Transcript 10OldisNew.ppt

THE OLD IS NEW
Kathleen Norlien
MN Dept. of Health
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Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
• Gasses emitted from certain solids or liquids
• May cause short or long-term adverse health effects
• Indoor concentrations up to 10Xs higher than outdoors
Health effects- dependent on “dose” and sensitivities
• Need to look at each specific chemical for health effects
• Irritants (eye, nose, throat, lungs, skin)
• Headaches, dizziness
• Central Nervous System (CNS) effects
• Some are carcinogens
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Manage your environment
& protect yourself!
1. Eliminate source of pollutant
Don’t use the chemical/product
Remove/reduce pollution source
Control harmful gases
2. Ventilation
Use outdoor venting fans
Open windows or doors
Maintain HVAC equipment and appliances
3.If still needed, purchase an air cleaner/purifier (may help)
Use “HEPA” filter-type!
Ok to use electro-static types
Don’t use ozone producing (ionizing) air cleaner
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3.Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for certain tasks
Use low irritancy, low toxicity products
• Use labels and Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS) to identify preferable products
• Choose low Volatile Organic (hydro) Carbon
(VOC) emitting products
• No fragrance products
• Proper use and storage
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Safety Precautions
• Read and follow directions– “the label is the law”
• Read and heed any Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Maintain good ventilation- fresh air while applying, drying,
curing products
• Toss unused containers
• Keep kids and pets away from materials
• Most common hazard- ethylene glycol (antifreeze/radiator fluid)
• Most common place child poisoning occurs- grandparents home
• Never mix household cleaners/products unless directed
on the label
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Chemical Biocides
• May be used to kill bacteria and/or fungus in
flooding situations
• Initially may “clean” and disinfect, however,
long-term effect against mold recurrence
becomes problematic (not a substitute for
proper building construction, maintenance,
use, management and other appropriate water
control methods)
• Used to control legionellae in water-cooled,
heat transfer equipment
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Chemical Biocides (cont.)
• Over 1,000 antimicrobial pesticide products
registered with EPA with mold and/or
mildew claims
• Alcohols
• Aldehydes (formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde)
• Halogens (“bleach”– chlorine, bromine,
iodine, fluorine)
• Heavy metals
• Peroxides (hydrogen peroxide)
• Phenols (Lysol)
• Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
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Eliminate source of pollutant
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Chemicals
• Hobbies and crafts
• Storage of chemicals over
winter
• Air fresheners
• Cleaning supplies
• Pools and hot tubs
• Building renovations
• Decorations and new
furnishings
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Classes of Chemical Products To Be
Addressed by the State of CA
• Air Care
• Air freshener
• Odor removers/eliminators
• Automotive Care
• Motor vehicle wash
• Tire/wheel cleaners
• Windshield water repellant
• Cleaners & Degreasers
• Pressurized gas duster
• Dusting aids
• Fabric care
• Dry-cleaned clothing
• Fabric softener
• Fabric protectants
• Carpet cleaners
• Spot removers
• Lubricants/Penetrants
• Personal Care
• Aftershave
• Astringents
• Personal fragrance products
• Sealants/caulking
• Waxes and Polishes
• Floor maintenance products
• Future
• Nail care products
• Paint thinners
• Greenhouse gases
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California Air Resources Board
• Research: ozone producing air cleaners
• Four models of ozone generators tested
• All exceeded 0.08 ppm
• None would have passed the FDA standard of 0.05
ppm for medical devices
• Laws and standards
• Formaldehyde: Regulate wood products used in
cabinets wall and floor materials
Examples: particleboard, plywood, medium-density
fiberboard (MDF)
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CARB (cont.)
• Consumer products regulation
• Reduce 30-40 tpd VOCs by 2014
• Limits must be commercially and technologically
feasible
• Cannot eliminate a product form
• Prohibit use of perchloroethylene, methylene chloride,
and trichloroethylene
• Education
• Fragrance policies
• Climate change– Early action measures (incentives)
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Paint remover
Methylene Chloride CH2CL2
USE ONLY OUTSIDE– WELL VENTILATED
AREAS
Methylene chloride is metabolized to
formaldehyde and carbon monoxide
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What is formaldehyde?
H2CO
A gas– an irritant
The simplest of the aldehydes
Carbonyl group
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Health Effects: Formaldehyde
• Odor …………………………………..
