RE: IAQ legislation ALA CA campaign AB 3018

[Guest guest]

AB3018 has already hit the floor of the assembly and failed but CARB is

moving on to do what it can do in its existing mandate. I'll post later this

week on their formaldehyde efforts.

Tom

____________________________

Tom Lent

Healthy Building Network

2464 West St, Berkeley CA 94702

tlent@...

www.healthybuilding.net

Support AB 3018 (Lieber)

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to express support for Assembly Bill 3018 (Lieber) that

would require the Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop a program

for the prevention and control of indoor air pollution. Indoor air

pollutants are increasingly being recognized as a serious health

concern that affects everyone, but especially children and other

sensitive individuals. AB 3018 would, for the first time, require

the state to address the public health problems created by indoor

air pollution beginning with the highest priority health concerns.

I am especially concerned about the effects of indoor air pollution

on children because they are uniquely vulnerable to the harmful

effects. Children are particularly vulnerable because their lungs

and bodies are still developing, and because they breathe more air

per pound of body weight than adults. Children have high rates of

asthma in California, and indoor pollutants can exacerbate asthma

and worsen asthma attacks. The development of children's lungs can

also be affected by elevated levels of pollution, including some

pollutants commonly released indoors.

For these reasons, I urge you to support AB 3018 (Lieber) when it

comes before you for consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

Background Information

Summary of AB 3018

AB 3018 would require the Air Resources Board (ARB), in consultation

with the Department of Health Services, to develop and establish a

program for the prevention and control of indoor air pollution. The

ARB would first address those contaminants that pose the greatest

threat to human health.

Existing Law

In a July 2005 report to the Legislature , the ARB found that " ?

there is no systematic program to improve indoor air quality, there

are relatively few regulations or standards to specifically address

indoor air quality problems, and few resources focused on

effectively addressing problems and promoting improvements. Current

efforts to address indoor pollution are not commensurate with the

scope of the risk to health it poses to Californians. "

Some state agencies have established standards or voluntary

guidelines to address some aspects of indoor environments. For

example:

ARB: consumer products regulation of volatile organic compounds

(Health & Safety Code section 41712) and indoor air quality

guidelines (voluntary) for formaldehyde, combustion pollutants, and

chlorinated hydrocarbons;

Cal/OSHA: workplace standards for chemical exposures and ventilation

(Labor Code section 144.6);

California Energy Commission: minimum ventilation standards for new

non-residential buildings (CCR, Title 24);

Department of Health Services: mold standards--though none have been

adopted (Health & Safety Code section 26100) and other voluntary

guidelines (Health & Safety Code section 105400 et seq.)

Background

Assembly Bill 1173 (Keeley, Chapter 987, Statutes of 2002) required

the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to prepare a report on the

best scientific information available on indoor air pollutants and

their sources, the potential adverse health impacts of these

pollutants and economic costs, and options for mitigating these

impacts in schools, non-industrial workplaces, homes, and other

indoor locations. Some of the report's key findings include:

There are many sources of indoor air pollutants (e.g., volatile

organic compounds, chemicals, endocrine disrupters, particulate

matter, tobacco smoke, bacteria, fungi), concentrations of which

sometimes exceed outdoor levels and health-based standards or

guidelines for outdoor pollutants;

Researchers have documented that pollutants emitted indoors have a

1000-fold greater chance of being inhaled than do those emitted

outdoors;

Indoor air pollutants can cause significant health problems and are

associated with high medical, productivity, and other economic

costs. Approximately 230 excess cancer cases are estimated to occur

annually in California due to exposures to certain indoor toxic air

contaminants. This is comparable to the estimated cancer burden (260

excess cases/yr.) from outdoor diesel exhaust particles;

At times, indoor concentrations of many pollutants sometimes exceed

health-based guidelines or standards. Some pollutants, like

formaldehyde, nearly always exceed acceptable cancer risk levels.

Studies conducted by the ARB and U.S. EPA have also shown that

indoor levels of VOCs and other pollutants are often higher than

outdoor levels;

Children may be especially vulnerable to poor indoor air quality due

to their undeveloped physiology and immune systems; they also inhale

more air relative to their body size and tend to be more active;

The total annual cost of quantifiable morbidity and mortality

associated with indoor air pollution in California homes, schools,

and non-industrial workplaces is estimated at $45 billion and;

There is little or no governmental authority to address the problem

directly or on a comprehensive basis.

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