IAQ Radio

This week we're going to explore some Practice to Research with real world examples from Mr. Ed Light. Ed has been doing research on his own projects and has some interesting results to pass along to our audience. We'll be discussing mold growth and climate change, MERV 8 vs. MERV 13 for particulate control and a critique of research support for COVID response measures in buildings.   Ed Light holds degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts (B.S.) and Marshall University (M.S.), is a Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, has authored over 40 scientific publications on assessment and control of the indoor environment and has chaired several national scientific committees. In the 1980’s, Ed established the West Virginia Department of Health IAQ Program, pioneering efforts to resolve exposure issues related to formaldehyde, asbestos, and termiticides. In the 1990’s, he developed widely used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints (published by EPA, NIOSH and ISIAQ) and managing air quality in occupied buildings under construction (for SMACNA, promulgated by ANSI). As a consultant, Ed has directed more than 1000 multi-disciplinary IEQ investigations, ranging from the White House to the South Pole Station. He has been admitted as an expert witness in numerous litigations.

This week we are going to explore how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can help visualize indoor environmental quality (IEQ) with a widely respected proponent Dr. Kishor Kahnkari. How can we use this tool when designing, building and maintaining a buildings indoor environmental quality?   Dr. Kishor Khankari is the president and founder of AnSight LLC. He is a specialist in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Kishor has several years of experience in providing consulting services that have resulted in optimized solutions to a wide variety of engineering problems. A noted expert in his field, he has a Ph.D. in CFD from the University of Minnesota and has regularly published in several technical journals.   Dr. Khankari is an ASHRAE Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer. He has received the ASHRAE Distinguished and Exceptional Service Awards and is past President of ASHRAE Detroit Chapter. He is also currently serving on the ASHRAE Board of Directors. 

This week on IAQ Radio+ we look at the Thoughts, Predictions and Plans for our sponsors in 2022. We have been pre-recording these and will play them back live today. I am always impressed with what I learn during these types of shows and this one is no exception. LEARN MORE about what the leading associations, suppliers, and other players in our industry are thinking about 2022 and beyond. This is always a good show with lots of interesting discussion about the past, present and future of IAQ, disaster restoration and building science. Guest List: ACGIH - Frank MortlAEML - Brittany GordonAIHA - Larry SloanAprilaire - Jens HousleyCIRI - John DowneyFIRST ONSITE - Adrian FulleHealth Indoors - Bob KrellIAQA - Jay StakeIICRC - Michael DakdukInstascope - John LovettParticles Plus - Jim AkeySunbelt - Kirk Steward

This week on IAQ Radio+ we welcome Terry Brennan for a look back and forward with a true legend in the building science and IAQ world. Terry Brennan is a building scientist and educator, who has studied buildings since the 1970’s. Because of his background in physics, biology and building construction, Mr. Brennan combines theory and practice in a unique and integrated way. He was president and senior building scientist at Camroden Associates, Inc in Westmoreland NY from its founding in 1984 until 2019.     Terry began his career as a physics major at Northeastern University, but somehow, some way got diverted into building science, working on the earliest research into radon problems and radon behavior in buildings, and moved on to energy and moisture issues. For the last 40 years, he’s spent more time crawling around damp basements and hot attics than most normal people would find pleasant. But in return for those decades of investigation, Terry knows a LOT about what makes buildings tick… how they go wrong… and how to make sure they don’t.   Mr. Brennan has provided research, training, curriculum development, and program support for the USEPA, the National Center for Healthy Housing, building owners and managers, individual homeowners, and several state health departments. He is the primary author of the USEPA Moisture Control For Commercial Building Design, Construction, Operations And Maintenance Guidance; A contributing author to the ASHRAE Indoor Air Quality Guide, the ASHRAE Residential Indoor Air Quality Guide, and the USEPA Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Managers. He has also served as a member of several ASHRAE and ASTM committees in addition to being a consultant to the National Academies of Science Committee on Dampness and Health in Buildings.

