IEP, Vulnerability, and Hazards Flashcards
What are IEPs?
Indoor Environmental Professionals
What is the purpose of the IEP consensus paper?
- Establish an industry-standard hazard definition and operating procedure for IEPs
- Educate on proper evaluation, management, remediation, and inspection practices pre and post-remediation of water-damaged buildings
- Provide prevention and remediation advice for personal protective gear
- Links WDBs with adverse health outcomes
What are the top indoor hazards of concern?
- Bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and metabolic products
- EPA: Combustion sources, carbon monoxide, tobacco, secondhand smoke, dust mites, radon, pet dander, mold, house cleaning agents, pesticides, asbestos, lead, ozone, AC units
- National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF): mold, dust mites, bacteria, lead, radon, pests, carbon monoxide, pet dander, secondhand smoke
What are the three main spheres of vulnerability?
- Economic
- Environmental
- Social
What are examples of host-specific vulnerable populations?
immunocompromised, chronically ill patients, sensitivity perception of patient, behavior
What are environmentally specific vulnerabilities?
Areas with high concentration of a hazard: air quality, humidity, temp, geographic location
Who created the guidelines for remediation methods?
EPA, New York City, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygeienists (ACGIH), and the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)
Should the family move out of the home for the remediation process?
Many IEP’s recommend this as a fist step
What are the phases in environmental remediation?
- Source identification/elimination
- Planned corrections and moisture control (removing contaminated items, dust sample characterization of mold/mycotoxins, -/+ air pressure controls, fogging)
- Maintenance procedures (validate efficacy of remediation with retesting, monitoring protocols)
What are some of the medically sound remediation controls?
- -/+ air pressure differentials
- HEPA air scrubbers to clean air
- Microbial cleaning of a structure or personal contents of microbial ecology
- Fogging/misting
List/discuss certification bodies and standardized protocols for exposure assessment
- OSHA and EPA have bioaerosol remediation tips but no standards defining bioaerosol limits
- identify hazard, understand population exposed, evaluate exposure pathways, determine overall dose
- take an exposure history
Up to 50% of homes and workplaces in the U.S. have past or current water damage.
True
Killing or suppressing mold growth will address the adverse effects caused by endotoxins, exotoxins, and beta glucans as well.
False
For most, ambient concentrations of molds do not cause health effects.
True
The humidity in a building comes from:
- migration of ground moisture
- moisture in construction materials
- normal occupant activities
- winter release of summer humidity from furniture
- water infiltration through building cracks
