Cal Iaq

Introduction

Some IAQ problems are simple to resolve when school personnel understand the building investigation process. Many potential problems will be prevented if staff and students do their part to maintain good indoor air quality. However, a time may come when outside assistance is needed. For example, professional help might be necessary or desirable in the following situations:

• If you suspect that you have a serious building-related illness potentially linked to biological contamination in your building, mistakes or delays could have serious consequences (e.g., health hazards, liability exposure, regulatory sanctions). Contact your local or State Health Department.
• Testing for a public health hazard (such as asbestos, lead, or radon) has identified a problem that requires a prompt response.
• The school administration believes that an independent investigation would be better received or more effectively documented than an in-house-investigation.
• Investigation and mitigation efforts by school staff have not relieved an IAQ problem.
• Preliminary findings by staff suggest the need for measurements that require specialized equipment and skills that are not available in-house.

As you prepare to hire professional services for a building investigation, be aware that indoor air quality is a developing area of knowledge. Most individuals working in IAQ received their primary training in other disciplines. It is important to define the scope of work clearly and discuss any potential consultant's proposed approach to the investigation, including plans for coordinating efforts among team members. The school's representatives must exercise vigilance in overseeing diagnostic activities and corrective action. Performance specifications can help to ensure the desired results. Sample performance specification language is italicized.

Other than for lead and asbestos remediation, there are no Federal regulations covering professional services in the general field of indoor air quality, although some disciplines (e.g., engineers, industrial hygienists) whose practitioners work with IAQ problems have licensing and certification requirements. Individuals and groups that offer services in this evolving field should be questioned closely about their related experience and their proposed approach to your problem. In addition, request and contact references.

Local, State, or Federal government agencies (e.g., education, health, or air pollution agencies) may be able to provide expert assistance or direction in solving IAQ problems. If available government agencies do not have personnel with the appropriate skills to assist in solving in your IAQ problem, they may be able to direct you to firms in your area with experience in indoor air quality work. You may also be able to locate potential consultants by looking in the yellow pages (e.g., under "Engineers," "Environmental Services," "Laboratories-Testing," or "Industrial Hygienists"), by asking other schools for referrals, or by calling IAQInfo at . Often, a multi-disciplinary team of professionals is needed to investigate and resolve an IAQ problem. The skills of HVAC engineers and industrial hygienists are typically useful for this type of investigation. Input from other disciplines such as chemistry, architecture, microbiology, or medicine may also be important. If problems other than indoor air quality are involved, experts in lighting, acoustic design, interior design, psychology, or other fields may be helpful in resolving occupant complaints about the indoor environment.

Evaluating Potential Consultants

As with any hiring process, the better you know your own needs, the easier it will be to select individuals or firms to service those needs. The more clearly you can define the project scope, the more likely you are to achieve the desired result without paying for unnecessary services.

An investigation strategy based on evaluating building performance can be used to solve a problem without necessarily identifying a particular chemical compound as the cause. The idea of testing the air to learn whether it is "safe" or "unsafe" is very appealing. However, most existing standards for airborne pollutants were developed for industrial settings, where the majority of occupants are usually healthy adult men.

Some state regulations call for the involvement of a professional engineer for any modifications or additions to a school HVAC system. Whether or not this is legally mandated for your school, the professional engineer's knowledge of air handling, conditioning and sequencing strategies will help to design ventilation systems modifications without creating other problems. In some situations, proper engineering can save energy while improving indoor air quality. An example of this might be the redesign of outside air handling strategies to improve the performance of an economizer cycle.

The guidelines may be of assistance in evaluating potential consultants:

• Competent professionals will ask questions about your situation to see whether they can offer services that will assist you. The causes and potential remedies for indoor air quality problems vary greatly. A firm needs at least a preliminary understanding of the facts about what is going on in your building to evaluate if it can offer the professional skills necessary to address your concerns and to make effective use of its personnel from the outset.

• Consultants should be able to describe how they expect to form and test explanations for and solutions to the problems. Discuss the proposed approach to the building investigation. It may involve moving suspected contaminant sources or manipulating HVAC controls to simulate conditions at the time of complaints or to test possible corrective actions. Poorly designed studies may lead to conclusions that are either "false negative" (i.e., falsely concluding that there is no problem) or "false positive" (i.e., falsely concluding that a specific condition caused the complaint). Some consultants may produce an inventory of problems in the building without determining which, if any, of those problems caused the original complaint. If investigators discover IAQ problems unrelated to the concern that prompted the evaluation, those problems should be noted and reported. However, it is important that the original complaint is resolved.

