IAQ Radio

Mark Springer, CR & Ed Cross, Esq. – Maturing of the Cleaning & Restoration Industry: RIA & IICRC Announce Strategic Partnership

On May 1st, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona an historic announcement was made at RIA’s 73rd annual Convention and Exposition. The convention opened with a Town Hall session traditionally done as the association’s closing general session with breaking news that shall shape the direction of the industry for years to come!
 
RIA President Lee King, CR and IICRC Chairman Pete Duncanson taking a page from Regan and Gorbachev’s historic Glasnost agreement executed the Strategic Partnership on behalf of their respective organizations. RIA 1st VP Mark Springer, CR and longtime IICRC board member Craig Kersemeier, WLS were instrumental in helping facilitate the negotiation on behalf of each organizations board of directors leading to the signing ceremony in Phoenix on May 1st.
 
After the execution of the agreement Mark Springer announced the launch of RIA’s AGA task force. The Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee chair was then introduced. Well known restoration contractor advocate and counselor Ed Cross known in the industry as “The Restoration Lawyer” then addressed the convention delegates  about the AGA’s inaugural initiatives.
Please join us live for this exciting  exclusive interview by “Radio” Joe Hughes and the Cliff  “Z-man” Zlotnik this week with Springer and Cross who will share their unique insights into the making of the partnership agreement and the task force’s advocacy plans for the future.
 
This show is the first in a 4 part series that will evolve over the next several months as the IICRC is invited to weigh-in with their unique perspective in part two.  Part 3 will provide an update by Cross on the AGA activities. After Labor Day a collaborative show is planned with King and Duncanson to inform the industry on the progress of the partnership’s ambitious plans to unify the industry and advance the trade for professional cleaning and restoration contractors!
This week, IAQradio’s Restoration Global Watchdog will join the show and weighs in with his thoughts on the historic announcement. Pete Consigli, CR, WLS says, “Over the past decade a succession of volunteer leadership and executive management of both RIA an IICRC have worked towards this historic day. I am thrilled to see the industry come together to collaborate for the greater good. Consigli goes on to say, I thank everyone who played a part in the agreement and hope with  broad base support from industry stakeholders the partners will accomplish their goals”.
Join Cliff, Joe and Pete this week for the “kick-off” of this exciting 4 part series on industry unification as professional cleaners and restorers come together to “Take a Stand” on the direction of the future!

John Downey - An Intimate Interview with a Cleaning Industry “Original”: The Life and Times of John Downey, A Trailblazer, Troublemaker and Buckeye!

This week Iaqradio will have another one of their signature "Fireside Chat" shows with an industry pioneer and iconic personality. John Downey is well known to our listeners from his appearances on the show over the years in his former role as the former editor of the IICRC Journal and more recently in his new role as the Executive Director of CIRI.
This week's show will be more personal and share John's "story" from his family's roots in the carpet cleaning industry that spans 5 generations over a century! John's activism is legendary from his days of helping organize his local carpet cleaning association in Ohio to the story behind Cleanfax which he founded and sold in the 1990's. His various dalliances in related segments of the cleaning, restoration and Jan San industries have given John some hard lessons learned he will share with our growing audience of loyal listeners.This week IAQradio's Restoration Global Watchdog will be joining the show to share some of his insights gleaned from knowing John for over 3 decades. Downey, Consigli and the Z-man share a common interest as industry observers, watchdogs and activists in their mission to advance the profession for the betterment of those who derive their livelihood from cleaning, restoration and remediation. Please join us this week as the "boys" have a chat with John Downey and share their heartwarming anecdotes which will make you smile, laugh and maybe along the way pick up a few tips that can be applied to your own professional and personal life journey!

Ed Light, CSP, CIH & Paul Haas, CSP, CIH - Moisture & Mold; Practical Answers to Complex Questions

Today on Iaqradio+ we welcome Ed Light and Paul Haas. They're CIH's but actually work with contractors to solve building problems! The "dynamic duo" (Ed and Paul are with the Indoor Air/Mechanical Engineering consulting firm, Building Dynamics), will address elusive questions such as, "Will mold grow here?" and "What do these moisture readings mean?" We are also going to have a special musical introduction from Ed Light.
 
