Governor Cuomo Announces Schools Can Open. Can They or Should They?

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that public schools can decide to open as long as they are in a region where the average rate of positive coronavirus tests is below 5 percent over a two-week period.  To read Governor Cuomo's announcement click here.  It is interesting to note that still means School Districts will have to figure out how to open, handle busing, and all the other parts of the schooling process.  There is plenty of information that indicates that children are very efficient spreaders of viruses.  Forbes magazine recently published an article "New Evidence Suggests Young Children Spread Covid-19 More Efficiently Than Adults", which is about two studies, one published in  The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the other is a pre-print manuscript awaiting peer-review.  The JAMA study shows young children who have mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms have 10 to 100 times as much SARS-CoV-2 in the nasopharynx as older children and adults.  The other study showed that children age 14 and younger risk of transmitting Covid-19 was 22.4 percent—more than twice that of adults aged 30 to 49, whose rate of contagiousness was about 11 percent.  As an industrial hygienist and a certified indoor environmental consultant, we believe school administration/boards of education need to use some basic industrial hygiene and indoor air quality principles to open safely.  It will mean that quite a few things need to change to be able to keep students, teachers, and staff safe.  Like any basic industrial hygiene problem, we should use the hierarchy of controls to protect workers by reducing the potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Hierarchy of Control Methods

The first hierarchy of control is the elimination or the substitution of the hazard.  This control is about prevention if we can eliminate the exposure then we eliminate the hazard.  So if we can make sure individuals with Covid-19 do not attend school we can eliminate the exposure.  To accomplish this most facilities are doing a combination of questionnaires and temperature taking to ensure people who are sick stay home and out of the workplace.  However, this does not capture asymptomatic individuals who can also spread SARS-CoV-2.   A recent study discussed in STAT's article "Fever checks are a flawed way to flag Covid-19 cases", indicated that Covid-19 patients were 27 times more likely than others to have lost their sense of smell.  But they were only 2.6 times more likely to have fever or chills, suggesting that anosmia (the loss of sense of smell) produces a clearer signal and may, therefore, be a better Covid-19 catching net than fever.  The idea of using a smell test is supported by a USA Today article "Why do so many COVID-19 patients lose their sense of smell? Scientists now know."  Testing to determine if an individual has lost their sense of smell can be done in several ways (for example, having a person smell a scratch-and-sniff card and pick the correct odor out of four choices) with the gold standard being the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test called UPSIT.  The scents are released by scratching the microencapsulated scents with a pencil.  The test taker has a choice of 4 answers for each and the test takes 10 to 15 minutes.  This would prevent individuals from entering the school and hence eliminate the hazard.  Unfortunately, it doesn't totally eliminate the hazard.  So we must add additional controls to continue to reduce the exposure.   

SARS-CoV-2

The next level of control would be engineering controls.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s website "Indoor Air and Coronavirus (COVID-19)" there is growing evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 remains airborne in indoor environments for hours, potentially increasing in concentration over time.  Due to this evidence, we would use the engineering controls ventilation (bringing fresh air from outside) and air filtration (removing the virus from the air inside the building) to reduce the potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2.  The purpose of the heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a building is to bring fresh air from outside the building to dilute the contaminants that may build-up in a building.  Humans produce CO2 and body odor plus other contaminants (i.e., moisture, if we're sick viruses & bacteria) and other processes in the building produce other contaminants (i.e., cleaning chemicals, copiers, uncontrolled moisture can produce mold, etc.).  The HVAC system should be designed to reduce these contaminants and provide a certain amount of fresh air per person in the building.  When we are concerned about the indoor air quality (IAQ) of a space we use carbon dioxide (CO2) as an indicator of how well the ventilation system is ventilating a space.  In other words how well the ventilation system, is reducing the contaminants in the space.  The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) publishes a standard 62.1-2010 "Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality" as a guideline for determining acceptable IAQ (for the purposes of comfort).  This guideline recommends maintaining CO2 levels in a space no greater than 700 parts per million (ppm) above outdoor air levels.  However, a recent article in The Conversation titled "How to use ventilation and air filtration to prevent the spread of coronavirus indoors" discusses research that showed the effects of ventilation on a tuberculosis outbreak at Taipei University.  The study showed when engineers improved air circulation in the rooms and got the CO2 levels in the rooms reduced to under 600 ppm (from above 3,000 ppm) the outbreak stopped.  This shows that if we use CO2 detectors in rooms to ensure the rooms are properly ventilated and we can keep CO2 levels below 600 ppm we have a better chance of reducing transmission of the virus in these rooms.  The same article also discusses using air cleaners for air filtration there are several items to understand when using air cleaners.  First, you want an air cleaner that has a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) that is capable of filtering the particles at 99.97% of all particles at 5 microns and greater. The next thing to consider is how powerful it is and finally how reliable are its claims.  The Conversation article provides some excellent links for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) that certifies air cleaners and a Harvard-Colorado University Boulder Air Cleaner Calculator for Schools tool for helping to decide the best air cleaner for a particular classroom.  This too may not completely eliminate the hazard so we will have to go to the next control - Administrative and work practice controls.

