Clean Air Best Practices in Commercial Buildings and Other Facilities
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Harry Allen VP of Sales and Marketing AllergyZone, LLC National Air Filtration Association: CAFS, President Elect Copyright National Air Filtration Association
Clean Air Best Practices in Commercial Buildings and Other Facilities
National Air Filtration Association: CAFS, President Elect
Copyright National Air Filtration Association
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Good morning! I’m glad to be with you this morning and I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you about Clean Air Best Practices In Commercial Buildings. Much of the information presented comes from NAFA’s Guideline For Commercial Spaces Based on experience and expertise of our members as well as research from governmental medical and scientific communities. Hopefully this presentation will provide you with a little better grasp of air filtration and the important role is plays in commercial buildings. Ask for a show of hands to see who’s in the audience - Mechanical Engineers, HVAV Technicians, HVAC or related Business Owners, other
ûBuildings can make people sick
ûSick people are not productive
ûSick people do not renew their lease
ûSick people sue everybody
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
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Presentation Notes
Commercial buildings are built to provide organizations with a gathering place for people to conduct business. The health and productivity of these businesses is directly related to the health and productivity of the people. As buildings age, they undergo what has been termed, “continuous degradation.” They’re like you and me, they get older and if not properly maintained, they wear out. When this happens commercial buildings can be detrimental to the health of the inhabitants. For example, 10-20% of non-industrial buildings either have undetected problems or they are experiencing something called “sick building syndrome,” a condition that gives people non-specific, flu-like symptoms when they are in the facility. Unhealthy buildings render occupants less productive, sick people don’t renew their lease and SICK PEOPLE SUE EVERYONE!
• A failure to provide a healthy indoor environment may result in the owner falling below the (OSHA) standard of care, i.e., being found negligent.
• In order to be protected from a successful negligence claim, the owner/builder must make sure that indoor air quality issues are taken into consideration in both the design and construction of the building.
• During the life of the building the owner, as well as the facilities manager, is responsible for the proper maintenance of the building.
• A manager’s failure to take precautions to provide good air quality to tenants may expose the manager to serious claims of negligence.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
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Remember the bullet point on the previous slide “sick people sue everybody”. Well, here are some important IAQ facts to consider. If a healthy indoor environment is not maintained, the building owner may be found negligent of falling below the OSHA standard of care. To protect against a future negligence claims both the builder and owner of the building must consider the IAQ issues as the building is designed and constructed. This might include things like VOCs in the materials of construction, placement of the HVAC equipment, ventilation rates, etc. Maintenance Program - a proactive, consistent building maintenance program is critical for the long-term health of the building and its occupants. Finally, it is the building owner/manager’s responsibility to take steps are to provide acceptable air quality for the building’s occupants. Failure to be proactive in these areas can lead to an IAQ lawsuit, the majority of which are settled out of court. However, even so, IAQ settlements are very costly and can range in the millions of dollars.
û Negligence • OSHA • ASHRAE Standards
û Strict Product Liability
• Fear of Cancer • Punitive Damages
û Breach of Contract
• Warranty • Fraud and Misrepresentation
û Americans With Disabilities Act
• Prohibits Discrimination • Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
û Landlord / Tenant
• Breach of Lease • Constructive Eviction
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
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Here are examples of areas under which IAQ lawsuits have been filed and won. Negligence related to OSHA and ASHRAE guidelines. Americans With Disabilities Act
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Central Air Handling Unit
Photograph courtesy of Engineered Air
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Commercial buildings present a unique set of challenges (i.e. types of activities taking place and types of HVAC equipment used). CAHU’s usually condition the largest percentage of outside air supplied to a building. Provide thermal comfort (temperature and humidity), ventilation and particulate and odor removal. Usually these systems employee two stages of filtration system and we recommend MERV 8 followed by MERV 13. Sometimes only 1 stage of filtration is used and in this case it should be MERV 13
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Rooftop Air Handling Unit
Photograph courtesy of McQuay International
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Rooftop units can be a buildings entire source of heating & cooling or a supplemental component Have both 1 and 2 stage filtration 2 stage should be MERV 8 followed by MERV 13 1 stage should be MERV 13
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Make-Up Air Units
Photograph courtesy of Engineered Air
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Usually used to supply ventilation to a space to maintain positive pressure in the building or to replace exhausted air Example of an application would be in a parking garage where contaminated air is exhausted and replaced by the MUA. Typically not used for tenant occupied spaces Use MERV 11 filtration
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Fan Coil Units
Photograph courtesy of McQuay International
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These are small unitary systems that provide a combination of heating and cooling to a space. Sometimes used for providing conditioned air to elevator machine rooms, telecommunication rooms and electrical vaults. MERV 8 filtration is recommended.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
Room B06 – Equipment and debris on the floor
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Building Maintenance - You might be saying to yourself that proper building maintenance is nothing more than good old common sense, and you’d be right. Surprisingly however, some of the things that we see in the real world defies logic. This is a picture of an HVAC room in a commercial building which has become a storage room for storage of all kinds of cleaning chemicals and old equipment that nobody wants.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
