The Domino Effect of Quarantine and Responses to COVID-19: What We Know, What You Can Do

March 17, 2020
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Bob Krell
Posted in COVID-19 Headline News Health HVAC Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)Mold/Microbial

Scroll down for video recordings, session handouts, and COVID-19 Resources Links!

You and everyone you know is going into quarantine because of the virus scare. In this unprecedented point in our history, COVID-19 isn’t the only thing changing life as we know it— our reactions to the pandemic are also setting off chain reactions around us. As we remove people from one indoor environment and into others, how can we know that where we are sending them is “safe?” We can’t close all buildings, so what can we do inside buildings that have to remain open?

Consider this:

-Compared to other viruses, this virus may last longer on surfaces and in certain temperatures outside the human body- how might the immense surface areas inside our homes be part of the pandemic, and of the solution?

-What side effects are hand sanitizer and disinfectants having on your body and the air you breathe at home?

-How do airborne particles, filtration, and air circulation patterns affect how the virus moves around an indoor environment?

-When do face masks and respirators actually work, and when are they irrelevant?

-Why have we quarantined all ‘low-risk’ and ‘high-risk’ people simultaneously, and what’s the cost to our economy and society?

As you start spending huge amounts of time at home where it’s ’safe’, educate yourself on the interactions of chemistry, microbiology, and physics going on all around us in indoor environments.

Watch this 3-part deep-dive discussion with three panels of experts including medical doctors, chemists, indoor environmental experts, and other experts in the science of homes:

Part 1: How this Pandemic is Affecting Us

This session addresses the COVID-19 crisis from several perspectives such as what we know today from a medical standpoint, to what reasonable actions you can take to limit the impact of this pandemic at your workplace and in your home.

Participants:

Dr. Michelle Sanborn – Dr. Sanborn is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician. She completed her residency at the University of Florida Health Science Center-Jacksonville. She then served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force in Missouri and in South Korea. Later, she worked as a hospitalist in Brandon, FL before working in the U.S. Army as a civilian doctor in both South Korea and in Germany. She then worked in outpatient clinics and nursing home facilities in GA before moving back to FL, where she currently works as a hospitalist and also in telemedicine. Dr. Sanborn also holds a master’s degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Delphine Farmer – Dr. Delphine Farmer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University. She studies atmospheric chemistry, investigating the sources and sinks of air pollution in both the indoor and outdoor environments. In 2018, she co-led the House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry (HOMEChem) experiment – the first of its kind to systematically study how buildings, cooking, cleaning and human emissions impact the fundamental chemistry of the built environment.

Bob Krell – Bob is president of IAQ Technologies, Inc., a Syracuse, NY-based indoor environmental and building performance firm he founded in 1990, offering consulting, mitigation and training services to a variety of clients throughout the country and abroad. He was the co-founder of IAQNET, LLC in 2013, and serves as publisher of its Healthy Indoors Magazine and online information site, HealthyIndoors.com. Bob was named Publisher of Home Energy magazine and took over those duties for the Building Performance Association (BPA) in the summer of 2019. The inaugural issue of the rebrand, Building Performance Journal, will be released in March 2020. He has worked as a Video Producer/Director and Co-host for the online video series, The Healthy Indoors Show, along with numerous other projects for industry associations, online publications, and commercial clients. Bob is also Training Director and Lead Instructor for IAQNET’s online educational offerings which include webinars and live distance learning offerings through IAQschool.online. Bob has been a nationally recognized indoor environmental consultant and trainer in the IAQ industry for over 29 years. He has designed and managed successful indoor environmental and building performance projects for residential, commercial, educational and healthcare facilities throughout the U.S., and conducted hundreds of investigations since 1990. He has presented at numerous industry conferences, appeared on national television and radio, produces educational videos and webinars and is widely published on indoor environmental topics. He also moderates “The Healthy Indoors” discussion group on LinkedIn.

Joe Medosch – Joe is a Healthy Building Scientist for Hayward Score, Owner of Energy & Environmental Consulting and Founder of HHEA, Healthy Home Environment Association. His diverse background in multiple trades provides a unique understanding of “The House as System.” Joe has been evaluating homes (for better or worse) for 18+ years and has been a Comfort Consultant /Trainer for over 10+ years providing solutions on Healthy/Energy Efficient Home Performance.

