Indoor Air Quality issues have been linked to health problems, loss of productivity and profits, litigation and many other concerns. IAQ problems can be attributed to many different factors including asbestos, microbiological contaminants, improper ventilation, volatile organic compounds (VOC's), building maintenance and other factors. In some cases IAQ problems may be extremely difficult to identify and experts from several disciplines may be required on the project. The problem is most often not caused by any single factor. There are numerous considerations and factors involved in IAQ problems. A quote from the book "Managing Indoor Air Quality" (Shirley J. Hansen,  PH.D.  and H.E. Burroughs, CIAQP 1999) comes to mind..."If you think you have a solution, you probably don't understand the problem"

A Word About Indoor Air Quality

When many people think of indoor air quality problems they think of the workplace. While this may be a legitimate concern many never consider their home environment when considering indoor air pollution. The EPA ranks indoor air pollution among the top four environmental risks in America today. The average person spends approximately 90% of their life indoors and so the quality of the indoor air is of great importance.

While organizations such as the EPA have set standards for the ambient outdoor air, few if any guidelines have been set for indoor air. It is a fact that indoor pollution is consistently 2 to 5 times higher than outdoors and in some cases up to 100x higher.

Since the energy crunch of the 1970's builders have been encouraged to build tighter construction for the purpose of conserving energy. This has worked in that regard. However, tighter homes have led to other issues including less natural ventilation which use to act to dilute indoor contaminants. In today's tighter homes the air exchange rate is approximately 0.2 to 0.3 air changes per hour compared to older homes where air exchange rates have been measured at 2 air changes per hour. Therefore, as you can see, today's homes are more energy efficient, but also contain higher levels of contaminants in many cases due to less air infiltrating into the building.

In order to properly diagnose air quality problems in a building, one must first consider all of the possible contaminants, causes and concentrations to better be able to address the problems and find suitable solutions. The location where one is exposed may also play an important role. Remember, the average worker, in the workplace is exposed approximately 40 hours per week, on the other hand many individuals are in their home 24/7. So exposure times as well as concentrations become part of the equation.

Indoor Air Quality is an important factor in both the work and home environments and should be equally considered by all parties. If you think you may have indoor air quality issues in your home you may wish to seek professional advice.

IAQ Services:

Certification:

Today, with consumers being more educated and concerned about indoor air quality issues. With issues such as mold and asbestos making headlines daily, consumers have become more aware of potential indoor contaminants which could affect their health. Of course, the media frenzy over issues such as mold has also started the certification mills which are common in the inspection industry. These so-called training programs offer certification to anyone based usually on a one day seminar. These are not nationally accepted credentials and consumers should beware.

Consumers should assure that the indoor air quality consultant that they hire is certified by an acceptable certifying agency. The American Indoor Air Quality Council CIEC™ certification is approved by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards.

The American IAQ Council offers the Council-Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant™ (CIEC), which is accredited as an engineering-related program by the CESB, to individuals whose training and field experience in industrial hygiene, building sciences and environmental risk assessment warrants professional recognition. The certification documents their skills and knowledge base regarding design, construction and operation of buildings in relation to the quality and efficiency of the indoor environment in a manner that could be relied upon by individuals and organizations seeking their services as employees, consultants or advisors for the assessment and management of new or established indoor environments.

Some other organizations which belong to the CESB certifications program include:

Hiring consultants which have certifications that are accredited by the CESB assures that your consultant has credentials which are peer respected and accepted. These certifications require that applicants have a specific level of education and experience (e.g. CIEC requires a degree in a science discipline and/or up to 8 years of verifiable experience and passing of a 3 hour closed book examination in addition to Board Approval)

Mold Insurance

Commercial property coverage for mold is now available to corporate properties having individuals who hold the American Indoor Air Quality Council "Certified Indoor Air Quality Manager" (CIAQM) designation. Commercial properties with CIAQM's who document indoor air quality events through a software documentation program offered by ESS may qualify for mold coverage and a discounted premium as well.

IAQ Investigation Procedures

** For more detailed reason to pay close attention to the company you hire click here.

IAQ Management:

Abatement:

If abatement is required, C.L.I. Group, LLC works with some of the nations largest abatement contractors. Whether your problem is asbestos, lead or microbial, it is critical that the problems be abated correctly following accepted guidelines or regulations. An abatement which is not performed correctly could create new problems or make existing problems worse.

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