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Fresh Air: Homeowners & Building Managers Turning Attention to Indoor Environments

The Illinois House chamber uses a ventilation system that circulates air from columns in the chamber to the attic, where the air is filtered and dispersed over the lawmakers’ desks.
Bethany Jaeger
/
WUIS/Illinois Issues

State ?Sen. Mattie Hunter says she used to leave her home in Chicago feeling perfectly fine. But as soon as she walked off the elevator on the way to her office in the Capitol in Springfield, her nose would run. The headaches would start.

“The pounding headaches, you know?” she says. “And it never happened until I got into this building on this floor.”

She says she has asthma, sinusitis and a mold allergy, so she felt particularly sensitive to the air quality. She wanted to know whether the sixth-floor office space was making her sicker.

Mold was a problem, primarily resulting from a lack of air circulation, says Cindy Davidsmeyer, spokeswoman for Senate President Emil Jones. So the state hired a Decatur firm, T. A. Brinkoetter & Sons, to install equipment on the roof of the Capitol above the affected offices, improving 
air circulation.

Hunter says things are better. “But there’s still some work that has to be done. I think this is a sick building. I really feel that way.”

She refers to “sick building syndrome,” which encompasses just about everything from mold growth to chemical contamination. It can have numerous implications, but the catch-all diagnosis makes it difficult to regulate, says Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs for the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. The usual suspects include mold, radon, tobacco smoke and ozone, as well as fumes from carpets or common chemical products.

While public and private building managers follow numerous standards for indoor air quality, they’re rarely bound by mandates. Illinois does ban smoking in public places, and carbon monoxide detectors must be installed in most homes and apartments. Countless building codes also spell out directions for construction managers, but no government agency truly mandates the daily monitoring of indoor air quality. They rely on guidelines to determine the amount of fresh air needed based on the number of people in an area.

Even without requirements, homeowners increasingly are finding out about recommendations to test for radon. Home builders, however, say under no circumstances would they support a mandate to test because not every home has radon, and it would increase the cost of building a new house, says J. Mark Harris, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Illinois, based in Springfield.

Among state and corporate buildings, managers also are more often following voluntary standards. The growing demand for “green” building or construction has made such guidelines for energy efficiency a norm, but as homes and buildings become more efficient and airtight, industry organizations are writing more standards to ensure they are clear of indoor air pollutants.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says a growing body of evidence shows “air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.” And because people spend an estimated 90 percent of their time indoors, individuals could have a greater risk of exposure to pollutants inside their homes than they do outside.

The EPA warns, however, that officials have limited understanding of indoor pollutants and their health effects. Not only are they unable to determine the levels that trigger health reactions, but they can’t control that some people are far more sensitive than others.

What’s clear is that without proper ventilation, gases, chemicals and other potential hazards can accumulate and make some people sick.

Radon, for instance, is the second leading cause of lung cancer overall, but it’s also the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers.

Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas produced when uranium decays in the soil or building materials. It’s odorless and colorless, so unlike carbon monoxide, radon doesn’t cause immediate reactions of headaches or dizziness. As a result, homeowners can be exposed to high concentrations before realizing a problem, according to the Illinois of Emergency Management Agency’s Division of Nuclear Safety.

Although radon contamination can easily be detected and resolved, the state does not mandate homeowners to test for it.

State legislators also aren’t ready to mandate all newly constructed homes to include radon mitigation systems — the General Assembly rejected that idea in the spring. 

Home builders say that adds unnecessary costs and isn’t justified across the board for all new homes.

“It should be a consumer’s choice,”?Harris says. “It shouldn’t be mandated that every house be tested for radon because not every house has radon. If that’s the case, then check all houses — existing, not just new construction.”
The state Emergency Management Agency says mitigations can cost anywhere from $800 to more than $1,000, depending on the type of system installed and the characteristics of the house.

