INDOOR AIR QUALITY

Date: Wed, 19 Apr 1995 09:11:55 -0500
From: Joan de Vastey 
To: Multiple recipients of list FIT-L 
Subject: Something I wrote about IAQ (long)

The concept of indoor air quality has become a media hot button.  News
reporters are quick to jump on an alleged public health hazard,
turning a complicated topic into fodder for yellow journalism.
Unfortunately, this practice has led to the dissemination of
mis-information.  Everyone now knows a little bit about indoor air
quality - just enough to feel victimized.

This is the first in a series of articles in which I hope to provide
you with facts, and with a balanced approach to the problems of indoor
air quality.  I want you to realize that there is no need to feel
victimized.  There are as many solutions as there are problems, many
that are inexpensive and simple to implement.  The information
supplied here may apply equally to your workplace and to your home.

Let us start by defining indoor air quality.  Indoor air quality is a
comparison of the healthfulness of indoor air as compared to outdoor
air quality in the region.  We look at the relative humidity of the
air, the general ventilation and air flow characteristics of the
building, the air temperatures, and the presence of airborne chemical
or microbiological contaminants.  If you profiled the air quality of a
well designed and maintained office building in New York City you
might notice two things.  The indoor air quality should be superior to
the air quality on the streets of the city.  Even so, the air in the
NYC office will probably be less healthful than you might find in a
similar building located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.  It's all relative.

Another thing that you should know about is the difference between
health and comfort issues.  Just by stating these terms, it's clear
that the latter is of a less serious nature than the former.  The term
Building Related Illness (BRI) refers to illnesses caused by
conditions found in the building.  Legionnaire's Disease is a
well-known example of a BRI.  Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) refers not
to buildings suffering from the flu, but to occupants who have
complaints that typically disappear after leaving the building.
Though the issues are generally those of comfort, not health, the
worker's perceptions can not be casually dismissed.  The economic
impact of health and comfort issues is the same - lost productivity.

One more basic you need to know.  There are no so-called standards for
Indoor Air Quality.  The exposure standards that Industrial Hygienists
(people who try to recognize and control workplace hazards) use for
industrial operations were developed FOR industrial operations,
specifically to reduce the risk of exposure to hazardous substances.
Our monitoring techniques were designed to detect chemicals in these
concentrations.  However, the human nose is able to detect many
airborne chemicals at levels far below those regulated by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  When we smell these
odors in a place we don't expect to, we become concerned.  Is there
any danger?  Probably not, but that knowledge does little to comfort
us.

Joan de Vastey
Industrial Hygienist
Support Services Division
Princeton University Plasma Physics Laboratory
Tel: (609) 243-2548     Fax: (609) 243-2525
Internet: jdevastey@pppl.gov

Tel: (609) 871-5942  (home)