May 9 2008 9:53AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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As consumers begin to learn more about indoor air quality, they will logically ask more of the homebuilder. Though mold and radon issues have garnered much attention, indoor air quality in general is becoming all the more important.

“Let’s face it. This all has to do with lawsuits. That’s just how it is,” says Dr. Ernest Chiodo, MD, JD, MPH, CIH. He is a practicing doctor, a practicing lawyer and president-elect of the Michigan Industrial Hygiene as of press time. He also holds a Michigan residential home builder’s license.

The “CIH” stands for “Certified Industrial Hygienist,” a term Chiodo feels builders should get to know. When it comes to builders, says Chiodo, “Almost none of them are using CIHs. Most builders don’t even hear about us until they get sued. We are the guys that are brought in to make sure people aren’t getting sick in auto plants or nuclear facilities, or in this case, in residences,” says Chiodo.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases estimates 11 percent of the population suffer from allergies or asthma caused primarily by reactions to both indoor and outdoor pollutants. According to the Institute we are just beginning to recognize the importance of indoor air quality concerns and ways to address them.

“As building practices have improved we’re reducing the air exchange. Old buildings allowed air infiltration to kind of dilute the pollutants. So while we’ve reduced energy consumption we’re trapping the bad things inside. 45 percent of homes today have someone in there who suffer from some sort of respiratory condition…and there’s trillions of little particles fighting their way in your home every day,” says Randy Scott, vice president of product systems management for Trane.

Don Wood, Trane’s manager of national builder accounts sees indoor air quality as a great marketing strategy. “Our builders are looking for something that differentiates them from the marketplace. Since air quality is five times as bad indoors as it is outdoors, they’re looking for something that will put them over. The savvy marketing-minded builders are coming to us and asking for solutions. None of their competitors are using Indoor Air Quality as a differentiator,” says Wood.

Indoor air quality, according to Chiodo, can be broken down into areas of concern: radon, mold, proper site planning and proper business practices. Issue number one is mold. “That’s the big, hot bugaboo that’s been going on for the past few years. In the mold case, forget about putting in some magic product down there, like some air cleaner that’ll clean up mold levels. Forget it,” says Chiodo. Those products, says Chiodo, while incredibly useful in the home, only treat the symptoms, not the disease. Water intrusions because of improper flashing or some design defect that leads to water buildup is likely to bring the builder into litigation.

As a lawyer, Chiodo has tried cases on both defendant and plaintiff sides. “You don’t want to see guys like me against you,” he jokes, adding “There’s still a lot of litigation concerning mold cases. If there’s mold contamination, he gets caught up because the statute of limitations is much longer for a builder, usually six years. In some states it’s ten years.”

Radon infiltration, despite over three decades of educational exposure, is still is very much an issue. “It is so much more latent. You see it in a lot of granite, igneous type of rock. Those often contain a lot of Radium, the radioactive parent of radon gas. You don’t just see it in basements. A lot of people have granite countertops and that can contain radium,” warns Chiodo.

Just as important as the products and practices going on inside the house is the lay of the land. Proper site planning and drainage issues present a huge problem. “Don’t make yourself responsible just because the homeowner bought marshland. Get your legal counsel involved and provide full disclosure if you must build in an unfavorable area,” says Chiodo.

According to Chiodo and his ilk, builders have to build for the environment. “If you’re down in Florida, darn it, build your house on stilts. You want water out of your house, not rushing in. Hurricanes occasionally happen down there, you know. It’s not an infallible guide, but look at what has worked well historically in that environment. You’re probably going to have problems building French Provincial in Miami-Dade.”

Proper inspections and a heavy amount of supervision, according to OSHA, are necessary during construction and may provide the first line of defense for indoor air quality concerns. “You just have to properly supervise your contactors and subcontractors. I’ve seen flashing done improperly or not done at all! This is a big deal. Stuff like this falls through the cracks because sometimes you get people that either just don’t know or just don’t care. Some subcontractors slap it up too fast or don’t let seals and caulks dry long enough,” says OSHA’s Communications Office Director Kevin L. Ropp. But once a defect occurs, it’s often not obvious. “Inspectors can’t see the stuff behind the walls. It comes down to having good, responsible workers. But I guess that can be easier said than done,” says Ropp.

Builders need to develop a relationship with a Certified Industrial Hygienist, according to Dr. Chiodo. Bring them in before you put the house up for sale and they can report on the levels of radon in the basement and other things such as carbon monoxide and mold contamination. Formaldehyde off-gassing from cheap particle board used in cabinets is one of the first sources found in a home the builder can get in trouble from.

But cost-conscious builders in a down market may not be sold right away on hiring a CIH. “Most of us are good builders and we’re concerned about liability, rightly so. If you have regular volume, you can probably get a CIH in for about $1,000. Factor that in as the part of your costs,” says Chiodo. He recommends finding a local expert to test the home and document there isn’t a problem from the get-go. As a bonus, Chiodo says, “Later on, you’ll have yourself covered to some extent. And if there is a problem, you have an expert in place in case of litigation.” The costs associated with a CIH are insignificant compared to the costs builders may face even before they ever see a court room.


SIDEBAR

Examples of steps taken to improve Indoor Environmental Quality:

• Radon resistant construction techniques

• Lower formaldehyde-emitting products are being used by many builders and in the manufacture of mobile homes

• Employing mechanical ventilation as a way to control humidity and pollutants.

• Installing electronic air filters

• Using sealed combustion furnaces and water heaters or forced draft in an effort to improve energy efficiency and air quality