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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Asthma Control Study Indicates a Home Visit Strategy is Successful.

Image via WikipediaIn a study published in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology (Volume 23, Number 2, 2010) called “Home Is Where the Triggers Are: Increasing Asthma Control by Improving the Home Environment” by James Krieger, MD, MPH discusses effectiveness of a home visit strategy. A home visit strategy should include an environmental component that addresses multiple triggers. Visitors assess home environmental conditions, tailor education on how to eliminate triggers to the client’s sensitization status and exposures found in the home, provide trigger reduction resources (eg, vacuums, cleaning supplies, bedding encasements and referral to smoking cessation), help with cockroach and rodent integrated pest management, make minor repairs and provide social support. An important part of the strategy is that visitors build trusting relationships with clients, thus enhancing their effectiveness in motivating behavior changes. These home visits reduce exposure to triggers, decrease symptoms and urgent health-care use, and increase quality of life. Home visit program cost per client ranges from $200 to $1500 based on the type of home visitor and the intensity of the intervention. However, a cost-effectiveness analysis concluded that these home visits have a return on investment of 5.3 – 14.0 and a cost of $12 - $57 per symptom-free day gained. It is important to note that the annual cost of inhaled fluticasone (220ug) is approximately $1567. The study discusses the Seattle-King County Healthy Homes program as an example of a successful program.


The study also talks about the strong evidence that links exposure to allergens commonly found in homes such as those derived from dust mites, cockroaches, rodents, molds, and pet dander, to sensitization and subsequent asthma incidence and morbidity. Exposure to indoor allergens is widespread, with >92% of homes containing sufficient concentrations of at least one allergen in dust to cause symptoms in sensitized individuals and 46% with exposure to three or more. In addition to allergens, other indoor asthma triggers include tobacco smoke, nitrogen oxides from combustion devices, irritants from volatile organic compounds, and fungi.

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NYC Schools In The News Again for PCBs.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found three more schools in New York City with leaking polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) lighting ballasts.  The agency took 14 samples from light fixtures at an East Harlem School complex consisting of P.S. 206, P.S. 37 and P.S. 112 and found that 12 were above the regulatory limit. The three schools are located at 508 E. 120th St, Manhattan.  This is the fifth school site testing positive for PCBs, other sites included Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Bronx.  According to Metro, New York City Department of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg said they’ve replaced all the toxic lights found by the EPA thus far, but the estimated cost for checking and/or replacing all the lights in public schools throughout the five boroughs is $1 billion, which NYC does not have.  EPA has been studying this problem for years and has produced a website covering the "Proper Maintenance, Removal, and Disposal of PCB-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts".  The purpose of this website is to provide information to school administrators and maintenance personnel on the risks posed by PCBs in light ballasts, how to properly handle and dispose of these items, and how to properly retrofit the lighting fixtures in your school to remove the potential PCB hazards.  The website covers the following areas:

• Why Should I Be Concerned about PCBs in My School?
• What Are the Health Effects of PCBs?
• Do My Fluorescent Light Ballasts Contain PCBs?
• Should the Light Ballasts in My School Be Removed?
• What Should I Do if My Fluorescent Light Ballasts Contain PCBs?
• Is It Really Necessary to Retrofit the PCB-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts in My School?
• What Are the Risks and Potential Costs of Not Replacing the PCB-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts in My School?
• Are Students and Teachers in Danger if There are Leaking PCB-Containing Light Ballasts in Their School?
• What Are the Special Procedures for Cleanup and Decontamination after a Ballast Leak or Fire?
• How Do I Retrofit the PCB-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts in My School?
• What Type of Waste Will Be Associated with a Retrofit and How Do I Handle It?
• What Are the Cost Savings Associated with a Retrofit?
• What if a Retrofit Is Not Feasible in My Current Budget?

As EPA continues its investigation of NYC schools,  we are sure we will continue to see headlines like these well into the future. 

