Curious on stories when IAQ testing for LEED or WELL didn't come back with "all clear, everything's good" results we all hope for.
I have a project right now where we are tracking down suspicious sources and look forward to telling the full story when it's done being written.
Thought maybe this would be a good safe space to talk about lessons learned when it comes to IAQ and get out ahead of the conversation.
Example 1: Gas ranges in kitchens. In addition to electrification of kitchens from a carbon and resource-perspective, comparing electric ignition even (let alone full electric) becomes a really easy sell when you look at it from an IAQ standpoint. Formaldehyde, PM, Carbon Monoxide... we recognize these are byproducts of combustion but willingly still invite them into our buildings and homes for some reason.
Example 2: Electronics. Remember also how WELLv1 had those requirements for Toxic Material Reduction? I know Red List covers lots of things, but what happens on "regular" (non LBC) projects where AV / IT is bid out seperately from the scope of architectural work and what we can influence? Do we end up with Liquid crystal display screens as a source for indoor volatile organic compounds...? What about the heavy metals we know are lurking in many electronic devices?
As we move towards more continuous monitoring, that can't be temporarily tricked into passing on a given day, I feel we're going to end up with lots more questions than we can immediately answer when it comes to our indoor air chemistry.
- The gardner who let the IAQ tester in the building had a rag in her pocket she had used to wipe the gasoline off the mowers. All she did was open the door prior to testing but it blew the whole test and showed fumes/particulates.
- Someone left a packet of wet wipes (for COVID cleaning) in a conference room. That showed up on the test and went over the allowed minimums.
- During an IAQ test, there was some minor work happening on the stairs that included some sealant. That showed up on the test and skewed all the results.
- Prior to a test in an office, a non-HEPA vaccum had been used. It left too many particulates and threw off the PM2.5 numbers. Changing to a HEPA vaccum for regular janitorial worked for a successful retest.
Even small items and even LBC-level removal of formaldehyde and compliance with CDPH can cause the IAQ test results to fail. Chris Hellstern The Miller Hull Partnership