Carrier Context:
Working For A Better World... Inside & Out:
Indoor Air Quality

White Paper: Self-Regulation, Market Forces, Drive IAQ Industry

By: Dilip Vyavaharkar
Market Development Manager
Indoor Air Quality Products
Carrier Corporation

Even though Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) legislation is absent from the Congressional docket this year, government agencies, universities and private industry continue their IAQ research. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and other organizations have developed guidelines or relevant information on delivering and maintaining superior IAQ. Today the emphasis has switched from legislation to industry self-regulation and, well, common sense. Market forces, increasingly aware consumers and litigation concerns drive this changing emphasis.

Remember when seat belts were first mandated by law? Many drivers felt the seat belt laws were an invasion of privacy. But the federal government and the auto industry conducted public information campaigns on driver safety. Gradually, perceptions shifted. So much so that when air bags were featured in new cars, the public did not resist, but welcomed them.

The auto-safety scenario is similar to that for IAQ. Americans are seeing the effects of superior IAQ. They are installing better filters in their home air conditioning systems. They are seeing the positive effects of these filters and good indoor air, and are demanding healthy air in their offices, public buildings and commercial establishments. Witness the anti-smoking sentiment and consequent trend toward non-smoking areas over the past five years. Many health insurers are now tacking on a surcharge for smokers -- a result of higher incidence rates.

It should not take a lawsuit to highlight the many benefits of good IAQ. But it has been IAQ problems -- in such places as the Polk County Courthouse in Florida, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and even the EPA building itself in Washington -- and the publicity surrounding subsequent litigation that has helped increase awareness of IAQ and the importance of maintaining healthy air.

IAQ Enhances Value

While healthy indoor air promotes a building and enhances its value, an IAQ problem such as Sick Building Syndrome or Building Related Illness (BRI) can result in costly litigation and, more important, a loss of reputation from which the building will take a long time to recover. Curing a sick building or BRI is difficult because there are so many contributing factors, and pollutants can affect people differently.

Prevention is the key. Once a problem gets out of control and tenants and occupants seek legal remedies, the costs escalate far beyond those of diagnosis and prevention.

Education is another solution. Once customers become aware of IAQ issues, they become more active in preventing IAQ problems. Nevertheless, while general awareness of IAQ issues exists, it is still important to educate the public on specific topics -- for our customers' health and that of our own businesses. Industry standards and government studies are a good source for obtaining a significant amount of vital information.

ASHRAE is revising its Standard 62 Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality (The revision is called Std. 62-89R.) and OSHA is still reviewing the comments it received during public review of its proposed rules on IAQ. The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) is forming new sections for emerging as well as existing products and technologies that are becoming more popular because of the emphasis on IAQ issues. These include energy recovery ventilators and desiccant-based systems. And the EPA's Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Managers provides details on preventing, diagnosing and resolving IAQ problems. All are excellent sources of information.

At its 1996 Winter Meeting in Atlanta in February, ASHRAE held a special public session called "IAQ - The Invisible Battle to Improve Indoor Air Quality." Steve Taylor, a consulting engineer who chairs the ASHRAE committee revising Std. 62-89, discussed the draft revisions and their effects on the workplace. The committee is still drafting the revisions and is expected to send it out for public review later this year.

ASHRAE has responded to some of the shortcomings of Std. 62-89 in the new revision. ASHRAE Std. 62-89R is written in code language, so it can be lifted directly into building codes. As a result, adoption from standard to code will be much faster, compared to five years with existing standards.

Std. 62-89R specifies new ventilation rates, recommends minimum filter efficiencies and identifies product features and equipment that help improve IAQ. Included also are new sections that specify requirements during construction and system startup as well as operating and maintenance procedures.

The new standard determines the ventilation rates using a new methodology. The existing standard specifies a certain cubic-foot-per-minute (cfm) ventilation rate for each type of building application. Std. 62-89R provides for three ways to calculate these values. They are known as simple systems rates, prescriptive ventilation rates and performance-based procedure. The new standard recognizes that buildings emit pollutants. So the total ventilation rate is divided into two parts. One part is dependent on the size of the building, while the second part is dependent on the building's occupancy rate. For the sake of simplicity, the simple system rate provides a total ventilation rate similar to the existing standard.

