IAQ Radio

Anthony “Tony” Havics, CIH, PE - A Demonstrated Layer of Protection – A Review of Antimicrobial Surface Protectant

This week on IAQ Radio we welcome back one of our favorite guests Tony Havics, PE, CIH for a look at some recent work he has cone on antimicrobial surface protectants. In conjunction with a client who provides integrated facility services to more than 600 customers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico;  Mr. Havics, a certified industrial hygienist and engineer, collaborated in producing a thorough and leading-edge review of understanding products aimed at protecting against infection by the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.
 
Their review consisted of selecting manufacturers of ASPs who have provided public review of their lab tests, lab studies, field studies and peer reviews. Each of the 15 products reviewed was evaluated for efficacy, applicability and potential drawbacks. The review is based on their first-hand experience with these products together with information supplied directly from the product manufacturers and summaries of third party lab tests and studies. They believe this kind of clear-eyed analysis has been missing from the industry and as a leader in the field, and saw it as their responsibility to fill that void to improve end-user understanding of various applications.
 
Mr. Havics is an Honors graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a registered Professional Environmental Engineer (PE) with over 25 years of experience. He has provided front end investigation, development of plans & specifications, development of work plans, cost estimation, and oversight of numerous facilities for remediation, refurbishing, or decommissioning including a launch pad, dam gates, a baseball stadium, a tire factory with 59 buildings, a biologically contaminated L1011, a hospital, JP-6 fuel tanks, former mental institute, former military buildings, etc. In the field of microscopy, he has performed analysis for asbestos, contaminants in products, other minerals, fibers, fungi, engineering properties, and has testified in federal court as an expert microscopist. Andrew has also performed failure analysis and forensic testing on numerous building products such as roofs, windows, flooring, drywall, piping, etc.
 
LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

Roland Vierra and Robert Blochinger - Moisture Related Issues Affecting Wood and Concrete Substrates and Flooring - Part 2

This week we look forward to Part 2 of this Moisture Mob interview with an extended show. The Mob Enforcers will complete their presentation of case studies and explain the lessons learned from years of field experience doing Third Party Moisture Related Evaluations. In Part 1 the Enforcers discussed the use, application and meaning of the term Forensic as it pertains to 3rd party inspections before diving into each of their first 2 case studies as the Z-man fielded a lively interactive Q&A with the call-in audience. Part 2 will pick up where the Enforcers left off.
 
During the wrap-up Joe and Cliff will get Roland and Bob's opinion on the various moisture meter technology and diagnostic tools used in their work and why proper training and an understanding of meter selection and application of use is critical to a comprehensive and competent inspection report. 
 
Restoration Industry Adviser and Historian Pete Consigli stresses the importance of that point, as false readings and misinterpretations of the data have far reaching financial implications while undermining the credibility of the industry with those they serve and the entities that bear the bulk of corrective action and remedial costs.
 
The Restoration Global Watchdog says, "Please join the IAQradio+ team this week as Mr. Stick and Bavarian Bob complete this unique two-part case study show on moisture related issues affecting wood and concrete substrates and flooring"! LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

Travis West - IEQ Consulting for a Living & Texas Electric Nightmare: The Indoor Environmental Aftermath

This week we welcome Travis West of Houston, TX to talk about how things are going since the recent electric grid mess and how to make a living doing IEQ work. Travis has been doing IEQ work and making a living at it for over 30 years. He is also very active with IAQA and is a Summer Camp veteran. We are looking forward to his first person report from TX and his perspective on how to run a successful IEQ consulting company.
 
Travis West is the President of Building Air Quality, a Houston, Texas consulting firm. As an indoor air quality consultant, Mr. West has worked for 31 years on many kinds of indoor air quality issues and concerns. His primary business involves environmental investigations in commercial buildings. He has worked for the owners of multi-tenant office buildings, educational facilities, and medical buildings. For the past 15 years, he has also worked across the Southern United States on environmental health and safety issues for the regional office of the Federal Occupational Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – investigating building failures in government leased buildings. Thanks to Ice Storm Uri, Travis has kept busy chasing water damage from some of the most unusual sources he’s seen in his many years of investigations.

