IAQ Radio

Open Mic - IAQA President Jay Stake, John & Lydia Lapotaire

This week on IAQradio+ we open up the microphones to frequent listeners and our expert audience. Our HBS 2019 is fast approaching and many of you will not be able to attend, but we want and need your input. Call in, text a message, or send us an email! 
 
Today will be talking about some results from our own research and discussing industry research needs. We have divided the discussion into 3 categories with panels on each at the HBS 2019. Send us your thoughts what type of research questions do you have about these categories?
 
IAQ/Mold
Disaster Restoration
Home Performance
 
Today we will run through the categories and get listener input to include in a paper we are working on. We will take your comments, information from our panels at HBS 2019 and information from our panel at the IAQA 2020 Annual Meeting & Expo to produce a paper intended to help focus the research community on what we as practitioner's need from them. We hope that researchers can then use our proceedings to help get funding for their future projects.

Carl Grimes - Dust & Other Demons - Lessons from HaywardScore.com

This week on IAQradio+ we welcome back one of our favorite guests, Carl Gimes of Hayward Healthy Homes and Hayward Score. Carl is nationally recognized as a professionally accredited Healthy Home Specialist (HHS) and a Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC).   Equally important, he personally experienced a series of unhealthy homes. He is all too familiar with the uncertainty, exhaustion, and skepticism inherent with the struggle to finally recognize and accept that his home was perhaps not his safe and secure "castle," but was instead contributing to his puzzling declining health and sense of well-being.   Since 1987 Carl has worked nationally as a private consultant guiding people who suffer from unhealthy houses.  He has developed action plans and verification methods designed to eliminate health issues in homes.  His clients include mothers, children, property managers, attorneys, health care providers, insurance adjusters, teachers, parents, architects, builders, and remediation contractors.
 
In 1999, he authored the book Starting Points for a Healthy Habitat, based on his personal experience, as well as the experiences of his clients, living in unhealthy environments. This brought him to the attention of the national Indoor Air Quality Association.  He was elected to their Board of Directors in 2002, and recently served as their President. Carl is now the Vice President of Practice for the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate. Carl has served on, created, and chaired a variety of committees writing industry consensus standards. He has collaborated with leading experts and researchers, analyzing the best approaches for restoring the indoor environment. He has chaired a committee that developed the course, Healthy Home Assessment: Principles and Practice, which is the follow-on to the Essential Healthy Home Practitioner course by the National Center for Healthy Housing (www.nchh.org). Carl brings to Hayward Healthy Home a unique combination of personal experience and professional expertise identifying and addressing the most critical issues in converting homes to healthy environments that fit individual needs.

David Kiser - Cleaning for Health

This week on IAQradio+ we welcome David Kiser. David has cared for indoor environments throughout his career in the mechanical and cleaning industries. He has worked in the management and sales of mechanical contractors and large equipment manufacturers. Working in the mechanical industry, David was an active member of ASHRAE.
David, and his wife, Carrie also started and operated a family cleaning business for over 30 years in Northern Virginia. The company, Champagne Services, held the CIMS-GB Certification. They served hundreds of the same clients for decades. David and Carrie are Founders of the Association of Residential Cleaning Services (ARCSI). He served as the first President of ARCSI. Champagne Services was also the first residential cleaning service to join the Cleaning Industry Research Institute. David spearheaded and served as the initial Chair of the IICRC House Cleaning Technician (HCT) Course. David serves on the IICRC HCT Committee and is an IICRC Instructor.
Champagne was sold in January 2015 with bookings generating over 75 regular recurring cleaning events daily for years. David is active in the cleaning industry as a thought leader, consultant and IICRC Instructor. David is a co-author of the benchmark book for the residential cleaning industry, The Professional Housecleaning Technician's Manual.

Lan Chi Nguyen Weekes, P. Eng. - IEQ Operations and Maintenance & Management of Legionella in Water Systems

This week on IAQradio+ we welcome Lan Chi Nguyen Weekes, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. Ms. Nguyen Weekes is currently the Director, Physical Resources of La Cité, a college in applied arts and technology in Ottawa, ON, Canada. She was the co-founder and partner of InAIR Environmental Ltd, an environmental consulting company from 1995 to 2018.
 
