State's Missed Deadlines May Benefit Mold Remediators 

Bush's Choice for EPA Head Upsets Environmentalists

Autumn Checklist for Schools' HVAC Re-commissioning

Word on the Street

• Voices: "It's nice not coming home smelling like smoke, squinting from smoky contact lenses and coughing from the secondhand smoke."
  
  —Megan Beste of Washington, D.C., commenting to the Washington Post's Weekend edition that she will consider attending bars and restaurants in Montgomery County, Md., after a countywide smoking ban takes effect this month
      
• BACKGROUND CHECK
  The American Indoor Air Quality Council has put into effect a change in policy regarding the verification of certification applicants' experience. Executive Director Charlie Wiles said experience submitted to satisfy the IAQ Council's certification requirements has always been verified on a "random" basis. "Usually this involved phone verification of three projects for about 20 percent of each class," he said. "Starting Sept. 1, our policy was changed from random verification to verification of all experience projects submitted. We believe this change is well worth the extra expense in effort and time as it increases the validity and the value of our certifications."
     
• PRINGLES POP AND STOP
  The members of the Sumerlin family, pioneers in the manufacture of HVAC system cleaning equipment, have sold their company. The assets of Pringle Power-Vac of Walla Walla, Wash., were sold to Mr. Mac Matoon of B&F Power-Vac/American Cadi-Vac. Jarrod Sumerlin is pursuing a career in law enforcement. His parents, John and Sally, will retire.
     
• TDH RENEGES
  Officials from the Texas Department of Health told representatives of the Indoor Air Quality Association in August that the department would revise its draft mold rules to include a provision to grandfather or provide some allowance to recognize those who possess voluntary training and certification from credible industry associations. In the second draft, released the first week of September, no such provisions were included. Health department officials have told other IE Connections sources that they do not intend to make such exceptions. Legislators in Austin, spurred by their constituents and industry lobbyists, are attempting to make the department reconsider its position.
    
• CONSTRUCTION FINISHED
  Construction has been completed on the new Mold Update Center at www.construction.com, an Internet portal for all of McGraw-Hill Construction's properties, products and services. Content for the Mold Update Center includes case studies and stories, frequently updated mold-related stories from the national news wires, and an interactive question-answer section. Halliwell Engineering Associates Inc. will work with other partner companies on the Mold Update Center.
     
• NAME THAT FLAVIVIRUS
  The Journal of Clinical Microbiology in September published details about a new test differentiating West Nile virus from other members of the flavivirus group. Canadian and U.S. researchers say this new test may be useful in quickly diagnosing infections in both clinical and veterinary practices. Current methods of diagnosis involve testing antibodies against viral structural proteins such as the E protein, which can be found in flaviviruses other than West Nile, and therefore current testing methods cannot necessarily detect West Nile. However, a group of 11 scientists led by S.J. Wong have discovered nonstructural protein 5, or NS5, which can not only differentiate between viruses but also indicates when the infection was incurred.
    
• EXPO RECORD
  The exposition portion of the 2003 IAQA Annual Meeting will be the largest expo ever convened for the IAQ industry, according to association spokespersons. The IAQA show features 68 exhibit booths. IAQA bases its statement by comparison to similar industry shows dedicated strictly to the IAQ field, such as the National Coalition on Indoor Air Quality conferences of the mid 1990s and the annual conference held by the University of Tulsa. The IAQA Annual Meeting and Expo take place Oct. 1-4 in Chicago.
     
• JUST CAN'T RESIST
  Triclosan, an ingredient commonly found in domestic antibacterial products, does not appear to contribute to antibiotic resistance, say researchers from Procter & Gamble and England's University of Manchester. Specific household areas such as kitchen sink drains are highly exposed to triclosan because the compound is so commonly used in domestic products such as detergent. Recent research had suggested that exposure to this compound may lead to antibiotic resistance in some bacteria.
    
  Not so, say McBain and six other authors of a study published in the September volume of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. In their study, long-term bacterial communities found in sink drains were established and maintained over a period of six months and then subjected to detergents containing triclosan for three months. Cultures were then extracted and susceptibility to four biocides and six antibiotics were analyzed. Results showed that minimal levels of triclosan exposure did not affect antimicrobial susceptibility in environmental communities.
    
• ASTHMA
  In a new study comparing asthmatic children with healthy controls, Dr. Nicole Beydon of Paris and 10 associates found airway resistance values to be significantly higher in children with asthma regardless of whether or not they were exerting themselves. According to the American Thoracic Society, Beydon notes in September's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine that long-term cohort studies had shown that pulmonary function test results in children with asthma were correlated with test scores for severity and pulmonary function in adult asthmatics. "Normal lung function is one of the goals of asthma management in international guidelines," she pointed out. "Pulmonary function tests that do not require active cooperation may help in the management and follow-up of preschool children with asthma who are unable to perform forced expiratory maneuvers." Beydon explained that due to their age, children frequently had trouble carrying out the conventional pulmonary test maneuvers; therefore, such tests are seldom performed in clinical practice with preschool children who have asthma.
     
