IAQ Assessment using the 7 Principals of Healthy Homes, John P. Lapotaire, CIEC

By John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
Lydia A. Lapotaire, CIEC
A presentation
For the Pensacola IAQA Chapter

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Introduction
Where does the IEP Start?
The Client Interview
What to Look For? The 7 Principles
The IEA Report
The Laboratory Report
What the Client Wants & Needs
Healthy Homes Specialist
Questions

Where to Start?
Get in The Habit
of
Habit

Interview
Occupant and Building History
Building Occupants,
Full time
Part time
Visitors
Pets
Occupant Specific symptoms
Occupant Areas of concern

An Indoor Environmental Consultant should interview the client carefully before the inspection to assist in deciding if such a costly Indoor Environmental Assessment and Testing process is really appropriate and cost-justified.

What to Look For?

What to Look For?
Many homes fall short of the basic requirements of a healthy home and contain one or more of hazards that adversely affect human health.
Research has shown that these housing-related hazards pose a broad spectrum of risks, including the following:

What to Look For?
asthma
roaches
allergies
rodents
Respiratory
illnesses
dust mites
Mold and pests —
These housing related hazards can cause and contribute to

What to Look For?
lead
asbestos
pesticides
Since housing conditions can play a significant role in respiratory health, these hazards can greatly increase and intensify susceptibility to respiratory illnesses.
Toxic materials such as
These hazards can harm human health in a variety of ways.

What to Look For?
For instance, lead poisoning in children causes reduced IQ and attention span, hyperactivity, impaired growth, reading and learning disabilities, hearing loss, insomnia, and a range of other health, intellectual, and behavioral problems.

What to Look For?
Poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide and radon also pose threats to health.
Carbon monoxide poisoning results in more than 200 accidental deaths a year and, at much lower levels, causes flu-like symptoms, which often go undiagnosed.
Radon can increase the risk of cancer, which is the second leading cause of death among adults and children in the U.S.

What to Look For?
The ideal way to maintain healthy homes and properties is to practice primary prevention (addressing these hazards before they become dangerous problems) using a holistic approach (tackling many hazards at once).
With this in mind, NCHH has identified 7 principals of Healthy Homes that can help Identify and Correct Indoor Environmental Hazards.

Seven Principles of Healthy Homes

Dry
Maintained
7
Principles of
Healthy Homes
Clean
Ventilated
Pest-Free
Safe
Contaminant-Free
Add title text

National Center for Healthy Housing
www.nchh.orgwww.healthyhomestraining.org

1. Dry: Damp houses provide a nurturing environment for mites, roaches, rodents, and molds, all of which are associated with indoor allergens and asthma triggers.
2. Clean: Clean homes help reduce pest infestations and exposure to contaminants.

3. Pest-Free: Recent studies show a causal relationship between exposure to mice and cockroaches and asthma episodes in children; yet inappropriate treatment for pest infestations can exacerbate health problems, since pesticide residues in homes pose risks for neurological damage and cancer.

4. Safe: The majority of injuries among children occur in the home. Falls are the most frequent cause of residential injuries to children, followed by injuries from objects in the home, burns, and poisonings.

5. Contaminant-Free: Chemical exposures include lead, radon, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and environmental tobacco smoke. Exposures to asbestos particles, radon gas, carbon monoxide, and second-hand tobacco smoke are far higher indoors than outside.

6. Ventilated: Studies show that increasing the fresh air supply in a home improves respiratory health.
7. Maintained: Poorly-maintained homes are at risk for moisture and pest problems. Deteriorated lead-based paint in older housing is the primary cause of lead poisoning, which affects some 240,000 U.S. children.

The IEA Report

The IEA Report
A professionally prepared Indoor Environmental or Indoor Air Quality Report should clearly answer the following questions:

The IEA Report
Is there an Indoor Environmental or Indoor Air Quality Concern in the home or office?
What was the cause?
Where is the problem origin?
What containment and cleaning are needed?
What corrective action is required?
How will you confirm the home has been returned to a pre-loss condition?

Sight
Conditions
Visual Assess.
Contain
Repair
Clean
Inspect
Sample
Confirm
Client and Building History
IEP
Contractor
Interview
Confirmation
Inspection
Correction
IEP
IEP
The IEA Report

The IEA Report
A competent Indoor Environmental Assessment Report should identify, right up front,
What is important and what needs to be done.
When necessary It should support these opinions with competent detailed, professional, and reliable lab work.

