iaq: New guidance for achieving enhanced IAQ now available from ASHRAE - 01/16/10 01:18 AM
New guidance for achieving enhanced IAQ is available from five leading building industry associations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning is collaboration between ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects, the Building Owners and Managers Association International, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors of North America and the U.S. Green Building Council.
The book describes 40 strategies for achieving critical IAQ objectives related to moisture management, ventilation, filtration and air cleaning and source control. It also highlights how design and construction teams can work together … (0 comments)

iaq: Formaldehyde Council recommends testing homes for formaldehyde - 08/25/09 02:50 AM
The Formaldehyde Council, Inc. (FCI) engaged an industrial hygienist to explain formaldehyde testing methods. Larry Newton, CIH, CSP, has performed over 400 indoor air quality investigations. Newton expressed concern that some modern homes do not bring in adequate fresh air. He agreed with our statement, "lack of fresh air allows chemical contaminants to concentrate inside the home". Newton explained how he tested homes for formaldehyde in the 1980s. When I began indoor investigations, I used a CEA 555 continuous environmental analyzer (CEA) based on the wet chemistry of pararosaniline. This chemistry is highly specific and sensitive (< 100 ppb) to formaldehyde...The … (0 comments)

iaq: Indoor Air Quality from the EPA - 08/21/09 07:11 AM
Factors that Contribute to Indoor Air Quality as defined by the EPA
Indoor air quality is not a simple, easily defined concept like a desk or a leaky faucet. It is a constantly changing interaction of complex factors that affect the types, levels, and importance of pollutants in indoor environments. These factors include: sources of pollutants or odors; design, maintenance and operation of building ventilation systems; moisture and humidity; and occupant perceptions and susceptibilities. In addition, there are many other factors that affect comfort or perception of indoor air quality.
Controlling indoor air quality involves integrating three main strategies. First, manage … (0 comments)

iaq: Remodeling and Indoor Air Quality - 08/21/09 06:55 AM
You may not have realized that your remodeling project may be creating unhealthy indoor environment.  These 8 questions will help you understand the possible concerns of a remodeling and your indoor air quality. 
Q 1: What remodeling hazards should I be concerned about? A: Asbestos, formaldehyde and other organic solvents, and leaded paint dust are the main ones. These hazardous materials can be released into the air when you remove paint, hang cabinets or disturb other existing products that contain these materials. Paints, stripping and finishing products, and adhesives can also create indoor air pollution. 
Q 2: By remodeling with products that … (1 comments)

iaq: Houseplants and Indoor Air Quality, Fact of Fiction? - 08/21/09 06:45 AM
I should start by saying that I really do love a houseplant and there was a time when my home resembled a jungle.  I also noticed that it was increasingly difficult to maintain so many houseplants properly.  As time went on the number of houseplants was reduced slowly but surely as attrition took over and the little air scrubbers past away from lack of care.  I don't recall the air quality as being better or worse to be honest but I do know that if I knew then what I know now I would have helped with the attrition.  I will get … (0 comments)

iaq: What’s in the air you breathe at home? - 07/14/09 07:21 AM
What’s in the air you breathe at home?  (part 2 of a 2 part blog)
By John P. Lapotaire, CIEC, MicroShield Environmental Services

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a hot topic in today's sluggish real estate market.  We find ourselves opening the door to a whole new set of challenges each time we view a home that may have been sitting for awhile.  Questions race through our minds as we turn the key: "Will this home have that healthy home smell? Will it have a musty stale smell? Did they have pets or smoke?" And finally: "What will I have … (0 comments)

iaq: What’s in the air you breathe at home? - 07/14/09 07:14 AM
What's in the air you breathe at home?  (part 1 of a 2 part blog)
By John P. Lapotaire, CIEC, MicroShield Environmental Services
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a hot topic in today's sluggish real estate market.  We find ourselves opening the door to a whole new set of challenges each time we view a home that may have been sitting for awhile.  Questions race through our minds as we turn the key: "Will this home have that healthy home smell? Will it have a musty stale smell? Did they have pets or smoke?" And finally: "What will I have to … (0 comments)