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s website  "How COVID-19 Spreads" the virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person:

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
• These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly inhaled into the lungs.
• COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.
• It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.  This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

Administrative controls to reduce this exposure would include social distancing, surface cleaning and disinfecting, and handwashing (we discussed handwashing in our blog post regarding Future Environment Design's Pandemic Policy).  The CDC website "Strategies for Protecting K-12 School Staff from COVID-19" has a lot of information and resources on handling social distancing, and surface cleaning and disinfecting for schools for everything including sports, music, and busing.  Another idea some schools are considering is holding in-person classes outdoors.  An article in the magazine Fast Company titled "Inside the Quest to Reopen Schools-By Moving Classes Outside" discusses the work of the nonprofit organization called Green Schoolyards America.  Green Schoolyards America with other organizations has created the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative which has been working with schools to create outdoor learning spaces.  This is an outgrowth from a webinar held on June 4, 2020, entitled "Outdoor Spaces as Essential Assets for School Districts's COVID-19 Response".

The final level of control would be personal protective equipment (PPE).  Though face coverings are not truly considered PPE but for the purposes of public health and the fact we want the person to wear something, we will take the liberty to consider it this level of control which is the last and least effective control.

Face Covering, not a surgical mask

If you have read our previous blog post "Filtering Facepiece Respirator or a Dust Mask or N95 Respirator versus a Surgical Mask" on the difference between N95 respirators/filtering facepieces/dust masks vs surgical masks.  You know there is a big difference between surgical masks and N95 respirators.  In our blog post, we mentioned face coverings but there still seems to be some confusion.  We blame the media for not using consistent wording or terminology.  They go back and forth utilizing the wording face coverings and masks.  A face covering is not a mask (though they are now making things that look like a surgical mask but specifically say not for medical use (see picture above), which tells you that it is not a surgical mask but just a face covering).  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a website devoted to "COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions".  This website has some basic points regarding cloth face coverings:

• May be commercially produced or improvised (i.e., homemade) garments, scarves, bandanas, or items made from t-shirts or other fabrics.
• Are worn in public over the nose and mouth to contain the wearer's potentially infectious respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks and to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), to others.
• Are not considered personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Will not protect the wearer against airborne transmissible infectious agents due to loose fit and lack of seal or inadequate filtration.
• Are not appropriate substitutes for PPE such as respirators (e.g., N95 respirators) or medical face masks (e.g., surgical masks) in workplaces where respirators or face masks are recommended or required to protect the wearer.
• May be used by almost any worker, although those who have trouble breathing or are otherwise unable to put on or remove a mask without assistance should not wear one.
• May be disposable or reusable after proper washing.

More and more data continues to come in proving the value of wearing face coverings.  The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published a study "Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy-Springfield, Missouri, May 2020".  The results of that study are pictured above.    Another article that discusses the benefits of face-coverings for protecting people from SARS-CoV2 is at the Fast Company website titled "Countries where everyone wore masks saw COVID death rates 100 times lower than projected".  The CDC has a website called "Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19".  This website provides information regarding cloth face coverings; how to wear cloth face coverings, considerations for wearing cloth face coverings, making cloth face coverings, and washing cloth face coverings.

