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Implementing Health-Protective Features and Practices in Buildings Workshop Proceedings: Federal Facilities Council Technical Report #148 (2005) / Chapter Skim
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2 Indoor Environments and Occupants’ Health: What Do We Know?--Mark J. Mendell
Pages 15-20

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From page 15...
... Furthermore, a given amount of pollutant released indoors is a thousand times more effective at causing human exposure than when released outdoors. A growing body of scientific evidence now suggests that indoor environments are associated with a variety of adverse health effects and related economic impacts.
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From page 16...
... Carbon monoxide causes serious health effects, including death. In commercial buildings it generally results from entry of vehicle exhaust into indoor air by way of connected parking garages.
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From page 17...
... The challenge to identifying specific causal indoor exposures is to disentangle the biological processes that together present this confusing set of symptoms. Clear evidence exists that visible moisture and mold in buildings are related to an increase in asthma and respiratory symptoms among occupants, although it is still not known what it is about the moisture that actually causes the adverse health effects.
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From page 18...
... A growing number of recent studies have revealed that overall volatile organic chemicals and specific organic chemicals in indoor air have been related to irritation symptoms. The presence of carpet and fleecy materials such as cloth-covered partitions or walls has been found to be related to an increase in building-related symptoms.
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From page 19...
... The research indicates that we should: · Eliminate indoor environmental tobacco smoke, · Prevent indoor dampness and mold, · Provide adequate outdoor air ventilation, · Control Legionella in building water systems (guidelines available from American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers and others) , · Keep HVAC systems clean and dry -- first by the initial design and then by operations and maintenance, · Use natural ventilation where feasible, · Improve temperature control and avoid higher temperatures, and · Limit/control indoor sources of volatile organic chemicals.
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From page 20...
... There are multiple forces likely to change building design, operation, and maintenance practices that will, in turn, improve IEQ in buildings, including an increasing recognition of the health and productivity benefits of good indoor environmental quality; increasing costs of health care; increasing demand for excellent health and healthy environments; and, across multiple sectors, greater recognition of accountability for providing healthy indoor environments. Hopefully, as the demand for improved IEQ builds, we will have increased ability and knowledge to take appropriate actions.
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Key Terms

  • water damage
  • organic chemicals
  • volatile organic
  • indoor environmental
  • respiratory symptoms

  • lung cancer
  • scientific evidence
  • causal relationships
  • environmental tobacco
  • environmental quality

  • tobacco smoke
  • carbon monoxide
  • indoor air
  • indoor environment
  • low ventilation

  • comfort envelope
  • drain pans
  • evidence linking
  • past water
  • risk factors

  • current water
  • people living
  • plastic materials
  • space cleaning
  • maintenance practices

  • increased transmission
  • visible moisture
  • agenda indoor
  • environment team
  • occupied spaces


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