iaq: Do you have good Indoor Air Quality? - 07/14/09 07:05 AM
Indoor Air Quality
Good indoor air quality enhances resident health and comfort and should be an essential goal for any home or building. A high quality indoor environment requires careful design, construction, and choice of materials.  Indoor air quality requires design that incorporates adequate air exchanges, well designed ventilation and avoidance of mold through moisture control, all of which complement a strategy that achieves energy efficiency and building durability.
The most effective way to reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants is to keep residents away from sources of pollution.  Ventilation design provides for adequate exchanges of fresh air. A well-designed building … (0 comments)

iaq: Are you working in a Healthy Indoor Air Quality Environment? - 07/14/09 06:54 AM
MicroShield IAQ For Buildings and Property Managers
MicroShield Environmental Services specializes in providing Indoor Air Qulity solutions that work. We take into consideration the whole picture, and then provide you as the property owner, options that greatly improve the air quality in your property.
According to the World Health Organization, 30% of buildings experience some form of sick building syndrome. Problems involving mold, mildew, fungi, and bacteria, stale air, poor ventilation, odors, and microbes are commonplace.
For these problems, MicroShield has the solution: a proactive, IAQ and HVAC Management Program.
Many commercial and industrial facilities are faced with the problem of Poor … (0 comments)

iaq: Is Canada ahead of us in IAQ Indoor Air Quality? YES! - 02/27/08 12:53 AM
Its time we caught up and took responsibility for our Indoor Environment.  Canada has already established guidlines for Indoor Air Quality that are making a huge differance.
In British Columbia, the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) adopted a landmark indoor air quality regulation in 1998. This provides the WCB with enforcement authority over the workplace, in addition to health issues. Recent changes to WCB enabling legislation in BC have extended the responsibility for compliance with the WCB regulation from employers to building owners and their agents, including building operators and property managers.
The WCB Regulation:
•·         Establishes ventilation rates, temperature and humidity requirements.
•·         Requires … (0 comments)

iaq: Are you working in a good Indoor Air Quality Environment? - 02/27/08 12:47 AM
MicroShield IAQ For Buildings and Property Managers
MicroShield Environmental Services specializes in providing Indoor Air Qulity solutions that work. We take into consideration the whole picture, and then provide you as the property owner, options that greatly improve the air quality in your property.
According to the World Health Organization, 30% of buildings experience some form of sick building syndrome. Problems involving mold, mildew, fungi, and bacteria, stale air, poor ventilation, odors, and microbes are commonplace.
For these problems, MicroShield has the solution: a proactive, IAQ and HVAC Management Program.
Many commercial and industrial facilities are faced with the problem of Poor Indoor Air Quality, Sick … (0 comments)

iaq: Do you have good Indoor Air Quality? - 02/26/08 11:38 PM
Indoor Air Quality
Good indoor air quality enhances resident health and comfort and should be an essential goal for any home or building. A high quality indoor environment requires careful design, construction, and choice of materials.  Indoor air quality requires design that incorporates adequate air exchanges, well designed ventilation and avoidance of mold through moisture control, all of which complement a strategy that achieves energy efficiency and building durability.
The most effective way to reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants is to keep residents away from sources of pollution.  Ventilation design provides for adequate exchanges of fresh air. A well-designed building envelope … (0 comments)

iaq: MicroShield IAQ Healthy Home - 02/26/08 11:24 PM
(IAQ) deals with the content of interior air that could affect health and comfort of building occupants. The IAQ may be compromised of microbial contaminants (mold, bacteria), chemicals (such as carbon monoxide, radon), allergens, or any mass or energy stressors that can induce negative health effects. Recent findings have demonstrated that indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air (albeit with different pollutants) although this has not changed the common understanding of air pollution. In fact, indoor air is often a greater health hazard than the corresponding outdoor setting. Using ventilation to dilute contaminants, filtration, and source control are the … (0 comments)

iaq: Is Your Home A Healthy Home? - 02/26/08 10:56 PM
Today's' tightly sealed and energy efficient homes save money and are better for the environment. but most are not properly equipped to filter and purify the constantly recirculated air. Even "leaky" older homes can accumulate high concentrations of pollutants, as well as exhibit other indoor air quality problems such as dampness, stuffiness, fumes or dryness. When trapped and recirculated within the home, airborne pollutants accumulate through time.
The good news is, you can take control. Find out if your home's air is polluted with a simple, easy third-party diagnostic test called the IAQ Healthy Home Indoor Air Analysis. You'll get a full … (3 comments)