This week on IAQ Radio+ we welcome Eugenia Mirica PhD, Franco Seif PE and Joe Spurgeon PhD for a discussion on Sampling Surface Char in Residential Properties Impacted by Wildfire Smoke. There is a gathering interest in research, standards and guidelines related to wildfire smoke assessment, exposure and cleaning. This is a topic that would have been even more in the news if it was not for the COVID pandemic. Check out this week’s articles and links for several new studies being announced etc. and join us today at noon to learn more on the best methods for evaluating the impact of wildfire smoke in the built environment.   Eugenia Mirica, PhD is the Laboratory Director of the Materials Science Laboratory at EMSL Analytical in Cinnaminson, NJ. She earned her doctoral degree in Materials Science from Stevens Institute of Technology. Her expertise involves the use of complex analytical methodologies for the identification and comprehensive morphological and chemical characterization of a large array of materials and the ability to correlate the resulting information to materials properties and their performance.    Franco Seif, PE is President and Chief Executive Officer of Clark Seif Clark, Inc. (CSC). He is also a co-founder of CSC. Franco been a leader in the environmental and engineering industry for over 3 decades. He started his environmental and engineering consulting career at Camp Dresser & McKee, Boston, MA, in 1985. In 1987 he worked as a consultant for EPI, Center, a small industrial hygiene company, Santa Monica, CA. In 1990, Mr. Seif started an environmental consulting firm, Californian Environmental Consultants, that provided asbestos, indoor air quality, and Phase I & phase II environmental site assessment services to a small group of clients. In 1996, Mr. Seif joined forces with Brian Clark and Robert Clark to form CSC. Mr. Seif is also active in the community. He sits on the board of directors of St. Anne’s, a non-profit organization that provides care to abused young pregnant, mothers and their babies. Mr. Seif also sits on the advisory committee of the American Council of Accreditation and Certification (ACAC), a certifying body for the indoor air quality professional. Mr. Seif hold a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University, Boston, Ma, and a master’s of science degree in engineering management from Drexler University, Philadelphia, PA. He holds a professional engineering registration in the State of California, and he is an asbestos consultant with the California Occupational, Safety and Health Administration.   Joe Spurgeon, PhD has a multidisciplinary doctorate degree in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Health from the University of Pittsburgh; and was a Certified Industrial Hygienist from 1993 – 2013. His career has included working as a research chemist on the NBS Lead-Paint Poisoning Program, directing the FAA’s Combustion Toxicology Laboratory, performing Health Assessments for CDC/ATSDR, implementing US EPA’s Laboratory Exposure Assessment Project, and working as a consultant specializing in microbial indoor air quality for US PHS. He has performed over 4,000 residential and commercial investigations involving water intrusions and microbial contaminants; has taught courses on mold investigations, sampling, and data interpretation methods; and has served as an expert witness in numerous mold cases. Articles from Dr. Spurgeon are available at www.bi-air.com. His books are available at http://expertonmold.com/

This week on IAQradio+ we welcome Patrick McCarty Director of Client Solutions at First Onsite Restoration to discuss some interesting and unusual projects he has been part of over the past almost 20 years. LEARN MORE about how to manage difficult projects and work with large teams to help customers get back to normal. Patrick began as a field Project Manager for the National Response Team at Interstate Restoration Group in Jan of 2004. He ran numerous large projects both domestically and internationally over a span of about 5 years before being promoted to Operations Manager for the Restoration Division. He served in that capacity for about 8 years and was then promoted to Director of Operations in 2017. Over the course of his career, he’s contributed to the growth of Interstate, now First Onsite Restoration, and helped it to become the company it is today. Patrick holds a Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Business with emphasis in Engineering Technology from Tarleton State University in Texas and has over 12 industry certifications. He has led on some of the largest and most complicated projects the company has been involved with. His hyper focus on First Onsite’s clients’ needs has been a hallmark of his leadership style.