State government did enact a law last year requiring all real estate transactions to include contracts of sorts with the basic information about the importance of testing for radon. Buyers have to sign the paper to prove they were informed.
Neither lawmakers nor industry professionals are ready for a mandate, according to Patrick Daniels, health physicist for the state Emergency Management Agency, which licenses such professionals. Requiring testing actually could make situations worse because there wouldn’t be enough licensed professionals to test every home or to mitigate homes with unacceptable levels.

“You would actually slow down real estate transactions,” he says.
The public and private sector managers agree: If public awareness continues to build and more individuals act to prevent or correct the problems, regulations may not be necessary.

In the case of radon, a 2006 report caught media attention and fueled a public awareness campaign that nearly half the homes in Illinois could have a radon problem. Of 22,000 measurements the state agency took in 2003 and 2004, 46 percent of homes had radon concentration levels exceeding the national standard of 4 picocuries per liter. The risk of developing lung cancer at that level in nonsmokers increases to about seven lung cancer deaths per 1,000 individuals. With minimal traces of radon, nonsmokers’ cancer risk is about one person per 1,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Daniels, who oversees the state’s radon program, says the department distributed about 6,000 free test kits to homeowners in 2006. So far this year, he says the agency has given out about 30,000.

“Your greatest risk in your home is exposure to radon, and the only way to know if you have a problem is to test,” he says. In fact, a 1996 report by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis rates radon as the No. 1 risk for premature death in homes, outranking accidental shootings, which is sixth, and smoking tobacco products, seventh.

As homes become more airtight and energy efficient, the likelihood of trapping indoor air pollutants in living spaces increases. Such buildings as retail stores and schools, on the other hand, typically have heating and air conditioning systems designed to push air outside, preventing such gases as radon from accumulating, Daniels says.

But whether buildings are public or private, residential or commercial, their air quality largely depends on the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, which Raj Gupta, president of Environmental Systems Design Inc. in Chicago, describes as the “lungs of the building.” The firm provides consulting engineering services in 15 states and seven countries and belongs to the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.

Gupta says it would be a mistake for any level of government to mandate such building aspects as energy supply or air quality controls. Instead, the private sector prefers that the government only prescribe a target.

“Give us the standard, give us the goal, but then let us figure out the best way to put these systems together to meet the goal,” he says.

The codes for air quality widely used by all levels of governments often come from such organizations as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, an international nonprofit organization based in Atlanta.

And more often, public and private building managers are seeking certification by such rating systems as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. It uses a points-based system to certify new construction and renovation projects, and it has an entire section for ensuring indoor air quality.
Project managers earn points, for instance, by monitoring air delivery systems to ensure the building has a good mix of outdoor air with re-circulated air, says Doug Widener, executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council Chicago Chapter. That mix helps flush out contaminants and provides better-quality air for the workplace.

He says more private-sector businesses are becoming “green” buildings, partially because they save money by using fewer resources and because they often obtain governmental aid for the projects.

“The dollar speaks louder than the requirements if you tie it to enough financial incentives,” Widener says.

But another perk, he adds, is that 70 percent of the savings comes from “human factors,” or increased productivity, less turnover, better employee satisfaction.

“That’s all linked to the idea that if you build a building that is more comfortable to live and work in, people are going to be happier and more productive. It makes sense because one of the biggest things besides energy use for most corporations is personnel or human resources — paying people and insurance.”

So far, the public sector has been at the forefront of using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for new buildings and renovation projects. In Illinois, the Capital Development Board pursues LEED certification for all projects larger than 10,000 square feet. Smaller projects are still designed to meet a certain level of LEED standards, but the state doesn’t pursue the actual certification, says Lisa Mattingly, deputy director of professional services for the board.

Other standards include a rating system by the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program.

Project managers often pursue such certification to meet demand for energy efficient homes. Projects often include upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that improve air quality.

In the state Capitol, the HVAC?system was upgraded to achieve a 95 percent filtration rate, according to Paul Boland, a mechanical engineer and vice president of Henneman Engineering Inc. in Champaign. That far exceeds the 30 percent filtration typically included in commercial buildings. 

