Indoor Air Quality Solutions, IAQS

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the nation’s largest association of indoor environmental systems professionals, has announced the installation of its 2011-12 Board of Directors and officers.

The board was installed at the annual Chairman’s Banquet held during ACCA’s 43rd Annual Conference and Indoor Air Expo in San Antonio, Texas.

Last year’s Chairman, John Sedine of Engineered Heating & Cooling, Walker, Mich., handed the leadership role to incoming Chairman Joe Nichter of Comfort Systems USA Southwest in Chandler, Ariz. Nichter will serve a one-year term.

“It has been another difficult economic year, but with John Sedine’s leadership, ACCA has been able to overcome the challenges and see much success,” says Paul Stalknecht, president and CEO of ACCA. “Joe Nichter now brings new energy to move the association down the path that has been set, while adding his own goals to the table. The members can be confident that we are poised to have another productive and successful year in 2011.”

Serving as senior vice chairman this year is Laura DiFilippo, DiFilippo’s Service Co., Paoli, Pa. Other vice chairmen are Rich Imfeld, IC Refrigeration, Ceres, Calif.; Dave Kyle, Trademasters Service Corp., Newington, Va.; and Phil London, Thermal Concepts, Inc., Davie, Fla. Secretary/Treasurer for the coming year is Bobby Ring, Meyer & Depew Co., Inc. of Kenilworth, N.J and Sedine will serve this year as immediate past chairman.

ACCA thanks the members who left the board this year for their service: Stan Johnson, Stan’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., Austin, TX; Ray Isaac, Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., Rochester N.Y; Bob Elolf, Environmental Air Systems, Inc., Houston, TX; and Jeff Miller, Al-Don Service, Inc., St. Louis, MO.

This board will serve until next year’s annual conference, scheduled for March 5 – 8, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nev.

Contact: Melissa.Broadus@acca.org
703-824-8842

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

LITTLE ROCK — The sponsor of a bill to repeal the state Mold Investigator Licensing Act said Wednesday he will amend the bill to propose modifying the act rather than repealing it.

Rep. Mike Patterson, D-Piggott, presented House Bill 1171 in the House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee but pulled it down after several people testified for and against the measure. He said he hopes to bring an amended version of the bill back to the committee next week.

The current law requires a licensed mold inspector to be a certified industrial hygienist, a certified microbial consultant or complete at least 20 hours of college-level microbiology. It allows only licensed mold inspectors to inspect homes for mold.

Patterson and supporters of HB 1171 say the law prevents home inspectors who are not licensed mold inspectors from providing a valuable service to home buyers and owners. Opponents of Patterson’s bill say mold inspections are too important to be done by people without proper training.

Patterson told reporters he will work with people on both sides of the issue to amend the bill, but if a compromise cannot be reached he will bring the bill back as-is.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

Never hire a mold inspection company who is also in the mold repair or in the “mold remediation” business!

The company who performs your mold inspection and testing should be independent of the company that performs your mold remediation.

This is currently the mold industry’s #1 conflict of interest, as recognized by the more respected powers in this old, but now re-born, and rapidly evolving industry.

This has been brought to the attention of the news media once again with the recent arrest of an Orlando Mold Remediator who was also performing his own Mold Inspection and Testing to secure more mold remediation jobs.

More states are finding it necessary to step in and protect their citizens by establishing Laws and licensing to prevent this serious conflict of interest.

The Florida State Mold Law  Legislative purpose.–The Legislature finds it necessary in the interest of the public safety and welfare, to prevent damage to real and personal property, to avert economic injury to the residents of this state, and to regulate persons and companies that hold themselves out to the public as qualified to perform mold-related services.

As of July 1, 2010 the state of Florida Prohibits anyone from performing or offering to perform any mold remediation to a structure on which the mold assessor or the mold assessor’s company provided a mold assessment within the last 12 months. Perform or offer to perform any mold remediation unless the remediator has documented training in water, mold, and respiratory protection under s. 468.8414(2).  Accept any compensation, inducement, or reward from a mold assessor or mold assessor’s company for the referral of any business from the mold assessor or the mold assessor’s company.  Offer any compensation, inducement, or reward to a mold assessor or mold assessor’s company for the referral of any business from the mold assessor or the mold assessor’s company.  A mold remediator shall maintain a general liability insurance policy in an amount of not less than $1,000,000 that includes specific coverage for mold-related claims.

Remember this Extremely Important Fact – There are a lot of companies out there who simply want to play on your fears and separate you from your money.  Keep this in mind…a true mold problem is handled in 3 steps. These 3 steps will produce 3 separate documents that are necessary to document everything so that if in the future there is a need to disclose or defend how the mold problem was remedied.

1. An independent mold inspection by a Florida State Licensed and insured mold inspection company. This documents the problem in a written Mold Remediation Protocol that serves as a guide for the necessary repairs so you can effectively proceed to step 2.  The mold remediation protocol should be written in accordance with the ANSI Approved IICRC S-520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation.