By using the hierarchy of controls we discussed above, schools could open to in-person schooling.  But these are significant changes to the way schools have been run for years.  The question really is does the school have the resources to change and can it adapt to these changes.  Very tough questions for administrators, teachers, and parents, and students.     

Indoor Air Quality Television Posts Foreclosed Property Video

Indoor Air Quality television (IAQTV) on you tube just posted an excellent informational video on "Foreclosed Properties & Indoor Environmental Risks".  This video provides a basic informational warning on the potential indoor environmental risks in buying a foreclosed property.

Many of these dangers are well-known to those of us in the indoor environmental consulting industry.  Future Environment Designs strongly recommends before the purchasing of a foreclosed property (one that has been unoccupied for a long period of time), that the buyer hire a Council-certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC) to perform an indoor environmental assessment  to ensure these dangers are not present or can be easily eliminated.  The CIEC will be able to help you determine what would be necessary to eliminate these hazards and help develop cost estimates to be used in negotiating a purchase price of the foreclosed property.  If we can help give us a call.

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Total Environmental & Safety Blog Post - Discusses Economic Prosperity

As an Indoor Air Quality Professional we agree completely with Mr. Ralph Carito's blog post on Total Environmental & Safety's blog.  His post "Linking EHS, Ethics and Economic Prosperity", is another post that shows how environmental health and safety regulations not only don't drive up costs but actually allow companies to be more competitive, more risk averse, and more efficient.  Helping companies become more competitive.

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OSHA Updates Indoor Air Quality Guide

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a new "Indoor Air Quality in Commercial and Institutional Buildings" guide.  The 25 page guide is a useful and basic guide that covers Sources of Indoor Air Pollutants, Common Pollutant Categories, Prevention or Control IAQ Problems, and Applicable Standards and Regulations.  The appendices are very useful especially Appendix A: Common Indoor Air Contaminants, which covers carbon monoxide, damp indoor environments, and volatile organic compounds, to name a few, and Appendix C: HVAC System Maintenance Checklist.  The guide is a simple document, very easy to understand, and will be very helpful to a facility director in resolving indoor air quality issues.

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Ventilation Blues from Indoor Air 2011

This video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQvioz3VENE is from the Indoor Air 2011 Conference in Austin Texas where Rosie Flores plays a song written for the conference by Rosie Flores and Bud Offermann called the "VENTILATION BLUES."  An excellent song and very entertaining.  Hope you enjoy it.

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Asbestos Article in Indoor Environment Discusses Cross Issues with Radon

In the March 2011 issue of Indoor Environment Connections, Douglas Kladder the Director of the Center for Environmental Research & Training in Colorado Springs, Colorado wrote an excellant article regarding asbestos.  Being on the asbestos side of the fence, it is interesting how sometimes we get tunnel vision in dealing with indoor air quality/environmental issues.  Mr. Kladder article "Asbestos? What Asbestos? I'm a Radon Guy!" discusses the dangers of tunnel vision.  Mr. Kladder discusses that their are few activities involved in radon mitigation that would not impact asbestos containing materials.  He then provides several war stories of issues related to this topic.  In many ways the same statement can be made to those of us in the asbestos field.  We tend to get tunnel vision regarding asbestos and forget that lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or, even for that matter, radon may also be a concern.  For example, lead paint could be on asbestos siding or asbestos spackles/joint compounds, and window caulk, in addition to containing asbestos, may also contain lead and/or PCBs.  It is important for indoor air quality/environmental professional to keep abreast of the field and to consider the potential possibilities of various environmental hazards being present.  

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Indoor Environment Connections Discusses Fungal Infection

Air Ducts Are the Lungs of the Building

In the October 2010 issue of Indoor Environment Connections (page 14), Mr. Paul Cochrane, President of Cochrane and Assoc., discusses his experience regarding a fungal infection of his lungs that at first made him think he was having a heart attack.  It is an excellently written story I suggest you read it to help you become more aware of the symptoms and problems occupants face when encountering infections.  Being in the indoor air quality industry and reading this story, allows me to better anticipate what an occupant may experiencing.  Hope it helps you, too.