Ms. Weekes has over twenty-eight (28) years of consultation expertise on environmental issues, including the interaction between buildings and human health. Currently, she is working on the implementation of a Net Zero Carbone strategy on La Cité campuses, addressing the issue of Legionella in building water systems and assessing the impact of climate change on indoor air quality.
 
She is currently the chair of the ASHRAE Multidisciplinary Technical Group on Health and Wellness in the Built Environment. Recently, Ms. Weekes served as a project member of the Management of Legionella in Water System Committee of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM).

Matthew S. Perzanowski, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, Columbia University - The Implications of Carpet on Indoor Chemistry and Microbiology

Today on IAQ Radio+ we welcome Matthew S. Perzanowski, PhD. Radio Joe attended an excellent conference earlier this week  at The Ohio State University, on "The Implications of Carpet on Indoor Chemistry and Microbiology". Dr. Perzanowski was a presenter at the event that was organized by Karen Danemmiller, PhD and Rachel Adams, PhD, both of whom have joined us for shows on IAQ Radio+. We will review some key takeaways from the event and then go into detail on Dr. Perzanowski's presentation and his other work. 
 
Dr. Perzanowski's research is focused on understanding exposures that lead to allergic sensitization and asthma. While many environmental exposures are hypothesized to have contributed to the global asthma epidemic that started in the latter half of the 20th century, a unifying theory has not been proven. Dr. Perzanowski began his research career at a preeminent allergen exposure laboratory and participated in studies conducted in communities as different as inner-city Atlanta and rural Kenya. He continued with his doctoral research working with the OLIN group in northern Sweden at the Arctic Circle where asthma is common but dust mites and cockroaches, exposure to which is important to asthma elsewhere, are not found. As a co-investigator on several established prospective cohort studies, his current research at MSPH is exploring paradigms of exposures related to asthma in an area of the world with one of the greatest asthma burdens, low and middle-income neighborhoods in NYC. He is the principal investigator on the NIH (NIEHS), HUD, CDC and ASPR funded, NYC Neighborhood Asthma and Allergy Study which is examining neighborhood differences in asthma prevalence and persistence to better understand the great disparity in asthma risk between children living just city blocks apart. The primary exposures his group is investigating are indoor allergens, combustion byproducts and fungi (including from Hurricane Sandy related water damage). Two other major research aims his laboratory is working on are implementing non-invasive measurements of airway inflammation in pediatric population based studies and evaluating the relevance of the "hygiene hypothesis" to inner-city asthma.

John Downey & The Z-man - The CIRI Science Symposium; What You Missed! - Part 2

Today on IAQ Radio+ Radio Joe will interview John Downey and the Z-man for their overview of key points from each speaker at this weeks ClRI conference. We also expect the Restoration Global Watchdog, Pete Consigli to join us for the roundup.
 
Cleanfax did a nice job summarizing the event: 
 
"The annual Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) Science Symposium concluded Wednesday after two days of intense discussions and presentations outlining the critical nature of protecting health with the science of cleaning. Held at Miami University in Oxford, OH, the conference featured researchers, educators, trainers, and consultants who spoke to a packed room of more than 50 seasoned cleaning and restoration professionals.
 
The conference, produced by John Downey, the executive director of CIRI, and Steven Spivak, PhD, the chair of the Science Advisory Council (SAC) of CIRI, began Tuesday morning with a keynote address delivered by Dr. Greg Whiteley, "Anticipating Threats to Human Health."
 
That keynote address kicked off a slate of 21 "laser-focused, lightning presentations," as coined by Dr. Spivak, along with six Q&A sessions peppered throughout the conference. A highlight of the event was an impassioned dinner speech by CIRI Chairman Jim Harris, Sr. He surprised attendees with some blunt comments on changing the industry for the better.
 
