By Bob Baker

As I write this, I am sitting on an airplane returning to Tampa from the ASHRAE winter meeting in Chicago. Because the winter meeting is always held in conjunction with the international Air-conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Expo., the technical programs often receive less attention. Anyone who missed the technical sessions held at the Palmer House Hilton hotel to spend time at the Expo. at McCormick place, missed out on some events that will have a profound impact on Indoor Air Quality science for months and years to come. It will take several issues to fully cover all the developments at this meeting and explain their possible impact on our daily lives. I believe it will be significant. In this issue, I will outline the sessions that appeared to be most significant and preview a bit of what will be in-depth coverage later on.

Specialized IAQ

There were a number of sessions dealing with very specialized facilities that few of us will ever be called on to work with. These are always worth following because these facilities with their unique needs often serve as laboratories where new techniques are developed that find their way into homes and small commercial facilities of the future.

On Sunday, Forum 2 looked at the IAQ needs of Museums, Libraries and Archives. The 1999 ASHRAE Handbook will have a chapter devoted to these facilities for the first time ever. This forum revealed some of the content of this chapter and asked for input for the next update in four years. Since air quality is so vital to the environment of any facility that is preserving history for future generations, the techniques that are perfected for these facilities may well be used in homes of the future. The addition of this chapter will lead to much research that will impact us in the future.

Forum 7 and Seminar 26 both dealt with the subject of Commercial Aircraft Cabin Air Quality. A new draft standard was introduced at these sessions and will soon go out for public comment. The highly specialized systems that serve modern airliners are totally unlike the systems we work with. However, those of us who spend a lot of time in the air are always interested in advances in this area.

Monday morning Symposium CH-99-12 (Healthcare Issues Update) included two sessions dealing with the use of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation to kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. UV is a subject that has been promoted extensively during the past year as a magic solution to IAQ problems. It is a topic that ASHRE has not yet established any standards or guidelines for. Following this session, a number of attendees commented that it is time to address this area. This writer agrees. We need more facts and less magic.

Also on Monday, a meeting was held between a delegation from the Healthcare subcommittee of TC 9.8 and representatives of the American Dental Association. For several years, the association has discussed HVAC needs of dental facilities and felt the need for ADA input and cooperation. I was in attendance at this meeting and it was great to start on this important dialogue. The knowledge we gain will be invaluable as we revise the healthcare chapter over the next four years.

Large Building Applications

High rise buildings and large building complexes face IAQ problems that small commercial and freestanding residential facilities are free from. Thus many of the approaches used in the large building world are not cost effective in smaller facilities. Included are the complex commissioning processes that proceed the placing of a major structure into operation. There are, however, many lessons to be learned for the contractor working in smaller facilities. Forum 18 on Monday and Symposium CH-99-19 on Wednesday addressed commissioning and its impact on IAQ. We will look at some findings from these during the coming months.

Another area critical in large structures is balancing energy efficiency and IAQ. Desiccant Wheels/ Energy Recovery wheels; what are the differences? Was the topic of Seminar 14 on Monday and "The Squeeze Between Standard 62 (Ventilation and IAQ) and Standard 90 (Energy Efficiency); Cost Effective Ventilation Strategies" was the title of Seminar 25 on Tuesday. Although few small facilities will use the massive energy recovery devices employed in the large building world, smaller versions will play an increasing role in all facilities as we push for higher and higher energy efficiency. Getting a lot of hallway discussion was a new technique for utilizing evaporative cooling combined with heat pipes energy recovery and a novel control setup to achieve both humidification and dehumidification in climatic areas where evaporative technology has not previously been used. Reportedly, pilot installations are achieving incredible energy efficiency and superior air quality and comfort. We look forward to written reports of this new technology.

Short term impacts for us

A very big barrier to a better understanding of air quality and sharing of research findings has been the lack of standard methods for IAQ measurement. For several years discussions have been held about developing standard methods that will promote comparison of findings and sharing of information. The week before I left for Chicago, I received notice from the ASHRAE office that I had been appointed to GPC (Guideline Project Committee) 17P (Sampling of Airborne Particle Contamination in Commercial & Residential Buildings). When I arrived at the first meeting Monday, I was informed that I had volunteered for the editorial workgroup and was handed several draft sections to integrate and circulate to the other members before the June meeting. Naturally, I will report on the progress of this important project from time to time.

Wednesday morning, two sessions dealt with subjects that promise to add much to our understanding of the role of cooling coils in air contamination and possible new prevention techniques. Seminar 34 addressed Psychometrics of Cooling Coils and Forum 29 discussed the issues and challenges associated with protective coil coatings. We will be looking at results of both of these sessions.

For me, the high point of the meeting came on Tuesday morning. I was the chair of Seminar 30, Regulation of Antimicrobial Chemicals for HVAC Systems. The lead speaker for this session was Mr. Frank Sanders who heads the Antimicrobial Division of EPA in Washington. Frank is responsible for policy and management direction for all regulatory activities affecting Antimicrobial products including registration, research, and enforcement. In the next issue, we will review Frank's presentation in depth. The following quote from an early part of his presentation will provide some insight into what else is to come: "Many sellers will tell you that a product labeled for use on hard surfaces is OK to use in a HVAC system where there are hard surfaces. That is not true, the product must clearly show that it is approved for HVAC Systems. If you use it incorrectly, you are breaking the law and can be charged." Next month, I will look at Frank's presentation in depth and comment on the other two presentations on that program.

Mr. Baker's field of expertise is the control of contamination in air-conditioning and ventilating systems by mold, mildew and bacteria. He writes and speaks frequently about the efficacy, legal risks, and regulatory issues involved in various control strategies. He serves on ASHRAE Technical Committee TC 2.3, TC 2.4, TC 9.8, and Sampling of Airborne Particulate Concentration in Commercial and Residential Buildings GPC 17P. He also serves as a member of ASTM D22.06 (Indoor Air Quality) and is on the Board of Directors of the Indoor Air Quality Association and the Florida Public Health Foundation. Because HVAC applications encompass new uses from an U.S. EPA regulatory standpoint, Mr. Baker works closely with the EPA and industry groups, including serving as the chair of the IAQ committee of the Consumer Specialty Products Association, to help formulate policy in this area.

Bob Baker is Chairman and CEO of BBJ Environmental Solutions, Inc., a company specializing in providing clean air through environmentally responsible products, such as BBJ MicroBiocide , BBJ Micro Coil Clean , "FreshDuct Odor Eliminator ", and BBJ Mold and Mildew Remover™ as well as the revolutionary new Power Coil Clean™. For additional information, Mr. Baker can be reached at (800) 889-2251 or through the company web site at http://www.bbjenviro.com.