Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

20 | July/August 2023 Story/Article Continued from previous page "It is up to all of us in the industry to keep pressure on states to get this done," said Gigi Gronvall of the JHCHS. This is an all-hands-on-deck project for the IAQ industry. To participate in the process, you can email Gronvall at MSIAQA@jh.edu. The Model State IAQ Act of 2023 is expected to pro- vide a framework and foundation for subsequent regulato- ry authorities through which public and private sectors can align to improve IAQ and promote the public's health. It will apply to public buildings, new and existing, and select spac- es in those buildings. It will not apply to private spaces, out- side spaces, private residences, and industrial buildings. The act will focus on contaminants and HACR sys- tems to benefit and protect building occupants. It is expect- ed to provide IAQ guidance, research, education, testing, monitoring, onsite and online postings, assessments, inves- tigations, incentives, and requirements for the building. The building owner can volunteer to: • Conduct IAQ assessments • ndertake repairs or remedies to HACR systems or structures • File assessments and documented proof of re- medial actions with the State agency • Seek annual designation of IAQ certification levels The building owner may be required to: • est IAQ at a level of frequency based on the building classification and post results • se qualified workers to make repairs or main- tenance to HACR or other systems • Maintain information related to IAQ assessmentsremedies • Submit to investigations or inspections pursu- ant to valid complaints pay fees for inspections In a blog written last spring, the Network for Public Health Law in Edina, MN, said that "diseases and other contaminants (e.g., nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter) exemplifies the profound harms of airborne infectious diseases. Most COID-19 infections occur indoors. Efficacious measures to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) can decrease exposures to diseases and other contaminants (e.g., nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter) that harm millions of Americans annually." Here's the rest of the blog on the reasonings behind the model IAQ law: "With many Americans spending approximately 90 percent of their time indoors where the concentration of pollutants is two to five times higher than outdoors, improving IAQ through law and policy is a key 21st century public health objective. Existing federal, state, and local laws regulating IAQ, how- ever, are inconsistent and incomplete. Despite repeatedly introducing legislation in the 1990s, Congress has not direct- ly authorized federal public health authorities to regulate IAQ. State legal endeavors to date regulating IAQ represent at best a patchwork of criteria and recommendations. Yet, changes are underway. Environmental scientists are increasingly demonstrating the health benefits of IAQ. In 2022, the Biden Administration launched a voluntary clean buildings initiative. On May 12, 2023, the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention released new IAQ guidance recommending a target of five air exchanges per hour in many .S. buildings. Multiple states and larger municipali- ties are seeking new legal interventions to address IAQ. In response a team of scientists, policymakers, and legal drafters led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is in the process of crafting a Model State Indoor Air Quality Act (MSIAQA). The objective is to produce "a cohesive set of legislative provisions that achieve tangible improvements in IAQ in public indoor spaces in the interests of improved communal health, greater worker productivity, and economic well-being." A working draft of the Act presents a slate of equitable, legislative options for states considering enhanced IAQ in public buildings that balance individual rights, economic and business interests, and other considerations. The Act authorizes proven legal techniques utilized in other environmental health areas to improve IAQ. These include legal authorities to test public buildings for IAQ, post test results onsite and online, assess buildings' overall IAQ, and seek improvements through proper ventilation or air exchange rates. In cases where special risks to IAQ arise (e.g., disease outbreak, mass contaminant iden- tification), state agency investigations or inspections may be utilized to protect building occupants from specific harm. The Act incentivizes building owners to address IAQ through clean building certifications, expedited reviews of their properties, and allowances for tax-deductible business expenses attributed to improved IAQ. Owners that complete IAQ assessments and remedy identified issues in advance of formal complaints may be exempted from agency inspections. Designated state agencies implementing the Act are authorized to promulgate supporting regulations in collaboration with state-created advisory councils. With anticipated final completion and national circulation this summer, the MSIAQA may provide a legal and ethical foundation for improving IAQ through states (and their local governments). Challenges to implementation include funding limitations and misinformation of IAQ science, and remedies. With growing public awareness of the risks of poor indoor air, however, model legal approaches offer a distinct opportunity to improve IAQ in public buildings for the betterment of all."

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