One component that made this a unique event was the peer review process for the presentations. Several were based on original research, including studies conducted specifically for the symposium.
"The CIRI Science Symposium is one huge piece of the puzzle of partnering science and cleaning," Downey said. "CIRI is growing and the support we are receiving is encouraging. I'm sure we will see positive, measurable improvements in the industry, protecting health of all building occupants globally."

John Downey & The Z-man - The CIRI Science Symposium; What You Missed! - Part 1

Today on IAQ Radio+ Radio Joe will interview John Downey and the Z-man for their overview of key points from each speaker at this weeks ClRI conference. We also expect the Restoration Global Watchdog, Pete Consigli to join us for the roundup.
 
Cleanfax did a nice job summarizing the event: 
 
"The annual Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) Science Symposium concluded Wednesday after two days of intense discussions and presentations outlining the critical nature of protecting health with the science of cleaning. Held at Miami University in Oxford, OH, the conference featured researchers, educators, trainers, and consultants who spoke to a packed room of more than 50 seasoned cleaning and restoration professionals.
 
The conference, produced by John Downey, the executive director of CIRI, and Steven Spivak, PhD, the chair of the Science Advisory Council (SAC) of CIRI, began Tuesday morning with a keynote address delivered by Dr. Greg Whiteley, "Anticipating Threats to Human Health."
 
That keynote address kicked off a slate of 21 "laser-focused, lightning presentations," as coined by Dr. Spivak, along with six Q&A sessions peppered throughout the conference. A highlight of the event was an impassioned dinner speech by CIRI Chairman Jim Harris, Sr. He surprised attendees with some blunt comments on changing the industry for the better.
 
One component that made this a unique event was the peer review process for the presentations. Several were based on original research, including studies conducted specifically for the symposium.
"The CIRI Science Symposium is one huge piece of the puzzle of partnering science and cleaning," Downey said. "CIRI is growing and the support we are receiving is encouraging. I'm sure we will see positive, measurable improvements in the industry, protecting health of all building occupants globally."

A Sunshine State Town Hall: The AOB is Dead…Now What?

An All Star Panel Weighs-in: Harvey Cohen, John Lapotaire, David Popper & Peter Crosa. Joining Radio Joe from South Florida, the Restoration Global Watchdog will be On site with a Live Audience!
Many in the restoration industry feel July 1st, 2019 was a dark day for Florida’s policyholders, disaster victims and those who service their emergency mitigation, drying, mold remediation, restoration and reconstruction needs after a loss or weather event! A Town Hall was held Thursday, July 11th in South Florida to address the restoration and remediation marketplace in the post AOB era. IAQradio will be covering the proceedings and key issues raised and discussed at the Town Hall on this week’s show.
An All-Star panel lead by Harvey V. Cohen, Esq. the founding partner of Orlando-based Cohen Law Group (CLG) will provide Town Hall attendees with a variety of options to service customers and protect their companies’ interests. The Tallahassee insurance lobby won the AOB battle by crushing Florida’s Fee Shifting statute which had enabled mitigation and restoration contractors to service Florida policyholders at their time of greatest need with the assurance they would be fairly compensated for the service.
Joining Cohen on the panel will be fellow Orlando-based attorney David H. Popper who specializes in contract law and on occasion will have an overlapping interest in an insurance claim that both firms are involved in. Popper will provide useful advice to Town Hall attendees on the use of legal agreements and forms Florida based restorers and contractors should consider using to be in compliance with state and local statues and to ensure they get paid for their services.
Joining Cohen and Popper on the panel will be well known and respected environmental consultant (IEP), expert witness and licensed Florida mold assessor John Lapotaire, CEIC. John and his wife Lydia Lapotaire are well- known in the their home market of Orlando and throughout  the Sunshine state for loss evaluation, project specification and oversight, post remediation verification (PRV) and expert opinion when called upon.
The panel will be rounded out with the perspective of Peter Crosa, AIC, RPA and former President of the NAIIA the trade association for independent insurance adjusters.  Crosa is a frequent speaker at property restoration industry meetings and published author in industry trade journals. Crosa is well known for his marketing seminars for the restoration industry based on his book, ”Soft Selling Hardened Claims Adjusters”.
Moderating the Town Hall will be industry Adviser and Facilitator Pete Consigli, CR, WLS. Consigli is an Honorary Member of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) and the association’s historian. Well known as IAQradio’s “Restoration Global Watchdog”, Consigli is recognized for his passionate advocacy for restoration contractors world-wide. Consigli will kick-off the panel by offering “A Contractor’s Perspective” on the issues based on 2 decades of historical data. History teaches us one important lesson, if we don’t learn from mistakes of the past; they are bound to be repeated!
The Town Hall is being Co-hosted by IAQradio sponsor AEML, Inc. Microbiology Laboratories and the Cohen Law Group. The Z-man is unavailable this week, so join Join Radio Joe and the Global Watchdog making his IAQradio preview as a co-host for this week’s podcast.
Joe manning the studio and Pete on the ground reporting from the field on the happenings from one of the country’s most important states to watch as the insurance lobby pushes its agenda and restoration industry advocacy groups battle back to level the insurance claims playing field for the greater good of Florida’s policyholders/disaster victims and their chosen “Restoration Contractor of Record” (RCR)! It should be an interesting and dynamic show with a live audience on the ground joining the watchdog and the all star panel from South Florida!

