Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air pollution, building-related illness, an...
Indoor air pollution, building-related illness, and 'sick building syndrome' have received increased attention over the last several years. Research, conducted by various agencies such as the EPA, has shown that the quality of indoor air can be many times worse than that of the outdoor air. Given the fact that many people spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, the health risk due to indoor air pollutants is a significant public health concern.
Indoor air quality can affect people's health and can have economic and legal implications. For example:
- Pollutants can cause or contribute to short- and long-term health problems, including asthma, respiratory tract infections, allergic reactions, headaches, congestion, eye and skin irritations, coughing, sneezing, fatigue, dizziness and nausea.
- Indoor air pollutants can cause discomfort, and reduce attendance and productivity. Recent data suggest that poor IAQ can reduce a person's ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory.
- Indoor air pollutants hasten building deterioration. For example, uncontrolled moisture can result in mold growth that leads to the structural decay of building components.
- Poor indoor air quality strains relationships among employees, family members, parents, teachers, students and school administrations.
- Indoor air quality problems can result in liability issues or lawsuits.
The Problem
- The E.P.A. & the W.H.O. rank IA pollution as the #1 environmental health problem.
- “Sick Building Syndrome” emerged in the 80’s
- Americans spend 90% of their lives indoors
- 15 million Americans have asthma
- 28 million suffer from hay fever & allergies
- Air pollution contributes to disease, infections & lung cancer
- Airborne Biological threats became a concern
- Mold, mildew & their mycotoxins are a serious health threat
- Airborne staph, pneumonia & MRSA - record high
- Increase in deadly hospital aquired illness - 85,000 deaths per year.
THE ECOFORCE SOLUTION:
Comprises of Evaluation, Treatment / Decontamination & Air Purification System Installation.
Each process stands alone, or can be employed collectively.
Indoor Air Quality Evaluation
Building Investigation Procedures
The goal of a building investigation is to identify and solve indoor air quality complaints in a way that prevents them from recurring and which avoids the creation of other problems. To achieve this goal, it is necessary for the investigator(s) to discover whether a complaint is actually related to indoor air quality, identify the cause of the complaint, and determine the most appropriate corrective actions.
An indoor air quality investigation procedure - best characterized as a cycle of information gathering, hypothesis formation, & hypothesis testing. It generally begins with a walkthrough inspection of the problem area to provide information about the four basic factors that influence indoor air quality:
- The occupants
- The HVAC system
- Possible pollutant pathways
- Possible contaminant sources.
Preparation for a walkthrough should include documenting easily obtainable information about the history of the building and of the complaints; identifying known HVAC zones and complaint areas; notifying occupants of the upcoming investigation; and, identifying key individuals needed for information and access. The walkthrough itself entails visual inspection of critical building areas and consultation with occupants and staff.
The initial walkthrough should allow the investigator to develop some possible explanations for the complaint. At this point, the investigator may have sufficient information to formulate a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, and see if the problem is solved. If it is, steps should be taken to ensure that it does not recur. However, if insufficient information is obtained from the walk through to construct a hypothesis, or if initial tests fail to reveal the problem, the investigator should move on to collect additional information to allow formulation of additional hypotheses. The process of formulating hypotheses, testing them, and evaluating them continues until the problem is solved.
Although air sampling for contaminants might seem to be the logical response to occupant complaints, it seldom provides information about possible causes. While certain basic measurements, e.g., temperature, relative humidity, CO2, and air movement, can provide a useful 'snapshot' of current building conditions, sampling for specific pollutant concentrations is often not required to solve the problem and can even be misleading. Contaminant concentration levels rarely exceed existing standards and guidelines even when occupants continue to report health complaints. Air sampling should not be undertaken until considerable information on the factors listed above has been collected, and any sampling strategy should be based on a comprehensive understanding of how the building operates and the nature of the complaints.
Indoor Air Quality Treatment/Decontamination
Residential – Our team of Environmental & Medical professionals will work with you to evaluate your property and provide solutions to ensure the air quality in your home is healthy, eco-friendly & promotes wellbeing.
Our systems of decontamination & air purification eliminate up to 99.99% of allergens, bacteria, viruses & mold spores. If you or a family member has a compromised immune system, suffers from allergies, asthma or respiratory disease; if you have young children, elderly relatives or are expecting a baby this process provides a line of defense against bacteria, allergens, viruses & mold.
Commercial - Our team of Environmental & Medical professionals work with you to augment existing Infection Control Practices & initiatives; to provide your patients, colleagues, clients, residents, students & animals with an environment that promotes health & prevents transmission of disease.
PROCESS:
1. Assessment / Evaluation - Professional engineers will investigate your indoor environment using a variety of certified testing methodologies and forensic lab analyses.
2. Treatment / Decontamination (if necessary)
Objective: Eliminate all traces of MRSA, mold, viruses, allergens & other bacteria using a combination of:
a) Chemical Methods to Clean Surfaces & Substrates.
b) Fogging Methods to Decontaminate Surfaces, Substrates & Air Spaces.
All products used are EPA Registered, environmentally friendly & fast acting; ensuring that building occupants can return safely to the premises in a matter of hours post treatment.
In commercial properties the Decontamination Process can either be executed entirely by our team of Environmental Consultants & Trained Certified Technicians or, it can be used as part of an “In Service Training” opportunity for your maintenance & janitorial staff. We compliment & collaborate with your team to improve & streamline their existing indoor air quality / infection control program in order to facilitate a healthy environment for building occupants.
We offer client centered individual training & certification.
3. Air Purification – System operates 24/7 ensuring the air you breathe & surfaces you touch remain free of bacteria, viruses, allergens & mold spores.
Air Purification System Installation
Our state of the art “Active Pure” technology kills germs on surfaces & air spaces. Viruses on doorknobs, like the flu, die. Bacteria like E Coli, MRSA, staph & Salmonella on countertops are stopped in their tracks.
- Installed in the duct work; this system continually sanitizes the duct system & circulates through the property.
- It attacks organic & microbial compounds, bacteria, viruses, allergens, mold spores & destroys odors within the spaces where we breathe!
- The only Air Purification Technology Certificated & utilized by NASA to scrub the inside of their spacecraft.
- The only Air Purification with validation testing from multiple universities proving its ability to reduce up to 99.99% of Particulate, Mold, Fungi, Bacteria, Viruses & Allergens
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