The IEA Report
Interview
Areas of Concern
Site conditions (environmental measurements)
Temperature
Humidity
Particulate Matter
VOC’s
CO, CO2

The IEA Report
The Indoor Environment should be measured and recorded both
at rest (with the air conditioning systems off)
and
active (with the air conditioning systems running)
There must always be an indoor environment measurement summary

Site Conditions

Site Conditions "Spray Foam"

Site Conditions Summary
The measurements showed the home had acceptable levels of relative humidity and particulate matter in the .3 through 1. µm with the home at rest.
There were elevations of 2.5 µm throughout with the home at rest.
The volatile organic compounds VOC’s were measured at .4 to .5 throughout the home at rest.
.5 is a level considered to be at the high end of what is acceptable.

The measurements of the relative humidity and respirable particulates decreased after the HVAC had been running. Home active.
The VOC’s leveled out at .5 throughout the home with the AC running. A level considered to be at the high end of what is acceptable. Home active.
.5 is a level considered to be at the high end of what is acceptable.

Humidity Bloom

The measurements showed the home had elevated relative humidity and particulate matter.
The A/C and power had just been turned on for the inspection.
There was a visible humidity bloom with microbial growth throughout.

Failed PRVI

The indoor environment was not a clean dust free environment as was evident by the levels of airborne particulate matter.
The measurements were collected after the remediator had “Self Cleared” his remediation.
The visual, environmental measurements and the collected air samples identified a remaining S-520 Condition 2 an indoor environment which is primarily contaminated with settled spores that were dispersed directly or indirectly from a Condition 3 area, and which may have traces of actual growth.

Post “Self PRVI” Assessment

The airborne particulate matter PM 2.5 µm, 5 µm and 10 µm sizes were elevated in the master bedroom where remediation was performed.
Measurements after the home had been active (A/C running) all environmental measurements decrease.
This reduction of PM eliminates the AC as a possible contributor to the previously recorded elevations.

The indoor environment was not a clean dust free environment as was evident by the levels of airborne particulate matter.
The measurements were collected after the remediator had “Self Cleared” his remediation.
The visual, environmental measurements and the collected air samples identified a remaining S-520 Condition 2.

Evaporative PTAC

The condo had a slight elevation of VOC’s in parts per million (ppm).
The measurements showed the condo had elevated relative humidity with the home at rest that increased with the air conditioner running.
The condo had an elevation of respirable particulate matter throughout with a minimal decrease of particulate matter when the air conditioner was running or Home Active

The condo was cooled with a PTAC in-wall air conditioner.
The PTAC was NOT equipped with a condensate drain line and was set up to be an evaporative cooling air conditioner.
Not ideal for the hot humid climate of Florida, more suited for dry climates.
The design continually introduced humidity into the condo supporting a humidity bloom.

The IEA Report Includes
Visual Inspection findings
Site Conditions
Sampling plan (if necessary)
Laboratory results
Cause and Origin
Specific recommendations
Executive summary
Inspection Pictures

Environmental
Measurements
Visual
Inspection
Cause and
Origin
Summary
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Add text title
The IEA Report
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What's in the Report?
A professionally prepared Indoor Environmental Report or Indoor Air Quality Report must be useful:
in exchange for being paid a professional fee to investigate a home or office, an IEP should provide
accurate and useful diagnostic and prescriptive information to his or her client, and
should include not only an identification of Indoor Environmental Concerns, but
Include a cause and origin

A Professional Indoor Environmental Assessment is much more than the collection of samples.
Unless the sample collection was combined with a Visual Indoor Environmental Assessment using the 7 Principals of Healthy Homes, no one can be certain of the extent or presence of any indoor environmental hazards in a home.

A spore trap sample alone cannot accurately represent all of the indoor environmental contaminants or indoor air quality contaminants present in a home.
A spore trap will only include or exclude mold spores as a contributor to elevated respirable particulates measured in the home.

Visual
Inspection
Sampling
Site
Conditions
Sample
Plan

indentify the indoor environmental Concerns within the home or office and
provide you with the guidance to take specific corrective action to quickly improve your indoor environment and indoor air quality.

