In addition to the keynote presentation on Impact of Climate Change on the Indoor Environment and the lunch presentation on the Impact of Weatherization on Radon, conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in four rounds of concurrent workshops on IAQ "hot" topics.  Some workshops will be presented twice.

Workshop Topics (In alphabetical order)

Apparently the Stork Does Bring Babies and Other Amazing "True" Findings! How to Evaluate Scientific Research (Both in General and for IAQ)
Jonathan Klane - Klane's Education  & Information Training Hub - Fairfield, ME
Ivan Most - Strategic Occupational Health Management, Inc. - Old Orchard Beach, ME

Each day the popular media publishes articles claiming various "scientific findings". Some are published in actual scientific journals. Science can tell us with amazing clarity that asbestos and lead are both potent toxins, but isn't always as clear on other things (such as exactly how mold affects humans when breathed in at low levels).These reports are many times written by reporters with little or no science background. .They  can be misleading at best or just wrong.  Some of these include such recent ones as:

• A 2010 article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (with supporting data) about cigarette smoking helping marathoners run faster (it doesn't);
• A 2008 Harvard study found statistically significant "links" between caffeine and breast cancer (it was likely just random chance); and
• A 2010 British Medical Journal scientifically determined that you must walk at least 3 mph to stay ahead of the Grim Reaper - really! (It's all in the numbers).

Are these accurate? Do they indicate cause and effect? How does the average person decide? And what can you do to try to understand these studies better? There are recognized scientific standards that can be applied to determine the accuracy of these studies.

Ivan and Jonathan will inform and educate you in a humorous way (hopefully) on what these studies and this research really says and means, whether an "association" or "correlation" equals "cause and effect", and how to "read between the lines" for a more complete understanding of the science.

The California New Homes Study:  Ventilation & IAQ
Bud Offermann, Indoor Environmental Engineering, San Francisco, CA

In 2006-2007, a study of ventilation and indoor air quality in 108 new, single-family homes was conducted in California.  This study concluded that when airtight construction practices are used, and when homeowners do you open windows/doors (for security, noise, odor, dust, thermal comfort concerns), the outdoor air exchanges rates were too low to reduce indoor contaminants to acceptable levels.  

In this presentation, Mr. Offermann will discuss the typical contaminants found in indoor environments, and how various types of mechanical ventilation can help create a healthy home environment.

Case Study:  Healthy/Sustainable Measures and Systems at the New MaineGeneral Regional Hospital
Michael Chonko, PE, SMRT, Portland, ME
Katherine M. Everett, PE, LEE AP, SMRT, Portland ME
Paul Kondrat, PE, LEED AP, TRO Jung/Brannan, Boston MA
Adam P. Troidl, LEED AP, Maine General Medical Center, Augusta, ME

Hospitals operate 24/7-365.  They have unique and intensive energy use demands typically consuming huge amounts of fuel, water and electricity.  Hospital designers have a real opportunity to "makie an energy difference"  and provide stewardship, bottom line savings and an improved environment of care with the selection of appropriate systems and infrastructure. 

MaineGeneral will be opening a new 600,000 square foot Regional Hospital in 2014.  The building is designed to achieve $975,000 in annual energy savings. Anticipated water use reduction is 12,000,000 gallons per year with rain water harvesting of 1,600,000 gallons per year.  How are these savings achieved?  In this session, Maine General's mechanical engineering design team and the owner will present the major systems and components that contribute to significant energy savings and water use reduction. The team will present the details of the ice storage system, boiler flue gas heat exchanger, heat recovery chiller, rain water harvesting and laundry water reuse system.  In addition the team will review the process and research that informed the major design decisions.  Where is the low hanging fruit?  Where is the longer term pay back?  What systems were rejected due to operational complexity or cost considerations? 

Indoor Air Quality as a fundamental component of the design challenge and a critical element for infection control will be permeate the discussions.

A Deep Energy Retrofit in Maine:  Lessons Learned
Al Heath, ColdClimateHome.Com, Bath, ME

Let's face it:  Virtually anyone can make an older home energy efficient with an unlimited budget, but that's not the real world in Maine.  This session will outline and discuss the experience of buying a 70-year old home and making the difficult decisions on what makes sense with a modest budget.  Real world 1st year BTU and money saving results will be presented along with what worked and what didn't. 

