IAQA Digest is your weekly summary of newspaper articles, press releases and widely distributed reports about indoor air quality and mold. It is distributed exclusively to the members of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) as a member benefit to assist you in keeping on top of all the latest industry news. For more information, contact
[email protected]
 

June 18, 2014 
In This Issue
TOP STORIES
ASTHMA & ALLERGIES
GOING GREEN
MOLD
IAQ AND SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE
ASSOCIATIONS
GASES & PARTICLES
VIRUSES & BACTERIA
SMOKING BANS
COMPANY RELEASES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nocanduski vertical

QLab

Top Stories

IAQA WEBINAR - TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY: TAKING ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS TO INDUSTRY STANDARDS

Friday, July 11, 2014, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT 

Although most air quality assessments include a token measurement of temperature and humidity, these parameters deserve more focus and attention. Where should temperature and humidity measurements be taken and how should the readings be interpreted? This webinar will address these questions and describe the application of ASHRAE Standard 55. In this webinar, you'll learn how to identify indoor environmental problems stemming from temperature and humidity issues.Register

  

LOUISIANA HOME INSPECTORS MUST REPORT ON MOLD

Indoor Environment Connections

A new law in Louisiana will require home inspectors for real estate transactions to inspect for mold and to include their findings in an inspection report. Gov. Bobby Jindal signed the bill into law June 10. The bill (SB 66) changes the state's minimum standards of practice for home inspectors to include the requirement that "a licensed home inspector shall include, in his written report, the presence of suspected mold growth, if during the course of inspecting the systems and components of the structure in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and board rules and regulations, the inspector discovers visually observable evidence of suspected mold growth on the inside of the structure."

 

NEW JERSEY AGREES TO EXPAND STORM RECOVERY EFFORT

Indoor Environment Connections

The state of New Jersey will be increasing the assistance provided to homeowners devastated by Superstorm Sandy, many of whom have still not recovered almost two years after the storm hit the Atlantic coast.  

 

GBI UPGRADES ITS GREEN GLOBES SYSTEM

Indoor Environment Connections

As part of its ongoing effort to displace LEED as the top "green building" evaluation tool, the Green Building Initiative (GBI) has issued a significant upgrade to its Green Globes for New Construction (NC) system, which first became available in 2006.

 

LEAD-PAINT STUDY SPARKS DEBATE OVER EXPERIMENTS WITH CHILDREN

Baltimore Sun

Just 20 years ago, most houses in East Baltimore contained lead paint that was known to be poisoning children at epidemic levels. Amid the crisis, researchers at the pediatric hospital sought cheap, effective abatement techniques because full-scale cleanup could cost $20,000 or more per house - more than many of the properties were worth.

 

IAQA ISSUES CALL FOR PAPERS FOR 18TH ANNUAL MEETING

iaqa.org

IAQA has issued a Call for Papers for its 18th Annual Meeting, to be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, TX from March 16 - 18, 2015. Presentations are specifically requested on: IAQ assessment strategies; moisture measurement in materials; interpretation of laboratory analytical results; principles of developing a sample strategy; methods and best practices for IAQ contractors; building sciences; and, interaction with other professionals on multidisciplinary teams. Presentations are also welcome on other topics related to indoor environments, including business management topics. The deadline for Call for Papers submittals is July 1, 2014. For submittal details, click here: Call for Papers

 

THIS WEEK ON IAQ RADIO

Hosted by: Joe Hughes & Cliff Zlotnik

Next episode: June 20, 12 noon EDT

Guest:Roundtable at the Violand Executive Summit

Listen live or download the show later at www.iaqradio.com

 

 

Asthma and Allergies

FIRST YEAR MAY BE CRITICAL FOR LOWERING ASTHMA AND ALLERGY RISK

New York Times

Childhood exposure to allergens and germs is generally believed to protect against the development of asthma and allergy, but a new study suggests that this effect happens only with exposure in the first year of life.

 

STUDY 'BREATH OF FRESH' AIR ON ASTHMA-AIR POLLUTION LINK

Bakersfield Californian

I'm sure a recent study looking at asthma and fine particulate matter in the San Joaquin Valley will go over like a lead balloon for some.

 

Going Green

CONCEPTS & STRATEGIES PERSONIFIED BY LEED V4 OVER LEED 2009

Archinect

LEED V4, released in November, 2013, is believed to be more evolutionary and not revolutionary. It has become more stringent in maintaining standards.

 

CENTRAL STATION APARTMENTS IN EVANSTON, ILL. EARNS LEED GOLD STATUS

Chicago Tribune

Central Station, a luxury apartment building in Evanston, Ill. has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

 

Mold

MOLD FORCES KANE COUNTY TO MOVE MORGUE TO DUPAGE

NBC Chicago

The Kane County Coroner's office reportedly moved its county morgue and autopsy operations to DuPage County after "black mold" was discovered at the facility in Geneva.The Chicago Tribune reports that the mold was discovered last week as county officials were checking on freezers at the facility and the discovery prompted Kane County Coroner Rob Russell to move operations to the DuPage County facilities in Wheaton "to protect his employees' health."

