The Dental Care Office
Office Administrator, Director of Administration
2009 Columbus Business Pkwy
Columbus, Ohio 45459
October 17, 2007
Re: Indoor Environmental Quality Assessment at the The Dental Care Office Building
Dear Ms. Fullmer:
This is a report on the indoor environmental quality (IAQ) of the The Dental Care Office Building located at 2009 Columbus Business Pkwy, Columbus, Ohio 45459.
Summary
Air distribution was found to be insufficient and the HVAC system was unbalanced in several offices, especially the administration offices. The air filter in the south end of the building was especially dirty. It appeared to not have been changed as recently as the other air-condition filters for reasons undetermined.
There were numerous copiers and printers throughout the office building. They were tested for particle emissions and four tested "very high" in fine particle emissions. The mailroom copier was used for high volume printing (up to 10,000 copies per day) and is a high particulate emitter.
Cats are regular visitors to the back patio and other areas outside the building and may contribute to indoor cat allergen levels. A number of recommendations are offered at the end of this report to address the issues noted.
Observations See pictures.
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Outside of Building |
Main Corridor |
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South End of Offices |
AC Filter near Administration |
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HP Color LaserJet 3550 Printer |
Canon imageRUNNER 6020 |
Testing as a Means of Assessing Indoor Environmental Quality
There were a number of samples gathered in order to determine if there was contamination present in the offices. The matrices tested were ambient air and air-condition filters. Samples were gathered for mold spores, common allergens, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Air circulation was found to be limited in several offices on the south end, especially Becka and Janey's offices, as determined by carbon dioxide measurements.
A table summarizing results follows:
Summary of Test Results at The Dental Care Office
September 15 and October 5, 2007
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Location |
Sample Type |
Sample ID |
Results |
Interpretation |
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AC Filter-Unit 6 near South End |
Cat Allergen-moderate |
MV4 |
Moderate |
Cat allergen is ubiquitous, local cat population is a contributor |
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Dust Mite Allergens-Low |
Low |
Expected in occupied offices |
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Cockroach Allergen |
Not Detected |
not an issue |
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Just Outside of Becka & Janie's Offices |
Airborne Mold Spores |
208319 |
1100 counts per cubic meter, normal fungal species, skin cell debris "high", skin cell debris "medium" |
not an issue |
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Just Outside of Enrollment |
Airborne Mold Spores |
208318 |
840 counts per cubic meter, normal fungal species, skin cell debris "high", skin cell debris "high" |
not an issue |
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Outside Air in September, Sunny, 75F |
Airborne Mold Spores |
208314 |
48,000 counts per cubic meter, normal fungal species |
Normal outside air |
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Outside of Becka & Janie's Offices-Air Condition Filter |
Deposited Mold Spores |
MV1 |
4,200,000 spores per gram |
No problematic spores are noted |
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"Network Development" Air Condition Filter |
Deposited Mold Spores |
MV3 |
26,000,000 spores per gram |
No problematic spores are noted |
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Stockroom Printer |
Total Airborne VOCS |
HC Monitor |
<3.2 mg/m3, not detected |
No airborne exposure to VOCs noted |
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Becka's Office |
Formaldehyde |
Aldehyde Monitor |
0.0094 ppm |
Miniscule trace of formaldehyde, likely from furniture and/or carpeting. |
The environmental sample results were essentially normal except for cat allergen. It was considered to be present in moderate concentration and likely airborne and inhalable at times since it was entrapped in the AC filter.