This week on IAQradio+ we welcome Dr. Richard Corsi Dean of the College of Engineering at University of California Davis. Many will remember Dr. Corsi for his time at the University of Texas and Portland State. We look forward to having him back to discuss his current endeavors and how COVID has accelerated IAQ Research to Practice.   Dr. Richard Corsi recently joined UC Davis as Dean of the College of Engineering. Prior to that he was Dean of the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University and for over 24 years he worked at The University of Texas, Austin where he taught numerous courses related to fluid mechanics, air pollution, and indoor air quality. Dr. Corsi served as Director of a highly-interdisciplinary group that spawned a generation of faculty engaged in research related to indoor air quality. He continues to conduct research on indoor air quality, with foci on physical and chemical processes that affect the fate and control of, and human exposure to, indoor pollutants of both outdoor and indoor origin. Dr. Corsi and his team have published nearly 270 peer-reviewed papers, and he has supervised over 120 students.   Dr. Corsi has been engaged in national discussions related to layered risk reduction to reduce transmission of COVID-19 by aerosol particles. He has been a guest on webinars hosted by the National Academies, USEPA, National Tribal Air Association, and more. In addition, he has done over 100 print, television, and podcast interviews. From early in the pandemic his efforts have focused on lowering inhalation dose of virus-laden aerosol particles indoors. Dr. Corsi led an effort to develop an educational tool for assessing parallel interventions for lowering inhalation dose for aerosols and risk of infection in buildings. His concept of a low-cost and effective do-it-yourself air cleaner to combat virus-laden aerosol particles and wildfire smoke has become known worldwide as the Corsi-Rosenthal Box.   LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

This week on IAQradio+ we welcome Dr. Sarah Haines of the University of Toronto Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering. Dr. Haines came to our attention when she was part of a group with Karen Dannemiller, PhD at the Healthy Buildings Summit 2019. It was refreshing to have a group of young academics join us to share interests in healthy buildings research to practice. She has since taken a position at the University of Toronto with Jeff Siegel, PhD another HBS Keynoter and research to practice enthusiast. This week we look forward to learning more about how Sarah and other academics see the puzzle of buildings and health.    Professor Sarah Haines interdisciplinary research integrates building science, engineering, and microbiology to analyze the impact built environment has on human health. She uses cutting-edge microbiology techniques such as next-generation sequencing, metatranscriptonomics, and bioinformatics to understand the impact of weatherization and extreme weather events on indoor air quality, particularly in low income communities who may be at higher risk for asthma. Her work aids in understanding indoor exposures from microorganisms and chemicals providing for a cleaner and sustainable indoor environment. Her PhD is in Environmental Science from Ohio State University. 

This week on IAQradio+ we welcome Kevin Hart, Haven IAQ CEO to continue our discussion on HVAC and IAQ. This week we focus on using sensor technology to optimize HVAC affects on IAQ. Kevin is the founder of Haven IAQ and is doing some interesting work linking HVAC and IAQ.  Nate “The House Whisperer” Adams  brought Kevin and Haven to our attention during our last show with him.   Kevin founded HAVEN IAQ (TZOA) at the age of 23, after experiencing high levels of carcinogenic crystalline silica dust on industrial worksites. He conceptualized a wearable air quality monitor for global citizens that could crowdsource outdoor pollution data from thousands of devices onto city-wide maps in real-time, a product that won 'best inventions of 2015' awards from Time Magazine and Popular Science. Their product line HAVEN has been granted multiple patents and patents pending on its in-duct sensing and IoT controls, and are pursuing the mission of transforming millions of homes into safe havens.

This week we welcome back Robert Bean a retired engineering technology professional having practiced in building construction engineering technology and mechanical engineering for decades. This will be a thought provoking interview on IAQ, HVAC, Building Science and COVID. Mr. Bean specialized in the design of indoor environments and high-performance building systems. He is a third term ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, recipient of the Lou Flagg Award, and Distinguished Service Award. He has authored numerous papers, articles, and course curriculums and serves on several technical committees related to indoor environmental quality, building, and thermal energy systems. Robert also continues to maintain the healthyheating.com website where you can get his FREE book “Thermal Comfort Principles and Practical Applications for Residential Buildings”. If that’s not enough he is also the co-host of the Edifice Complex Podcast which is designed to blow apart how buildings are designed, fabricated, commissioned and operated.