 

HUD MONEY FOR MOLD REMOVAL IN NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today $70 million in funding available during Fiscal Year 2014 to tribal communities across the nation to improve housing conditions and stimulate community development for low and moderate income families. Of that amount, approximately $10,000,000 is set aside for grants for mold remediation and prevention in and on housing units owned or operated by tribes and tribally designated housing entities.

 

FAMILY SAYS MOLD CAUSING ILLNESS

KATV

There are strong suspicions that a mold problem is impacting the health of a nine month-old Little Rock girl.

 

WARREN COUNTY RENTERS ENCOUNTER MOLD, MUSHROOMS

KSDK

Mold in the cabinets, roach infestations and even mushrooms growing in the floor. Those are just some of the problems tenants in Warren complain of.

 

RED HOOK HOUSES TENANTS SAY MOLD, WATER DAMAGE PLAGUING HOMES

DNAinfo

Terry Howard recently got out of bed and stepped into a pool of water that had collected on her floor.  

 

MOLD FROM ABANDONED SANDY-DAMAGED HOME IS MAKING US SICK

CBS Local

Joyce Zoller, who lives next door to the Neponsit, Queens, home, told CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez the home is filled with debris and mold.  

 

ST. CHARLES CO. RESIDENTS TIRED OF MOLD

KSDK

Some residents in the Westchester Village Apartments in O'Fallon are very upset with the staff's response to the flooding in their buildings.

 

IAQ and Systems Maintenance 

EPA HAS SAFER ALTERNATIVES FOR FLAME RETARDANTS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing safer alternatives to the flame retardants now used in consumer and commercial products, including building insulation and products with flexible polyurethane foam. "EPA's findings for safer alternatives is great news for consumers and industry," said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "We will now have safer alternatives for use in our products from furniture to car seats to building insulation." 

 

HOW TO IMPROVE INDOOR AIR QUALITY

Guelph Mercury

We tend to think of air pollution as something that occurs outdoors, such as pollution and smog. However, at an increasing rate, pollution occurs indoors.

 

CITY APPLYING FOR PAINT GRANT; LOCAL IMPACT OF FUNDING

Natchez Democrat

MSDH Director of Communications Liz Sharlot said the department is applying for a $3 million three-year grant from HUD to remove lead paint.

 

THE CHOKING GUN

The HR Director

Bad air quality indoors is closely linked with asthma and, in 2008/09, 1.1 million working days were lost in the UK alone due to respiratory problems, yet IAQ (Good indoor air quality) inside lags far behind that of outdoor air quality on the public and business agenda.

 

Associations

2014 ASHRAE HANDBOOK FOCUSES ON REFRIGERATION 

The 2014 ASHRAE Handbook-Refrigeration, which covers refrigeration equipment and systems for applications other than human comfort, is now available for purchase. The 51 chapters in this volume include information on cooling, freezing, and storing food; industrial applications of refrigeration; and low-temperature refrigeration.

 

USGBC RELEASES NEW REPORT ON CHINA, UNDERSCORING REGIONAL EXPANSION OF LEED

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that 29 of China's 34 provinces are home to LEED-certified projects, according to its new report LEED in Motion: Greater China, a full showcaseof all LEED activity in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. To date, Greater China is home to 1,961 LEED-registered and -certified projects, totaling 111 million gross square meters of construction space. Mainland China was also announced as the second largest market in the world for LEED green building activity. Mainland China boasts projects that have pursued both LEED certification along with China Green Building Label or Three Star Rating.

 

Gases and Particles

ASBESTOS FOUND AT STAMFORD POLICE HEADQUARTERS

The Advocate

Officials have discovered asbestos in the building and are not turning of the facility's HVAC system.

 

ASBESTOS IN POLICE BASEMENT CAUSES CONCERN

New Jersey Hills

While the township says asbestos in the police department basement is not a health concern, employees who work in the building want an inspection.

 

target horizontal

Viruses and Bacteria 

UAB HOSPITAL: 10TH PATIENT TESTS POSITIVE FOR LEGIONELLA

Alabama's News Leader

UAB Hospital confirmed that a 10th patient has tested positive for legionella, though, preliminary test results show the bacteria has been eradicated from the water system on three floors of the Women and Infants Center.

 

BACTERIA COULD INCREASE YOUR RISK OF A HEART ATTACK

Huffington Post

Researchers examined how blood flow was lost, known as infarction, and found bacteria had a tendency to grow in the arteries.

 

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Smoking Bans  

NJ SENATE PASSES BILL ALTERING PENALTIES FOR SMOKING VIOLATIONS

CBS Local

The New Jersey Senate has passed a bill that would allow municipalities to issue civil rather than criminal fines for violations of public smoking bans. Advocates say the change is a way to levy penalties without consuming as much time in the municipal court system.

 

STATEWIDE CAMPUS SMOKING BAN CONSIDERED

WSIU

Smoking could be banned at all of Illinois' public colleges under legislation currently being considered. Several campuses have already gone smoke-free.

