This is a companion article to my commentary of last week urging Virgin Islands landlords to control mould, which contributes to poor indoor air quality (IAQ). This article provides an overview of other causes of poor IAQ.
People tend to spend at least 80 percent of their time indoors – in homes, schools, offices, hotels, restaurants, and recreational and transportation facilities. Starting in the 1970s in an effort to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy cost, most facilities were constructed “tighter.” This meant that they had increased insulation, additional sealing and caulking, sealed windows, and heating ventilation and air-conditioning systems (HVAC) designed for more air recirculation and less indoor air intake. As a result, “tighter” facilities limit internally generated contaminants (printers, copiers, chemically-treated furnishing, floor covering and adhesives) from escaping or being diluted with an adequate amount of fresh outdoor air, contributing to poor IAQ.
Definition
There is no set definition of IAQ. However, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) states: “IAQ is a function of outside air quality, the design of the outside spaces and the ventilation air system, the way in which the HVAC system is operated and maintained, the presence of indoor sources of contaminants and the strength of such sources.”
Though there is no set definition, IAQ should meet occupants’ sense of comfort, health and well-being. That is, indoor air should contain no significant levels of dust, odours or contaminants that could adversely affect occupants’ health. Poor IAQ can result in a building being classified with Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) or Building Related Illness (BRI).
Health issues
Poor IAQ, then, can contribute to health issues. The United States’ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigates a large number of workplaces in which poor IAQ is a prime complaint of occupants. Some of the more common complaints include eye, skin or nose irritation, as well as sinus congestion, sneezing, coughing, dry throat, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, irritability and forgetfulness. Additionally, poor IAQ can produce sensory, neurological, respiratory and systemic effects on the body. Furthermore, workers in commercial and institutional facilities subjected to poor IAQ typically have high rates of absenteeism, discomfort, low productivity or illnesses. Two illnesses related to poor IAQ are SBS and BRI. SBS occurs when a significant number of building occupants report or experience health effects that occur while in a building but resolve when out of the building. BRI, on the other hand, includes diagnosable illnesses whose symptoms can be identified and whose cause can be directly attributed to buildings.
IAQ concerns
Several sources of IAQ concerns exist. They include HVAC, building materials, outdoor sources, building activities and microbial sources. And if these sources are not managed effectively, they can contribute to poor IAQ. The following is a summary of IAQ sources:
• temperature and humidity, ventilation, other HVAC sources;
• office materials and furnishings, wood products, stains, coatings, cleaners, draperies, wall coverings, upholstered furniture, modular partitions, flooring materials, office equipment (laser printers, faxes, copiers, blueprint machines);
• outdoor air, soil gases, moisture and standing water;
• building activities, particularly in businesses like nail and hairstyling salons, blueprinting, food preparation, janitorial, maintenance, pest control, parking garages; and
• microbial sources such as water intrusion, moisture-saturated building materials, indoor water features and planters, and HVAC systems.
Building owners have a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy working and business environment. Good IAQ can prevent illnesses, improve productivity, enhance service delivery, lower operating cost, increase attendance, reduce medical cost, lower the burden on the medical system, and boost profit.
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