Purchasing Choices And Proper Ventilation Contribute
To Improved IAQ
Furnishings that are low emitters of chemicals,
combined with proper ventilation procedures, help
to make the facility a healthier place.
By Anne Vazquez
Virtually
every facility manager, at one time or another, has
received a complaint about an unpleasant or strange
smell in the building. Or, perhaps an employee repeatedly
suffers from a headache when working in a specific
location. Addressing complaints about indoor air quality
(IAQ) is necessary for several reasons, not the least
of which are occupant comfort, health, and safety.
Numerous sources can be contributors to an uncomfortable
or unhealthy indoor environment. Fortunately, there
are also a number of ways good IAQ can be created,
improved upon, and regulated.
Significant portions of the U.S. Green Building Council
LEED for Existing Buildings (EB) and LEED for Commercial
Interiors (CI) focus on the Indoor Environmental Quality
of the building, which addresses IAQ as it pertains
to fostering a sustainable facility. In LEED-EB, for
instance, facility managers earn two points toward
LEED certification by optimizing the use of IAQ compliant
products. Products can include furniture, paints and
coatings, adhesives and sealants, carpet, and textiles
that might emit harmful chemicals, such as volatile
organic compounds (VOCs). These chemicals are known
to be eye and throat irritants, cause headaches, and
even contribute to liver and kidney damage when people
are exposed to very high levels over an extended period
of time.
The Greenguard Environmental Institute, located in
Atlanta, GA, is one of the certifying bodies referenced
in LEED rating systems. Greenguard has been certifying
low emitting interior products since it incorporated
as a non-profit organization in 2001. With more than
3,500 product categories certified under its testing
conditions (all of which are listed at www.greenguard.org),
Greenguard is a third-party organization that facility
managers can refer to when shopping for low emitting
products. For instance, in LEED-CI, the section for
low emitting materials (systems furniture and seating)
lists Greenguard certification as an option in procuring
furniture that meets LEED standards.
"Over the past two years, the categories in
which we have seen the biggest increase in requests
from manufacturers for certification are office furniture
and flooring," says Henning Bloech, communications
manager at Greenguard. "I think that's been mainly
driven by LEED. The LEED-CI rating system uses Greenguard
as a reference credit [for systems furniture and seating],
and that drove the market tremendously.
"Early on, we worked with a lot of insulation
products and building materials," continues Bloech.
"Those manufacturers joined the program early,
so there's not many left that don't have Greenguard
certification."
Often, certification at Greenguard has been a case
of follow the leader. Bloech notes, "Sometimes,
there is an issue in the industry where one manufacturer
gets certified and then others do it. In the case
of flooring, there was a European manufacturer who
decided to apply for Greenguard certification and
that stirred up the market."
Testing for Greenguard certification involves "worst
case scenario" room conditions. "We are
very conservative regarding the four parameters used
to determine emissions concentrations in a room,"
says Bloech. These four parameters are: emissions
factor; amount of air in the space; air exchange rate;
and how much of the product will occupy the space.
The air exchange rate-how much fresh air is introduced
into the space by building systems-is measured against
the minimum requirements outlined by the American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) in its Standard 62.1 (Ventilation
for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality). "We set the
parameters so the facility manager doesn't have to
make these calculations," explains Bloech. "They
can look at this 'worst case' and this conservative
estimate, and say it's safe to use in any application."
ASHRAE Standard 62.1 is referenced in both LEED-EB
and LEED-CI in the Indoor Environmental Quality sections.
Meeting the minimum outdoor ventilation rates prescribed
by the standard is a prerequisite in both these LEED
rating systems; achieving 30% above the minimum required
by ASHRAE 62.1 earns one point toward LEED-EB or LEED-CI.
A change to Standard 62.1, entitled Addendum 62n,
was approved in July 2003 and officially became part
of the Standard 62.1-2004, which went into effect
earlier this year. This modification contains revisions
to the calculation procedure for zone ventilation
airflow into a facility. Previously, zone ventilation
rates had been prescribed by cfm/person (cubic feet
per minute/person). The updated standard now also
assigns a cfm/ft2 rate, which takes into account the
presence of indoor pollutants in a given space. Together,
these rates result in new recommended ventilation
rates.
Considering both occupancy density and indoor pollutant
density is not new to this ASHRAE standard. However,
earlier versions did not explicitly present a rate
for both figures. Instead, dilution rates for building
related contaminants were added to the per person
dilution rates, and the result was presented as one
number. In the instance of an office space, the previously
required 20 cfm/person was comprised of 15 cfm to
dilute occupant related odors and 5 cfm to dilute
building related odors.
Because these previous ventilation rates were based
on either cfm/person or cfm/ft2, the rates were found
to result in overventilation in some facilities. For
example, high occupant density zones (such as theaters
and lecture halls) were often overventilated during
periods of very low occupancy. Under the new guidelines,
the minimum required breathing zone outdoor air rate
has decreased to 5 cfm/person with the area outdoor
air rate rising to 0.06 for cfm/ft2. The aim is to
provide a more balanced approach to ventilation rates.
(More information on this change can be accessed from
ASHRAE.)
Whether or not facility managers are working toward
LEED certification, ensuring that IAQ meets accepted
standards is important, and most likely required.
Purchasing low emitting products, coupled with proper
HVAC operation, enables the facility manager to meet
those goals.
Information for this article was obtained through
an interview with Bloech and analysis of the ASHRAE
Standard 62.1-2004.
Do you have IAQ concerns? Have you
adjusted your purchasing or HVAC operation to meet
LEED requirements for certification? Send your thoughts
to avazquez@groupc.com.
