The Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) took time out of their Annual Meeting last month to honor three founding members of the group, in what turned out to be an emotional tribute to the past and a view of the future.

IAQA began in the mid-1990s as a for-profit organization based in Florida. Nick Willocks, publisher of Today's Publications and the former executive director, addressed attendees in a humorous speech that he was proud of his work with the group and was looking forward to its future.

The annual meeting was held in Austin, Texas, and more than 150 people participated in the three-day event featuring technical sessions, a sold-out exhibits room, networking dinners and association business meetings.

Not surprisingly, a number of the conference attendees were Texans.

"It's great to have an IAQ conference of this scope in my home state," said Greg Long, president of TPV Group, Inc. in Waco, Texas. Long was one of many new IAQA members and first-time IAQA conference attendees.

The conference technical program included a dozen sessions. First on the agenda was a half-day workshop titled Safety for IAQ Practitioners with instructor Michael McGuinness. He reviewed how several OSHA standards apply to the work of IAQ investigators and mitigation specialists. Hazcom, respirator safety, lock-out / tag-out, and permit-required confined space entry procedures were discussed. Attendees received a certificate for Hazcom training.

A series of concurrent technical presentations and panel discussions were the focus of the next two days of the conference. Al Veeck from Tidewater Air Filter in Virginia Beach, Va., discussed filtration principles and gave the latest news on ASHRAE's filter testing standards and the filter certification program under development by the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA).

One session at IAQA that captured every attendee's attention was Dr. Michael Rinaldi who spoke on "Emerging Fungal Pathogens." Rinaldi, from Fungus Testing Laboratory at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, reviewed cases where hospital patients and others developed life-threatening secondary infections as a result of exposure to fungi in the indoor environment. A graphic slide presentation (coming immediately after lunch!) really drove home the message that newly emerging fungal and bacterial strains make attention to the indoor environment more important than ever before.

Lisa Rogers of Compass Environmental in Tampa, Fla., moderated two panel discussions at IAQA's conference. In the first, representatives from three different IAQ laboratories were asked questions geared toward helping attendees determine how to select a lab for sampling analysis and other services. In the second session, Rogers led representatives from several IAQ instrument manufacturers through a series of questions about field instruments for use in IAQ investigations and project monitoring.

Carl Grimes of Healthy Habitats gave a fascinating talk in which he challenged IAQ professionals to reconsider their approach to solving environmental problems. Grimes' contention is that too often IAQ investigators rush to take measurements and examine building conditions before considering the health issues indoors. He advocates far more interaction with building occupants and those complaining of IAQ-related illnesses. Grimes described two unique systems that incorporate occupant complaints into the investigative process.

Like many of the presenters in Austin, Jim Holland made his debut before an IAQA audience at the conference. Holland's talk was titled Preventing Water Damage from Becoming an IAQ Catastrophe. He explained why water damage situations require immediate attention, as damage become more and more severe with the passage of time. As each day passes the quality of water contaminating a structure deteriorates. Simultaneously, microorganism proliferation increases. The cost of mitigating a "clean" water accident as opposed to a "black" water scenario can be thousands of dollars less. Holland's talk emphasized the need for compliance with the requirements of Standard S-500 of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) during water damage restoration projects.

The final presentation in Austin was a mock trial of an IAQ professional. Attorneys Ed Cross, Michael Greene and Robert Geisler played out a scenario where a remediation contractor makes false claims regarding the health improvements his work will produce and is negligent on the job. The lawyers imparted quite a bit of useful guidelines for preventing potential claims. They also showed many in attendance just how vulnerable IAQ investigatory and remediation firms can be to lawsuits involving botched jobs or exaggerated claims.

The IAQA exhibit hall was filled to capacity. Twenty-four vendors displayed their products to a group of qualified buyers.

"This crowd is great for our business," said Larry Robertson of Mycotech Biological Inc. in Jewett, Texas. "It includes both IAQ practitioners and facility people. It's hard to find a forum where you can reach both market segments like this."

During the IAQA General Session, association officers announced that more than 100 new members would be admitted to the organization's roster in 2000. Plans were given for an aggressive membership campaign in 2001, designed to increase IAQA membership to more than 500.

"We are thrilled by the broad-based support IAQA is receiving these days. Our newest members include CIHs, attorneys, duct cleaners, engineers - virtually every kind of professional involved in the IAQ marketplace," said Chuck Walker, IAQA's Membership Committee chairman.

IAQA also announced plans to hold their Certified Indoor Environmentalists class and certification exam in five cities next year. A west coast seminar is also in the works.

In addition to the technical sessions, business meetings and exhibits, attendees of the IAQA Annual Meeting enjoyed social time and networking dinners. Daniel Greenblatt of Envirotech Clean Air in Cambridge, Mass., organized an evening of dinners for more than 100 conference participants. Small groups of attendees were shuttled to restaurants across the city where they dined with colleagues and met new friends.

"Our dinner was a great way to meet others who share common problems, not to mention a few people who may be able to help us solve IAQ problems," said Bob Kish of Belmont Technical College.