• LINK STUDY NOTED
  A study touted by its authors as "the world's largest on sick buildings," concerning 43 buildings and 105 patients, was the subject of a post by an EPA staffer to an Internet discussion group. The study, by doctors Ritchie Shoemaker and Kenneth Hudnell, was first presented in June 2002 at a symposium in Italy and covered in a December 2002 news article in IE Connections. The authors have said since last year that they have "terrific documentation that a number of people working in a mold-contaminated building experienced similar illnesses, response to treatment and relapse to re-exposure." Henry Slack, of EPA Region 4's Indoor Air program, must have been duly impressed with the study as it was presented Sept. 10 during the three-day Fifth International Conference on Bioaerosols, Fungi, Bacteria, Mycotoxins and Human Health in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Addressing The IAQ List after a series of posts on a similar subject, Slack weighed in on the discussion adding a summary of the Shoemaker/Hudnell study. "As I heard it," Slack writes on Sept. 15, "it certainly seemed like something in the buildings caused their health effects and low VCS scores. I don't know what, precisely, but something there. … Lastly, this is NOT my study, or an EPA study. What you have read is my personal recollection and opinion, and does not represent my employer. I'd suggest you contact ritchieshoemaker@msn.com for more information."

State's Missed Deadlines Could Benefit Mold Remediators
By Kristy M. Lee, CIE, CMR 

The Texas Department of Health, charged by law to create and implement a regulation for the state's licensing of mold remediators, has missed several key deadlines in the process of creating the regulation. Meetings have long been ongoing among the department and selected industry leaders, but time is quickly slipping by for the state to complete the regulations set forth by House Bill 329, which passed on June 11. Some insiders say the mold remediation industry could benefit from these delays.

The department's Technical Advisory Committee released a second draft of the regulations for review on Aug. 29. After receiving a number of negative comments, TDH called a Sept. 3 meeting to address nine separate issues ranging from definitions and licensing categories and requirements to technical issues such as whether negative pressurization should be required in containment. Industry leaders present were able to inform TDH of their concerns and to suggest specific changes, thus moving assisting TDH in moving forward in their progress.

Plans to issue the mold regulations to department analysts and attorneys on Sept. 9 came and went -the first of many due dates to pass while the mold regulations continue to be in the review process. A number of industry officials agree that further holdups could be a good thing in light of the pending release of the first mold remediation industry standard later this month.

A six-page position statement issued Aug. 29 by the Indoor Air Quality Association called the Texas department's draft mold rules "flawed and inadequate" and suggested that they should be consistent with IICRC S520. (The draft standard was supplied to the Texas Department of Health during August.) The IAQA statement maintains: "Since the S520 Standard will set the standard of care for mold remediation throughout the United States, it will be a disservice to the residents of Texas to adopt rules that are seriously out of step with S520. At present, that is the case."

IAQA suggested that TDH should remove technical and procedural language inconsistent with S520 and instead refer to the industry standard. "By referencing IICRC's S520 Standard, Texas will be giving the mold industry a chance to grow and change as medical and scientific research grow," said an IAQA official. "It is much easier to change a standard than it is to change a regulation."

Another position statement, four pages released Sept. 7 by the nonprofit Texans for Sensible Mold Policy Inc., states that the TDH draft rules go beyond the consumer protection program set out by the state legislature. The organization criticizes the regulations, saying they assume a uniform maximum sensitivity among all people.

The organization says HB 329 was passed to protect the consumers from fraudulent remediators and assessors, and due to the ambiguity of the effects of mold on individuals, the Department of Health should use a Texas Medical Association consultant during this draft period. The statement says the rules should be written to allow remediators and assessors the ability to use professional judgment according to the health status of the occupants of the building. Each project could then be tailored, thus alleviating costs to the consumers that do not have special health needs.

President Bush has tapped Utah Gov. Michael O. Leavitt to be the new administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, prompting much disappointment among those questioning the governor's environmental record.

Leavitt's Senate confirmation hearing was slated to begin Thursday, Sept. 17. If confirmed into the position, Leavitt would be the agency's first permanent administrator since former N.J. Gov. Christine Todd Whitman's resignation went into effect June 27.

The Sierra Club launched a campaign criticizing Leavitt with a press release issued only hours after Leavitt's appointment, followed by comments to the Associated Press and a television appearance on MSNBC. Sierra Club spokesmen stated repeatedly that Leavitt would fit right in with the Bush administration's already environmentally unfriendly climate.