Mr. 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. 
Paul Haas CSP, CIH is a consultant with Building Dynamics, LLC - industrial hygiene and mechanical engineering consultants. He has an MS in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Southern California and a BA in Environmental Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has authored many peer-reviewed scientific publications, including widely-used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints. He is a member of ASHRAE, AIHA, and an elite group of surfers who enjoy bluegrass music. As a consultant, Paul has directed multi-disciplinary Building Science and IEQ investigations of 100's of facilities and managing air quality in buildings under construction. He is a practicing industrial hygienist, and also participates in the successful design and construction of numerous buildings and public health aspects of the indoor environment for more than 25 years.

Eugene C. Cole, DrPH - Research to Practice: Water Damage, Sewage, Mold & Public Health

This week we look forward to our interview with Eugene C. Cole DrPH. Dr. Gene Cole is Director of Research for LRC Indoor Testing & Research, Cary, NC; and formerly Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. He has 35 years of research experience, with a primary focus on the ecology of indoor and work environments, with special emphasis on identification and reduction of pollutant reservoirs and sources, bioaerosols, human exposure assessment and control, product evaluation, cleaning and restoration, mold and sewage remediation, and biocides.
 
Since 2000, he has continued to conduct research on the relationship between the use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products in the home, and antibiotic resistance; as well as on the effectiveness of cleaning to reduce the transmission of disease agents in schools. He has also worked with national and international organizations to address environmental health and infectious disease concerns such as medical waste management in Central Europe and South East Asia, hygiene promotion in Africa, and healthy homes and buildings in the U.S. and Asia.
 
Dr. Cole is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI), and a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. He holds a Master of Science in Public Health Microbiology and a Doctor of Public Health in Biohazard Science and Occupational Health, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jim Harris, Sr. - Chairman & Founder Concepts4 & Janitronics Co-founder & Chairman of CIRI - Cleaning, Success & Science

This week we look forward to our interview with Jim Harris, Sr., a consultant, trainer, corporate executive, and entrepreneur. Jim has had a productive and successful career in the cleaning industry for 45 years. Jim started Janitronics Facility Services in 1972 as a local cleaning service. The company has since evolved into a seven branch, comprehensive cleaning, maintenance and management service, but has a new approach: Thinking small; they specialize in creating, and sustaining a healthy indoor environment utilizing state of the art, effective 'cleaning systems' based on validated cleaning science research. Mr. Harris is also co-founder and chairman of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI). CIRI is the clearinghouse for unbiased, peer-reviewed technical information and research about the science of cleaning or restoration of the indoor environment
 
Jim Harris has done what others have only dreamed of while building a profitable company. His company was built first and foremost on the science of cleaning. The company uses state-of-the-art equipment and processes to clean for health. To increase productivity, Janitronics developed its' SysteamCleaning (TM) concept, utilizing state of the art workflow based on systems thinking and high performance standards. In 2000 the leadership of the company completed a succession transition to Jim Harris, Jr. and is headquartered in Albany, N.Y. They are not just dumping wastebaskets and cleaning restrooms. They pride themselves on cleaning a work environment to maintain a high health standard; focused on properly removing bio-contaminants and airborne particles. Janitronics has been succesful in transforming cleaning into a science.

Rachel Adams, PhD Research Scientist at UC Berkeley & California Department of Public Health Research to Practice – Moisture Measurement and Mold

This week we look forward to another Research to Practice presentation from one of the leading IAQ researchers in the world Rachel Adams, PhD. Dr. Adams is a microbiologist with a deep curiosity for how microbes work and how microbial interactions shape the environment around them, including our homes and our health. She is a Microbiologist with the California Department of Public Health and a Project Scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology. Dr. Adams has expertise in using sequence-based technology to study microbial exposures in indoor environments, has developed methods to improve the identification of microbes, and has interest in understanding the consequences of indoor microbial exposures on human health. Dr. Adams holds a B.S. from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University and is a member of the Mycological Society of America and the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ).