2. Professional mold remediation by a Florida State Licensed Mold Remediation Company following the Written Mold Remediation Protocol (provided by the Florida State Licensed and insured mold inspection company) IICRC standards of practice.

3. Re-inspection to determine that the repairs were properly and effectively completed.  The purpose of a Post Remediation Verification Inspection (PRVI) or Mold Clearance Test is to assure that the mold cleanup has been done correctly and effectively in the work area and to confirm that the cleanup did not accidentally distribute high levels of moldy dust and debris into other building areas or into its mechanical systems such as heating or air conditioning systems.

Your Florida Licensed Mold inspection company will act as your guide during the process. After this 3 step process is complete, you will end up with the 3 documents previously mentioned representing –

1) The establishment of the problem  (Mold Assessment and Mold Remediation Protocol)
2) The repair of the problem. The Mold Remediation
3) The verification that all repairs were successful.   The Post remediation Verification Inspection or Clearance Test.

By adhering to the 3-step process, not only will you be comfortable that your indoor environment is safe once again, but you will also be protected from real estate devaluation.

In today’s real estate world, nobody wants to buy a mold problem. It is required by law to disclose the conditions of your home before you sell. If you have had water intrusions or leaks that have resulted in mold, by producing the three documents to the buyer and/or buyers agent, you immunize yourself from their attempt at negotiating a lower price due to a mold problem.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

An Orlando Mold Remediator was preforming both Mold Inspections and Mold Remediation, a practice now Illegal in Florida. 

Is this a sign of things to come?

Will we see more arrest of Mold Remediators preforming Mold Inspections just to secure mold remediation jobs?

A company who performs your mold inspection and testing should be independent of any other interest especially mold remediation.

This is currently the mold industry’s #1 conflict of interest, as recognized by the more respected powers in this old, but now re-born, and rapidly evolving industry.

More states, like Florida, are finding it necessary to step in and protect their citizens by establishing Laws and licensing to prevent this serious conflict of interest.

Microshield IAQ

February 2011 has been designated as National Care About Your Indoor Air Month. Poor IAQ has improved in North America over the past few decades but it is still a significant problem in homes, schools, offices, and medical facilities.

The EPA lists poor indoor air quality among the top 5 environmental risks in the U.S. Poor IAQ is often blamed for poor concentration in school children and can trigger asthma, which accounts for three million lost work days for adults and a staggering 10 million lost school days for children.

Asthma costs the U.S. Approximately $16 billion annually, with approximately 160 million Americans breathing in unhealthy air during the course of any given day.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

Microshield IAQ

By MARK SALERNO

Our homes can contain many chemical contaminants. While some of these chemicals are relatively harmless, others may affect the indoor air quality of your home. Taking steps to improve your home’s indoor air quality is important since most Canadians spend almost 90% of their time indoors.

There are some easy ways to reduce your exposure to chemical contaminants in the home. Avoid smoking or burning candles indoors. The use of unscented and less toxic household and laundry cleaning products can also help keep contaminants to a minimum. Minimize the use of bleach and aerosol sprays, which can give off noxious fumes and have a negative impact on the environment. In addition, avoid tracking dust and contaminants into your home by not wearing outdoor footwear inside.

If you are painting or renovating, choose your paint and building materials wisely. Choose low-emission or low-odour building materials and select low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints. If you are using a product you are not familiar with, you may be able to obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from the supplier or manufacturer. The MSDS will tell you whether the product has hazardous ingredients.

USE YOUR SENSE(S)

Generally, your sense of smell may be able to serve you as a guide to uncover the presence of contaminants in your home. However, while odours may indicate the presence of emissions, the absence of odour does not mean chemical contaminants are not present. The concentration may be lower than you can detect, and some pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and radon, have no odour.

Noting how you feel when you are at home in comparison with how you feel when you leave your house for an extended period may also help you identify whether or not your home has an indoor air quality problem.

If you are interested in hiring a trained Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) investigator to look into indoor air problems in your home, consult the Yellow Pages, print or online, under Indoor Air Quality, Consultants. Confirm that the investigator has knowledge of and experience with residential indoor air quality, and check their references if possible.

You can learn more about how to improve the air quality in your home from CMHC’s “Clean Air Guide” ($5.95) or from a wide range of free About Your House fact sheets, including “Reducing Chemical Contaminants in Your Home.” To order yours, visit http://www.cmhc.caor call 1-800-668-2642.

Mark Salerno is district manager for the Greater Toronto Area at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. You can reach him at 416-218- 3479 or at msalerno@cmhc.ca.

Is air duct cleaning worth it?

By Paul F. P. Pogue

Linda Wetzel of Shaker Heights, Ohio, says she was skeptical about air duct cleaning until a friend told her it had improved her allergies. “I figured common sense said, if there’s dust on the table, there has to be dust in the vents,” Wetzel says. Reprinted with permission from Angie’s List Magazine.

Click here to download Scammers Exposed.
Click here to read the full article.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com