Conference Agenda

Bioaerosols include airborne compounds such as fungi, bacteria, spores, pollen, mites, and viruses, but also can include cell membrane components, metabolites, and byproducts of cells that may or may not be viable. International interest in bioaerosols has increased rapidly since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, but the assessment and control of bioaerosols is a much broader discipline than just mold and viruses. This presentation is a general overview of the topic of bioaerosols that begins with a review of potential health effects, a discussion on hazard and risk assessment, the establishment of a hypothesis regarding the potential presence or absence of bioaerosols, purpose and development of a sampling plan, an overview and limitations of interpretation of environmental sampling data, and controls.

This presentation will summarize the information needed to (a) understand when and why bioaerosols are important, (b) recognize sources of bioaerosols, (c) assess the environment to qualitatively or quantitatively determine if biological agents are present, and (d) apply controls to minimize or mitigate bioaerosols exposures. Far too often EHS practitioners automatically turn to sampling for bioaerosols without understanding variations and limitations of source/generation, temporal and spatial variation, limitations of interpretation, and the lack of correlation to health effects. Often, reasons for the presence of biological agents and potential occupant exposure thereto may be obvious in some situations, and investigators may proceed to formulate recommendations without having to sample anything at all. Other situations may be less clear, more than one explanation may be plausible, or substantiating evidence may be needed to warrant repairs or remediation.

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of the world’s largest unmet public health threats. Although we spend 90% of our time indoors, building codes base IAQ requirements on comfort and harm prevention rather than health and wellness. Post-construction, there is little regulation of IAQ. The cost of unhealthy indoor air is massive, with US healthcare spending of >$45B for respiratory infections and >$39B for allergies and asthma. Moreover, health risks from unhealthy indoor air are increasing due to increasing wildfire frequency, longer allergy seasons, and new respiratory viruses.

The paper will begin by summarizing the current situation. We will:

1) Explore historical and recent precedents to inform the development and implementation of health-based IAQ standards, including food and water safety regulations, ventilation reforms post-1918 influenza pandemic, and the Clean Air Act;

2) Analyze the current state of health-based IAQ standards at the local, state, national and international levels; and

3) Review key obstacles to the advancement of health-based IAQ standards.

Then, we will propose a policy and regulatory roadmap to achieve health-based IAQ standards that addresses identified obstacles. We will outline key guiding principles to undergird these standards including health-centricity comprehensiveness, coherence, simplicity, design- and operations-focused, performance-based, measurability, verifiability, and applicability to all buildings. Then, we will define a clear endgame, including detailed model health-based IAQ standards.

Additionally, we will advance a multi-layered approach including:

1. Federal legislative reform, including EPA authority to regulate indoor air, fiscal incentives, and defining IAQ standards in critical infrastructure through DoD

2. Executive agency actions, including DOE and/or EPA to lead development of model IAQ national code, GSA to publish best practice guidelines

3. State and local-level reforms, including codification of health-based IAQ standards

4, Key stakeholder and public engagement, including advocates across public health, biosecurity, and climate, as well as ordinary citizens