Indoor air quality issues are an important part of this Deep Energy Retrofit (DER).  Topics to be discussed are:  mold, radon, asbestos, moisture, condensation, drainage and bulk water strategies, basement encapsulation, ERV vs HRV vs exhaust only ventilation

An important part of the presentation will be the opinions and perspectives of the participants to help create, define, and prioritize renovation strategies.  Participants will be encouraged to consider starting and/or supporting DER demonstration projects in their local communities.

Program Highlights::

1. How to best define your and/or your clients priorities.
2. How to make IAQ a top priority.
3. What makes for “resale value.”
4. Business promotion and community education with a DER project.

Diagnosis and Remediation in a Northern School: A Building Science Case Study
Steven Caulfield, P.E., CIH, Turner Building Science & Design, Harrison, ME

The complete story, from early complaints, through diagnostics and testing, ending with the successful reconstruction of a school with long term indoor air quality issues.
 

Impact of Pests and Pets on IAQ
Jeffrey May, May Indoor Air Investigations, Tyngsborough, MA

People often overlook some of the significant, potential indoor sources of allergens. Pets are adorable but they leave their imprint on a property years after they’ve moved out (or moved on). Some folks even find mice cute but new findings about mouse-urine trails raise some health concerns. Fish tanks for kids with asthma? Think again. Spiders are good? Don’t believe it. Love those feathers? Dead or alive, you may not want them. A hand-made, antique wool rug (or even a new one) might be a priceless commodity but it can be a costly Trojan Horse. Exposed fiberglass insulation in a crawl space?  Forget it! We will look at examples of bioaerosol from mouse trails, fish tanks, spiders, pillows and pets, kitty litter, insulation, foundations and leaky laundries. Learn when to breathe and when to hold your breath (or wear a mask).  And learn how seemingly benign building conditions can threaten human health.

Indoor Air Quality Analysis: Interpreting Spore Trap Data  (Conference Sponsor Presentation)
Thomas Cheetham, PhD, Environmental Microbiology Division, Northeast Laboratory Services, Winslow, ME

This workshop will review the fundamentals of the detection and analysis of bioaerosols, with a focus on mold spores; discuss spore trap sampling protocols; explain laboratory analysis of spore trap cassettes; and provide in-depth discussion of the interpretation of spore trap data from a variety of residential and commercial environments.
 

It's Too Hot!  Health Impacts of High Outdoor Air Temperatures in Maine:  Current Findings, Future Predictions, and Policy for Indoor Environments
Norman Anderson, Maine CDC, Augusta; Rebecca Lincoln, Maine CDC, Augusta;  Kirk Maasch, University of Maine, Climate Change Institute

Unlike much of the country, Maine is not used to experiencing days of extremely hot weather. Yet, during the past two summers, we had three events of sufficient magnitude to exceed National Weather Service threshold levels for issuing heat alerts. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ME CDC), in partnership with the federal CDC and other states, is assessing heat related illnesses in the state using a variety of methods, and has established a system of issuing health alerts when heat waves are occurring in Maine.  The Maine CDC is also working closely with the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute as the Institute forecasts Maine’s future climate. The ME CDC will use these forecasts as guides in collaborative efforts with state and community level partners around emergency preparedness and response. The ME CDC is especially concerned about the quality of the indoor environments during heat waves, as this has been an under-recognized area of research and policy development, both in Maine and nationally. This session will provide an overview of the all these activities.

Just Imagine.... (Conference Sponsor Presentation)
Steve Hayes - Nelson & Small, Portland, ME

Imagine if there was a technology that was completely safe for people, plants and pets that eliminated viruses, mold, bacteria and odors indoors. No sense in imagining it any longer because it has been invented and is now available to the public.  The Hydroxyl Generator has been in service and producing outstanding results for a number of years in the restoration industry and now HGI is producing the Odorox system and Nelson and Small, Inc. is distributing the products throughout New England.  Available as residential appliances, commercial units, HVAC mounted units or whole building/factory solutions this technology is improving air quality in homes, schools, medical facilities, factories and anywhere else desired.

This session will afford you a view of the technology as well as an opportunity to get all of your questions answered about this game changing science.

