Arch 433
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Attendance
The dust mite creates the
second most allergic
reactions, second only to
pollen. What part of the
dust mite is the cause of
the reaction?
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A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Shed skins
Corpses
Droppings
Regurgitated food
Eggs
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Accordingly to the EPA,
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
is up to 5 times worse
than outdoor Air
IAQ -Terms
• Indoor Air Quality
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
(IAQ)
Bio effluents
Dilution
Filtration
Source
capture/elimination
Friable
Allergen
Pathogen
• Sick Building
Syndrome (SBS)
• Building Related
Illness (BRI)
• Environmental
Tobacco Smoke
(ETS)
• Volatile Organic
Compound (VOC)
– Formaldehyde
IAQ
Occupied zone is the region in an
occupied space from 3” above
the floor to 72” above the floor and
greater than 2’ from walls or
fixed air conditioning equipment.
IAQ
What You Need to Know
• Be conversant in the various codes
and standards relative to healthy
indoor environments
• Know how to design and construct
healthy buildings
IAQ
What You Need To Be Able
To Do
• Identify and avoid dangerous
conditions
• Select the appropriate strategy to
ensure a “healthy” environment
IAQ
Sick Building Syndrome
“Exists when a significant percentage
(e.g., more than 20%) of the occupants
complain during a two week period of a
set of symptoms, including headaches,
fatigue, nausea, eye irritation, and
throat irritation, that are alleviated by
leaving the building, and are not known
to be caused by specific contaminants.”
ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2004
Building Related Illness (BRI) v.
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)
• BRI has a known
contaminant
– Vapors and Gases
• bioeffluents
– Respirable
particles
– ETS
Source: Lincoln Journal and Star
IAQ
• Sources
A. Vapors and gases
1. Carbon Dioxide (marker or
surrogate)
2. Carbon Monoxide
3. Radon
4. Bio-aerosols
5. Formaldehyde (HCHC)
6. Volatile Organic Compounds
IAQ
• Sources
Repertory particles (5 to 10 microns)
1. Fungal spores (mildew
2. Fibers (asbestos)
3 Pathogens (Legionnella)
4. Allergens (spores, mold,
pollens, etc.)
IAQ
• Sources
Environmental Tobacco Smoke
1. Gases and droplets (offgassing)
2. 4,000 different chemical
compounds
IAQ
• Sources
Chemicals
• Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
• Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)
Cognitive decline
Ischemic Strokes
Environmentally Induced Epigenetic
Trans generational Inhertance of
reproductive Disease
IAQ
• Can Cause
•Cognitive decline
•Ischemic Strokes
•Environmentally Induced Epigenetic
Transgenerational Inhertance of
Reproductive Disease
IAQ
Filters
• Minimum Efficiency Reporting
Value (MERV)
– Flat filters is 1 to 4.
– ASHRAE Standard 62.1 2010 requires
a minimum filter requirement of a
MERV 6.
IAQ
Filters
• The International Mechanical Code
IMC-2009
– does not state a minimum MERV
value for filters
IAQ
Filters
• For ventilation purposes
– Increase MERV ratings to 16
• Add pre-filters
– effectiveness on dust
– pollens,
– emission particles before entering a
ventilation system,
– utilizing instruments that monitor and
manipulate ventilation and filtering based on
occupancy and air characteristics
IAQ
• Filters
– Per the 2000 U.S. Census 35% of
housing stock lack a ventilation
system
– Negative to increase filtering
• Need more Air Pressure
Vapors and Gasses
• VOCs
– Formaldehyde
– Cleaning supplies
– Chlorine
• Bio-effluents
– Human odors
– Organic odors
• ETS
– CO2
– CO
• Ozone/smog
Respirable Particles
• #1 allergen in
homes is the dust
mite
– How best to
mitigate dust
mites in your bed?
Respirable Particles
• Dust mite (insect)
populations
decrease below
50% RH
• Dust mites die
below 40% RH
Respirable Particles
• Asbestos
• Cyanide
• Dust mite
droppings
• Others?
One Example
Bacteria, Viruses & Mold
• Legionella
• Viruses
– High or low RH
• Mold
Mold
• Over 64,000
different types of
fungi
• A few are toxic
• Considered a
“growth industry” for
both remediation
contractors and the
legal profession
Conditions Needed for Mold
Growth
• One viable spore
• An acceptable
temperature
range
• A usable food
source
• Adequate
moisture in the
food source
Failure Analysis
• Prof. Kirk’s one-
of-a-kind, surefire
process
guaranteed to
result in a mindnumbing law suit.
More Mold
More Mold
More Mold
Strategies Addressing IAQ
Concerns
• Source
Elimination/
Capture
• Filtration
• Dilution
Source Elimination Strategy
“If there is a pile of
manure in a space,
do not try to
remove the odor by
ventilation.
Remove the pile of
manure.”
Max Van Pettenkofer (1848)
Design Criteria for Capture
• Walls to deck
above and sealed
• Independent
exhaust
• No return or
recirculation air
• Negative air
pressure
Source Elimination/Capture
• Smoking Rooms
• Janitors Closets
• Photocopying
•
•
•
•
rooms
Bathrooms
Locker rooms
Kitchens
Others?
Pressurization as an IAQ
Strategy?
Source Capture
• An effective
solution if you
can’t eliminate
the contaminant
Ultra Violet Light (UVC)
Take-aways or the ‘Ah hahs’
• Identify the
contaminants that
are in your
building (they will
be unique)
• First try to
eliminate them,
then capture
them, then filter
them.
• If all else fails,
dilute them