Such an advanced system was needed because the Capitol also serves as a museum-like environment to preserve historical murals and other artifacts, Boland says, but prior to the HVAC renovation, the Statehouse did not have adequate amounts of outside air introduced into the building. Now most rooms meet the commonly used standard for the level of airflow required per person.

“Before, on a day like today, when it’s 90 degrees and 70 percent humidity, it would just be a sweatshop in those areas,” he said of the Capitol rotunda and public corridors. “Now, even with an occupant load of 3,000 for a demonstration, it’s very cool, and you can feel some air movement. People are very much more comfortable.”

While state and local governments continue to enact stricter building codes, Illinois legislators also rejected an idea to require all new state facilities to meet LEED standards. Legislation would have codified recommendations of the statutory Green Building Advisory Committee that already guides most state projects. It won House approval but stalled in the Senate. 

Even without mandates, the public sector continues to raise the bar, says Gupta of Environmental Systems Design Inc. That, in turn, raises the standards for the private sector.

It took awhile for the private sector to catch on, he adds, but now manufacturers and building code officials are joining what he describes as a movement. It’s getting easier and more cost-effective to comply, he says. Rather than a one-size-fits-all program, different standards apply to such areas as indoor air quality for new construction or renovations of, say, aging schools or homes.

More businesses are looking to renovate existing buildings to save on the cost of materials. And coupled with energy trends and consumer demand for LEED certified energy efficiency and air quality, Gupta says, “it’s not that much of a hurdle to meet the energy code. I wouldn’t even say it’s a hurdle. It’s just something that we do.”

Ensuring that homeowners and workers breathe fresh air could become part of that movement as a result.

 

Purifying the air isn't as easy as flipping a switch

?Some homeowners use air purifiers to improve the quality of air, yet they’re not regulated by any federal agencies. And they vary in effectiveness, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Ozone, for instance, is produced when vehicle emissions combine with sunlight. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses the phrase “good up high, bad nearby” to describe how ozone protects the Earth when it’s high in the atmosphere, but it burns the inside of lungs when it’s at the ground level.

“It’s like a sunburn on the inside,” says Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs for the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago.

Ozone is particularly harmful for people with asthma or chronic lung conditions, but even at relatively low levels, ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation in people without those conditions. 

Not only can ozone seep into indoor spaces — including when a school bus is parked outside of a classroom — but it also is produced by some of the very products designed to clear the air of pollutants.

Consumer Reports Web site, published by the nonprofit, independent Consumers Union, says people spend $350 million a year on air purifiers; yet, there’s little medical evidence that they reduce the effects of pollutants for people with asthma and allergies. 

Some machines are designed to generate ozone as a way to trap some pollutants, and they make dust stick to other items in the room so they don’t float freely in the air. 

Manufacturers say they transform toxic particles into harmless ones if used correctly, depending on whether people occupy the room.

The U.S. EPA has not approved such ozone generators for occupied spaces. Rather than regulate the air purifiers, however, numerous federal agencies are embarking on a campaign to educate the public.

Urbaszewski says consumers still have few guidelines from officials.

“It’s buyer beware. There are some things out there that could actually hurt you that nobody in government is regulating them or telling you what’s bad or worse.”

Studies show that ozone generators can actually cause the organic chemicals to react to each other and form harmful or irritating byproducts. Studies also show they’re ineffective at removing such common allergens as dust and pollen, and they don’t remove viruses, bacteria or molds. Effectiveness, however, varies among all air purifiers on the market.

It’s up to homeowners to diagnose and treat the root of the poor air quality, Urbaszewski says.

“Duh, you have to get rid of the old nasty carpet. The dog may need to live elsewhere if the child has severe asthma. You have to mop your floors to keep dust levels down. Smoke outside. Try to quit,” he says. “It’s like putting a Band-Aid on an amputation if you’re trying to use one of these filters to clean up a mess without addressing the underlying cause. It’s not a magical cure-all.”

 

Illinois Issues, July/Aug. 2008

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