iaq: Having a Home Built? Make Sure It's Protected From Mold. - 01/17/08 06:06 AM
MicroShield Environmental Services a Central Florida based company has its own unique approach to providing homebuilders the mold protection they need.   They have established them selves as a complete mold prevention company.
MicroShield ES begins their program with written field inspection reports from trained technicians then pretreat the completed structure prior to insulation and drywall.    MicroShield ES uses a 2 Step System to Clean, Disinfect, and Protect the Home. Both steps are safe, approved, and non-corrosive.
The 1st Step Destroys Microorganisms on contact, Safely Cleaning and Disinfecting the Home. The 2nd Step is a permeable Encapsulant that prevents airborne microorganisms from regenerating when … (0 comments)

iaq: Choosing a Home Builder - 01/17/08 05:21 AM
When choosing a builder make sure it's a builder that provides you with MicroShield Mold Protection Program and Mold Pretreatment. You can find out more information about MicroShield Environmental Services at www.microshield-es.com.
A growing concern about frame stage mold among Florida's homebuilders has spawned a new mold pretreatment industry.Standing head and shoulders above the other mold pretreatment companies is MicroShield Environmental Services a Winter Springs based company that has its own unique approach to providing homebuilders the mold protection they need.MicroShield ES, as they are commonly known, provides mold pretreatment services, well written protocol for both builder and buyer, written field … (0 comments)

iaq: Can Humidity Affect Your Indoor Air Quality IAQ - 01/17/08 05:09 AM
Air conditioning is "The process of regulating the quality, temperature, humidity, and circulation of air in a space enclosure." These are the criteria for basic comfort management for the occupants within the modern office environment. The designer, building owner, or management company who disregards this is opening the doors to litigation which will be much more costly than any savings assumed to be created by not maintaining proper indoor comfort conditions.
The premise behind the concerns for IAQ are the comfort and well-being of the occupants within the workplace. The modern workforce has changed, with increased numbers of highly skilled and talented … (0 comments)

iaq: Can Remodeling affect your IAQ? - 01/17/08 05:03 AM
You may not have realized that your remodeling project may be creating unhealthy household air.
Some of the remodeling hazards you should be concerned about are asbestos, formaldehyde and other organic solvents, and leaded paint dust are the main ones. These hazardous materials can be released into the air when you remove paint, hang cabinets or disturb other existing products that contain these materials. Paints, stripping and finishing products, and adhesives can also create indoor air pollution. 
Remodeling with products that don't include these hazardous materials, won't eliminate all of your exposure. Lead and asbestos were commonly used in home building until … (0 comments)

iaq: MicroShield IAQ information from the EPA - 01/17/08 02:47 AM
Indoor Air Pollution and Health
Health effects from indoor air pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or, possibly, years later.
Immediate effects
Immediate effects may show up after a single exposure or repeated exposures. These include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Such immediate effects are usually short-term and treatable. Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating the person's exposure to the source of the pollution, if it can be identified. Symptoms of some diseases, including asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and humidifier fever, may also show up soon after exposure to some indoor air pollutants.
The likelihood of immediate reactions to … (0 comments)

iaq: Are you leaving structural materials Naked? & Unprotected? - 01/17/08 01:51 AM
Although mold grows anywhere conditions are conducive, your home's structure is particularly vulnerable during the frame stage of construction.Stop mold growth before it spreads by applying the MicroShield 2 Step Anti-Microbial Pre-Treatment to your home's completed structure prior to drywall.
MicroShield ES uses a 2 Step System to Clean, Disinfect, and Protect the Home. Both steps are safe, approved, and non-corrosive.The 1st Step Destroys Microorganisms upon contact, Safely Cleaning and Disinfecting the Home. The 2nd Step Encapsulates the Structure and prevents airborne microorganisms from regenerating while providing the Builder and Homebuyer a "Lifetime Warranty." 
MicroShield ES has been laboratory tested and proven … (0 comments)