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EPA Revises Lead Ambient Air Monitoring Requirements



Air Quality Testing for several parameters.

On December 14, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final lead (Pb) ambient air monitoring requirements.  The purpose of this revision was to expand the nation’s lead monitoring network to better assess compliance with the revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for lead issued in 2008.  In 2008, EPA substantially strengthened the lead NAAQS by revising the level of the primary (health-based) standard from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) to 0.15 μg/m3, measured as total suspended particles (TSP).  The agency revised the secondary (welfare-based) standard to be identical to the primary standard.  EPA in this final rule (Dec. 2010) also changed the emission threshold that state monitoring agencies (such as New York State Department of Environmental Conservation [NYS DEC]) must use to determine if an air quality monitor should be placed near an industrial facility that emits lead. The new emission threshold is 0.5 tons per year (tpy), reduced from the previous threshold of 1.0 tpy. Any new monitors located near an emissions source must be operational no later than one year after this rule is published in the Federal Register.  EPA maintained a 1.0 tpy lead emission threshold for airports.  However, EPA is requiring a 1-year monitoring study of 15 additional airports (beyond those currently required to monitor at the existing 1.0 tpy emission threshold) for the New York area this includes Brookhaven and Republic airports. The study will help EPA determine whether airports that emit less than 1.0 tpy have the potential to cause the surrounding areas to exceed the lead NAAQS of 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3).  The monitors participating in the study must be operational no later than one year after this rule is published in the Federal Register.
EPA is also requiring lead monitoring in large urban areas (Core Based Statistical Areas, or CBSAs, with a population of 500,000 people or more).  Monitors will be located along with multi-pollutant ambient monitoring sites (known as the “NCore network”).  Lead monitoring at these sites will begin January 1, 2012.

• The NCore network will consist of approximately 80 monitoring sites, of which 63 will be in large urban areas.  The requirement to add these monitors replaces an existing requirement to place lead monitors in each CBSA with a population of 500,000 or more people.

The above revisions were made based on comments received on EPA’s proposed revisions.

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CDC Website Has Indoor Safety Tips Regarding Winter Weather

Snow at Brewery Ommegang

With another winter storm on the way for Long Island, it is important to remember these safety tips from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for staying safe inside:

• Use fireplace, wood stoves, or other combustion heaters only if they are properly vented to the outside and do not leak flue gas into the indoor air space.
• Never use a charcoal or gas grill indoors—the fumes are deadly.
• Never leave lit candles unattended.
• Keep as much heat as possible inside your home.
• Check the temperature in your home often during severely cold weather.
• Leave all water taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
• Eat well-balanced meals to help you stay warmer.

Visit the CDC website linked to the title of this post for more information.

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Mold Complaint Dismissed

Water-damaged ceiling tiles is an indication of a moisture control problem

An article published December 23, 2010 in the Suffolk-News Herald (VA) said a lawsuit filed by a former teacher (claiming mold in her classroom made her sick) against the School Board was dismissed by a United States District Court judge last week.  The former teacher, Christina Hood, had claimed that she began suffering medical problems after beginning her job as a teacher at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in 2007. She said itchy and irritated eyes, a rash, sinusitis and bronchitis were caused by mold in the school.  She had requested damages of $1.5 million.  Hood’s complaint accused the School Board of deliberately exposing her to dangerous conditions at the school, claiming that the board knew of the mold and bacteria growths before she was hired.  She also alleged that the School Board was deliberately indifferent to her health and safety.
In a motion for dismissal, however, School Board attorney Wendell Waller noted that the school system had not been indifferent to Hood’s medical condition.  The response states that the school’s management had allowed Hood to put a dehumidifier in her classroom and frequently inquired as to her condition.  The School Board also retained a professional company to inspect Hood’s classroom for mold.  The assistant director for facilities and planning also inquired about Hood’s past medical condition and her symptoms, inspected the classroom for mold and took air samples.
The school division also had Hood’s classroom cleaned thoroughly several times and was willing to transfer her to a middle-school position teaching seventh-grade math, but Hood was licensed only up to sixth grade.
“The facts alleged … fail to meet the strict ‘shock the conscience’ standard because the defendants did not ignore Hood’s complaints but did in fact take steps to remedy conditions in Hood’s classroom,” the motion for dismissal stated.
This case shows it is important for facility directors to take the concerns of individuals complaining about indoor air quality seriously.   Facility directors should implement an indoor air quality management program to ensure you document all that was done to resolve the indoor air quality complaint.