50-500 ppb
• Eye & nose irritation, nasal
•
•
•
•
stuffiness, lung discomfort (coughing,
wheezing, bronchitis symptoms)…..
NIOSH ceiling limit…………………..
ACGIH ceiling limit…………………..
OSHA STEL………………………….
Allergic reactions, worsening of
asthma symptoms……………………
Cancer…………………………… …..
40-500 ppb
100 ppb
300 ppb
2,000 ppb
Variable
•
No “zero risk”15
level
ACGIH estimates 10-20% population sensitized to “very low
” conc. <250 ppb
Historical Use
• UFFI: Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation
• MDH legislation addresses this. Since 1985, Minnesota has
required that manufacturers of building materials made with urea
formaldehyde provide a written disclosure.
• New furniture is not included in these product standards.
• No person shall remake or renovate any article of
bedding unless all the material to be used…shall first be
thoroughly sterilized and disinfected by the methods set
out herein…
• “Formaldehyde and sulphur concurrently in a moist atmosphere
for a period of not less than ten hours. Formaldehyde gas shall be
generated from the use of one pint of formaldehyde solution, 37%
to each 1.000 cubic feet of air space, or though the use of any of
the high class commercial fumigators which generate an
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equivalent quantity of gas.” MN statutes 325F.28, 1929
Minnesota’s Concerns:
Mid 1980’s Spray Foam Insulation
Urea formaldehyde
(UFFI)
Phenol formaldehyde
Spray Polyurethane
Foam (SPF)
Emits isocyanates
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Minnesota’s
FEMA
Housing
These were mobile
or manufactured
homes
FEMA “Trailers”
HUD “Park Models”
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Could be travel trailers, park models
and mobile homes…<320 ft2
Brazilian Blow Out (and other products)
• Hair straightening treatment-
“keratin treatments”
• NIOSH found that Brazilian
Blowout Acai Professional
Smoothing Solution,
Formaldehyde Free Smoothing
Formula contained 11%
formaldehyde by weight
• Air levels exceeded NIOSH
and ACGIH ceiling limits
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Brazil Blow Out (cont.)
• Formaldehyde (CAS 50-0-0) =
methanal, methylene oxide, formalin,
and methylene
glycol
• Formaldehyde in water, a diol
(CAS 463-57-0)= methylene
glycol or methane diol
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Formaldehyde
• Wood products
• particleboard, plywood, medium-density fiberboard (MDF); often
used in cabinetry, wall and floor materials
• Coatings and furniture products
• acid-catalyzed urea formaldehyde type finishes
• Consumer products
• fingernail hardeners, nail polish, wallpaper, some other paper goods,
paint, coatings; often a preservative in these and other products
• Permanent press fabrics
• clothing, linens, draperies
• Combustion appliances
• wood stoves, gas appliances, kerosene stoves
• Smoking products
• cigarettes, cigars
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Other Products
• Carpet pads and mastic (glue)
• Latex paint
• Photocopier toner
• Perfumes, colognes, and
essential oils
Environmental Health Perspectives
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Charles Weschler
October 2006
Indoor concentration depends on…
• Amount of formaldehyde emitted by products and
number types of products present
• Extent of their use
• Loading factor (m2/m3)–surface area relative to
volume of indoor space
• Ventilation and fresh air provided
• Temperature & Relative Humidity
• Material age
• Interaction effects
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How to reduce formaldehyde levels in
the home
• Source control
• Remove sources of formaldehyde in home
• Reduce use of items that may emit formaldehyde
• Restrict tobacco smoking to outdoors
• Ventilation
• Bring more outdoor air into home
• Consider installing whole-house fan or fresh air
ventilation system
• Exhaust all combustion appliances directly to outdoors
• Keep temperatures moderate (warm temperatures,
e.g., 50 raised to 90 degrees can double
formaldehyde emissions)
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• Keep relative humidity at 40-50% (or less)
CLEARING THE AIR
Filters, Scrubbers, Cleaners, Ozone Generators
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Smoking Statistics: American Indians and
Alaska Natives
• Least likely of all racial and ethnic groups to
report having rule to protect themselves from
secondhand smoke in workplace or home
• 69.3% did not allow smoking at home
(compared with 79.1% of nation overall)
• 68.4% where smoking at work not allowed
(compared with 75.3% of nation overall)
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US Census Bureau- Tobacco Use Supplement 2006-07
Other Sources of Particulate Pollution
• Inefficient wood stoves
