Fluke 971 Application Note 2519671

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Application Note

Ask many school administrators

about the air quality inside their

buildings, and the frank answer is

liable to be “Well, we don’t know.”

They should. School air quality

and student performance go

together as naturally as breathing

in and breathing out.

In the words of the U.S. Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency

(EPA), “Good indoor air quality

contributes to a favorable learning

environment for students, per-

formance of teachers and staff,

and a sense of comfort, health,

and well-being. These elements

combine to assist a school in its

core mission educating children.”1

This article provides key facts

about why school air quality is so

important, plus the building blocks

to start developing an air quality

management plan to help your

schools provide a healthy and

comfortable indoor environment

and minimize risk and liability.

A threat to the school’s

educational mission

Poor IAQ can compromise the

learning environment, trigger

health problems among students

and staff, and snowball into

major issues of remediation and

liability.

•A 2004 review by the U.S.

Department of Education

identified adverse health

effects related to the presence

of chemical pollutants, lead,

biological pollutants such as

mold, allergens and airborne

particles.

Indoor air quality:

Can your schools

pass the test?

From the Fluke Digital Library @ www.fluke.com/library

•The same study concluded

that “it is also likely that inad-

equate IEQ (indoor environ-

mental quality) conditions are

common in U.S. schools and

lead to adverse effects on stu-

dents and teachers.”2

Measuring ambient temperature and relative humidity to evaluate air comfort.

•The EPA reports that asthma,

often triggered by airborne

agents, causes more school

absenteeism than any other

chronic childhood condition,

and costs students 14.7 million

missed days a year.3

1U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) IAQ Tools for Schools Kit, IAQ Coordinator’s Guide.

2A Summary of Scientific Findings on Adverse Effects of Indoor Environments on Students’ Health,

Academic Performance and Attendance, page 10, U.S. Department of Education, 2004.

3Asthma Facts, U.S. EPA, May 2005.

2 Fluke Corporation Indoor air quality: Can your schools pass the test?

•In Seattle, one of many sys-

tems dealing with mold prob-

lems in schools, four schools

are under repair and adminis-

trators are surveying IAQ dis-

trict wide. One board member,

citing the district’s slow

response to mold complaints,

called for the district to pay the

medical bills of all affected stu-

dents and staff. At the same

time the district faces a $20

million budget shortfall, and

was considering a proposal to

close ten schools.

“(IAQ) is definitely a signifi-

cant issue for schools, but so is

money, and so is time,” says

Rich Prill, building science & IAQ

specialist with the Washington

State University Extension

Energy Program. “So unless

(school administrators) have an

immediate IAQ problem, it is typ-

ically a back burner thing.”

Under a federally-supported

program, Prill and his associates

take a satchel of measurement

instruments to about 100 North-

west schools each year and

assess the air quality in occupied

classrooms, measuring such IAQ

factors as temperature, relative

humidity and moisture, air flow,

carbon dioxide (CO2) and levels

of airborne particles.

But when a resource such as

Rich Prill is not available, how

does an administrator or facility

manager know an IAQ problem

exists? Better yet, how can

school staff identify changing

conditions and prevent problems

from ever cropping up?

With a well-planned IAQ monitoring and control program,

using the right instruments, the facility director, maintenance

technician, or head custodian can:

•Help identify indoor air quality issues before they become major problems

•Improve comfort and increase teacher performance and student achievement

•Reduce health risks and exposure to asthma triggers

•Pinpoint causes and avoid costly and/or unnecessary and ineffective repairs

•Clearly demonstrate the district’s commitment to providing adequate indoor air quality

•Avoid negative publicity, loss of community trust, litigation and financial liability

Creating an IAQ

management plan

Begin your planning by review-

ing the existing indoor air quality

standards. The American Society

of Heating, Refrigeration and Air

Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

publishes guidelines for ventila-

tion, air filtration and tempera-

ture and humidity management.

The National Air Duct Cleaners

Association (NADCA) has specifi-

cations for duct cleaning.

Keep in mind that even when

standards are still under devel-

opment (such as for airborne

particles or mold spores), your

IAQ management program can

establish benchmarks that

enable you to deal with emerg-

ing problems before they turn

into an expensive liability.

Perhaps the most widely

known IAQ resource for schools

is the EPA Indoor Air Quality

Tools for Schools Kit.4The kit

contains a wealth of information

and many useful checklists that

help guide administrators and

others through the indoor air

quality management task.