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5 Easy Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality - My Money (usnews.com)

Image by kqedquest via FlickrThe garage as far as we are concerned is one of the most dangerous areas of the home.  Between the car, tool, and chemical storage it can have various items that by themselves would have significant impacts on indoor air quality.  Individually, cars can impact air quality with the carbon monoxide they produce that can infiltrate the home, tools, depending on what powers them, can also have the same effect as a car or can generate contaminants like sawdust, silica, asbestos or other hazardous vapors, and chemical storage by itself can generate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other hazardous vapors and mists.   The above article points out various ways you can improve your air quality and the ideas are excellent.

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EMLab P&K Products Division Blog Features - Proper Maintenance of Sampling Equipment



Anderson N-6 Bioaerosol Sampler.



If you use or own indoor air quality equipment we recommend that you read EMLab P&K Products Division Blog.  Click on the title of this blog post to read EMLAB P&K's blog post on the proper maintenance of air sampling equipment, such as the Anderson or A6 impact bioaerosol samplers, rotary vane high volume pumps, and Wallchek adapters.  In addition, it discusses the importance of proper maintenance to sustain consistent sample collection. The blog reminds us that the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recommends calibrating pumps before and after sample collection with variances not to exceed 5 to 10%.  This calibration should be performed using a primary standard such as a bubble meter (1000 cubic centimeter bubble buret) or an electronic device such as the Dry Cal® DC-Lite Calibrator, Gilian^® Gilibrator-2, and Bios Defender™.  These primary standard must be traced to a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standard.  It will keep your equipment running at peak condition.

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Doing an Indoor Air Quality Assessments

On the ride down from the PACNY conference, we caught up on reading an article written by Dr. Robert C. Brandys in Indoor Environment Connections. The title of the article was “Assessing the Cancer Risk of Indoor Environments.” We thought it was an interesting and informative article. We also note the coincidence that we were recently having a conversation, with one of our clients, regarding this very issue. The article is an excellent reference for the various chemical risk assessment standards that are available and goes into an excellent discussion of the pros and cons of conducting a chemical risk assessment. We strongly recommend those of you who are struggling with indoor air quality testing and interpreting the results of volatile organic compounds and such, read this article and incorporate the references into your indoor air quality investigations and reports.

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Mold Evicts Occupants from their Westbury Apartments

On March 28, 2008, the Archstone Westbury Apartments deadline arrived for occupants to vacate their apartments. Archstone-Smith, a Colorado company, that manages the Archstone Westbury Apartments terminated the leases of these tenants on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 because mold and mildew had infested the apartments. In order to determine the cause of the infestation, the owner needed to open walls and ceilings to determine the underlying cause of the water intrusion.
It was good to see an owner being proactive in trying to prevent tenants from being exposed to mold or mildew. There are other ways to perform this investigation, including the use of infrared cameras and moisture meters, though it is probably better to ensure the safety of the occupants while determining the underlying cause.
As in many mold problems, according to newspaper articles written at the time this site also had a long list of water intrusion problems that were not addressed by the building maintenance staff. We could only speculate that had the maintenance staff responded faster or performed a more thorough investigation or water clean-up that the current evictions could have been avoided. Building owners should look at there building maintenance programs and ensure that all complaints of water intrusions are handled within 24 hours. Any evidence of moisture intrusion should be thoroughly investigated to determine the cause (again the moisture meters and infrared cameras would be helpful) and the water intrusion should be dried completely utilizing water collection devices (mops & wet vacuums) and drying devices (fans & dehumidifiers). Once mold grows on the property it indicates a lack of attention by the apartment owners, building owners, occupants/tenants, and building maintenance staff. When dealing with mold the best offense is to determine the cause of the intrusion and the best defense is to dry everything within 24 hours. It is also important to remember the use of bleach is unnecessary. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) both recommend the use of detergents instead of bleach. Bleach is a very strong chemical (it is a biocide) and is not needed to clean areas properly.