Moderator:

Corbett Lunsford – Corbett started testing and analyzing home performance dynamics in 2008 in Chicago, IL. He is the founder of the consulting firm Building Performance Workshop, and hosts the Home Performance YouTube channel and the Building Performance Podcast, which features interviews with the superstars of the building performance industry. He is the author of the book Home Performance Diagnostics: the Guide to Advanced Testing, and the developer of the APT Reports software tool. Teamed up with his bride Grace, an award-winning filmmaker, Corbett’s hosted over 200 YouTube videos, garnering over 1.5 million views from over 6,000 subscribers. The duo also created and co-host the 2018 television show Home Diagnosis and the 2016 Proof Is Possible US Tour. After leaving Chicago in 2015, the couple designed and built the #TinyLab, the world’s highest performance tiny house on wheels (pictured below). They drove it 13,000 miles and toured over 7,000 people through it to show them what a high-performance home feels, smells, and sounds like. Along the way, they gave 214 presentations in 34 cities across 26 states, and after the yearlong tour with their newborn daughter and two cats, settled in Atlanta, GA.

Session Handouts:

Dr. Sanborn slides

Joe Medosch slides

Part 2: Managing the Public Health Crisis

Participants:

Dr. David Krause – Dr. Krause is founder of Healthcare Consulting and Contracting (HC3), and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Toxicologist, with 25-years of experience in public health, occupational hazard assessments, and indoor air quality. He received his Doctorate in Environmental and Occupational Health and MSPH in Toxicology from the University of South Florida. David has expertise in risk assessment, workplace exposures, health care facilities, Legionnaires’ disease, combustion products, flame retardants, irritant chemical exposures, indoor air quality, and mold. From 2008 to 2011 Dr. Krause served as the State Toxicologist for the Florida Department of Health. He co-authored the 2009 Guidelines for the Surveillance, Investigation, and Control of Legionnaires’ Disease in Florida and the 2015 AIHA Guideline for the Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Legionella in Building Water Systems. David currently sits as a member of the ACGIH Bioaerosols Committee and chairs the AIHA Indoor Environmental Quality Committee and leads the association’s efforts to educate its members and the general public on issues surrounding Legionnaires’ Disease.

Scott Armour – Scott is an internationally recognized expert on environmental acquired illness, mold assessment and remediation, exposure science and data collection methodology, indoor air quality, building science, childhood lead poisoning prevention and abatement, and fire investigation. He has a Masters of Science in Health Science, with a specialty in Industrial Hygiene (Environmental and Occupational Health Specialist) from California State University, Northridge; he has a BA in Sociology from Case Western Reserve University. Mr. Armour’s professional experience since 1992 has included industrial hygiene, public health, non-profit environmental advocacy, research, occupational and workplace safety, infection control and prevention, building science, green buildings, environmental management systems (ISO 14001), and of course, sustainability. Mr. Armour is the Vice-Chair of the ANSI accredited IICRC S520 Professional Mold Remediation Standard – the world’s foremost standard of care for mold remediation. He is the current Chair of IICRC Mold Removal Specialist Certification and Exam Program. Scott is also a long-standing member of ASHRAE/IAQA residential mold inspection standard committee and has been a member of various other industry committees and white papers. In 2014, Mr. Armour was one of a select group of international experts responsible for “Evaluation by international experts of the methods to assess the health impacts of water damaged buildings”, published by the Montreal Public Health Department. Mr. Armour then spent over a year to create and implement a rigorous and systematic method to assess building-related health complaints for the Montreal Public Schools (2nd largest school system in Canada). For the past three years, Mr. Armour is regularly referred to patients by an internationally acclaimed hospital’s Functional Med department; the clinicians send their patients with mold and environmental acquired illness to Scott for assessment of their living and work spaces.

Tim Hebert – Tim Hebert is an AHA Certified Healthcare Constructor and an ACAC-Certified Microbial Consultant. He has over twenty-five years’ experience in the field of indoor air quality testing, building envelope diagnostics, and HVAC systems hygiene assessments. He is a recognized authority in the area of HVAC systems hygiene and its impact on Indoor Environmental Quality. Tim is the Project Design/Manager and Principal Investigator at Air Purification Specialists, Inc., in Pavo, GA.

Corbett Lunsford

Moderator:

Bob Krell

Part 3: Practical Anti-Virus Measures for Buildings

Program provided courtesy of the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council

Part-3 focuses on the management of the physical indoor environment, and the practical building-related strategies that can be implemented to reduce occupants’ exposure to viruses. It will include a thorough overview of effective anti-viral cleaning and disinfecting practices to reduce viruses on surfaces. And it will review prudent measures facilities personnel and building owners can take to maximize the efficacy of their building systems to reduce viral exposure risk.

While the session focuses primarily on larger buildings and workspaces, several of the basic strategies for effective cleaning and improved ventilation apply to home management as well.