The WSU Extension Energy

Program has also developed this

“3-Step IAQ Program” for schools

in Washington, Oregon, Idaho

and Alaska.

Step One—Identify a coordinator

for IAQ in each building, typically

the head custodian, the facility

director, or an HVAC (heating,

ventilation and air conditioning)

technician.

Step Two—Do a thorough top to

bottom, inside and out IAQ walk-

around of the facility and assess

the specific IAQ challenges for

each building—whether it’s

particles, moisture, ventilation,

pollutants or comfort.

Step Three—Create an IAQ pro-

gram to address the challenges.

The program starts by taking

credit for what is already being

done, and then adopting some

additional good practices to

address existing deficiencies.

Prevention is the goal.

The key to prevention is to

first understand the building

from an IAQ perspective: the Step

Two assessment provides a doc-

umented “baseline” of conditions.

Now the conditions in the build-

ings can be routinely monitored

for such critical IAQ factors as

temperature, humidity, CO2, and

particle levels. Not only do these

routine measurements provide

early warning if the numbers

deviate from the norm, but the

record provides evidence of

proper operation and attention to

good practice.

4http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/

tools4s2.html

3 Fluke Corporation Indoor air quality: Can your schools pass the test?

investigation shows the

unvented attic space above is

140 degrees. In winter, cold

walls and window surfaces

can have just the opposite

effect—occupants feel cold in

spite of air temperatures in the

comfort zone.

•Cleanliness. “Typically in

schools the cleaning is based

on appearance, not on health,”

Prill says. “If it looks clean,

good enough. But we find that

carpets that look clean can

contain huge amounts of parti-

cles. Many of these particles

are allergy and asthma trig-

gers. So how do the custodi-

ans or janitorial staff keep

abreast of quality control? Are

you spending the time, money

and equipment where you

need to?

“By having some kind of a

particle measurement you can

look at various areas and say,

“Gee, how come this wing of

the building has ten times

more particles than the other

wing?” It could be that one

custodian is not doing as good

a job, or his/her vacuum equip-

ment isn’t working. Maybe the

kids are tracking in too much

dirt from the playground. Mea-

surement is just a way to get a

handle on reality.”

Prill uses a laser particle

counter to get real time counts

of the number and size of

particles present and track

down their source. Instead of

assuming high particle counts

are caused by dirty ductwork,

and spending thousands on

cleaning, Prill advises schools

Benchmarks

Both the walk-around inspection

and the subsequent IAQ manage-

ment program are focused on

five basic benchmarks of indoor

environmental quality.

•Moisture. In addition to open-

ing the way for mold growth,

excess moisture can cause

unsightly stains and even

structural damage. “Add water

and you’ve got mold,” Prill

says. “If you’ve got any water

leaks, which most buildings

do, you need to address that

immediately. The “best” water

leak is one that is small

enough it doesn’t cause exten-

sive damage and big enough

that you find it in time. So we

suggest moisture meters to

locate wet materials. Bigger

districts can probably benefit

from a thermal imaging device

that’s sensitive enough to

show the temperature differ-

ence between wet materials

and dry materials. That’s a

good way to find hidden mois-

ture, and track down the

source of a leak.”

•Comfort. The right combina-

tion of temperature and rela-

tive humidity is essential, but

comfort is what people feel,

not what a thermometer or

humidity tester say it is. Prill

uses an infrared thermometer

to measure surface tempera-

tures and spot problems. A

room thermostat might read

72 degrees Fahrenheit, but

occupants feel hot. The

infrared thermometer reveals

that the ceiling surface may be

is 85 degrees, and further

to count the particles in air

from supply ducts. If the supply

air is cleaner than room air,

the HVAC system is likely not

the problem.

•Ventilation. A key job for the

HVAC system is removing stale

or polluted inside air and

replacing it with cleaner out-

side air. ANSI/ASHRAE Stan-

dard 62-2001, Ventilation for

Acceptable Indoor Air Quality,

calls for 15 cubic feet per

minute of outside air supply for

each student. Inadequate sup-

ply can allow levels of carbon

dioxide to climb above the

ASHRAE guideline of 1,000

parts per million (ppm). Excess

CO2 also suggests that other

pollutants and particulates are

also accumulating. The CO2

meter makes it easy to rou-

tinely tour the various zones

and note whether the proper

amount of outside air is being

supplied. CO2 measurement

also identifies over-ventilation

of zones. Over-ventilation can

waste energy, increase wear

and tear on equipment, and

create comfort problems.