Additionally, airborne particulate sampling was done throughout the office building. Particulate sampling was done in numerous areas of the office building with an airborne particle counter.[1]
Results are shown in the following table:
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Particulate Concentrations in The Dental Office |
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Location |
Particles per cc |
Notes |
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Small Kitchen-HP Color LaserJet 3550 (p) |
282,000 |
prime source of particulate |
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Sales and Service-HP Laserjet 9050 (p) |
236,000 |
prime source of particulate |
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Sales and Service-HP Color Laserjet (p) |
70,300 |
prime source of particulate |
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Mail Room-Canon Image Runner 6020 at side vent (p) |
54,300 |
prime source of particulate, up to 10,000 copies per day |
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Outside Air 20' away from building |
26,300 |
normal summer day |
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Mail Room-center (after copies) |
14,300 |
remains elevated |
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Mail Room-center (copier off) |
12,000 |
remains elevated |
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HP Color Laserjet dn (p) |
9,540 |
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Sales and Service-HP Laserjet 9050 (off) |
9,370 |
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Computer Room-HP Laserjet 4200 dtn (p) |
8,910 |
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Small Kitchen-HP Laser 4SI (p) |
8,640 |
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Network development |
8,230 |
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Claims-Canon Imagerunner (p) |
8,000 |
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Sales |
7,910 |
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AVERAGE ROOM PARTICULATE |
6,956 |
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Claims |
6,340 |
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Finance |
6,190 |
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Small Kitchen |
5,920 |
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Becka's Office Air Duct (supply) |
5,900 |
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Janie's Office Air Duct (supply) |
5,850 |
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Becka's Office |
5,790 |
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Front Lobby |
5,630 |
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Janie's Office |
5,480 |
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HP Color Laserjet dn (off) |
2,900 |
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Computer Room-Source Tech Laser Printer (p) |
2,610 |
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(p) is a peak reading |
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The following is a graphical
representation of the data above. Note the contribution of four printers to the
total airborne particulate.
Discussion of Test Results
Results indicate that airborne particulate from certain printer/copiers is a contributor to poor indoor air quality. The following room had problematic printers:
v Small Kitchen-HP Color LaserJet 3550 (p)
v Sales and Service-HP Laserjet 9050 (p)
v Sales and Service-HP Color Laserjet (p)
v Mail Room-Canon Image Runner 6020 at side vent (p)
These printers put out large bursts of ultra fine particulate matter (< 1 micron) in the ranges of 50,000 to 275,000 particles per cubic centimeter (about the size of a sugar cube) while printing was in progress. Printer toner is being volatilized at high temperatures; and likely contains polyester resins, metallic compounds and amorphous silica.
The particle concentrations decreased rapidly when the printing ceased. In the case of the mail room, particle counts remained high between printings. Airborne paper particles may also be a factor here.
Recommendations
- Replace copiers that are noted to be high particulate emitters. Improve room ventilation.
- Improve air flow and rebalance the HVAC system to assure adequate flow of air to all areas of the building, especially the administration offices. Consider increasing outside air contributions to the total air mix by resetting dampers on the HVAC units.
- Continue to use a high efficiency furnace filter, such as a 3M Filtrete Ultra or equivalent filter with a MERV rating of 10 or higher or install an electronic air cleaner on these units.
- Routinely use a commercial hepa-vacuum[2] for all carpeting and upholstery in the offices within the building to remove settled particulate. Thoroughly hepa-vacuum all carpeting and upholstery on the occupied floors of the office areas with a commercially available HEPA vacuum cleaner to remove settled particulate. Wipe down hard, non-porous surfaces with a commercial cleaning product.
- Wild cats should not be brought into the building at any time.
About IAQ Services Inc.
IAQ Services is a full service consulting firm in the areas of environmental health and safety testing and remediation. Stuart Bagley is a consultant from IAQ Services Inc. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP). He has a Master of Science degree in Occupational and Environmental Health from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Michigan. Mr. Bagley's field experience includes serving as a Compliance Safety and Health Officer for US Dept. of Labor-Occupational Safety and Health Admin (OSHA), working in corporate safety management, and as a senior consultant for IAQ Services, a total of 25 years. He has conducted numerous indoor environmental quality investigations.
Thank you for assistance during this vital work.
Sincerely,
Stuart D Bagley
Stuart D. Bagley, MS, CIH, CSP
Attachments: lab reports, pictures