News from PACNY's Environmental Conference

As we previously discussed, I was attending the 12th Annual PACNY Environmental Conference. It was an excellant conference that brought out some new developments in the Abatement Industry. Mr. Christopher Alonge, PE of the New York State Department of Labor, was one of the presenters that most people were anxious to hear from and as usual he did not disappoint the attendees. What has become standard practice at this event Mr. Alonge gave those present some food for thought. First, Mr. Alonge announced a new Petition for an Asbestos Variance Form (SH 752) and the possible release sometime in 2008 of two new variances; "Mechanical fastening of items/components or systems - penetrating through non-friable ACM - Not considered an Asbestos Project" and "Small & Minor Size Asbestos Disturbance Cleanup Projects - to be used for cleanup of all types asbestos disturbances". This new Variance form should be on the DOL website this month (the form is currently on our discussion board website at (http://groups.google.com/group/fed-forum/web/new-petition-for-an-asbestos-variance-form-sh-752). Mr. Alonge also announced a new guidance document (v2.0) that should be on the website in the next few months that will have 120 new questions/answers added. Mr. Alonge is also in the process of working on a new ICR56 that will incorporate some Fire & Life Safety Issues (because of lessons learned at the Deutsche Bank Building tragedy) some examples include the use of fire retardant sheathing, negative air disconnect switch, and maintaining existing fire protection systems.

Another interesting presenter was Thomas V. Roberts, RA from NYS Education Department. Mr. Roberts informed us that NYSED developed "Protocols for Addressing Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Caulking Materials in School Buildings" in June 2007 (http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/facplan/HealthSafety/PCBinCaulkProtocol-070615.html). This protocol is recommending that any school buildings constructed or renovated between 1950 and 1977 and undergoing current renovation or demolition, be evaluated prior to the renovation work to determine whether they contain caulk that is contaminated with PCBs. NYSED would require a PCB abatement plan be submitted with the renovation or demolition drawings addressing the potential environmental and public health concerns in abateing the caulk. If plans are submitted without the PCB evaluation, the plans will be rejected.

Maureen Cox, NYS DOL Director of Safety & Health, presented that DOL has seen a 12% increase in penalties collection this past year and would like to see Senate Bill 372 known as Successor Legislation, pass. The point of this legislation would be to prevent the owners of an asbestos abatement company from closing their business to avoid fines and then open under a new company to continue to do abatement work. The legislation would also increase the penalties and fines issued under the Industrial Code Rule 56.

PACNY introduced the PACNY Asbestos Proficiency Initiative, the purpose of this initiative is to create a certification that will be administered by PACNY that will establish another level of certification specifically for Project Monitors, Supervisors, and Project Designers. To be able to take the computer based certification exam, which will be offered through Slyvan Learning Centers, the individual must show three years of DOH 2832s. The exam will be given in two parts, part 1 will be a 50 question closed book exam and part 2 will be an open book scenario-based questions. PACNY Proficiency Certification (PPC) will require the accumulation of 20 hours of certification maintenance each year and the taking of a refresher exam also at the Slyvan center.

The conference as always was very interesting and exhibit had the usual suppliers Grayling Industry showing off the New Larger Pop-up Decon meeting NYS DOL requirements, and Cole Stanton from Fiberlock Technologies who discussed the revision to the use of chemical tools to the S520 standard from IICRC. IICRC stands for the The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification which publishes the S520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation. The new standard which should be out before the end of 2008, basically says that unique circumstances may arise allowing the consideration of antimicrobial coatings, or biocides.

The event is usually held at Turning Stone Casino and it appears that next year's event will be around the same time, we hope to see you there next year.

IAQA NYC Metro Chapter Meeting

As an Advisory Board Member of the New York Metro Chapter of the Indoor Air Quality Association, I would like to invite you to a workshop on Wednesday, December 5, 2007. The workshop is titled:

“LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN”

The goal of the workshop is to familiarize the attendees with the US Green Building Council and how to attain the various LEED Professional Accreditations. The workshop will be held at the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, & Airmen’s Club at 283 Lexington Avenue (between 36th and 37th streets) in New York City from 8AM to 12 Noon. A continental breakfast will be served and there will be plenty of time for networking and talking with speakers. The cost for IAQA members is $40.00 and $60.00 for non-members. Attendees will be awarded 4 RC’s from the AIAQC.

