Indoor Air Quality

Welcome! This is the Region III Indoor Air Quality main page. In the future this will probably be called the Building Science page because it is now recognized that the total building contents and environment must be considered in addressing most Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) problems. Historically, IAQ grew out of the energy crisis of the early 70's resulting in reducing air changes in buildings (residential and commercial) by tightening the envelope and reducing air intake from other sources. In addition traditional building materials of wood, iron, stone, bricks, etc. were replaced by man made materials that offered advantages of reduced weight, lower cost, and lent themselves to new building techniques. However, in many cases these materials are prone to out gas chemicals over the short, or long, term that may have negative health considerations.

Another factor in the recognition of IAQ as a concern was the development of techniques and devices to identify and measure IAQ problems and establishing a link to health problems.

If you have an interest, concern or questions on IAQ please call or contact Region 3 using our toll free hotline ( 1-800-438-2474) and talk with one of our specialists. If a computer is more convenient then you can e-mail us with your question or discussion topic at ozone.r3@epa.gov.

Programs: Tools for Schools (TfS) is our largest program. The purpose is to improve air quality in all school buildings in Region 3. The TfS kit is available free to any school district or school and has easy steps as how to implement the program. Our specialists will help train school staff in setting up a TfS team that will become the focal point of achieving better school IAQ. The Region will also pay to have a consultant or use our experts to evaluate your school building. If interested in improving your school IAQ please call (1-800-438-2474) ext. 2083/2086 and talk with one of our TfS staff. The Tools for Schools Technical Hotline number is 1-866-TFS-EPA1 (1-866-837-3721)

The Region 3 Training Center was established several years ago to provide a broad spectrum of specialized IAQ courses. The University City Science Center, 3711 Market street (8th Floor), Philadelphia, PA. is our grantee that does the training. For information on the courses available and dates, etc. the UCSC should be contacted directly by calling 215-966-6000 or by visiting the UCSC web site .

Region 3 States: The Region includes District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. From an IAQ standpoint structures do not need to be designed for extreme cold or excessive heat. The main adversary to good IAQ is the rainfall that averages greater than forty inches per year across the Region. This results in occasional heavy rain, snow or ice events that exceed the design capability of some structures resulting in significant IAQ problems. For most of the serious weather related problems your insurance company and local municipality should be contacted as the first line of assistance. The State programs that can provide general IAQ information are also listed below. In some cases the state may not have an identified IAQ program and a general Web Page is provided.

National: A vast quantity of IAQ and related building science information and other links are available by connecting to the EPA Headquarters Website at www.epa.gov/iaq. Indoor air quality printed material may be obtained free by calling the Indoor Air Clearing House (1-800-438-4318).

The Human Health Research Program at EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides a strategic approach to develop and evaluate the methods, tools, and data needed to improve risk assessments to protect the public.

For information on indoor air quality issues, check out our radon and indoor mold information pages and our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Cristina Schulingkamp - schulingkamp.cristina@epa.gov [215-814-2086]

Paula Krall - krall.paula@epa.gov [215-814-2067]

Janice Lewis - lewis.janice@epa.gov [215-814-2185]

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