"As governor, Mike Leavitt secretly negotiated two controversial deals with the Department of Interior to open up millions of acres of Utah wilderness to road-building and development," the club's Aug. 11 press release stated. "As EPA administrator, Gov. Leavitt would not alleviate concerns that the Bush administration is prone to making shady deals at the expense of a safe and healthy environment.

"From resisting efforts to get arsenic out of our drinking water, to weakening the clean air act and the enforcement of environmental safeguards, the Bush administration has demonstrated a pattern of siding with corporate polluters over the health and safety of America's families. With the appointment of Gov. Leavitt for EPA administrator, it is difficult to imagine that pattern improving."

Disapproval over Leavitt's nomination crossed even the Atlantic Ocean when the president of a charity in London voiced his concerns, comparing the relationship between Leavitt and the EPA to the rocky rapport of the current U.S. attorney general and the American Civil Liberties Union.

"Giving the job to Mike Leavitt is like putting John Ashcroft in charge of the ACLU," said Philip E. Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, a London-based charity promoting environmental improvement and educational projects.

"The administrator of EPA is the nation's principal enforcer of the laws and regulations protecting clean air, clean water and drinking water," continued Clapp. "I can't think of too many governors more hostile to government regulations than Mike Leavitt. His philosophy on all these is: less regulation, no matter what the cost to public health and the environment."

IAQ Not an Issue?
To combat the criticism hurled against him, especially on the subject of land conservation, the governor's office in Utah published an Aug. 11 news release listing Leavitt's environmental strengths and accomplishments during his ongoing run as the nation's longest-serving state chief executive. It cites triumphs in the areas of (outdoor) air quality, water quality, land conservation and environmental management.

Leavitt's co-authorship of Enlibra, a set of principles for protecting land, air and water he adopted as chair of the Western Governors' Association, is listed at the end of his list of accomplishments.

Seemingly all of the high-profile complaints about the Republican governor's environmental policy ignore the issue of the indoor environment, as does the governor's own list of accomplishments.

This is somewhat fitting given that Utah's state legislature is not one of the 29 that have been considering legislation on indoor air quality during 2003.

The other primary pick for the EPA office was Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, a Republican who also served a six-year term in the U.S. Senate, and whose environmental track record was lambasted by Republican senators on Capitol Hill when his name was being touted for the job months ago.

William A. Turner, MS, PE
President
Turner Building Science LLC
Concord, N.H.

Steven M. Caulfield, PE, CIH
Vice President
Turner Building Science LLC
Concord, N.H.

Peter Taylor
Director of Facilities
Timberlane Regional School District
Plaistow, N.H.

Let's start with a simple, practical definition from a school's point of view: Re-commissioning means making sure most important HVAC equipment works as designed.

When summer school is over, busy schedules resume as does full occupancy. As the summer's laundry list of HVAC items began to dwindle again, we were afforded time to look at some very basic IAQ/HVAC system checks to make sure we are ready for the return of the staff and students.

Some HVAC priorities that should be performed at this time include the exhaust ventilation and the outdoor air supply. The exhaust ventilation is always a high priority because it is always the least expensive and most reliable means of getting rid of odiferous or irritating airborne stuff, and all code-required systems should be working. The outdoor air supply, or air handler, is of the same high priority because it is always needed to balance the exhaust. Without make-up air, heating and air-conditioning systems do not work very well at design conditions.

Exhaust Ventilation
There are several questions to consider with exhaust ventilation:

• Has the use of the exhaust fan changed, or, in other words, is the exhaust fan still needed?
• Is it too noisy or vibrating?
• Are the bearings greased?
• Have the belts been changed or checked and tensioned?
• Are spare belts restocked?
• Are the back-draft dampers free?
• Is the mechanical damper working?
• If it is three-phase power, does the fan wheel still spin in the correct direction?
• Is the circuit breaker on at the panel, and is "disconnect" left on at the unit?
• Is it controlled manually or by time clock or computer?
• Have power wires at the switch and the breaker been checked using an infrared camera?
• Are there any signs of water leakage at the curb?
• Are bird screens in place and not clogged?

For final testing, try "the paper test": If you put a piece of notebook paper up to the exhaust grill, does it stay put? If so, likely all is working close to design.

While you are at it, clean the exhaust grill so the staff will know you have done your job.

If the exhaust fan is not working well, then get it added to a fix-it list as top priority.

During your walkthrough with the paper to do the paper test, look around. Are there new sources that have been added that no one anticipated in planning, or have folks moved sources of pollutants to new locations?

Heavily used photocopiers are a disguised industrial process that bonds carbon black and iron dust with styrene monomer to paper and gives off volatile organic compounds, ozone and fugitive dust during the process and heat. They should have at least 250 cubic feet per minute local exhaust for a 100-square-foot room when in use. Laminators fit in the same category.

