Ron D Young
“Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant”
The Feds Require “Food” Labels… What About “Air” Labels?
The need to ‘know’ is important in our daily food intake, as to the concerns of food allergies, weight loss, and cholesterol levels. To say the least, I will be the first to admit that labels are confusing. However, with all the recalls and scares I have experienced over the years to our food and experiencing food poisoning, I’m glad they exist. But just in case you may be wondering “what’s this got to do with buildings?”, let me enlighten you…
Now with Energy Labels being directly connected to LEED, buildings are becoming interesting topics of the future according to the Feds.
"BREATHING" is very special to humans.
If you have any type of health concerns such as allergies, respiratory issues, and/or compromised immune systems, you should have thoughts of what you are ‘BREATHING’.
“BREATHING” is very special to humans. This has been another life lesson for me, I was taught to value during survival training as a Boy Scout and in the Marine Corps. If you are in good shape, you can usually go for weeks without food, days without water, or minutes without air (BREATHING). Those of us that went through the Gas Chamber training exercises in the Marine Corps know what it means to have a good breath of air. We came out of the training chamber gagging, coughing, and every orifice on our body was screaming for air!
We learned really fast the value of good CLEAN air, and how to maintain it… and how to… Maintain it to Survive.
To Maintain IT…Must Quantify IT…
The importance of “indoor air quality” (IAQ) is reinforced when we quantify the amount of air we “BREATHE” in each day. We all understand the importance of eating right and know what we are eating. Even the Feds know the importance knowing the food we intake. So, why not put as much focus on the importance of “BREATHING?”… Talk about opening a “Can of Worms”. (Wonder if they would label them?)
An average person consumes about 3 pounds of food a day. How does that compare to the amount of air one breathes? With the average person breathing 14.4 cubic meters of air in one day, that is equivalent to 38 lbs.
Estimates now show that Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. Therefore, our (IAQ) “Indoor Air Quality” is now absolutely vital for survival.
Now, as food for thought… what does your “AIR Label” say for your buildings air ingredients?
I…A…Q…?
IAQ is “Indoor Air Quality”
As mentioned we need the best we can get… to survive. The process involving on how to achieve this is not at all complicated and is very cost effective. The first thing on the “need to know”, the number one contributor of having “bad” IAQ.
TADAH!!…MOLD.
Mold is a major Indoor Air Quality concern. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC), surveys of large office buildings and homes in the United States and Canada show that 30 to 50 percent of them may have damp conditions. These conditions encourage the growth and build up of biological pollutants such as Mold.
You “gotta know” when it’s wet/damp. I laugh (to myself of course) when conducting an assessment and the individual touches the surface in question and says rather proudly “This is DRY”. Most of the time, this is far from being correct. As an example, wood (especially un-treated juvenile lumber), can sustain Mold and become Mold contaminated at 16% moisture content. As a result, one cannot see or feel (touchy) the contamination at that percentage.
You need a Professional Moisture Mapping or Survey.
Moisture Mapping…??? We will cover this next month.
Concerns on what your Breathing?
go to…