achieve good IAQ is available in hard copy or electronically for $29.

To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 404-321-5478, or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.

For further information contact: Jodi Scott, Public Relations, 678-539-1140, jscott(at)ashrae.org

RBc: This is another powerful example of what is possible through the collaborative effort amongst industry groups. I have written about ASHRAE as a collaborator in the Sept/Oct Issue of HPAC Canada.

IAQ 2010 Examines Impact of HVAC on Airborne Infectious Disease

ATLANTA –The role of HVA&R in airborne infectious disease transmission, design and control strategies and technology, pandemic preparedness and airborne infection control will be examined at the IAQ 2010 conference sponsored by ASHRAE. Co-organized by CIBSE and ISIAQ, IAQ 2010: Airborne Infection Control – Ventilation, IAQ & Energy, takes place Nov. 10-12, 2010, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This is the first time the conference is being held outside of the United States. “The building industry is increasingly faced with the challenge of providing a healthy indoor environment,” Dr. Chandra Sekhar, conference chair, said. “The SARS episode, the current H1N1 pandemic and fears of avian flu have transformed the built environment landscape, raising not only significant public health concerns but also economic implications on a global scale. Airborne infection and its control in the built environment have tremendous impact in the design, operation and maintenance of buildings and other enclosed environments. IAQ 2010 will review the state of knowledge about airborne infection and help define future directions.”

The conference will feature peer-reviewed technical papers, workshops and tutorials addressing several issues including:

• How do mechanical systems and other building and enclosure characteristics contribute to healthy environments in an energy-efficient manner?
• How can we create and sustain healthy enclosed environments through design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance?
• What metrics and tools can be used to quantify the degree to which an enclosed environment is healthy and energy-efficient?

For further information visit www.ASHRAE.org/IAQ2010or contact: Jodi Dunlop Public Relations 678-539-1140 jdunlop(at)ashrae.org

RBc: Be sure to read, "Current State of the Science: Health Effects and Indoor Environmental Quality"

Final Report on Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in New Homes

Researchers have completed a multi-season study of ventilation and indoor air quality in 108 new homes in California. ARB and the California Energy Commission sponsored the study, which was conducted by a team led by Indoor Environmental Engineering. The team found that new, single-family detached homes in California were built relatively airtight, and had very low outdoor air exchange rates. In addition, indoor concentrations of formaldehyde often exceeded health-based exposure guidelines for air contaminants indoors, due to the many indoor sources of formaldehyde. Indoor concentrations of a few other chemicals such as benzene, naphthalene, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene also exceeded exposure guidelines in some cases. The ARB has adopted limits on formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products, which will help reduce indoor formaldehyde levels in new homes. Reduction of formaldehyde emissions from other indoor sources also is needed. In part due to the results of this study, the Commission approved a regulation requiring mechanical ventilation systems in all new homes starting in 2010; such systems provide a continuous supply of outdoor air, thus improving the outdoor air exchange rate and reducing indoor contaminant levels.

Contact Tom Phillips (tphillip(at)arb.ca.gov, 916.322.7145) for inquiries about the report. If you have problems accessing the report website or the report, contact Susan Lum (slum(at)arb.ca.gov, 916.323.5043).

RBc: We support this, "...a continuous supply of outdoor air, thus improving the outdoor air exchange rate and reducing indoor contaminant levels." ...providing that the outdoor air is also of good quality.

See also: Current State of the Science: Health Effects and Indoor Environmental Quality

Alberta Green Building Technologies 2009 Symposium

Join us at this year's Symposium and discover how Going Green makes great business sense!

Some of the symposium topics and presenters include:

• Net Zero Housing,David Silburn, SAIT Polytechnic
• Green Design, Prof. Tang Lee, University of Calgary
• Indoor Environmental Quality, Robert Bean, Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality
• Solar and Wind System, Jeff Bell, Alberta Energy
• Building Green: Green Residential Remodeling, Peter Yost, BuildingGreen, LLC
• Home Automation, Stephen Goodship, Eecol Electric
• Competing in the Solar Decathlon, Mark Blackwell, SolAbode …and many more!

Featured speaker: Mike Holmes from Holmes on Homes - Going Green

Alberta Green Building Technologies 2009 Symposium, December 8th and 9th, Calgary Alberta, Canada

ASHRAE Releases free IAQ Guide

ASHRAE Releases free IAQ Guide

The Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning is designed for architects, design engineers, contractors, commissioning agents, and all other professionals concerned with IAQ.

