How to avoid indoor air quality (IAQ) claims through better design and materials selection
Over the past 5 years, there has been an explosion of complaints, claims and subsequent litigation resulting from unacceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) in buildings. Unlike asbestos claims that were directed primarily against manufacturers, IAQ litigation is often leveled against building owners, their architects, engineers, and contractors by building occupants. The problem is getting worse. EPA, citing that the air inside buildings is often as much as 100 times more polluted than the air outside, now considers indoor air pollution as one of the most severe environmental risks to Human Health in the US. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 30% of all new or renovated buildings have an indoor air quality problem. In the past, the importance of indoor air quality was overshadowed by concerns with the outdoor environment. The quality of the indoor air is now a major health and legal issue for building owners and their agents. This presentation will offer a brief overview of Halliwell Engineering Associates` 40 years of HVAC experience in analyzing and resolving IAQ problems in buildings. It will present some of the typical causes of IAQ complaints, common mistakes that designers make and how to avoid them. It will also present an overview of how construction materials often contribute to the problem by generating a large number of pollutants themselves, and what building owners can do to minimize that problem. Finally, they will provide specifics on how to ensure that the newly constructed space will not result in future IAQ complaints or claims.
- OSTI ID:
- 77986
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9406319--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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