Do new flooring, furniture or ceiling tiles still have a smell? We all know most modern materials are made in batches, so it is sill possible even with good quality control to get a bad batch that smells. This could be the case if such materials still smell after a month. Your salesperson may be either very responsive, but if not, beware: You may have to find the environmental safety folks at the manufacturing company. A toll-free number for the MSDS sheet is often a good place to start once you have shared your concern with your supplier and have not been offered a new batch installed for free as soon as possible.

Are there changes in the room? Has someone split one room into two or more? Have new rooms been added, such as a kiln, science lab, cosmetology room, art room, or a new storage room for paint supplies? Has someone converted a closet into an office or special education room, or a hallway into a classroom? All occupied spaces need ventilation, whether natural or mechanical.

Outdoor Air Supply
Some checklist items to consider:

• Are air handler intakes open?
• Is there anything growing in front of the intakes?
• Is there standing water?
• Are all bees, mice and birds out?
• Is there a bird screen in place (as opposed to an insect screen)?
• Have the dampers been lubed with grease?
• Have the air filters been changed, are the blanks in place, and do the filters meet a minimum efficiency reporting value of 7?
• Is the siphon for the A/C drain pan working?
• Is the drain pan so clean you would eat off it?
• Is the belt tensioned?
• Are there spares stocked?
• Is it noisy or vibrating?
• Is there loose or shedding liner?
• Are the bearings greased?
• Is the mixed air controller working and set at a maximum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit?
• Is minimum outdoor air on when it is occupied?
• Is the air economizer working?

In terms of practical operational testing: Does the unit respond to its controls and the time clock, thermostat or computer that controls it? When were the controls last checked or calibrated? Is there some type of working accurate thermometer in the rooms the unit serves? You can get nice stick-on LCD ones from American Thermal Instruments for less than $1 each. Does the unit avoid blowing air that is too cold or too hot onto the occupants it is designed to serve and keep comfortable?

While you are at it, clean the supply diffusers, so the staff will know you have done your job.

If the make-up air, free cooling unit is not working, then get it added to a fix-it list as top priority before extreme temperatures take over.

Roofs
Some checklist items to consider while you are on the roof or walking or driving around the exterior of the facility:

• Are all roof drains open? Check after rainfall for ponding.
• Are any ceiling tiles stained? And if so, what is the source of the moisture?
• Are there roof blisters? Is the roof squishy? Are there torn seams?
• Is there any unfinished roof work?
• Are scuppers wetting the side of the building?
• Has all growth been removed from the roof?
• Does the stone need raked?
• Has the edge flashing been checked?
• Is the roof white or aluminum-colored near all air intakes? Black gives you unwanted warm air when you are trying to cool a school during much of the academic year.
• Is any re-pointing needed on the chimney?

Walls
Some checklist items to consider regarding the facility's walls:

• Is the window A/C removed or covered?
• Has the window unit filter been replaced, and is the pan draining outdoors?
• Is the exterior caulk falling out?
• Is the exterior pointing in good shape?
• Is the grade pitched away from the building 5 percent?
• Are there shades on the southeast, south and southwest windows?
• Is the dumpster away from all doors and air intakes?

Budget Necessities

If you don't have these in every school, you should consider putting them on the budget:

If hard-surface floors: All schools need a good auto-scrubber if you expect to keep it clean so that dust does not coat the desks each morning.

If soft-surface floors: All schools need a wide-bodied vacuum sweeper with a MERV 8 filter in it and/or backpack vacuums with sufficient paper bags, if you expect the floor to be cleaned daily so it does not become a garden.

Summary
Based on our experience in schools, we have attempted to identify some items that will be useful to you. We would love to know of others we may have missed, so please contact the authors if this is the case.

William A. Turner is the president of Turner Building Science LLC, a subsidiary of the H.L. Turner Group Inc. in Concord, NH. He has more than 25 years of experience in IAQ/HVAC evaluation and development of solutions for building system problems. Turner supervises a group of engineers, industrial hygienists, architects and building scientists who focus on developing solutions for existing facilities and the design of high-performance buildings and HVAC commissioning of LEED-rated buildings. He can be reached by e-mail at bturner@turnerbuildingscience.com or by phone at (207) 583-4571 ext. 11.

Steven M. Caulfield, PE, CIH, is the vice president of Turner Building Science LLC. He has more than 15 years of experience in IAQ/HVAC evaluation and development of solutions for building system problems. Caulfield can be reached by e-mail at scaulfield@turnerbuildingscience.com or by phone at (207) 583-4571 ext. 14.

Peter Taylor is the director of facilities for the Timberlane Regional School District in Plaistow, N.H. He has more than 25 years of experience with the operation of over 600,000 square feet of the district's eight school facilities. Taylor can be reached by e-mail at ptaylor@timberlane.net or by phone at (603) 382-6119 ext. 224.

The authors would like to thank the participants of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, building operator certification training course for schools in Watertown, N.Y., for brainstorming efforts that contributed to this article.