Christine Oliver, M.D. - Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA – Odors, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and More an MD’s Perspective (Flashback Friday: Original Air Date 4-7-2017 | Episode 455)

This week we Flashback to one of our more popular shows with Christine Oliver, MD. Dr. Oliver joined us to discuss Odors and Chemical Sensitivities about 2 years ago. This was prior to our first YouTube videos so we are going to add some graphics and photos this week. Dr. Oliver is President of Occupational Health Initiatives, Inc. in Brookline, MA. She is an Associate Physician in the Department of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care Division) at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Board certified in occupational medicine and in internal medicine. Dr. Oliver's primary specialty is Occupational and Environmental Medicine, with an emphasis on occupational and environmental lung disease. At the MGH she evaluates and cares for patients with occupational and environmental illness and disease, including occupational asthma, interstitial lung disease, building-related health problems, and chemical sensitivities. Dr. Oliver has done research and published in the area of occupational lung disease and she has testified before the United States Congress with regard to work-related health issues and risks. 
 
For the past three decades an important focus of Dr. Oliver's consulting work has been indoor air quality and related health effects. She has lectured and published on this subject and she has been actively involved in indoor air quality assessments in a variety of settings. These include health care facilities, courthouses and other government buildings, schools, and commercial office buildings. Together with industrial hygienists, engineers, and human systems specialists she has worked to identify, characterize, and resolve air quality problems and their related health effects. In 2009 she was a participant and presenter in the ASTM Johnson Conference on the standardization of mold response procedures. An important component of Dr. Oliver's clinical work has been in the area of fragrances and their related health effects, including causation and/or exacerbation of chemical sensitivities. She has lectured on these topics, counseled patients and their families with regard to steps that can be taken to identify and remove fragranced products from their environment, and advocated for a fragrance-free policy in the clinic in which she works.

Ritchie Shoemaker, M.D. – Part 2 of our series with the Mold Warrior (Flashback Friday: Original Air Date 5-2-2008)

Radio Joe is on the road this week. On Iaqradio+ we will Flashback to Part 2 of our original series with Ritchie Shoemaker, MD. We will review key points from week one and get into more detail about Dr. Shoemakers research on sick building syndrome and water damaged buildings plus information on treatment options for patients and answers to questions sent in by our listeners.

Parham Azimi, PhD - Research Associate Illinois Institute of Technology - New Research on Particulate Matter & Mortality

This week we welcome Parham Azimi, PhD to Iaqradio+. Dr Azimi is a research associate in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. Much of his research work has focused on fate, transport, and control of indoor aerosols of indoor and ambient origin, chronic health impacts of fine particles in various microenvironments, and energy performance of residential and commercial buildings. Parham is a member of ASHRAE Technical Committee 2.4, UL 2904 Standard Technical Panel, International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) and American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR).
 
Dr. Azimi's work came to our attention recently when we were sent a copy of a recent paper he worked on with Brent Stephens, PhD called "A framework for estimating the US mortality burden of fine particulate matter exposure attributable to indoor and outdoor microenvironments". Dr. Stephens joined us on March 13, 2015 for a great show on The Intersection of Building Science, Energy Efficiency & IAQ.

Ritchie Shoemaker, M.D. - Part 1 of our series with the Mold Warrior (Flashback Friday: Original Air Date 4-25-2008)

Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker first joined Iaqradio as a guest back in April of 2008. Since then we have welcomed him back once a year or so to update us on his research into Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Today we are going to replay our first show with Dr. Shoemaker and we hope to have him join us again soon for another update. Following his bio we have listed all our shows with him over the years. 
 
Ritchie Shoemaker, M. D., is a recognized leader in patient care, research and education pioneer in the field of biotoxin related illness. While illness acquired following exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged buildings (WDB) comprises the bulk of Shoemaker's daily practice, other illnesses caused by exposure to biologically produced toxins are quite similar in their "final common pathway." What this means is that while the illness might begin acutely with exposure to fungi, spirochetes, apicomplexans, dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria, for example, in its chronic form, each of these illnesses has similar symptoms, lab findings, and Visual Contrast Sensitivity findings. Taken together the inflammatory illness from each of these diverse sources is known as a Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.