Indoor Air Quality
Indoor Air Quality
Sara Hamidovic, MS, PE, CHMM – President/CEO; Rene Lloyd, MS, MPA – Environmental Scientist
On top of all of your good housekeeping and best management practices at your automotive recycling facility, do you have adequate protocols for monitoring indoor air quality? This month we wanted to shift our focus to five sources of indoor air quality issues that recyclers should understand—for both your business and personal properties. Mold, lead, asbestos, vapor intrusion, and radon can all cause health problems for occupants of buildings. They can also cause damage or degrade the value of a building if left unmitigated. To get a handle on each one of these indoor air pollutants, you will need to know what it is, where it is commonly found, what the effects of exposure are, and how to resolve each issue. Finally, you’ll need to consult trained professionals to identify indoor air concerns, and perform remediation of any identified issues.
Mold: Molds are organisms that require moisture, oxygen, and an organic substance for growth. Mold growth can cause damage to building components, as the spores digest whatever organic material they land on. Mold growth indoors can also cause health effects for occupants of the building or anyone conducting demolition or remediation, as the airborne spores may be inhaled or ingested. There are over 100,000 different types of mold, and some cause allergic reactions or release toxins. A mold inspection with confirmatory sampling can help you understand whether the mold spores are airborne, and whether the identified spores have allergenic or pathogenic potential. The best way to prevent mold growth is to control the moisture in your building. Fix plumbing leaks, ensure there is adequate ventilation, monitor and maintain humidity at acceptable levels (less than 50%) throughout the year, and ensure there is adequate drainage away from the foundation. If mold is already a problem, an abatement contractor will remediate or remove the affected materials, following United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guidelines. An environmental professional should conduct sampling before and after mold abatement or remediation work is done, to ensure that mold growth has been removed and that harmful spores are not detected in indoor air following abatement. There aren’t regulatory criteria for mold, but measuring the before-and-after levels of mold spores will give you confirmation that the abatement was effective.
Lead: Lead is a naturally-occurring metal that was used in paints and many other products up until the 1970s. When lead-based paint (LBP) deteriorates and chips, or when it is disturbed by industrial or renovation activities, it can release dust into the air. Lead dust, when inhaled, quickly enters the bloodstream through the lungs and is stored in the body somewhat indefinitely, where it can harm the neurological and reproductive systems. It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure workers aren’t exposed to levels of lead in the air that exceed Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) standards. Before starting any demolition or renovation on a building, it is important to get a LBP inspection by a licensed professional to understand where LBP hazards are, and whether they will be disturbed by planned activities. The inspector will indicate whether abatement or stabilization is recommended during the planned activities, and whether additional regulations may apply. A licensed abatement contractor will be able to reduce or eliminate exposure to LBP hazards identified in your building, thus reducing your liability and the potential for harm to your employees.
Asbestos: Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that was mined and used for centuries due to its strength, durability, and fire-resistant properties. Buildings constructed in or before the 1980s could have asbestos ceiling or floor tile and mastic, asbestos siding or roofing, asbestos fireproofing, asbestos-contaminated or asbestos-based insulation, industrial pipe wrap or gaskets made of asbestos, and a number of other building components that may have asbestos. When an asbestos-containing material (ACM) is disturbed, it releases asbestos fibers into the air that, when inhaled, become lodged in lung tissue, causing scarring and preventing oxygen exchange. Asbestos exposure is directly linked to chronic (asbestosis) and fatal (mesothelioma and lung cancer) diseases. It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure your workers are not exposed to asbestos at levels in excess of the applicable OSHA standards. Prior to demolishing or renovating a building, it is important to get an asbestos inspection by a certified professional to know how the work should proceed. There are also requirements for how ACM should be disposed, and when you should notify your state regulatory agencies about demolition. Understanding all of the regulations before proceeding with a project that could involve disturbing ACM is critical to ensure the safety of workers and reduce your liability and future costs.
Vapor Intrusion: Vapor Intrusion refers to the intrusion of chemicals from contaminated soil or water into a building. It becomes an issue when soil or groundwater beneath a building is contaminated with volatile or semi-volatile organic chemicals or petroleum products, the vapors from which make their way through the building foundation and accumulate in indoor air. Plumes of contaminants from petroleum spills, dry-cleaning chemicals, and pesticides, for example, can cause vapor intrusion and put occupants of the affected building at risk for many years. Petroleum or methane vapor intrusion can pose a safety threat since these chemicals are explosive. Other chemicals may cause eye irritation, headaches, or nausea. Long term exposure to chemical vapors in indoor air can cause more serious chronic diseases. To assess whether vapor intrusion is affecting your building, environmental professionals will investigate the history of the site and may conduct both indoor air and sub-slab soil gas sampling for analysis of the suspected chemicals of concern. USEPA and states have developed screening levels for indoor air exposure to most chemicals that have the potential to cause indoor air issues. An indoor air issue may be resolved by removing the source of contamination in soil or groundwater underneath the building. If removal of the contaminant plume is not possible, then a vapor mitigation system tailored to the building and the chemical of concern should be installed. Post-mitigation sampling is crucial to make sure the mitigation system or remediation project effectively reduced or eliminated the vapor intrusion issue.
Radon: Radon is an odorless, tasteless, inert gas that is commonly occurring in soils throughout the United States. Radon enters buildings through openings, cracks, or holes in a foundation, and builds up over time. Radon is a by-product of the decay of uranium. As radon decays, it releases alpha particles. Radon decay products (RDPs) also release alpha particles. Exposure to elevated levels of radon and RDPs increases the likelihood of a person developing lung cancer due to the effects of the alpha particles in the lungs. The USEPA recommends mitigating a building if the levels of radon are at or above 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). Long term exposure to levels of radon below 4 pCi/L have also been shown to increase the risk of lung cancer—no level of radon is safe. A radon test conducted by a certified and licensed professional can provide you with meaningful data to decide whether to mitigate your building. Radon tests can be tailored to fit your needs, depending on the heating and ventilation system in the building, the occupancy rate, and the national standard for radon testing in the specific type of building. Mitigation systems are generally designed to extract radon gas from the soil and gravel beneath the building foundation and exhaust it to the outdoors. Radon mitigation systems should always be installed by licensed professionals, due to the variable and complex nature of radon. A confirmatory radon test should always be conducted following installation of a mitigation system, and re-testing is recommended by the USEPA every two years or whenever occupancy status, structural, or operational changes occur in a building.
Investigating and Resolving Indoor Air Issues: Hiring a licensed and experienced environmental professional to conduct inspections or monitoring for indoor air pollutants will allow you to identify the nature and extent of the issue with reliable data. If remediation is necessary, the environmental professional will be able to provide an informed referral to a trusted remediation company, and provide confirmatory sampling or inspection following remediation to ensure the hazard is mitigated. Being aware of potential indoor air problems and seeking professional guidance is the first step to making sure your buildings remain safe and valuable assets to your business, which can improve your property value and keep your workers healthy. Consider developing a simple indoor air quality plan as part of your operations that identifies potential issues at your facility and provides a clear action plan for employees who may notice a potential indoor air issue. You may not want to test for everything at the same time, but keep in mind that having detailed data and reports on potential hazards in your building will help you comply with any requirements that may arise when you want to renovate, demolish, sell, refinance, or change operations in your buildings. As always, if you have any questions or would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact VET at (812) 822-0400.
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