Developed in cooperation with the American Institute of Architects, The U.S. Green Building Council, the Builders and Owners Management Association International, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors of North America, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

This comprehensive publication provides both summary and detailed guidance.

The summary guidance gives you:

• Best practices for all aspects of IAQ building design, commissioning and construction, including designing for maintainability
• Tools and material for demonstrating the value of IAQ to clients
• 40 strategies for achieving 8 critical IAQ objectives

Download the Indoor Air Quality Guide Summary Guidance for Free by visiting ASHRAE.org

RBc: For further studies in IAQ visit "Man_sneezing", "Particulate matter"

EPA Releases Guide to Help Scientists Understand Children's Exposure to Pollutants

EPA Releases Guide to Help Scientists Understand Children's Exposure to Pollutants WASHINGTON -

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released a user-friendly document to help risk assessors understand how children are exposed to pollution.

The document, titled 'Highlights of the Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook,' serves as a quick-reference guide to the more comprehensive 'Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook,' published by EPA in 2008. It will serve as an additional resource for those who work on children?s health issues, which the agency has been highlighting during Children's Health Month.

EPA developed the reference guide to provide important information necessary for answering questions about exposure through drinking water, breathing, and eating foods, such as:

*How much exposure to environmental pollutants might children get if they live or play near contaminated sites?
 *How much dirt from a child?s hands might s/he inadvertently eat?
*How much of a child?s exposure to various pollutants might come from skin contact?
*Which age groups (childhood life stages) may inhale or ingest the most and thus may be at higher risks?

More information on the documents: http://www.epa.gov/childexpfactors/highlights
 
RBc: We also suggest reading ASHRAE 1257-RP, Indoor Environmental Effects On The Performance Of School Work By Children

Reducing VOC Emissions from the Architectural Coatings Sector

The Government of Canada Takes Action to Reduce VOC Emissions from the Architectural Coatings Sector

Gatineau, Que. -- September 30, 2009 -- The Minister of the Environment, Jim Prentice, today announced new regulations to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the architectural coatings sector through products such as paints, finishes, dyes, and varnishes. VOCs are pollutants that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and particulate matter, two key smog components.

“These new regulations targeting VOC emissions from products such as paints, stains and varnishes are one of a series of regulations aimed at reducing harmful VOC emissions from consumer and commercial products,” said Canada's Minister of Health, Leona Aglukkaq. “This new action will help protect the health of Canadians and help keep exposure to these emissions at low levels.” The regulations set maximum VOC concentration limits for 53 categories of coatings and will apply to all products made, imported, sold, or marketed in Canada. They also cover the use of traffic marking coatings.

The requirements, which are similar to requirements in the United States, were established pursuant to consultations with sector stakeholders. Annual VOC emission reductions from architectural coatings are expected to average 28%, which represents a cumulative reduction of approximately 506 000 tons over 25 years. Combined with other VOC initiatives, these measures will help reduce two of the main components of smog – ground-level ozone and particulate matter. This should prove to be beneficial to human health, agriculture, forestry, and ecosystems. In June 2003, the Government of Canada added VOCs to the List of Toxic Substances in Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, (1999) [CEPA (1999)]. This addition gave the government the authority to develop VOC control measures, such as these regulations, under CEPA (1999). This initiative to reduce VOC emissions from architectural coatings follows the recent adoption of the Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Concentration Limits for Automotive Refinishing Products Regulations.

For more information on these regulations or other initiatives to reduce VOC emissions from consumer and commercial products, please visit www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/voc .

RBc: Be sure to visit our indoor air quality pages in particular this animation on "how your lungs work" illustrates why VOC reductions are so important.

Photo credit: Benjamin Moore Paints

Green Products Compilation

Green Products Compilation  

Created by the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), this is a compilation of the products for which EPA, DOE, and USDA have provided environmental or energy attribute recommendations. For the first time, product and services specifiers and contracting officials can find all of the designated products in an easy to use series of spreadsheets.

Version 3 of OFEE's green products compilation spreadsheets is now available. This version includes new FEMP standards for beverage vending machines and ENERGY STAR standards for televisions. New columns identify products available from the AbilityOne Program and from UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries).

RBc: We thought our readers might find this interesting. Download the spreadsheet here.