Task Force on Indoor Air Quality
October 9, 2001
Minutes
Members Present: Dr. Clifford S. Mitchell-Chair, Patricia Christensen, Sharon Perera, Tom Kaiser, David McCormick, Steve Rhodes (sitting in for Edward Light), Ernestine Holley, Tameka Collins, Phillip King, Brian Dicken, Jon Koscher and Hung Cheung.
Ex-Officio Members Present: Ileana O’Brien, Jim Lewis, and Kim Mayer.
Staff Present: Sandy Crisafulli-Staff Coordinator.
INTRODUCTION OF MEMBERS:
Meeting began at 10:05 a.m. at which time Dr. Clifford Mitchell introduced himself as Chair and introduced Sandy Crisafulli as contact person for any questions, problems and working materials. Each member introduced themselves and provided a brief background and identified their area of responsibility within the Task Force. Several guests were present and identified themselves as well.
OPENING REMARKS:
Dr. Mitchell briefly went over his experience as it relates to the function of the Task Force. Dr. Mitchell noted his view that the guiding principle for the work groups to be “improving and protecting the health of people in buildings.”
NEW BUSINESS:
Review of Legislation & Issues Involved:
Legislation was enacted effective July 2001. The Task Force was set up to: Study the nature, location, and extent of health and environmental risks posed to workers as a result of molds, spores, and, other toxic organisms located in the HVAC systems of office buildings, including; (i) the relative risks associated with the manufacture, maintenance and repair of HVAC systems. (ii) The Task Force is also to make recommendations for the prevention of HVAC related illnesses, and the institution of appropriate remedies and controls. (iii) It is to put together a plan to provide educational information regarding indoor air quality, and advise what legislative or regulatory measures would be necessary and appropriate. Deadline for completion of work and reporting to the Governor is July 1, 2002. Dr. Mitchell explained the complexity of the issue of indoor air quality and expressed his desire to assemble a framework for people who manage indoor air from a policy point of view, from a mechanical point of view and a human habitation point of view.
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Dr. Mitchell sees his responsibility to help guide the discussions and recommendations with the primary tenet as the main framework. He further expressed that each member of the Task Force, representing the various fields of expertise, would join efforts to reach the concrete recommendations that have been requested.
Dr. Mitchell then requested and received input from other members and other fields of expertise. He asked for an overview of current state regulations, and how MOSH functions within those regulations. It was noted that there are no MOSH standards dealing specifically with indoor air quality, but that both OSHA and MOSH regulate various types of hazardous materials whether inside the buildings or other areas. Agencies look at the established levels of contamination, but can only take regulatory action when employee over-exposure has been shown. Mr. William Grabau, of MOSH gave a brief description of what actions they can take when exposure has been demonstrated, but also indicated that MOSH receives and investigates numerous non-specific complaints which make identification of a cause difficult if not impossible to remedy through regulatory action. Mr. Grabau touched on the manner in which these complaints are handled and added that 25-50 percent of complaint calls received is directly related to indoor air quality.
Mr. Jim Lewis, representing the Department of the Environment, stated that they have no indoor air quality program, as there are no indoor air quality regulations that exist currently. He explained that his agency does what it can by offering either their own advise where possible, and/or offering access to their list of consultants whose expertise relate to various types of indoor environmental complaints. Mr. Lewis stated that the main focus of the department was to keep the outside environment hazard free, so that the indoor environment will not be adversely effected.
Mr. Frank White, Maryland Department of the Environment, noted that in 1986-1987 when the Department of Environment was formed, they did have the capacity to work with individuals who had indoor air type complaints. Since the budget crisis of 1991, MDE no longer has the capacity to respond. However, it was noted that some local environment departments are engaged in responding to indoor air quality issues and that the Department of Education has been involved in indoor air quality issues.
Ms. Kim Mayer advised she would find out what activities, if any were ongoing within Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) having to do with indoor air quality. Ms. Ileana O’Brien noted that DHMH has worked with MOSH in the past when there have been concerns about Legionnaires disease. Further, DHMH had provided some very informative materials through a web-site concerning certain problems being experienced in buildings, such as mold contaminants.
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Ms. O’Brien addressed the role that HVAC regulations play in regards to indoor air quality. She stated that she believed the HVAC licensing board had just adopted the International Mechanical Code, which speaks to the installation of HVAC systems. She offered to bring the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s regulatory authority and any materials that would be helpful to the Task Force to a future meeting. She noted that one group not represented in the Task Force group was the building codes officials who are either local officials or at Housing and Community Development.
Ms. Christensen noted that the HVAC industry faces problems more often in building renovation rather than in new construction. A lot of the problems arise because renovations in part of a building affect the whole building. However the contractor is not made responsible to deal with problems created by the renovations in other parts of a building. In addition people themselves can affect the indoor quality by such things as suppressing the airflow in certain areas of the building, interfering with the original HVAC system design.
Mr. McCormick offered information on how the construction and engineering and subsequent changes to a building contribute to indoor air quality.
Dr. Mitchell mentioned some material included in the group’s binder, and noted that the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering (ASHRAE) sets standards for HVAC systems and their operations. ASHRAE is organized in committees that deal with the various aspects of HVAC systems. Dr. Mitchell stated that it would be helpful for the Task Force to see any available materials regarding current regulations, authorities and standards, from whatever sources. Briefly mentioned was the New York State Health Department guidance on indoor air quality issued after concerns about a highly toxic mold.
There was a brief discussion from the consumer aspect of how the regulatory framework and its response to indoor quality was perceived, and that there seemed to be a lack of available information and education in the area. In addition, observations were made as to personal responsibility and common sense being exercised to reduce indoor air quality problems. Other serious concerns were brought out regarding the effects of rodent and other infestations within buildings and the lack of control available.
Task Force members noted that there are going to be economic consequences associated with improving the indoor air quality situation. It is something that the Task Force will address in its recommendations, but the primary focus of the legislation is on the health issue. It was expressed that a lot of problems would not occur if proper preventive maintenance were observed; and that such preventive and routine maintenance measures could also be a consideration by the Task Force.
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How to Proceed:
Dr. Mitchell identified that the basic framework of the recommendations should include (1) background information pertaining to health; economic impact; and technical aspects; and (2) recommendations related to each of the background dimensions. Other items that might be addressed were also listed. The members were then asked to break up into working groups for the purpose of collecting information and drafting each portion of the background. A suggested schedule was made for the working groups. Working drafts from the working groups should be available in February 2002; first drafts of the background sections of the report should be ready by March 2002; preliminary draft by May 2002; and the final draft of the report ready for printing by June 2002.
Next meeting was scheduled for November 13, 2001 at 10:00 at the Laurel Executive Center.
Meeting was adjourned at approximately 12:15.
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Task Force on Indoor Air Quality
Working Groups as of October 9, 2001:
Health:Dr. Clifford Mitchell (Chair)
Ernestine Holley
Dr. Hung Cheung
Tameka Collins
Brian Dicken
Kim Mayer
Economics:Sharon Perera (Chair)
Philip King
Tom Kaiser
Patrick Kelly
Ileana O’Brien
Technical:David McCormick (Chair)
Patricia Christensen
Jon Koscher
Edward Light
Jim Lewis