Room 309 - Microbe growth on chilled water pipe
Closet 101A - Damage to wallboard from previous water damage
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A major causes of indoor air quality is moisture. Commercial buildings frequently experience water leakage that may create an ideal environment for the growth of mold. Some of these molds and fungi give off toxins known to negatively affect humans. Obviously, these kinds of conditions need to be addressed quickly so that they do not become a major problem.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
Sizes of Specific Indoor Contaminants Electron Microscope Microscope Naked Eye
0.001 0.01 0.1 0.5 1.0 1 100
Bacteria
Viruses
Tobacco Smoke
Plant Spores
Cooking Smoke / Grease
Dander Hair
Dust
Fertilizer
Insecticide Dust
Coal Dust
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This chart shows the specific sizes of contaminants. Mold and fungi which reproduce by spores and are quite large can be filtered effectively with most MERV 6 air filters. However, bacteria contaminants use cell division to reproduce and they have a much broader size range. Some are extremely small and can only be filtered with more efficient filters - MERV 11 and higher. Viruses reproduce by invading and replicating the DNA of a host organism. Viruses are the smallest of the contaminants shown and they cannot survive for long periods of time outside a host. Viruses normally “ride” on dust or droplet nuclei and can only effectively be removed with HEPA filtration. The point is that contaminants have a wide range of sizes as this chart depicts, and filter efficiency must be well matched the that of the contaminant size that one desires to remove.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
•Dust
•Tobacco smoke
•Dust Mite Feces
•Droplet Nuclei
•Bacteria
•Fungal Spores / Pollen
•Animal Dander
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Already this morning most of us have been exposed to at least one of these contaminants. It’s also important to point out that people are majors carriers and contributors of these types of particles. Since the majority of air in commercial buildings is re-circulated, it can contain much higher levels of particulate contaminants than what we find in the outdoor air. Because of their differing sizes, these particulates impact our bodies in different ways. Our nose does a good job filtering particles down to about 9 micrometers. However, smaller particles in the 2 micron size range can be deposited deep within the lungs.
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This slide gives you a simple visual of how different size particles impact our bodies. Our noses do a good job stopping particles down to about 9 micrometers, particles down to about 2.5 micrometers are deposited in the pharynx and bronchi regions of the respiratory system. Particles measuring 2 microns or less are deposited deep within the lung’s alveoli.
• Outdoor Air – too many to list • Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulphur Dioxide
• Cleaning Agents - VOC's, Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
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The focus to this point has been on particulate contaminants. However, molecular contamination can also be a concern in commercial buildings. There are many sources of molecular contamination such as those found in outdoor air. However, we also need to consider sources that originate in the buildings that we occupy. Furnishings, office equipment and cleaning chemicals can generate VOCs, ozone and other irritant gases. To effectively deal with these gases requires that you either remove the source, increase ventilation or remove the gas through the use of activated carbon or carbon impregnated with a chemical which targets a specific contaminant. Since in many cases it is not feasible to eliminate the source of the contamination or provide additional ventilation, the buildings HVAC system along with the use of carbon can be an effective solution.
ûTwo Major Issues: • Cleaner Air = Good Health
• Good Health = Higher Productivity
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
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How many of you have heard the statement from the EPA, that people spend more than 90% of their time indoors? The EPA also told us something else about indoor air? (2-5 times more polluted). Obviously, this statement accentuates the importance of clean air but it also brings to light two important issues that we in the filter industry know we can impact - health and productivity.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
Cleanroom 1 per liter
Arctic 10,000 per liter
Ocean 100,000 per liter
Rural 1 Million per liter
City 100 Million per liter
Highway 1 Billion per liter
Tobacco Smoke 100 Billion per liter
Numbers of Particles
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It is estimated that the average person breathes in about 15,000 liters of air per day. In this air are well over a billion particles that our bodies process in one way or another. When we look at overall levels of particulates, we find our modern culture produces many new contaminants in the outdoor air that find their way to the indoor environment. 0.3
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
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This might give you a better feel for what 15,000 liters looks like. Now imagine that that we are breathing in the majority of these 15,000 liters while indoors where the air is less healthy.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
MERV 13 83%
MERV 8 58%
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It’s likely that someone in the room has coughed or sneezed, maybe even multiple times. The culprit might even be sitting right next to you. This slide may motivate you to move to another seat or leave the room altogether. Talking, coughing or sneezing generates huge numbers of droplet nuclei as the graphs show. What we know about the transmission of the cold and flu has changed. It’s not via touch but via airborne droplet nuclei. The good news – with MERV 13 filtration we can effectively remove or reduce these contaminants. See MERV 13 Vs MERV 8. What’s the significance? Over 3 billion man hours are lost annually due to colds and flu. 1-2.5 microns (PM2.5)
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In commercial buildings it is not uncommon to have a host of sick people that can in turn spread infection. Larger droplets fall quickly out of the airstream within 3-5 feet, however, smaller droplet nuclei can travel longer distances. And they can be inhaled by healthy individuals.
