Executive Summary

ASHRAE published a Position Statement and Paper on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in February 1989. In it ASHRAE asserts the importance of IAQ and related energy conservation and public health issues. In 2000, the ASHRAE Board of Directors reaffirmed that ASHRAE standards should and do consider health impacts when setting the criteria for acceptable indoor air environment. Moreover, since 1989, much knowledge has accrued that allows statements of far greater certainty about health effects, exposures of concern, and the broad approach that must be adopted toward IAQ. Consistent with that reaffirmation, this Position Document replaces the 1989 Statement and Paper.

People in buildings frequently report discomfort, building related illness, and other symptoms that occupants believe are caused by the indoor environment (e.g., sick building syndrome [SBS]). Temperature, humidity, drafts and a wide range of indoor air pollutants: organic and inorganic gases, infectious microorganisms, other biological agents, and non-biological particles and fibers, are among indoor environmental factors implicated in occupant discomfort or illness reports. Sources of indoor air pollutants include building materials; materials used inside buildings (e.g., furnishings, cleaning products, paper); combustion appliances; office, HVAC and other equipment; tobacco smoking; people and their personal care products; the soil, vegetation and the outdoor air. Some building components may become pollutant sources through moisture incursion, accumulation of deposited particles or gases, or normal usage and maintenance.

IAQ is a multidisciplinary endeavor; therefore, good communication and cooperation must be established among professionals who share responsibility for building environments. These professionals include architects, designers, builders, engineers, maintenance and custodial staff, facility managers, and, where appropriate, medical and environmental health professionals. Good communication and cooperation must be also established with building occupants, the subject of all IAQ efforts.

• IAQ - indoor air quality

1. Advanced Energy Design Guides
2. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 140-2001, Standard Method of Test for the Evaluation of Building Energy Analysis Computer Programs
3. ASHRAE 52.2, method of testing general ventilation air-cleaning devices used for removal effciency
4. ASHRAE Handbook-Fundamentals
5. BSR/ASHRAE Standard 55-1992R, thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy, first public review draft
6. Characterization of framing factors for low-rise residential building walls
7. Modeling two and three-dimensional heat transfer through composite wall and roof assemblies in hourly simulation programs
8. Moisture transfer in porous materials exposed to combined humidity and temperature gradients
9. Recommended practices for controlling moisture in crawl spaces
10. Standard 62.2, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings
11. Standard 62.2P, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings
12. Standard 90.1: Energy efficient design of new buildings except low-rise residential buildings
13. Standard 90.2, Energy Efficient Design of New Low-Rise Residential Buildings
14. Thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy, ASHRAE Standard 55-2004
15. Thermal performance of the exterior envelopes of buildings IV
16. WYEC2 Software