Industry News
Indoor Air Exposure Benchmarks for VOCs
Health Canada has released an updated set of Indoor Air Reference Levels for chronic exposure to volatile organic compounds, providing public health officials, indoor air quality professionals, and building stakeholders with a comprehensive framework for evaluating long-term exposure risks.
The report underscores the growing importance of indoor air quality management by offering scientifically derived benchmarks that can support building investigations, exposure assessments, product standards, and risk mitigation strategies.
For indoor air quality practitioners, the updated IARLs provide a valuable tool for interpreting sampling results and prioritizing corrective actions in residential and other non-occupational indoor environments.
Invasive Mold Disease
A new CDC surveillance study highlights the serious health threat posed by invasive mold diseases, particularly among people who are immunocompromised or critically ill.
The report emphasizes the importance of early recognition because invasive mold infections can progress rapidly and frequently involve intensive medical care. Researchers noted that exposure can occur in both community and health care environments, including through inhalation of environmental mold spores or, in some cases, contaminated medical products, devices or linens.
Continued surveillance can help health care facilities establish normal infection patterns, recognize unusual clusters that could signal an outbreak and improve the detection and treatment of these potentially life-threatening infections.
Evaulation of IEQ at a Wastewater Plant
Investigators identified several indoor environmental quality and worker-safety concerns at a state-operated wastewater treatment plant, including deficient ventilation and potential exposure to untreated sewage and process chemicals.
Workers were at risk of contact with untreated and partially treated wastewater, powdered lime and contaminated surfaces, although measured concentrations of gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide remained well below occupational exposure limits.
The findings underscore the importance of effective ventilation, exposure controls and routine safety practices in wastewater treatment facilities, where workers can encounter biological, chemical and physical hazards during everyday operations.
Database of State Indoor Air Quality Laws
An updated 2025 database compiled by the Environmental Law Institute documents policies covering ventilation, filtration, mold and moisture, radon, formaldehyde, cleaning products and other indoor environmental hazards.
Schools and residential buildings are a major focus of these efforts. States have adopted requirements or programs addressing HVAC inspections, outdoor-air ventilation, higher-efficiency filtration, mold prevention and remediation.
Some policies also connect indoor air quality with energy efficiency, wildfire smoke protection and building decarbonization, reflecting a broader trend toward treating healthy indoor environments as an integral part of building operations.
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