Moisture Management Assessment in Commercial buildings
David Bearg, P.E., Life Energy Associates, Concord, MA

• The role of moisture management in achieving a healthy indoor environment
• What moisture management assessments can include:
• Assessment of dehumidification performance
• Assessment of humidification performance
• Identification of indoor sources of moisture
• Identification of outdoor sources of moisture (infiltration)
• Impact assessment of any building water features

Mold Contractors, Consultants and Clearance Expectations:  Let's all get on the same playing field!
Facilitator: Jake Hart, Chief Operating Officer, Envirotech Clean Air Inc.
Consultants:   Dennis Francoeur, RPF Environmental; Bob Hawley, Owner, Environmental AirTechs; Guy Sylvester, Absolute Resource Associates, Portsmouth, NH
Contractors:  Scott Knightly, EnviroVantage; Ron Fallon, EnviroTech Clean Air; Tim Carr, Able Restoration
 

A  round table, open participation question and answer seminar for mold clearance testing and contractor-consultant relationships.  Topics to be raised include:

• Where the industry stands and how to be on the same page.
• Join leading industry consultants to discuss mold assessment and clearance practices.
• Guy Sylvester, Chair of the New Hampshire Mold Task Force and Director of the Manchester NH IAQA Board will introduce the NH Mold Task force, their Indoor Air Quality agenda and how it will affect the industry.

New Air Sampling Methods for Bioaerosols
David F. Gallup, Consultant,  EMLab P & K, San Bruno, CA

In the past few years a number of new bioaerosols samplers have been designed and put on the market.  The question is, are they really better overall than what we already have?  Questions that need to be asked are their relative efficiency, ease of use, cost, and do they support a broad range of analytical methods.  We have reviewed both the peer reviewed and the commercial literature, and compared those devices that are currently on the market as well as several that, while not commercially available do show promise of being good alternatives to current technology.

We have divided the study into three categories:

1. Old methods and their modifications (spore traps, culture plate samplers)
2. Old but not commonly used methods that deserve consideration (liquid impingers, cyclones, filtration samplers)
3. New methods that show promise (electrostatic samplers, virtual impactors)

This session will discuss the factors mentioned above, as well as sources of error for each method.  We will briefly review both the laboratory and field studies that led to our conclusions, and provide a list of site-specific recommendations for samplers. 

Participants will learn specific parameters involved in the choice of sampling equipment.  They will be exposed to most of the available devices, and be able to make decisions regarding their own choices of equipment.  Participants will be introduced to the literature on bioaerosols samplers and have access to this literature for their own library.

This session should be valuable for anyone who is responsible, either administratively or in the field, for bioaerosols sample collection.  This could include engineers, industrial hygienists, nurses, environmental health professionals, mold investigators, remediators, and many others.

The session will benefit basic,intermediate, or advanced level audiences.

Radon in Large Buildings:  Different Tests and Fixes
Trudy Y. Smith - Spruce Environmental Technologies

Large buildings are as equally susceptible to elevated radon as homes.   Yet their pressure differentials and air flows are often so complex that it is difficult to evaluate and fix a radon problem.

This workshop presentation will remind participants of some of the dynamics that influence radon entry in larger buildings and how those may fluctuate with use, HVAC changes and construction.  Based on those dynamics, the basics of proper measurement will be outlined with the justifications for the procedures.

Mitigation of large buildings can be so complicated this presentation can only suggest areas where practitioners must be especially attentive to radon entry pathways and forces. These lessons are important for building design as radon prevention is more effective than retrofit reduction.

This session will be particularly valuable for  building and HVAC designers; school officials and large building managers; testing professionals, and large building contractors.

Weatherization & Indoor Air Quality
Ellen R. Tohn, Tohn Environmental, Wayland, MA

In November of 2011, the US Environmental Protection Agency released a new voluntary guidance document, "Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades", that provides a set of best practices for improving indoor air quality in conjunction with energy upgrade work in homes. Workshop presenter Ellen Tohn, who was on the protocol development team for EPA, will provide an overview of the protocols, and how their application during residential energy improvement projects can improve the quality of life for building occupants as well as lower utility costs and improve indoor air quality.  She will discuss how failure to consider indoor air quality during residential energy projects may negatively affect IAQ and the health of those living in the home. She will give practical guidance for conducting home assessments and undertaking the responses necessary to maintain or improve indoor air quality and safety.