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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Indoor Environmental
Quality (IEQ)
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Sick Building Syndrome:
Sources of Indoor Air Pollutants
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Solving Indoor Air
Pollution
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Solving Indoor Air
Pollution
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What Is
UNCC Doing ? |
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Is your building green?
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Did you know that most Americans spend
90% of their time indoors and most of
that time is spent working in an office?
Did you also know that the office
you may be sitting in right now may have
indoor pollutant levels that are higher
than the levels found outside?
The
building industry is
increasingly
focused on making buildings greener and
your building should create and promote
a healthy environment for you and your
employees.
If your business strives to
create a healthy environment, you will
not only help building owners, managers,
and occupants, but will minimize or even
eliminate negative health effects,
liability, and costly repairs and
renovations.
This issue will inform
you on Indoor Air Quality, what pollutants can exist in your
building, and solutions on how your
office can be pollutant-free.
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WHAT IS INDOOR
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY?
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According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency,
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
refers to the quality of the air and
environment inside buildings. It is
based on pollutant concentrations and
conditions that can affect the health,
comfort, and performance of occupants,
which includes temperature, relative
humidity, light, and other factors. To
ensure that fresh air is continually
being distributed throughout your
building, you must improve the quality
of your office environment. This involves designing,
constructing, and operating your
building in ways that will reduce
pollution sources and remove indoor air
pollutants.
Remember that a good IEQ is an
essential element to any building (a
green building, especially).
TO JOIN THE EFFORT OF IMPROVING INDOOR
AIR QUALITY CLICK HERE!
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/largebldgs/index.html
EPA’s Indoor Environments
program promotes the use of
integrated, whole building
approaches to protect occupant
health while saving energy and
money.
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/greenbuilding/index.html
Resources which can be
found at:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/largebldgs/index.html#i-beam
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www.ecotech-intl.com/.../earthsafeandsou
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INDOOR AIR
POLLUTANTS
Asthma
– Breathing difficulties are on the rise,
especially in North Carolina, who ranked
as the 7th worst metropolitan
city for asthma sufferers. To prevent
any of your employees’ asthma from
flaring, keep the work environment
ventilated with fresh air daily.
Radon
– Sources of radon can be found in local
geology, soil, and water, possibly
causing lung and stomach cancer.
To prevent radon in your office
building, seal cracks and openings in
windows and doors and increase
ventilation in the environment.
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Secondhand Smoke
– Environmental tobacco smoke
like cigarettes, cigars, and
pipes cause eye, nose, and
throat irritation in addition to
headaches and pneumonia.
In order to prevent these
health effects from occurring,
discourage occupants from
smoking or isolate a smoking
section outdoors.
Carbon Monoxide
– This colorless, odorless, and
tasteless liquid or gas can be
found in generators and other
gasoline-powered equipment as
well as tobacco smoke.
Low exposure can cause
fatigue and chest pain in
healthy people, and high
exposure can cause impaired
vision and coordination.
To reduce carbon monoxide
in your building,
have
a trained professional inspect,
clean, and tune-up your central
heating system annually and
repair any leaks immediately.
Asbestos
– Asbestos can be caused by
deteriorating or damaged
insulation, fireproofing, or
acoustical materials in older
buildings and can presumably
cause cancer and lung diseases
with an increased effect in
smokers. |
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SICK BUILDING
SYNDROME:
SOURCES OF INDOOR AIR
POLLUTANTS
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Issues of indoor air quality not only
affect homes but also office buildings
and these buildings can have major air
pollution sources.