Qualitative or Quantitative
Qualitative
What is there (is that mold?)
Not how much is there
Most often to the genus not species
These methodologies do not differentiate between viable and non-viable fungal spores.
Identification to the genus does not allow for the differentiation between Aspergillus and Penicillium spores.
Bulk – Tape - Swab

Quantitative
What is there
How much is there
Most often to the genus not species
Identification to the genus does not allow for the differentiation between Aspergillus and Penicillium spores.
Spore Trap

Quantitative
Spore Traps - quantitative collection, the mold spores collected in the sample are counted and reported as spores per cm2, spores per gram (or 1000mg),
This technique does not allow for the differentiation between Aspergillus and Penicillium spores.

Qualitative
Surface Samples – Swab, Dust, Tape and Bulk Samples: qualitative sample collection.
Swab, Dust and Tape samples are mounted on a glass slide and observed under a bright field microscope and visually identified to the genus
This technique does not allow for the differentiation between Aspergillus and Penicillium spores.

According to ACGIH, “Data from individual sampling episodes is often interpreted with respect to baseline data from other environments or the same environment under anticipated low exposure conditions.”

In the absence of established acceptable exposure limits, it is often necessary to use a comparison standard when interpreting data. In this instance, it will be necessary to sample the suspect area as well as a non-suspect area. According to ACGIH,

An Laboratory Report offers counts, numbers, percentages, or results.
The Laboratory provides the results of the samples collected by the IEP who has preformed a thorough visual assessment.
The Laboratory provides the results of the samples collected by the IEP who has prepared a sampling plan resulting from the visual assessment.

The IEP performs the "Indoor Environmental Assessment"
The Lab tells the IEP what is there and at what level –
Qualitative or Quantitative information
The IEP interprets the results

Certain authorities identify certain molds whose presence indicates excessive moisture or are Water Damage Indicator Molds.
The presence of a few spores of indicator mold should be interpreted with caution.
Additionally, it should be recognized that these named molds are not necessarily the only ones of potential significance.

IESO “Standards of Practice for the Assessment of Indoor Environmental Quality”. Water Damage Indicator Molds. (currently repealed for review)
Aureobasidium
Aspergillus
Chaetomium
Fursarium
Penicillium
Trichoderma
Stachybotrys
Ulocladium

Sampling and Analysis of Indoor Microorganisms by Chin Yang Water Damage Indicator Molds
Chaetomium
Stachybotrys
Memnoniella
Ulocladium
Aspergillus-Penicillium Group

The EPA Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) Water Damage Indicator Molds
Stachybotryschartarum,
Chaetomium globosum,
Cladosporiumsphaerospermum,
Aspergillus versicolor,
Eurotium (A.)amstalodami,
Penicillium variabile,
Aspergillus flavus,
Aspergillus restrictus,

Penicillium crustosum,
Penicillium chrysogenum,
Aspergillus niger,
Aspergillus sclerotiorum,
Penicillium purpurogenum,
Aspergillus fumigatus,
Penicillium corylophilum,
Aureobasidiumpullulans,
Aspergillus ochraceus

Penicillium brevicompactum,
Paecilomycesvariotii,
Aspergillus sydowii,
Penicillium spinulosum,
Wallemiasebi,
Aspergillus unguis,
Scopulariopsisbrevicaulis,
Scopulariopsischartarum,
Aspergillus penicillioides,
Trichodermaviride.

The EPA Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) “Normal” species:
Acremoniumstrictum,
Alternariaalternata,
Aspergillus ustus,
Cladosporiumcladosporioides v1,
Cladosporiumcladosporioides v2,
Cladosporiumherbarum,
Epicoccumnigrum,
Mucor & Rhizopus group,
Penicillium chrysogenum,
Rhizopusstolonifer

Additional Laboratory Options

Common Indoor Allergens
Indoor Allergen, Cat
Indoor Allergen, Cockroach
Indoor Allergen, Dog
Indoor Allergen, Dust Mites
Indoor Allergen, Latex
Indoor Allergen, Mouse
Indoor Allergen, Rat
Indoor Allergens Group - Cat Dander, Dog dander, Cockroach, Dust Mites

Soot and Smoke
Fire Investigation Testing Accelerants
Carbon Black
Cigarette Smoke
Combustion By-Products
Soot
Wood Smoke

