Tips to determine indoor air quality offered

Real Estate Weekly, Jan 12, 2000

To highlight the vital role that quality indoor air plays in ensuring the health, productivity and well-being of those who work in public buildings, the Sheet Metal Air Conditioning. Contractors National Association of New York State (SMACNANYS) offers the following tips for how you can tell if the air quality in your building is healthy:

Positive Pressure: When you enter a building, you should be able to feel the air exit the door. This shows that the building is under a positive pressure. All the air that enters the mechanical system is heated, cooled, dehumidified and filtered. If the building is under a negative pressure, unconditioned, unfiltered air and pollutants (molds, spores and dust) will enter the building through cracks, doors and windows, creating an unhealthy environment.

Odors From a Different Location in the Building: If you are smelling chemical odors or someone else's coffee, it could be that inadequate exhaust ventilation or improper location of exhaust ducts is causing odors from one part of the building to travel to another part of the building.

Drowsiness: High levels of carbon dioxide produce symptoms of drowsiness. If you feel drowsy, note the time of day and temperature. The later the time of day, the more likely your drowsiness is a result of carbon dioxide build-up. The cooler the temperature, the more likely the problem is carbon dioxide and not an overheated room.

Temperature: Temperature extremes area common annoyance in office buildings. They may reflect a ventilation system that is not properly adjusted. Temperature problems can be corrected with air balancing or temperature control strategies.

Excessive Humidity or Dryness: An excessively dry room may indicate a lack of adequate outdoor air and too much reheated and re-circulated air. A room that holds too much humidity may be an indication of improper humidity and temperature control.

Drafts: If you feel drafts, the exhaustreturn ducts in your office may be improperly placed, or the system may be improperly balanced so that some parts of the building are getting inadequate air while others are getting excessive air.

If you are experiencing any of these problems, alert building maintenance and ask for the problem to be corrected. You are entitled to quality indoor air and the comfort of good ventilation.