ASHRAE Std. 62-89R also specifies sloped drain pans in rooftop units and air handlers to minimize condensate and water buildup, which enable bacterial growth and cause IAQ problems. Std. 62-89R specifies the use of carbon dioxide sensors, propelling them into the mainstream of IAQ technologies.

Std. 62-89R also recognizes the need for better filtration systems for ensuring good IAQ in our buildings. In support of this, the new standard requires that HVAC systems be equipped with particulate filters or air cleaners having a minimum efficiency of 60 percent when tested in accordance with ASHRAE Std. 52.2 for particles three microns in size. This is equivalent to 25- to 30-percent efficient filters as rated by ASHRAE Std. 52.1 Atmospheric Dust Spot Method.

ASHRAE Std. 52.2 "Method of Testing General Ventilation Air Cleaning Device for Removal Efficiency by Particle Size" is being rewritten to improve the way filters are classified. The new standard will eliminate some of the confusion that currently exists with filter efficiency ratings. Once this new standard goes into effect, all filters will be classified into four general categories - coarse, low efficiency, medium efficiency and high efficiency. Each category will be further rated, from one to four. So a filter can be listed as C1 To C4 in the coarse category. This new standard is also expected to go out for public review in 1996.

OSHA Offers Good Information

OSHA's proposed standard on IAQ (Docket No. H-122) has been in the review process since 1994, a result of its controversial anti-smoking proposals. However, there's much more to the OSHA proposal. If written into regulation, the proposal would require: an IAQ compliance plan specific contaminant/source control plans and IAQ training for maintenance and operating personnel. The OSHA proposal would limit carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels to 800 parts per million and humidity to 60 percent.

The OSHA proposal also focuses on best practices in maintaining a building for superior IAQ during renovation or remodeling. Some suggestions:

  • · Maintain and document your preventative maintenance activities.
  • · Communicate with occupants and tenants, and raise their awareness of your renovation activities. Advise occupants how long the work will take.
  • · Make the renovation convenient for building occupants and businesses. Work when the building is empty, e.g., nights and weekends.
  • · Following the renovation, introduce higher-than-normal levels of fresh air into the building. Flush it out.
  • As the connection between pollutants, health, productivity and economics becomes clearer, IAQ is going to achieve more and wider acceptance, even though the regulations may never be implemented as a legal requirement.

    What You Need To Know:

    HVAC systems can be a source of or transportation mechanism for pollutants in a building. Take a holistic look at the total building, rather than at single pieces of equipment. Sell your customers on a total IAQ solution. Otherwise, they will spend money and will still not be satisfied. There's no simple solution, or magic wand, and trying to sell one hurts our industry.

    Carrier recommends a three-pronged IAQ strategy: source control, filtration and ventilation -- in that order. The key is source control. Sometimes it's sufficient to install a high-efficiency filter or clean a coil, but not always. HVAC professionals must begin with source control, and must alert building owners to its importance. If a building continues to generate pollutants, HVAC equipment may not be able to eliminate it completely. Identification and removal of the pollutant source will.

    The second strategy is effective air filtration. An appropriate high-efficiency air filtration system should always be used to prevent dust particles from spreading throughout the ductwork and the building. Dust inside ductwork is a symptom of a poor air filtration system. The best solution is to locate the source of the dust and install high-efficiency filters. Vacuuming the ducts is sometimes appropriate, but does not address the root cause of the problem. In fact, vacuuming too frequently could actually damage the duct insulation.

    Recognize your limits. While there are many things you can do to prevent and solve IAQ problems, know when to let such specialists as toxicologists, allergists, etc., handle a problem. Overstepping your knowledge or dabbling in IAQ can be dangerous and can expose you to legal problems if you promise results you can't deliver.

    Finally, those HVAC professionals who educate themselves about IAQ will find it a very lucrative business. Few professionals understand all the aspects of IAQ, and the most knowledgeable position themselves for the most success.

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