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HVAC systems can serve as a transport mechanism to enhance the spread of microorganisms throughout a facility. This is why it is necessary to use good air filtration to remove as many of these as possible on the first pass.
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One of our goals must be the capture of microorganisms using the HVAC equipment and air filtration. This is an excellent way to make the air in a building cleaner and healthier for its occupants.
Productivity and Clean Air
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
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When you consider the sick time lost due to influenza and colds, it’s easy to understand how cleaning the air helps business productivity by removing these contaminants and lowering healthcare costs. One ventilation study completed at the Polaroid Corporation by Kumar and Fisk, and published in the July 2002 ASHRAE Journal, showed that lower ventilated areas resulted in a 130% greater rate of total sick leave as compared with higher ventilation rate areas.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3 * ASHRAE Research Project RP-1257
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Pawel Wargocki, PhD, whose research has contributed significantly to the development of indoor air sciences, wrote a paper titled “Improving Indoor Air Quality Improves the Performance of Office Work and School Work and Provides Economic Benefits. In the case of his research, “Perception Is Reality” He found that a perceived decline in air quality by office workers impacted their productivity and performance to a high degree of correlation Almost linear.
û Improving indoor air quality improves the performance of office work by adults and schoolwork by children.
ûPoor air quality may cause changes in the breathing pattern (shallow breathing) or a slower work rate. An alteration of the breathing pattern may induce further
physiological effects in humans, including symptoms similar to SBS. Copyright National Air Filtration
Association 2012 Rev. 3
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Dr. Wargocki’s other findings of interest. First – Based on laboratory and field experiments, he found that improving indoor air quality also improves the performance of office work by adults and schoolwork by children. Second – Poor air quality can change a person’s breathing pattern – they begin to breath more shallow or at a slower rate (Limbic system response).
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Limbic System
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The Limbic System Complex set of structures in the brain. Largely responsible for how we interpret, store and react to sensory input (especially our sense of smell). It monitors both our internal and external environment and decides if it is safe or unsafe and then sends out messages to the rest of the body instructing it to react in a way it believes to be appropriate. The brain’s “anxiety switch” – regulates things like pulse, blood pressure and breathing (a response Dr. Wargocki saw in his research).
ûResults constitute a powerful argument and strong incentive for providing indoor air of a better quality than the minimum levels required by present standards.
û Indoor air quality should be improved while decreasing energy.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
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Dr. Wargocki’s research makes a strong argument for improving air quality beyond the levels required by existing standards. Because it has a positive impact on human performance and as a result, significant economic benefits. He also found the need to leverage new energy efficient technologies in order to continue improving IAQ while decreasing energy usage.
Heating and Cooling $2.00 / sq foot
Other $11.00 / sq foot
Wages and Salary $20.00 / sq foot
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
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Let’s talk about evaluating costs for a minute. When calculating the cost/benefit ratio for buildings, we encourage you to look at overall cost and life cycle benefits when “performance contracting” to costs. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. For example, a 10% “savings” in building HVAC costs could result in a 10% reduction in employee productivity. It cost you $2.00 to save $0.20.
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Does the result of this approach make sense? What if instead the building owner leveraged improved air filtration and improved IAQ to increase occupant productivity? This could result in a $2.00 savings because of increase productivity.
û Increase building air filtration efficiencies to the
maximum the system will allow =>MERV 13 (Contact a NAFA Certified Air Filter Specialist)
û Utilize molecular filtration where appropriate to remove gaseous contaminants
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
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With the newer technologies in air filter media and design, higher MERV filters are now available with the same or lower pressure drop specifications as you may have in your building. Being able to upgrade to a MERV 11 or better may simply be a matter of changing filters.
All HVAC Systems Are Concerned With Quantity, NOT Quality.
Ole Fanger, Denmark
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev. 3
If a building occupant believes that management is acting expeditiously and intelligently to resolve serious air quality problems, then the likelihood of litigation will be greatly reduced.
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HVAC systems rarely if ever monitor the quality of the air in a building. That is why all buildings should have a periodic check and baseline testing by knowledgeable technicians to assure the building is operating at optimal levels and is not contributing to occupant health and productivity problems.
ûUnderstand the implications of poor building IAQ: • Increased Health Costs • Increased Absenteeism • Productivity Loss • Realize All the Costs
ûProvide Best Possible Air Filtration: • MERV 13 or greater for contaminant removal • Molecular filtration for gas-phase contaminants
Copyright National Air Filtration Association 2012 Rev 3
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In summary, poor indoor air can lead to increased health costs and productivity losses. Upgrading the air filter to MERV 11 or greater will provide positive benefits with cleaner air.