Joe Medosch - Hayward Score - The Business of Healthy Homes

This week we look forward to a conversation with home performance and IAQ industry veteran Joe Medosch of Hayward Score. Joe is one of the smartest people in the industry and not just book smart, he has been there and done that with almost 30 years of experience as a contractor and 10 as a master trainer. Joe has deep experience in the home performance field, especially in the areas of health and energy-efficiency. His expertise includes building science and diagnostics, IAQ/IEQ assessments and home performance. He has a long history of involvement with the ICC, BPI, RESNET, SMACNA, and ASTM. He has served on numerous committees developing industry standards including: RESNET Standard 380, Equipment Sub-Committee, and BPI multifamily standards development.
 
Joe is an advocate for updating how home performance work is done and focuses on health of the occupants. He is adamant that we need to find ways to document that home performance improvements not only help with energy but that they treat the home holistically and help improve energy use, comfort and health.

Lauren Tessier, ND - Life After Mold and International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI)

Dr. Lauren Tessier, is a Naturopathic Physician licensed by the state of Vermont. Her practice, Life After Mold, uses a patient centered approach to help those suffering from mold related illness. Her approach is informed by my Naturopathic Medical education, in combination with Functional and Integrative Medicine. These tools allow her to truly address the entire person who establishes care with her. 
 
Dr. Tessier's passion for treating those with mold related illnesses started when she moved to Waterbury, Vermont in 2013. She wanted to serve a small community in rural Vermont, however, nothing could have prepared her for what she was about to see. Waterbury, two years later, was still recovering from an unimaginable flood caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011. Patients sick with unexplainable rashes, allergies non-responsive to treatment, fatigue, breathing difficulties, neurological complaints, headaches, nausea, and general immune system dysfunction came to be seen, day after day. When the traditional western medicine and Naturopathic approaches didn't seem to work, that was when she decided to "dive deep" into what she suspected to be mold related illness. 
 
Over several years and as a result of much time spent in research, education, and application of various protocols, she was able to develop approaches that got results. And after seeing many successful patient outcomes, she decided to develop a practice dedicated solely to the treatment of those suffering from illnesses relating to mold, biotoxins, mycotoxins and water damaged building exposure. Dr. Tessier takes great pride in that fact that Life After Mold is New England's ONLY CIRS certified Naturopathic Medical practice; and the ONLY CIRS certified Naturopathic Medical practice east of the Mississippi!
 
Additionally, Dr. Tessier is the Vice President of The International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI), The ISEAI is a nonprofit professional medical society that aims to raise awareness of the environmental causes of inflammatory illnesses and to support the recovery of individuals affected by these illnesses through the integration of clinical practice, education, and research. 
 
Dr. Tessier received her Bachelors in Science from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's of Science in Premedical Sciences and Health Psychology. She then went on to undergo training as a Naturopathic Physician at the prestigious Bastyr University in Kenmore Washington. After earning her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine, she returned to New England, finally calling Vermont home.