• Unpaved roads
• Tribal populations at increased risk from
proximity to emission sources
• 82.3% American Indians and Alaska Natives
live within 50 miles of major NOx sources
• 65.8% American Indians and Alaska Natives
live within 25 miles of major PM10 point sources
National Tribal Air Association, Tribal Air Quality Status Report, 2009
US-EPA Region 10, Pacific NW, 1/12/2010
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Johns Hopkins SPH
Image Library
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Morphology
From EML-Lab
• Text
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Airborne Infectious Disease
New concerns after 9-11
•3 primary routes of transmission
• Direct contact (fomites)
• Large droplets MMAD >10 µm
- “social distancing” - 3 ft. from source
• Small droplet nuclei MMAD < 10 µm
• C = S (1-e –Iqpt/Q)
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ASHRAE Position Paper on Airborne Infectious Disease 2009
Equipment to “Condition” the Air
• HVAC system- as part of home equipment*
• Heating devices such as space heaters
• Window air conditioners
• Humidifiers*
• Dehumidifiers*
• HRVs–Heat Recovery Ventilators
• ERVs–Energy Recovery Ventilators
Equipment to “Clear” the Air
• Fans and filters
• Air cleaning devices *
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Proper Maintenance of HVAC System
• Inspect, clean, repair home and equipment at
regular intervals
• If you have forced-air system, use good quality
pleated filter and change filter regularly
–Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) noncommercial 1-12
–11-12 deep-pleated, electrostatically charged
Over time…
a) Electrostatic efficiency decreases
b) Filtration increases
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Proper HVAC Maintenance (cont.)
• Respond to minor problems before
they become major problems
• Use equipment you have (fans)
• Use safe practices for renovations
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U of MN
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Contact Information
Kathleen Norlien
Minnesota Department of Health
[email protected]
651-201-4613
www.retahome.org
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Household Equipment Needing Fans & Vents
• Boilers, furnaces, hot water heaters
• Fireplaces, wood burning stoves
• Clothes dryer–vent to outside and maintain clear opening
• Bathrooms–for moisture
• Kitchen ranges–especially gas burners
• Remove moisture, odors, grease
• If gas oven or range, remove products of combustion such as CO,
NOx
• Must be vented to the outside
• If it’s not reasonably quiet, many people won’t use it
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Air Cleaners or Purifiers
1. Eliminate source of pollutant
• Remove/reduce pollution source
• Minimize dust
• Control harmful gases
Aprilaire 5000 (whole house)
Friedrich C-90A (portable)
2. Ventilation
• Maintain HVAC equipment and appliances
• Use outdoor venting fans
• Open windows or doors
3. If still needed, purchase an air cleaner/purifier
—Check out Consumer Reports—
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Ozone Generators
• Produce ozone intentionally (to kill bacteria,
viruses and other biological contaminants)
• Associated with “clean” odor
• Like after a thunder/lightening storm
• Can lead to increased indoor levels of
formaldehyde and ultrafine particles
• Ozone in our outdoor air regulated by EPA
under National Ambient Air Quality Standards
• 0.08 ppm for 8-hour standard
• 0.12 ppm for 1-hour standard
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Health Effects of Ozone
• Inflammation and irritation of lung
tissue
• Coughing, chest tightness, and
difficulty breathing
• Can trigger asthma attacks
• May lead to permanent lung
damage in children
• Increased risk of premature death
in susceptible populations
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Marketing
• These types of air cleaners/purifiers are marketed to
individuals most susceptible to adverse effects of ozone
• Families with young children
• Asthmatics
• The elderly
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If you must…
• Choose whole-house or portable
• Whole house air cleaner will only work with forced air
systems
• Correct size for area
• Removal of particulate is specific to particle size or
chemical concentrations
• Filtration-type air cleaner
• Non-ozone generating
• Pleated fabric-type
• Charcoal
• Filters may need to be replaced according to instructions;
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• Maintain equipment
But always…
• Use healthy home
benchmarks
• Identify major
sources of asthma
triggers
• Provide low cost
solutions where
possible
• Vacuum
• Damp dust
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