VAT Article from our 2007 Spring Newsletter.

A study published in the 2003 issue of “Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene” magazine titled “Asbestos Release During Removal of Resilient Floor Covering Materials” by Marion Glenn Williams, Jr. and Robert N. Crossman, Jr. of the University of Texas Health Center indicated that worker's exposure to asbestos during vinyl asbestos floor tile (VAT) removal may be under reported. Because we work in New York (NYS), we are very familiar with the limitations of polarized light microscopy (PLM) analysis on VATs or for that matter on any nonfriable organically bound (NOB) material. Under NYS Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) requirements materials that are considered NOBs must go through a multiple step process for analysis. This process ends with analysis by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for samples that are negative for asbestos. This method is required for VATs because the type of asbestos typically used was Grade 7 asbestos known as Shorts & Floats. Grade 7 asbestos is no longer sold and was the cheapest asbestos material sold. The dimensions of this grade of asbestos was ultra-fine. With fiber dimensions approaching the less than 5 micron range. This study was done to determine if there was fiber release at the less than 5 micron level that was not being analyzed by the Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM). PCM is used for air sample analysis and only analyzes greater than 5 micron fibers with a 3:1 or greater length to width ratio. The study found the following issues:

• When removing a non-asbestos sheet vinyl flooring with an asbestos felt backing the PCM method only reported 5-7% of the fibers counted by the TEM method.


• When removing an asbestos containing 12x12 VAT with asbestos containing mastic the PCM method only reported 2-2.5% of the fibers counted by TEM.


• When removing an asbestos 9x9 VAT with an asbestos mastic the PCM method reported 0-2.5% of the fibers counted by TEM.


• When removing mastic using a mastic remover (TEM levels were between 1.319-1.749 structures/cubic centimeter (s/cc)) versus amended water (TEM levels were between 0.094-0.184 s/cc).

This study shows that air sample results are significantly underreported using the PCM method of analysis. When performing VAT removals asbestos air monitors and project monitors should be using TEM analysis for clearance (at the very least) and they should be running a few TEM samples during the actual removal of the VATs. These would give us a better understanding of what is happening during VAT removals and ensure that the asbestos abatement was thoroughly completed.

The Toxic Clouds of 9/11

On Sunday, September 17, we went to see the film "The Toxic Clouds of 9/11" at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NY (http://www.cinemaartscentre.org/september/911.html). After the film, their was a panel discussion, which brought new information to light regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's response during the clean-up and the fact that NYC Emergency Medical Technicians that responded to 9/11 are being left out of the loop on compensation for their illnesses. The film was produced and directed by Alison Johnson who has written several books on multiple chemical sensitivity and Prevention is the Cure (www.preventionisthecure.org) was the sponsor for this program.
Several points we took way from the film and panel discussion:

• It's taking too long to compensate NYC EMTs (Unsung Heroes-Helping Heroes www.unsunghhh.org is an organization trying to remedy this problem) and other workers that worked at Ground Zero in the toxic dust.
• Many chemicals being used have very little or no data on their effects on humans.
• No surprise here, EPA lied about the air quality at Ground Zero.
• Workers at Ground Zero were only provided N95 filtering facepieces.
• No effort was made to contain the toxic dust to Ground Zero and prevent its spread to other parts of the City.
• The health effects that Ground Zero workers are experiencing are similar to the reactions of multiple chemical sensitivity victims. These reactions have been seen in Gulf War Veterans, workers that worked on Exxon Valdez oil spill, and starting to see in workers that worked on cleaning up after the Hurricanes Rita & Katrina.

Considering the health effect information coming out regarding the handling of various catastrophies, it certainly seems we need better work procedures to protect first responders and the workers during these clean ups. We also need to make sure we provide adequate compensation for first reponders and the clean-up workers who work at these catastrophies and then get sick because of their work.