Special Maintenance Considerations - Effective Building Maintenance: Protection of Capital Assets - page 110

• Energy cost reduction measures : As energy costs have risen and the
emphasis on energy cost savings have assumed importance with
building owners and managers, HVAC systems have been modi-
fied to reduce ventilation airflows, to eliminate the use of reheat for
humidity control, to be started as late as possible and shutdown as
soon as possible, to broaden temperature control ranges, etc.
• Building design and construction : Many buildings are designed with
better air barriers that reduce infiltration airflows and the resulting
secondary ventilation; “least cost” design and/or poor construction
has cut corners resulting in increased water intrusion, poor lighting
design, and noise or vibration problems, along with HVAC systems
that cannot satisfy both temperature and humidity control needs,
particularly in hot, humid climates; and the use of more and more
synthetic or manufactured building materials that have the poten-
tial of releasing pollutants and contaminants as they age.
• Building use changes : Buildings change in response to changing
business or occupant needs, or simply need to be updated as they
age, and renovation of existing buildings is common. This renova-
tion means that new building products and new building systems
that can regularly introduce (or exacerbate existing) IAQ problems.
People factors also enter into the IAQ equation. Building occupants
are regularly exposed to news coverage on indoor environmental issues,
including asbestos, PCB's, lead paint, mold, etc. This awareness, as one
author states, “has raised the expectations of occupants regarding the
quality of the air in their personal space.” It is these expectations, and any
failure to meet them by the building owner, designer, contractor, and/or
a manger, that can lead to IAQ litigation.
There are real health risks from poor indoor air quality, though these
risks are not nearly as severe or widespread as reported in the media.
Pollutants can be introduced from the outdoors due to poor air clean-
ing, including pollen, dust, fungal spores, vehicle exhaust, and biological
or chemical pollutants from industrial, research, or medical sites. Pollut-
ants introduced by indoor sources include formaldehyde and volatile or-
ganic compounds (VOCs) “off-gassed” by building materials (wall and
floor finishes, furniture, etc.); VOCs from cleaning supplies; sewer odor;
body odor; ozone produced by copy machines and laser printers; mold
resulting from water leaks, water intrusion into the building, and/or poor