Another significant benefit is

that the occupants can see for

themselves that they are get-

ting the fresh air they deserve.

The CO2 meter, particle

counter and infrared ther-

mometer help keep a check on

the cleanliness and tempera-

ture of air coming into the

room. An airflow capture hood

determines supply air volume.

•Pollutant control. Point

sources of pollutants must be

identified and controlled and

in general, air should flow

from clean to dirty. That means

air moves from the hallway

into and through the restroom

to be vented outside. Air

moves into the chemistry lab

and storage areas 24/7 to

protect occupants in adjacent

spaces in case of a mistake,

leak or spill. Prill uses a chem-

ical tracer smoke to track the

direction of airflow, and carries

a carbon monoxide tester to

check for the presence of

dangerous combustion gases.

Infrared thermometers are a convenient way to check for temperature differences

along pipes that could indicate a moisture leak.

4 Fluke Corporation Indoor air quality: Can your schools pass the test?

Information takes

center stage

The success of a school IAQ pro-

gram ultimately lies with secur-

ing the understanding, buy in

and support of students, staff,

and community.

“Education and communica-

tion are absolutely key,” Prill

says. “The schools need to be

proactive. If people come to you

asking questions, it’s too late - -

it looks like you’re being reac-

tive instead of proactive. You

need to provide information

before they ask.

Careful maintenance also pre-

vents the HVAC system itself

from turning into a pollutant

source. Heating and cooling

coils, drip pans and ducts must

be kept dry and clean, filters

changed and properly sealed,

motors and drive systems

checked for correct mechanical

and electrical performance.

Proper air flow through filters

and coils means energy effi-

ciency, too. Prill finds that pay-

ing attention to IAQ often

uncovers energy saving oppor-

tunities—in fact, these energy

savings can easily pay for your

IAQ equipment and efforts.

“We suggest they adopt an

IAQ program and market that.

Advertise it. Talk it up. Once you

start talking about it, people’s

fears or anxieties are relieved

because they know someone’s in

charge, someone’s paying atten-

tion. And a little bit of knowl-

edge goes a long way, especially

with numbers. You can say ‘Look,

no particles coming out of the

ducts, relative humidity is okay,

the CO2 numbers show fresh air

being delivered, and air is mov-

ing into restrooms, locker rooms,

storage, mechanical rooms—the

right way . . . “clean to dirty.”

This approach clearly demon-

strates you’re paying attention

and doing what you can in a

very real and practical fashion.’

That makes a big difference in

giving people confidence.”

Documentation can also build

a strong defense against legal

claims. Air quality test equipment

can pay for itself over time, by

documenting that the building is

operated in a healthy and safe

fashion, according to Prill. “It’s

going to be pretty hard to come

after you if the building is clean

and dry and comfortable. A lot of

districts, especially the bigger

ones, are finding that having

documentation, and having num-

bers, really pays,” he adds.

“If schools have documenta-

tion, then it’s hard to suggest

that they’re negligent. That’s

what schools are trying to do:

follow good practice.”

Using a particle counter to evaluate air quality at the supply vent.

5 Fluke Corporation Indoor air quality: Can your schools pass the test?

Particle count examples

Here are three sample readings from a

Fluke 983 Particle Counter, taken in and

around an elementary school.

This sample was taken outdoors.

It’s the baseline for comparing indoor

measurements to.

This sample was taken from ambient

classroom air. From this sample alone

we can’t tell where the pollutants are

coming from, but note that they are

significantly less than the baseline out-

side readings. Use the particle counter

near the supply ducts, doors, windows,

and other areas of possible contamina-

tion, to determine whether a repair is

necessary.

Fluke Corporation

PO Box 9090, Everett, WA USA 98206

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PO Box 1186, 5602 BD

Eindhoven, The Netherlands

For more information call:

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Fax (425) 446-51

16

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Fax (905) 890-6866

From other countries +1 (425) 446-5500 or

Fax +1 (425) 446-5116

Web access: http://www.fluke.com

©2005 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved.

Printed in U.S.A. 7/2005 2519671 A-EN-N Rev A

Fluke. Keeping your world

up and running.

This sample was taken near the car-

pet, right after people had walked by, to

simulate the effect of particles kicked up

by student activity. Compare the particle

counts to the baseline. This could sug-

gest the need to vacuum more fre-

quently, ideally with a HEPA-installed

vacuum, to reduce the risk of asthma.

Note especially the elevated levels of

particulates between 1 and 10 microns,

when compared to the ambient readings.