MAINE INDOOR AIR QUALITY COUNCIL 

• Exhibitor, Sponsor & Advertising Information (requires )
   

• Opening Plenary Session:  What Does Green REALLY Mean?

7:30 a.m.        Registration and Continental Breakfast (E)
                        Downstairs North Wing

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in workshops on current IAQ "hot" topics.  Some workshops will be presented twice. 

Note (posted 11/18/08):  the following is a partial listing of the workshops being presented in 2009.  Please check back later (refresh your browser) for complete listings. 

Challenging the Assumption of HEPA Filtration

High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in negative air machines (NAMs) and vacuums are often the last and primary control for capture of harmful particulate generated during abatement or remediation actions (asbestos, lead, mold, etc.) or use for hazardous materials clean-up/decontamination or as a local ventilation system; however, the performance of filtration is rarely empirically verified before put into use and vented into an occupied space. Current practice is to ventilate NAMs inside when a window or other building opening is not available or the performance of the machine would be compromised such as ducting the exhaust long distances and/or because the building envelope is under high static pressure differential. In asbestos abatement, exhausting NAMs inside requires justification to the Maine DEP (a standard variance), but neither standard practices nor current regulations address the verification of the filtering function of the unit. When used inside buildings, vacuums are almost always vented inside.

Session participants will learn why it is important not to assume the presence of HEPA filtration necessarily means efficient filtration. The presentation will include a basic overview and explanation of HEPA filters, their use in NAMs and vacuums, the reasons for failure or being circumvented, and propose proactive ways to improve confidence in their intended function.

The presentation will be delivered primarily via powerpoint slides and weighted on the experiences of the presenter and actual work environment situations and sampling and photographs. Background information will be sourced by reference texts by prominent authors and/or peer-reviewed professional publications.

The presentation will be delivered as much as possible with a general audience in mind, but an “intermediate level” is suggested due to some technical content and assumption that attendees will have familiarity with the use of HEPA filtration systems in abatement and remediation actions. The presentation will be designed for approx. 60 minutes with at least 15 min. for discussion and questions.

Healthy AND Green

A lot of people think “green” means “healthy.”  Many green products do not provide the healthy air quality people think they do.  This session will begin with an exploration of what green has to do with health and IAQ.  It will then teach the audience how to understand green marketing terminology and how to avoid "green washing," as well as present specific ideas for choosing building materials, paints, flooring, furnishings, and cleaning products that result in truly green and healthy indoor environments. 

Mechanical Equipment:  Green & Mean

Green buildings are energy efficient, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are healthy environments in which to live or work. Because most newer homes are tightly constructed, they may need mechanical ventilation. With inadequate ventilation, contaminants are not “flushed out” on air flows and can build up indoors. And newer homes are more apt to have hot-air heat, central air conditioning, and finished basements – all of which can lead to IAQ problems unless designed and maintained with air quality concerns in mind.

Exhaust-only basement “dehumidifiers,” air-to-air heat exchangers and “conditioned” crawl spaces offer interesting examples of where air quality concerns and green-building practices conflict with each other. This workshop will blend the theoretical with the practical to concentrate on the potential relationship between mechanical equipment and design found in green buildings (primarily homes), and on indoor air quality problems caused by mold growth.

Learning objectives of this session:

1. Review mechanical equipment options and learn which ones are more prone to developing mold-growth problems and why.
2. Acquire a deeper understanding of mold: why and where it grows in certain mechanical equipment; and what can be done to prevent its growth.
3. Learn some basic moisture and air-flow dynamics.
4. Gain a greater understanding of areas in which air quality and “green” building practices compliment each other and areas in which they conflict.

Mold Spore Penetration through Wall Service Outlets

Mold has been gaining increased attention from governmental agencies such as the OSHA and the EPA. Although numerous studies have found associations between mold spores and negative health effects, the mechanics behind such exposures are not well understood. When a building floods, walls can become ecological niches for hidden mold growth if not treated quickly. Once colonies grow, they can emit spores that have the potential to become airborne, penetrate service outlets and possibly enter the breathing zone. This research hypothesizes a potential mold exposure pathway exists at service outlets in mold infested walls. To test this hypothesis, a controlled laboratory experiment was conducted. An external wall was fabricated and telephone, electrical and cable service outlets were installed. Penicillium chrysogenum spores were aerosolized into the stud bay using collision-jet nebulizers and the wall was subjected to pressures from typical wind gusts. Spores that penetrated the outlets were sampled with industrial hygiene impingers and enumerated via digital microscopy. After trials (N=150), results of an ANOVA provided evidence to suggest wall service outlets have the potential to act as mold exposure pathways. Telephone outlets allowed for a significantly greater percentage of penetration than other outlets (p<.0001) and there was no difference between electrical outlets. These findings are useful for facility managers, indoor air quality consultants and industrial hygienists seeking to understand potential exposure routes in sensitive indoor environments such as hospitals and long-term care facilities when mold contamination in walls is suspected.

Superbugs in Our Communities:  An Introduction for the IEQ Professional

Superbugs are bacteria that have shown resistance to antibiotics that previously were effective at killing them. Becoming infected with such a superbug does not mean there are no treatments available but it does mean that the usual first line of therapeutic defense has been breached. Antibiotic resistance in bacteria was initially confined to hospital-acquired infections but now there is an increasing trend in community-acquired infections that are  ntibiotic-resistant. Some of the more important community-acquired superbugs include MRSA (Methicillin-resistant  taphylococcus aureus), VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus), Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Clostridium difficile. These have been gaining public attention through TV and print news articles and are the focus of many research programs.  Over prescription of antibiotics has been implicated in the development of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the trend is likely to continue. IEQ professionals are becoming involved in community outbreaks to these superbugs. Outbreaks have occurred in schools, jails, military barracks, elderly care facilities, daycares, and gyms. This presentation will provide a basic to intermediate understanding of the issues. Proper sampling methods, clean-up procedures for contaminated environments, and prevention techniques will also be discussed.