Delphine Farmer, PhD - Colorado State University - Indoor vs Outdoor Air Chemistry: Cooking, Cleaning and COVID

This week we welcome back Dr. Delphine Farmer of the University of Colorado at Boulder and HomeChem fame. Dr. Farmer was one of our guests at the HomeChem open house back on 6 -22-2018. This week we will provide update on HomeChem and get Dr. Farmer’s thoughts indoor vs outdoor air: cooking, cleaning and COVID. We will discuss the chemistry of indoor environments and then talk about the experiments many schools and others are performing on indoor air quality without realizing it.
 
Delphine Farmer, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University. Her research focuses on building new instrumentation to measure reactive trace gases and particles in the atmosphere in order to understand how humans are changing our environment. She is particularly interested in the emissions from forests, and has recently taken the dive into the complex world of indoor chemistry.
 
Dr. Farmer grew up in Canada, and received her BSc in Chemistry from McGill University in Montreal. She moved to warmer climates to earn her Master’s in Environmental Science, Policy and Management and her PhD in Chemistry, both from the University of California at Berkeley. Her research focused on using laser spectroscopy to study forest-atmosphere interactions. Delphine then held a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Colorado Boulder, working with aerosol mass spectrometers in forests in the Brazilian Amazon and California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

Steven Caulfield, PE, CIH – President at Turner Building Science & Design, LLC – Building Science, Moisture & “The Green Book” AIHA’s Recognition, Evaluation and Control of Indoor Mold

This week welcome back Steve Caulfield, P.E., CIH for part 2 in our series on the AIHA’s second edition of “Recognition Evaluation and Control of Indoor Mold” aka The Green Book. This week we discuss Building Science & Moisture with Steve and he will include some case studies to illustrate the key points.
Mr. Caulfield has over 30 years of experience in mechanical engineering, industrial hygiene and indoor air quality studies. Mr. Caulfield is skilled in the design and evaluation of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and their relationship to complex indoor air quality problems. He has provided HVAC design and commissioning services for healthcare, educational, and commercial facilities. He has conducted indoor air quality evaluations for both new construction and existing buildings.
Steve was one of the editors of the newly revised Recognition, Evaluation and Control of Indoor Mold aka the “Green Book”. He also volunteers a lot time industry organizations such as ASHRAE, MIAQC and ISIAQ.

Roland Vierra & Robert Blochinger – Here Come the Moisture Mob Enforcers: The Forensic Aspect of 3rd Party Evaluations – Moisture Related Issues Affecting Wood and Concrete Substrates and Flooring!

This week IAQ Radio+ will have a special show in the ongoing Moisture Mob series when Joe and Cliff interview Roland Vierra and Bob Blochinger in a follow up from previous solo shows with them and do a deep dive into the aspect of Forensic methodology for 3rd party inspections. A good inspector must “turn over all the rocks” to see what is lurking in the dark to determine the causation of the problem to offer viable solutions. Roland and Bob will dig deep into their archives from decades of projects and the lessons learned to identify and resolve moisture and installation related problems in concrete, and other substrates related to flooring problems. In an interactive around the horn format, culminating in “dueling case studies”, with a “I can top that” cordial spirit, live listeners will get an entertaining educational experience based on their combined years in the trenches!
Radio Joe and the Z-man will interview Roland and Bob to better define the use and meaning of the term “Forensics” which is often misunderstood and taken out of context. The show will drill down into the methodology of the “mindset” of a 3rd party investigator and the inspection and diagnostic process which often involves project oversight. Topics to be covered will include, discerning damage to finish flooring from moisture migration from substrates. Other issues addressed involve PH testing and chemical reactivity on an installation and the use of the calcium chloride testing and compliance with silica dust during drilling of concrete for ASTM moisture testing procedures.
Another issue that deserves a closer look is the importance of floor prep on slab and wood substrate materials that cause a defect in flooring installations resulting in failures. Further the IAQ Radio team will engage the Moisture Mob “Enforcers” on their opinion and criteria for the selection, use and calibration of moisture meters in forensic applications. What does the Restoration and IAQ industry professional need to know about the choice and use of the wide selection of penetrating and non penetrating moisture meters and thermal hygrometers available in the marketplace?
How important is training on meter usage and interpretation of the readings? What about the standards and protocols used for various moisture assessments that are relied upon for reports and expert witness work? The case study presentations will address many of these issues and illustrate the why and how of the inspection process to determine causation.
If you want a no holds barred opinion on these piercing questions and more, based on accurate information from years of experience that stand the test of time, then call in this week to listen live. The Global Restoration Watchdog will be calling in live from AEML Labs in Ft Lauderdale, Florida with Bavarian Bob as Mr. Stick Zooms in from San Jose, California. Join Joe, Cliff, Pete and Bob and Roland for a unique show in the Moisture Mob series this week on IAQ Radio+.

