Fw: [MCSAfeeds] New regulations needed to ensure safe indoor air

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New regulations needed to ensure safe indoor air

http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/healthandmoney/20101204_new_regulations\

_needed_to_ensure_safe_indoor_air.html#

By Ira Zunin

1976, at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, a particularly deadly

strain of bacteria caused the tragic deaths of 29 participating veterans. It

was later discovered that the bacteria, now named Legionella Pneumophila, had

spread via the ducts in the hotel's air-conditioning system.

Fortunately, this was a rare and isolated case of sick building syndrome (SBS).

However, SBS in its many milder forms is more common than most people realize

and can result in reduced productivity and increased health care costs,

estimated to be has high as $200 billion per year. To establish and enforce

truly adequate safety standards would place an enormous economic strain on

developers, building owners and government at every level. It is troubling to

think that the prospect of eliminating health problems from indoor air might be

too expensive to bear.

Older buildings are often the source of the problem. Patients frequently come

to the clinic seeking relief from allergy symptoms including sneezing, itchy,

burning eyes and runny nose; a cough that comes from postnasal drip; rashes;

and even asthma. Much of the time, symptoms are not related to vog or exposure

to plant life. In fact, a frequent complaint is, " I am fine when I am outside.

It is when I go indoors that the sneezing starts. " When testing my patients for

allergies, I find that the most common reactions are to mold and dust mite

feces, routinely found in older buildings.

New buildings can have their own problems. Building materials such as carpet,

wallboard and adhesives tend to emit toxic chemicals, especially when they are

newly installed, through a process called outgassing. If the building you are

in doesn't have sufficient ventilation, these toxins remain in the air until

they reach levels that can lead to illness. Again, symptoms vary, ranging from

burning, watering eyes and nose to dizziness, depressed mood, inability to

concentrate or worse.

So what's the answer? Well, in Sweden they strongly encourage new buildings to

remain vacant for up to six months to allow the toxin levels to taper off. For

economic reasons that solution is unlikely to fly in this country. Fortunately,

however, the advance of " green " building technology has led to the creation of

hundreds of new building products that don't emit volatile organic compounds

and other noxious substances associated with SBS.

A " best-practices " certification program called LEED (Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design) recommends the use of these products wherever possible,

as well as retrofitting older buildings during regular maintenance. Other best

practices include new building designs that minimize the accumulation of

moisture to prevent mold and enough ventilation so the incoming fresh air can

reduce the ambient concentration of toxins in the air. Recommendations also

include minimizing the use of carpets and, if possible, removal of old carpets

that might harbor mold and mite feces.

In a perfect world, regulations would be in place to ensure that all new

buildings and building maintenance schedules will serve the health of human

occupants over the long run. For now, if you start sniffling and sneezing when

you go indoors, or experience other troublesome symptoms, you might need to

treat not just yourself, but also the building you are in. Remember, buildings

can be sick, too.

Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama

Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global

Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@....

In 1976, at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, a particularly

deadly strain of bacteria caused the tragic deaths of 29 participating

veterans. It was later discovered that the bacteria, now named Legionella

Pneumophila, had spread via the ducts in the hotel's air-conditioning system.

Fortunately, this was a rare and isolated case of sick building syndrome (SBS).

However, SBS in its many milder forms is more common than most people realize

and can result in reduced productivity and increased health care costs,

estimated to be has high as $200 billion per year. To establish and enforce

truly adequate safety standards would place an enormous economic strain on

developers, building owners and government at every level. It is troubling to

think that the prospect of eliminating health problems from indoor air might be

too expensive to bear.

Older buildings are often the source of the problem. Patients frequently come

to the clinic seeking relief from allergy symptoms including sneezing, itchy,

burning eyes and runny nose; a cough that comes from postnasal drip; rashes;

and even asthma. Much of the time, symptoms are not related to vog or exposure

to plant life. In fact, a frequent complaint is, " I am fine when I am outside.

It is when I go indoors that the sneezing starts. " When testing my patients for

allergies, I find that the most common reactions are to mold and dust mite

feces, routinely found in older buildings.

New buildings can have their own problems. Building materials such as carpet,

wallboard and adhesives tend to emit toxic chemicals, especially when they are

newly installed, through a process called outgassing. If the building you are

in doesn't have sufficient ventilation, these toxins remain in the air until

they reach levels that can lead to illness. Again, symptoms vary, ranging from

burning, watering eyes and nose to dizziness, depressed mood, inability to

concentrate or worse.

So what's the answer? Well, in Sweden they strongly encourage new buildings to

remain vacant for up to six months to allow the toxin levels to taper off. For

economic reasons that solution is unlikely to fly in this country. Fortunately,

however, the advance of " green " building technology has led to the creation of

hundreds of new building products that don't emit volatile organic compounds

and other noxious substances associated with SBS.

A " best-practices " certification program called LEED (Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design) recommends the use of these products wherever possible,

as well as retrofitting older buildings during regular maintenance. Other best

practices include new building designs that minimize the accumulation of

moisture to prevent mold and enough ventilation so the incoming fresh air can

reduce the ambient concentration of toxins in the air. Recommendations also

include minimizing the use of carpets and, if possible, removal of old carpets

that might harbor mold and mite feces.

In a perfect world, regulations would be in place to ensure that all new

buildings and building maintenance schedules will serve the health of human

occupants over the long run. For now, if you start sniffling and sneezing when

you go indoors, or experience other troublesome symptoms, you might need to

treat not just yourself, but also the building you are in. Remember, buildings

can be sick, too.

Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama

Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global

Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@....