Transcript Indoor Air Quality - Union of Taxation Employees

TEDD NATHANSON, P. Eng.
Indoor Air Quality Consultant
[email protected]
(613) 558 - 4545
INDOOR
AIR QUALITY
Union of Taxation Employees
November, 2015
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
IAQ Pollutants / Stressors
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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
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)].
LABOUR CANADA, PART II
OSH REGULATIONS
Revised in 2000, Division 3 : HVAC Systems
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Built or when modified, to meet ASHRAE 62 - 1989 “as amended”
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Design information to be available
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All systems to have operating, inspection, testing, cleaning,
maintenance and calibration instructions
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Reports to be prepared by a "qualified person" and posted
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IAQ investigation to be done when warranted (Technical Guide)
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
Guidelines, Good Practices,
Policies
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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
BUILDING RELATED
HEALTH EFFECTS
Building Related Illness
Sick Building Syndrome
Mass Psychologic Illness
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity,
Environmental Sensitivity
SICK BUILDING SYNDROME
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Eye, nose throat irritation
Headache
Fatigue
Reduced concentration
Irritability
Dry skin
Nose bleeds
52% DUE TO CONTAMINATION
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Microbials
VOC's, Formaldehyde
Carbon Monoxide
Particulates
48% DUE TO VENTILATION
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Improve Operation
Lack of Maintenance
Poor Circulation
Exhaust Re-entrainment
High Temperature
Low Relative Humidity
High Carbon Dioxide
GOAL - to provide a healthy
comfortable and productive
workplace
IAQ AND PRODUCTIVITY
Construction Cost: Land, Design
& Construction:
Furnishings and Office Equipment:
Operating:
Utilities
Janitorial
Taxes and Insurance
Management, Services, Vacancies $3.50
Employee Costs: Salaries & Benefits:
$/sq.ft./y
$16.00
$15.90
$2.00
$1.00
$2.00
$8.50
$265.00
Indoor Air Quality Update, August 1989, Amortized at 9% for 30 years
VOLATILE ORGANIC
COMPOUNDS (VOC’S)
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Off-gassing of chemicals from new
materials - construction and renovation
Sources:
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structural; particle board, glues, paints
furnishings; carpets, computers, furniture
consumer products; perfume, shampoo,
cleaning agents
pesticides, disinfectants, etc.
Biological Agents
& Sources
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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.
MICROBIAL SOURCES
Wet carpet, ceiling tiles, insulation,
walls (condensation, leaks, floods)
Spray humidifiers, reservoirs
Condensate pans
Water towers
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Dirt + WATER = Microbial Growth
Water damage restoration important.
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.”
Mould Exposure Guidelines
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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
Environmental Sensitivity
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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.
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
ASBESTOS
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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
RADON
Decay of Radium Þ particles, colourless,
odourless
HC:
800 Becquerels/m³ action level, has
been reduced to 200 in 2007.
OTHER “”
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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
IAQ and the Future
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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”.
Conclusions
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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.