• Decisions to make IAQ measurements should be well-justified. A decision to obtain IAQ-related measurements should follow logically from other investigative activities. Before starting to take measurements, investigators need a clear understanding of how the results will be used. Without this understanding, it is impossible to plan appropriate sampling locations and times, instrumentation, and analysis procedures. Non-routine measurements [such as relatively expensive sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs)] should not be conducted without site-specific justification. Concentrations low enough to comply with industrial occupational standards could still be harmful to children, or other school occupants. Also, industrial IAQ problems tend to arise from high levels of individual chemical compounds, so standards set limits for individual contaminants or contaminant classes. Exposure standards of this type are rarely exceeded in schools. Instead, IAQ investigators often find a large number of potential sources contributing low levels of many contaminants to the air.

• A qualified IAQ investigator should have appropriate experience, demonstrate a broad understanding of indoor air quality problems and the conditions that can lead to them. For example, the relationship between IAQ and the building structure, mechanical systems, sources, and human activities), and use a phased diagnostic approach. Have the firm identify the personnel who would be responsible for your case, their specific experience, and related qualifications. Contract only for the services of those individuals, or require approval for substitutions. When hiring an engineer, look for someone with the equipment and expertise to carry out a ventilation system assessment, and with a strong background of field experience. Some engineers rarely get out of the office.

• the basic goal(s), methodology, and sequence of the investigation, the information to be obtained, and the process of hypothesis development and testing, including criteria for decision-making about further data-gathering.
• any elements of the work that will require a time commitment from school staff, including information to be collected by the school.
• the schedule, cost, and work product(s), such as a written report, specifications, and plans for mitigation work; supervision of mitigation work; and training program for school staff.
• additional tasks (and costs) that may be part of solving the IAQ problem but are outside the scope of the contract. Examples include: medical examination of complainants, laboratory fees, and contractor's fees for mitigation work.
• communication between the IAQ professional and the client: How often will the contractor discuss the progress of the work with the school? Who will be notified of test results and other data? Will communications be in writing, by telephone, or face-to-face? Will the consultant meet with students and/or school staff to collect information? Will the consultant meet with staff, parent organizations, or others to discuss findings, if requested to do so?
• references from clients who have received comparable services.

The most important thing for the school's representatives to remember is: Oversee the work and ask questions that will help you assure that the work is properly performed. Specialized measurements of air flows or pre- and post-mitigation contaminant concentrations may be needed to know whether the corrective action is functioning properly.

Performance Specifications

Performance specifications can be used as part of the contract package to establish critical goals for system design and operation. Performance specifications can be used to force contractors to demonstrate that they have met those goals. At the same, performance specifications should avoid dictating specific design features such as duct sizes and locations, thus leaving HVAC system designers free to apply their professional expertise. When appropriate, you may be able to adapt appropriate sections of the following sample performance specifications for your school.

Outside Air Ventilation: The control system shall be modified and the ventilation system repaired and adjusted as needed to provide outdoor air ventilation during occupied hours. The amount of outdoor air ventilation shall meet ASHRAE Standard 62- minimum recommendations, or shall be the maximum possible with the current air handling equipment, but in no case shall the minimum outdoor air ventilation rate be less than the ventilation guideline in effect at the time the school was constructed.

HVAC System Modifications: When designing the ventilation system modifications, it is important to ensure that: 1) increased outdoor air intake rates do not negatively impact occupant comfort, 2) heating coils do not freeze, and 3) the cooling system can handle the increased enthalpy load. A load analysis shall be performed to determine if the existing heating (or cooling) plant has the capacity to meet the loads imposed by the restored or increased ventilation rates. If the existing plant cannot meet this load or, if for some other reason, it is decided not to use the existing heating system to condition outdoor air, then a heating (or cooling) plant shall be designed for that purpose. The proposal shall include a life-cycle cost analysis of energy conservation options (e.g., economizer cooling, heat recovery ventilation).

Screens: All screens in outdoor air intakes shall be inspected for proper mesh size. Screens with mesh size smaller than ½ inch are subject to clogging; if present, they shall be removed and replaced with larger-size mesh (not so large as to allow birds to enter).

Demonstrating System Performance: The proper operation of control sequence and outdoor air damper operation shall be verified by school personnel or the school's agent after ventilation system modifications and repairs have been completed. This shall include, but not be limited to: observation of damper position for differing settings of low limits stats and room stats, measurement of air pressure at room stats and outdoor air damper actuators, direct measurement of air flow through outdoor air intakes, and direct measurement of air flows at exhaust grilles. The contractor shall provide a written report documenting: 1) test procedures used to evaluate ventilation system performances, 2) test locations, 3) HVAC operating conditions during testing, and 4) findings.

Institutionalizing the Corrective Action: After the ventilation system modifications are completed, school facility operators shall be provided with training and two copies of manual that documents the ventilation system control strategy, operating parameters and maintenance requirements.

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