 

Compay Releases 

AC REPAIR PROFESSIONALS FIND LINK BETWEEN INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH

Homeowners, who find their air conditioning making sneezing and wheezing sounds, could find that their family members have the same symptoms. Professionals of AC repair in Manalapan, NJ, Care Temp Heating and Air Conditioning, suggests that this is because there is a direct link between the indoor air quality of a home and the health of the family living in the home. 
 

FLEXIBLE PVC COMPOUNDS CUT VOC EMISSIONS

Compounds help manufacturers meet building codes for indoor air quality as well as comply with FloorScore� and UL Greenguard.

 

CLEAN ENERGY WORKS ADDS RADON TESTING TO ITS OFFERINGS

Clean Energy Works, the non-profit that helps homeowners save energy, has added radon testing and mitigation to its home performance offerings.

 

RISING INDOOR AIR QUALITY CONCERNS DRIVE THE GLOBAL AIR PURIFICATION MARKET

Air purification equipment, popularly known as air purifiers, play an important role in improving indoor air quality (IAQ).

 

 

IAQA APPROVED INDOOR ENVIRONMENTALIST TRAINING

For more information, please click on the links below:

 

Course

Date

Location

IAQA Indoor Environmentalist

July 14-15, 2014 (Fundamentals Level)

San Francisco, CA

 

July 16-18, 2014 (Intermediate Level)

San Francisco, CA

 

July 14-18, 2014 (All Days)

San Francisco, CA

IAQA Indoor Environmentalist

August 18-19, 2014 (Fundamentals Level)

Seven Springs, PA

 

August 10-22, 2014 (Intermediate Level)

Seven Springs, PA

 

August 10-22, 2014 (Advanced Level)

Seven Springs, PA

IAQA Indoor Environmentalist

August 19-20, 2014

Chicago, IL

IAQA Indoor Environmentalist

December 1-2, 2014 (Fundamentals Level)

Greenville, SC

 

December 3-5, 2014 (Intermediate Level)

Greenville, SC

 

December 1-5, 2014 (All Days)

Greenville, SC

  

For more information on online classes, please click the links below:

  

Course

Format

Training Provider

IAQA Indoor Environmentalist

Online, Video-based

 

Indoor Sciences, Inc.

 

IAQA APPROVED MOLD REMEDIATION TECHNICIAN AND SUPERVISOR COURSES

The IAQA approved Mold Remediation courses have all been revised with the latest information available in 2014.

 

Course

Date

Location

IAQA Mold Remediation Technician

June 17-18, 2014

Somerset, PA

IAQA Mold Remediation Technician

July 29-30, 2014

Langhorne, PA

IAQA Mold Remediation Technician

August 4-6, 2014

New York City, NY

IAQA Mold Remediation Technician

September 8-10, 2014

Kalamazoo, MI

IAQA Mold Remediation Technician

September 16-17, 2014

Chicago, IL

IAQA Mold Remediation Technician

October 7-8, 2014

St. Louis, MO

IAQA Mold Remediation Technician

December 2-3, 2014

Greenville, SC


Course

Date

Location

IAQA Microbial Remediation/ Supervisor (CMR/CMRS)

June 17-19, 2014

Somerset, PA

IAQA Microbial Remediation/ Supervisor (CMR/CMRS)

July 29-31, 2014

Langhorne, PA

IAQA Microbial Remediation/ Supervisor (CMR/CMRS)

September 16-18, 2014

Chicago, IL

IAQA Microbial Remediation/ Supervisor (CMR/CMRS)

October 7-9, 2014

St. Louis, MO

IAQA Microbial Remediation/ Supervisor (CMR/CMRS)

December 2-4, 2014

Greenville. SC

For a full schedule of courses and brochures for each course visit http://www.iaqtraining.com/schedule/course_dates.asp

  

ARIZONA

Phoenix, August 12: Back to Basics, Everything You Need to Know About Encapsulants and Mobile Mini-Enclosures. Temporary ICRA Wall Solutions. Wildfires from the Perspective of a Remediation Contractor. November 18: Legally Defensible Combustion Byproducts Analysis Associated with Wildfire Investigations. Water Activity: What is it, and Why Should You Care.  Contact Derrick Denis at [email protected] or call Stephanie at 480-460-8334.

 

CALIFORNIA

San Diego, July 11: Air Filtration, Air Cleaning Devices & IAQ. Fire Residue Damage, Evaluation & Analysis. Contact Felix Neumann at [email protected].  

 

FLORIDA

Ft. Lauderdale, August 14Protect your Business Assets, Emergencies Strike Without Notice! Email [email protected] or call 954-967-0011.

 

Ft. Myers, July 18: Legal Concerns for a Busy IAQ Industry. September 19: TBA. November 21: TBA. December 19: TBA. Contact Tom Ricci at [email protected] or call 954-214-4447.

 

GEORGIA

Atlanta, August 1: Unharness Vapor Intrusion Sampling with Simplicity and Automation. Writing and Maintaining DEFENSIBLE Work (paper trail): The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of a Drying and Microbial job & Investigation.November 7: TBA. Contact Wendy Miller at [email protected] or 706-278-3202.

 

ILLINIOS

Chicago, July 10: Water Activity - You've Been Missing Out. Contact Alan J. August at [email protected] or fax 866-849-9074.