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• Green: PCBs 5, New York 0: School Tests Continue (green.blogs.nytimes.com)
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• Toxic PCBs Leaking into NYC Schools (inhabitat.com)
• Parents Seek Action on Toxic PCBs in New York Schools (news.change.org)
• EPA Inspection Finds PCBs In Another NYC School (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• PCBs Found in Another School During EPA Spot-Check (wnyc.org)
• EPA Issues Guidance On PCB-Containing Fluorescent Lights (environmentalleader.com)
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Asbestos Worries Close Saint Louis Park Schools

Image by angelogarciaiii via FlickrThose of us in the asbestos industry will find the above news story very interesting (find the original news story at StarTribune.com).  The officials of St. Louis Park schools in Minnesota were worried that asbestos floor tiles (approximately 10% asbestos) were being worn down, by tracked-in salt and sand, and could be releasing dangerous asbestos.  The officials decided to close the city's junior and senior high schools on Monday, February 14, 2011.  The schools will remain closed Tuesday as state and school officials work to assess the hazard and determine if other schools face similar problems.  Asbestos floor tile was commonly installed in hundreds of 1960s-era schools across the metro area, but it remains unclear how many could still have the asbestos tile or how much risk St. Louis Park students faced, said one expert at the Minnesota Department of Health.
Quoted in the article was Diedra Hudgens, senior project manager at Brooklyn Park-based Institute for Environmental Assessment, or IEA.  Her company tested the two St. Louis Park schools for asbestos Monday and Tuesday and will be "taking a closer eye" on the 60 other Minnesota schools it works with.  "We're definitely going to be informing our clients -- other school districts -- about what we found, and we'll definitely be taking steps to monitor it," said Diedra Hudgens.  "Every district has an elementary school or something this vintage."
So what started this concern of salt and sand releasing asbestos?  St. Louis Park school staffers complained late last week about dust outside a school nurse's office, prompting IEA tests on Saturday.  A protective wax layer had been worn down by salt and sand tracked in from roads and sidewalks, dulling the floor.  As a precautionary measure on Monday, school was dismissed for additional testing at both the high school and the nearby junior high -- which has similar flooring.  These tiles were removed from the high school and Monday the school was tested by IEA crews in full protective gear.
What makes this interesting is that the article does not discuss the results of any of the testing done nor does it discuss what type of testing was done?  We can only assume that the results must of indicated a need to do something because the schools were closed and the tiles were removed.  Since Long Island had alot of snowfall this year, and I'm sure we used more salt and sand this year then in the past, this news story implies that there is an increase potential for the release of asbestos from floor tiles that are subjected to tracked-in salt and sand.  It will be interesting to see if and how this story plays out or if it just dies on the vine.

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AIHA Registry Programs Launches New Program For XRF Field Measurement Registry

Peeling lead-based paint is an indicator that lead dust may be on the floor and surfaces

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Registry Programs LLC officially launched on January 18, 2011 a new registry program for X-ray fluorescence (XRF) Field Measurement.  The XRF Field Measurement Registry (FMR) program allows participants to use their registration status for in-situ XRF measurements.  This registry program does not address accreditation required for recognition by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP) as required at 40 CFR Part 745 for environmental lead analyses.
The FMR program is designed to recognize organizations and their affiliated operators that perform in-situ XRF measurements of lead paint surface coatings in the field.  The program maintains minimum standards of conduct for all FMR participants through adherence to the programs policies and registration process.
The FMR program will provide:

• Connections – clients, customers, and employers can find or hire the right kind of professional
• Consistency -- standardization of processes and methods across state lines and country borders
• Continuous improvement – a venue for collaboration and sharing of best practices

The FMR program will raise the competency bar through recognition of high quality organizations and their affiliated operators.  Registries help assure a level of quality among professionals and confidence among regulators and consumers who are looking to identify and then properly control or remove potential health hazards to workers and occupants of buildings.
Registered organizations and enrolled operators perform in-situ field measurements of lead surface coatings utilizing an XRF.  Registered organizations have met the qualifications for inclusion on the registry: personnel training, adherence to an established and documented quality system that is based on the most current version of the FMR Policy.  All enrolled operators must be affiliated with an FMR Registered organization that oversees the Quality Assurance and Quality Control program that monitors the operator and be properly trained and licensed for the work to be performed.
For general information and information detailing the registry program and processes, please visit the web site: http://www.aiharegistries.org/.  For specific inquiries, contact the AIHA Registry Program at info.RegistryLLC@aiha.org.

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