John Lovett & Mark Hernandez, PhD, PE - Leveraging a new generation of mobile bioaerosol monitors: research to practice before, during and after COVID

This week we take a deep dive into the new generation of mobile bioaerosol monitoring with two leaders of the movement.
 
John Lovett is the CEO of DetectionTek Holdings the parent company and creators of, InstaScope an air sampling technology for instant mold and air quality assessment results. Developed by the military, applied commercially for indoor air quality, InstaScope is the only optical technology of its kind on the market. Prior to founding DetectionTek Mr. Lovett was CEO of Droplet Measurement Technologies. He has a long history as an entrepreneur, CEO and founder of companies such as Lovett Ski Co. (First commercially produced fiberglass Cross Country skis in US), The Ski Co., Frank Shorter Running Gear, Allied Marine and Anchor Asset Management.
 
Dr. Hernandez attained all his engineering degrees from University of California at Berkeley. He is a registered professional civil engineer and an expert on the characterization and control of bioaerosols – both indoors and out. Based at the University of Colorado, he has 25 years of research leveraging forensic science into wide area surveillance and the design of aerosol disinfection systems for the built environment.
 
LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

Ehsan Mousavi PhD - Clemson Department of Construction Science & Management - Indoor Air Quality: What Can We Learn from Hospitals

This week IAQ Radio+ welcomes Ehsan Mousavi, PhD for a look at his work on Indoor Air Quality in Hospitals. We will focus on what we can learn and use from the hospital setting in other indoor environments. Dr. Ehsan Mousavi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Construction Science and Management (CSM) at Clemson University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska in 2015 and has served in various capacities in the construction industry including dam, road, and building construction projects. Collaborating on projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air‐Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Dr. Mousavi has developed an extensive research background in the indoor air quality of hospitals. Specifically, he has studied the effect of environmental parameters (ventilation rate, ventilation arrangement, temperature, door motion, etc.) on the transmission and spread of pathogenic agents.
 
The average U.S. health-care facility uses three to five times more energy than a comparable size office building. More than two‐thirds of total energy consumption is dedicated to maintaining environmental control and indoor air quality. The main goal of Dr. Mousavi’s research is to appraise the effect of environmental parameters on the design, construction, operation, and maintenance (DCOM) of healthcare premises. In particular, questions are addressed as to how patient safety and the quality of care can be improved through attention to DCOM. The research results will be further implemented in the development of regulatory codes and standards.
 
Existing healthcare premises need to transition into newer and more effective facilities in response to growing demands. Due to the large expense of building a new facility and the increasing use of modular elements, renovation has shown to be an effective solution to providing reliable health care facilities. Hospitals cannot afford a complete shut‐down to proceed with renovation; that is, the “construction” zone and the “functioning” zone coexist in a renovation project to minimize the down‐time of the hospital. Under such conditions the two zones, hosting two vastly different types of contaminants, are adjacent and cross-contamination is highly plausible. Research is needed to systematically measure the current efforts to minimize the impact of construction on patient safety and comfort. Thus, Dr. Mousavi’s group of collaborators actively seeks to document the best practices performed by industry professionals, and to address questions as these measures’ effectiveness.
 
LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

Paul LaGrange - LaGrange Consulting - A Building Scientist’s Take On: Methods, Myths & Mistakes

IAQ Radio+ returns to Cajun Country this week to learn about construction methods, myths and mistakes from renowned building scientist Paul LaGrange. Mr. LaGrange is a master forensic investigator for moisture and energy movement in both historic and new homes located in the hot humid Gulf Coast Southern region of the US. LaGrange Consulting has been providing energy efficiency solutions for builders and homeowners since 1999. They are a full service consulting company specializing in energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and sustainability in residential and small commercial buildings
 
Paul also works as an expert witness for legal cases related to building science and is a building science educator at the LaHouse Resource Center at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. If that is not enough Paul is also a Former Contractor with over 20 years of building experience and enjoys sharing his experience on his WWL radio show, through his Paul’s House referral network and through his blog.
 
Paul is well known in Building Science circles as an excellent Cajun Chef and makes a mean Gumbo, as anyone that has attended The Annual Westford Symposium on Building Science aka “Building Science Summer Camp” over the past decade will tell you. Learn More this week on IAQ Radio+ through case studies about lessons learned from diagnosing moisture in materials, evaluating methods to fix mistakes, and demystifying BS (Building Science) myths anywhere but particularly in hot humid climate zones!

Robert “Bavarian Bob” Blochinger - One Man’s Professional Journey to Carve a Niche for Flooring Forensics in the Cleaning & Restoration Industry!

This week IAQradio+ brings our growing and loyal group of listeners another unique show in the Moisture Mob ongoing series. Bob Blochinger is a fierce advocate for flooring forensic experts specializing in third party evaluations and oversight of complex installations. Bob’s early career from New York City with roots in the restoration field eventually lead him to South Florida which started an interesting journey over the past 3 decades to dealing with moisture and humidity related problems and how it affects flooring installations and a buildings indoor air quality.
Bob’s experience dealing with a wide range of projects from a diverse customer perspective including, contractors, building owners and managers, manufactures and distributors, lawyers and other stakeholders involved in flooring, moisture and IEQ related projects has shaped his life experience. Through the many lessons learned by Bob and hisgroup of national experts they fill an important role when an objective third party opinion is required to troubleshoot problems and find solutions to complex claims!
Join Radio Joe and the Z-man this week as they engage with an interesting and unique figure from this important industry niche who lists Brooklyneze as one of three languages he is fluent in on his social media profile! The Global Watchdog said in helping arrange this Moisture Mob show, “You can take the kid out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take the Brooklyn out of the kid!”. Call in live this week for this engaging and provocative interview!
Bob was raised in New York City, working in the family construction business. He moved to Florida for college, majoring in business management and worked seasonally in the hospitality industry. He began his career in the flooring industry in 1970, offering carpet cleaning and installations while specializing in water and fire damage restoration work. In the early 1980’s he expanded into the retail department store sector providing installation of floor covering sales. During the 1990’s his company started to service the architectural and interior design trade with high-end floor covering product sales and installations for residential, commercial and industrial applications. In 1990, Bob attended Southern Tech GA, specializing in technical training for carpet manufacturing and inspection. This started his career in forensic review of floor covering products that have a negative impact on performance, appearance and/or use. He is a multi-discipline flooring consultant. Bob also works as an expert witness, inspector and investigator for law firms, condominium associations and flooring manufacturers. He consults for flooring projects on bid package formatting and review, installation supervision and maintenance procedures. Bob’s oversight consultation assignments often require moisture testing of concrete for public works projects and private corporations tracking major installations from the retail store to the manufacturing facility.