ATLANTA - Control of airborne infectious diseases, the value of indoor air quality (IAQ) programs, and challenges faced by the design community are the topics that will be addressed by keynote speakers at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE's) IAQ 2004 conference.

IAQ 2004 Critical Operations: Supporting the Healing Environment Through IAQ Performance Standards will be held March 15-17, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla. The conference will address the critical role that IAQ performance standards provide in support of health care facilities.

Michael Hodgson, M.D., occupational health program, Veteran's Health Administration, will present "Engineering and Health: Do We Know Where We Are Going." Hodgson will discuss the challenges faced by the design community in the health care setting. "Defining the Healing Environment: Risk, Reward, Reality" will be presented by John F. McCarthy, Sc.D., from Environmental Health & Engineering Inc., Newton, Mass. Andrew J. Streifel, hospital environment specialist from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, will present "Preparation for Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Healthcare Environment."

The conference will feature 30 scientific papers, tutorials, and six panel discussions on IAQ in hospitals, ventilation requirements, infection control issues, chemical and bioterrorism, technical aspects of ventilation in hospitals, and risk management. For further details, visit www.ashrae.org.

Publication date: 03/08/2004