The following is a list of
problematic air sources:
·
Inadequate ventilation
– may occur if heating,
ventilation, air
conditioning (HVAC) do not
effectively distribute air
to people in the building
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Chemical contaminants from
indoor sources
– adhesives, carpeting,
upholstery, manufactured
wood products, copy
machines, pesticides, and
cleaning agents may emit
volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), including
formaldehyde
·
Chemical contaminants from
outdoor sources
– outdoor air that enters a
building, like vehicle
exhaust and plumbing
exhausts, can be a source of
indoor air pollution that
can enter a building through
poorly located air intake
vents, windows, and other
openings
·
Biological contaminants
– includes bacteria, molds,
pollen, and viruses that may
breed in stagnant water
accumulated in ducts and
humidifiers, or water that
has collected on ceiling
tiles, carpet, and
insulation
READ MORE ON
SICK BUILING SYNDRONE,
INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS AND
HEALTH HERE:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/sbs.html#Causes%20of%20Sick%20Building%20Syndrome
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ia-intro.html#Indoor%20Air%20Pollution%20and%20Health
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WHAT IS
UNC CHARLOTTE DOING?
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Last year the N.C.
General Assembly passed
two new laws concerning
smoking in University
buildings and outside
locations.
On July 1, 2007,
another law was passed
allowing University
campuses to disallow
smoking in all campus
buildings except certain
designated areas within
residence halls and
within 100 feet of any
campus building.
UNC Charlotte has
followed suit and has
revised its no-smoking
policy.
As of January 1st,
in addition to the
previous smoking laws, a
newer law went into
effect that prohibits
smoking in all buildings
owned, occupied, or
leased by the state.
UNC Charlotte is
required to ban indoor
smoking in all its
buildings and has the
discretion to ban
outdoor smoking up to
100 feet from any campus
building.
In addition, UNC
Charlotte plans to
designate 36 “smoking
benches” 25 feet from
any building entry with
a cigarette disposal
unit and also plans to
join the Student Health
Center and Wellness
Program to assist
individuals who wish to
quit smoking.
READ THE KEY
ELEMENTS OF THE
REVISED POLICY HERE:
http://www.publicrelations.uncc.edu/default.asp?id=15&objId=357
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SOLVING INDOOR
AIR POLLUTION
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Ventilation
is a cost-effective means of
reducing indoor air pollutants
when HVAC systems are designed
to meet ventilation standards.
If there are strong
pollutant sources in your
building, local exhaust
ventilation may be necessary
to exhaust contaminated air
directly from the building.
Local exhaust ventilation is
particularly recommended to
remove pollutants that
accumulate in specific areas
such as rest rooms, copy
rooms, and printing
facilities.
Read
Fact Sheet: Ventilation and
Air Quality in Offices.
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Air cleaning
can be very useful but has
limitations:
Low-performance filters
usually do not pick up small
particles, while high
performance filters are usually
difficult to operate and
install.
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Pollutant source removal or
modification
can be controlled with routine
maintenance of HVAC systems
(filter replacement,
water-stained ceiling or carpet
replacement, storage of paints
and pesticides).
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Education and communication
can prevent indoor air pollutant
contamination by forming
management programs to inform
employees of health issues.
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Removal of tobacco smoke
and creating Smokefree
Policies at work can improve
indoor air quality. In
January 2008, North Carolina
House Bill 24 banned smoking
inside all state government
buildings.
http://workingsmokefree.com/
Benefits of a smoke
free workplace is outlined at:
http://workingsmokefree.com/
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www.oxyfilters.com/spacebaronfilter.jpg
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IS YOUR BUILDING
GREEN?
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The U.S.
Green Building Council (USGBC) is a
non-profit organization committed to
expanding sustainable building
practices.
With a mission to “transform the
way buildings and communities are
designed and operated enabling an
environmentally and socially
responsible, healthy, and prosperous
environment that improves the quality of
life,” USGBC developed and provides
several programs to assist buildings
(and homes) in remaining and becoming
eco-friendly.
Programs like LEED®
Green Building Rating System™ and
Chapter Programs are designed to develop
high-performance and sustainable
buildings and to provide education
programs on green design.
READ MORE ABOUT LEED
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222
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www.precisionprefinishing.com/images/gbc
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