Commercial Buildings

 Buildings can make people sick

 Sick people are not productive
 Sick people do not renew their lease
 Sick people sue everybody

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Commercial IAQ Facts
• A failure to provide a healthy indoor environment may result in
the owner falling below the (OSHA) standard of care, i.e., being
found negligent.
• In order to be protected from a successful negligence claim, the
owner/builder must make sure that indoor air quality issues are
taken into consideration in both the design and construction of
the building.
• During the life of the building the owner, as well as the facilities
manager, is responsible for the proper maintenance of the
building.
• A manager’s failure to take precautions to provide good air
quality to tenants may expose the manager to serious claims of
negligence.
Copyright National Air Filtration Association
2006 Rev. 2
 HVAC Equipment Rooms We’ve Seen
(Not Yours!)

Room B06 – Equipment and debris on the floor

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 SBS Suits
 Negligence  Americans With Disabilities
 OSHA Act
 ASHRAE Standards  Prohibits Discrimination
 Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
 Strict Product Liability
 Fear of Cancer  Landlord / Tenant
 Punitive Damages  Breach of Lease
 Constructive Eviction
 Breach of Contract
 Warranty
 Fraud and Misrepresentation

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Office Areas We’ve Seen

Room 309 - Microbe growth on chilled water

pipe

Closet 101A - Damage to wallboard from previous water

damage

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Sizes of Specific Indoor Contaminants
Electron Microscope Microscope Naked Eye

0.001 0.01 0.1 0.5 1.0 1 100

Bacteria

Viruses Plant Spores

Tobacco Smoke

Cooking Smoke / Grease

Dander Hair

Dust

Fertilizer

Insecticide Dust

Coal Dust

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Size Distribution of
Atmospheric Dust Sample

30 micron Percent by Particle Count

10 micron 0.005%

5.0 micron 0.175%

3.0 micron 0.25%

1.0 micron 1.07%

<1.0 micron 98.5%

Source: University of Minnesota

Copyright National Air Filtration Association
2006 Rev. 2
 Typical Particle Exposure

•Dust
•Tobacco smoke
•Dust Mite Feces
•Droplet Nuclei
•Bacteria
•Fungal Spores / Pollen
•Animal Dander

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Deposition of Inhaled Particles
In Human Respiratory System

Aerodynamic Diameter (micron) Likely Region of Deposit

> 9.0 Filtered by nose
6.0 to 9.0 Deposited in Pharynx
4.6 to 6.0 Deposited in Trachea / Primary Bronchi

3.3 to 4.6 Deposited in Secondary Bronchi

2.15 to 3.3 Deposited in Terminal Bronchi
0.41 to 2.15 Deposited in the Alveoli
< 0.41 May be exhaled *
Ultrafine particles may be removed by diffusion mechanism
Copyright National Air Filtration Association
2006 Rev. 2 Soure: Research Triangle Institute
 Indoor Air

 Two Major Factors:

 Cleaner Air = Good Health

 Good Health = Higher Productivity

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Health Benefit of Clean Air

Numbers of Particles
Cleanroom 1 per liter

Arctic 10,000 per liter

Ocean 100,000 per liter

Rural 1 Million per liter

City 100 Million per liter

Highway 1 Billion per liter

Tobacco Smoke 100 Billion per liter

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Droplet Nuclei Produced by Infected
Persons

MERV 11 90%
MERV 7 60%
Copyright National Air Filtration Association
2006 Rev. 2
 Asthma Mortality
Deaths - Asthma - All Regions USA

6,000
5,067 5,429
5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0
1960- 1963- 1966- 1971- 1975- 1979- 1981- 1984- 1987- 1990- 1993-
62 65 68 75 78 80 83 86 89 92 95

Source: American Lung Association

First reported cases of Indoor Air
Copyright National Air Filtration Association Oil embargo Quality problems
2006 Rev. 2
 Tuberculosis (TB)

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Productivity

Productivity and Clean Air

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Estimated Median Changes in Productivity by Cause
95% Confidence Interval for Median Percentage Change

30%
Move Buildings
20%

10%
New Building w/ ERW*
0%

-10% Disabling ERW*

-20% * Environmentally
Responsive Workstations
-30%

-40%
Low Middle High
Copyright National Air Filtration Association
2006 Rev. 2
 Costs

Heating and Cooling $2.00 / sq foot

Other $11.00 / sq foot

Wages and Salary $20.00 / sq foot

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 European Standard of Care

MERV 13

Provides optimum performance on

particles most associated with maladies
effecting humans in standard HVAC
controlled environments
Copyright National Air Filtration Association
2006 Rev. 2
 The Best Way

 Increase building air filtration efficiencies to the

maximum the system will allow =>MERV 11(Contact a
NAFA Certified Air Filter Specialist)

 If a building occupant believes that management is

acting expeditiously and intelligently to resolve
serious air quality problems, then the likelihood of
litigation will be greatly reduced.

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 What the Experts Say

All HVAC Systems Are Concerned With

Quantity, NOT Quality.

Ole Fanger, Denmark

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2
 Summary

 Understand the implications of poor building

IAQ:
 Increased Health Costs
 Increased Absenteeism
 Productivity Loss
 Realize All the Costs
 Provide Best Possible Air Filtration:
 MERV 11 or greater for contaminant removal

Copyright National Air Filtration Association

2006 Rev. 2