Indoor air quality has never been more important. This won’t change in a post-COVID-19 world. Building managers must make clean air a priority beyond the pandemic. This is critical for the health and safety of workers, but rising energy costs are a factor as well. Here are
Read more →Even as businesses reopen and employees return to work, the US continues to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a new frontier and building and facilities managers face many challenges to safe reopening. New guidelines for social distancing and workstation layouts need special attention. Doing so
Read more →The events of the first half of 2020 have naturally led to an increase in people’s time spent at home. In addition to kids being home from school, working from home, and general stay-at-home restrictions in most areas of the country as a result of the COVID-19
Read more →In the past, indoor air quality (IAQ) was a concern largely for those who suffered from allergies. Today, virtually everyone—including building occupants and operators—has taken note of the impact of IAQ, and many are currently taking steps to create a healthy environment. Researchers have led this interest
Read more →Indoor air quality is always a concern for employers and facilities managers. Poor IAQ impacts the mental and physical health of building occupants. Volatile organic compounds, released into the air from both indoor and outdoor sources, also contribute to low IAQ. Understanding what VOCs are, where
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The University of Vermont Medical Center is closing operating rooms at its Fanny Allen Colchester campus for the month of December, and shifting surgeries to its main hospital campus in Burlington, while hospital staff work with state officials and an outside consultant to investigate air quality concerns
Read more →When kids away at college get sick, Mom’s chicken soup can’t be a handy option. Yet parents can help to mitigate a myriad of illnesses. Describing a college dorm room as a petri dish is not far from the truth. Just take the average kids’ room at
Read more →Brrrr, it’s getting nippy outside. Now is a good time to seal up drafts for a cozy warm home. Spray foam insulation or spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation is very effective in boosting home energy performance and comfort. Unfortunately, it has numerous downsides, including its effects on indoor air quality. As more
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In California and other U.S. western states, wildfires have become more frequent and intense, adversely impacting air quality and human health. Smoke from wildfires contains many toxins and irritants, including particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, which, due to their size, penetrate deep into the lungs
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The chemical industry is growing rapidly in Louisiana at the same time that the state is backsliding when it comes to toxic levels of cancer-causing chemicals in the air. We investigated. Here’s what we found. 1. Louisiana is approving new chemical plants in areas that already have the state’s
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