Particle Identification
Common Particle Identification
Full Particle Identification SM
Unknown Particle Identification
Nuisance Dust and PM-10 / TSP
Formaldehyde (Off-gassing in Products/Materials)
Formaldehyde in Air NIOSH 2016 / NIOSH 3500
Formaldehyde in Bulk material (Dry)

VOC and mVOC
Microbial Volatile Organic Compound Screen GC-FID (High Boiling Point)
Microbial Volatile Organic Compound Screen TO-15 (Low Boiling Point)
Volatile Organic Scan by GC/MS with Lib Search (req. for IAQ)
Volatile Organic Scan by GC/MS (62 compound list) TO-15 mod.

A superficial air test for mold spores risks leaving the client with ambiguous results,
or even if the test suggests that a problem with mold is present,
the client has no idea
where the problem is,
What is causing the problem or
what to do about it.

In many cases air samples for mold spores come back with no elevations even though the Client continues to have symptoms or reports nuisance odors in their home.
The IEP that only collected air-o-cell spore trap samples with no visual assessment or measured site conditions can provide no professional guidance for the Client.

The Client wants to know if there is an indoor air problem in their home involving any unknown
Allergens
Asthma Triggers
Moldtext title

Is Indoor Environmental Sampling Necessary?
If Sampling is necessary Why?
Where? and
Which Type of Sampling is Recommended?
Culturable or non-Culturable
Allergen
Dust, Bulk
Chemical

The Visual Inspection should provide a Sampling Plan specific to the findings in your home or office so you can then determine;
If there is a mold, allergen, asthma trigger, or similar environmental problem in the home or office?
If there is a problem, where is it and how big is it?
Based on the lab results, what is the level of containment and care needed?
What does the lab work indicate about the level of risk to occupants or workers?

Are we looking at a "cosmetic-only" concern?
What is the extent of remediation or cleaning necessary, and
What needs to be changed or repaired on the home or office so that problems don't reoccur?
and, after the cleanup has been completed, was it proper and complete?

An Indoor Environmental Assessments is also an education on the 7 Seven Principles of Healthy Homes.

Dry
Maintained
7
Principles of
Healthy Homes
Clean
Ventilated
Pest-Free
Safe
Contaminant-Free
Add title text

Tools of the Trade

Lighthouse
Particulate
Counter
MiniRae
VOC Meter
Fluke
Thermal
Camera
Protimeter
MMS+
Moisture
Meter
Tools of the Trade
Building
Envelope
Air Infiltration
Moisture Intrusion
Moisture
Content
Confirm Moisture
Identify wet building material
Site Conditions
Temperature
Humidity
Particulates
Site
Conditions
VOC’s
mVOC’s

Healthy Homes Specialist Credential
NCHH and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) offer a “Healthy Homes Specialist” credential, designed for health and housing professionals in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

To achieve the credential, individuals must complete a comprehensive exam on the seven principles of healthy housing, which include keeping homes: Dry, Clean, Pest-Free, Contaminant-Free, Ventilated, Safe, and Maintained. Individuals seeking the Healthy Homes Specialist credential must:

Be at least 21 years of age;
Have five years of experience in housing, environmental health, or public health;
Achieve a minimum score of 70% on the qualifying examination; and
Successfully complete an online home assessment exercise.

Apply for the HHS credential by completing an application downloadable at www.neha.org/credential/HHS.
Cost of applying for and taking the HHS exam is $150 NEHA members or $205 non-members.
For more information on this credential you can visit www.neha.org to read the fact sheet or contact NEHA’s Credentialing Staff at 303.756.9090 ext. 339.

Candidates should review the on-line references to prepare for the exam.
They may also want to take NCHH's two-day Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners Course.

The course covers most - but not all - of the topics on the exam.
For the convenience of students who take the course, the exam will usually be offered at the end of the second day of the training.

Questions?

Thank You!
John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
Lydia A. Lapotaire, CIEC
www.FloridaIAQ.com

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IAQ Assessment using the 7 Principals of Healthy Homes, John P. Lapotaire, CIEC

by John Lapotaire, CIEC on Jun 13, 2011

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IAQ Assessment using the 7 Principals of Healthy Homes, John P. Lapotaire, CIEC Presentation Transcript