Participants:

Cole Stanton – Frequently engaged with catastrophe restoration, and as a key liason to organizations providing tens of thousands of volunteers in the aftermath of fire, flooding and hurricanes (such as SendRelief), Cole has put boots on the ground to support efforts in more than 30 disaster zones since 2003. Past experience with outbreaks include response strategy development to bird & swine flu, EVD-68 and Ebola, and surface disinfection procedural and policy development for these potential pandemics, as well as numerous regional and local epidemics (norovirus etc) As of Spring 2020, Cole Stanton is Director of Education and AED Specification for the Building Solutions Group (BSG) of ICP (Innovative Chemical Products). In building out a more structured and robust training, knowledge, and specification capability, Cole continues to engage and serve all 24 brands and over 12,000 construction projects in the BSG portfolio. These product areas include building envelope, environmental restoration & remediation, waterproofing, aesthetic finishes, industrial performance coatings, paint removers, marine applications, cementitious technologies, and recreational/athletic surfaces. ICP is the 10th largest coatings company in North America. For 22 years prior, Cole served in leadership, technical and field sales roles for ICP’s Fiberlock’s products for remediation of asbestos, lead paint, mold, disaster recovery, and smoke/fire restoration. With ICP and Fiberlock for 25 years, Cole has provided multi-disciplinary expertise and service to various industries and agencies to develop remediation standards, augment state & provincial regulations. He both presents and writes frequently for industry conferences and publications. Every day, the most exciting challenges involve combining technology from across ICP to solve new challenges in emerging industries such as ICP’s research and provision of solutions for wildfire restoration & suppression, or for legalized cannabis Current standards development projects include development of the first international standard for Fire Damage Restoration, both in the RIA/IAQA program for four years ending 2018; and presently as a volunteer to the IICRC (Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification)drafting of the S760 Wildfire Damage Restoration Standard. During the RIA (Restoration Industries Association) development phase, Cole was Chair of the Tools, Equipment and Materials Committee; as well as providing early leadership to the HVAC Committee. He served the Consensus Body for this fire damage document for nearly four years. Also with IICRC, Cole continues to serve the Consensus Body (CB) on the IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation. Past service includes service on the CB of the IICRC S540 Trauma Cleanup document, as a Reviewer for the IICRC S500 standard for Water Damage Restoration, and as a Subject-Matter-Expert for exam development for the MRS (Mold Remediation Specialist).

Kristofer Anderson, PE – Kris is the founder and President of K.G. ANDERSON, a Maine consulting engineering firm since 2002, which offers industrial, commercial, healthcare, and residential customers independent assistance regarding building energy, HVAC design and diagnostics, envelope design and forensics, retro-commissioning, and indoor air quality. Kris has a diverse background in the building and construction industry spanning 37 years. Kris holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Norwich, and is a Maine Licensed Professional Engineer, Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional, and Certified Energy Manager. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Building Commissioning Association (BCA), the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), and Member of the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council (MIAQC). Kris is a frequent speaker at conferences on the subjects of indoor air quality, HVAC, building forensics & science, and retro-commissioning. He is also a Volunteer Firefighter.

Corbett Lunsford

Scott Armour

Dr. David Krause

Moderator:

Bob Krell

Session Handouts:

Kris Anderson slides

Practical Building Recommendations to Reduce Virus Transmission
Prepared by Kristofer G. Anderson, P.E., Bath, ME

Cole Stanton slides

RIA-IICRC Preliminary Report for Restoration Contractors Assisting Clients With COVID-19 Concerns

Tweets by @HIndoors

Special Thanks to All Our Panel Experts and the Organizations that Made This Free Event Possible!

Maine Indoor Air Quality Council – Offering one of the nation’s premiere educational and industry networking events!

The IAQ & Energy 2020 Conference takes place this October 27-28 in Portland, ME and via a live-stream online. The MIAQC is still accepting applications to present at the conference until April 17, 2020 at: https://www.iaqandenergy.com/call-for-presentations

The Maine Indoor Air Quality Council is a not-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in Maine. Our mission: to create healthy, productive, and environmentally sustainable indoor environments through education, communications & advocacy. The Council is nationally-recognized for its efforts to promote healthy indoor environments on a comprehensive level.

Resources for COVID-19

A compilation of resources for management of the indoor environment during the COVID-19 epidemic.

From Maine Indoor Air Quality Council:

Practical Building Recommendations to Reduce Virus Transmission
Prepared by Kristofer G. Anderson, P.E., Bath, ME

From ASHRAE

ASHRAE Position Document on Airborne Infectious Disease
https://www.ashrae.org/file%20library/about/position%20documents/airborne-infectious-diseases.pdf

COVID-19 Response Resources
https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/resources

From Federation of European Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Associations

How to Operate and Use Building Services to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
https://www.rehva.eu/activities/covid-19-guidance

From OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration)

Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf

OSHA ALERT to Prevent Worker Exposure
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3989.pdf

March 9, 2020 – OSHA News Release
U.S. Department of Labor Offers Guidance For Preparing Workplaces for Coronavirus | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/region/03092020

March 14, 2020 – OSHA National News Release
U.S. Department of Labor Issues Temporary Enforcement Guidance for Respirator Fit-Testing in Healthcare during COVID-19 Outbreak
https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/national/03142020