WASHINGTON, DC — Responding to a rise in health problems attributed to poor indoor air quality (IAQ), the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) has formed an alliance with Aircuity Inc., a producer of Internet-enabled IAQ monitoring systems, to help property owners, managers, and homeowners control IAQ in commercial and residential spaces, including office buildings, healthcare facilities, schools, and light industrial buildings.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sick building syndrome (SBS) now affects 10% to 25% of all buildings. Over 5 million IAQ problems are reported per year in the U.S., leaving building managers challenged to provide investigative air screening.

NADCA has joined with Aircuity to offer customers complete IAQ screening, reporting, and diagnostic services. Specifically, NADCA-certified contractors will now offer proactive monitoring of temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, airborne particles, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), molds, ozone, and radon via the Aircuity IAQ Evaluation System.

“Our industry is and always has been vital to the upkeep of workplace and residential air quality,” said Aaron Mindel, executive director of NADCA. “As such, we aim to constantly improve our ability to identify and react to IAQ problems. This alliance puts NADCA-certified professionals in the best possible position to measure and monitor a building’s environmental performance, identify areas of concern or potential concern, and single out the proper remediation methods.”

The Aircuity IAQ Evaluation System is comprised of a portable air monitoring and sampling unit, a Web-based reporting system, and an artificial intelligence-based IAQ diagnosis system. The system recently earned an R&D 100 Award for most technologically significant new product in 2002.

According to NADCA, proactive IAQ management yields a number of financial and material benefits. At the highest level, Department of Energy (DOE) studies show that improving indoor environments could reduce health-related losses and improve worker performance to save an estimated $30 to $150 billion annually. From an operations perspective, regular air quality evaluations can prevent unexpected building maintenance costs and reduce overall operating costs.

For more information on NADCA, visit www.nadca.com. For additional information on the Aircuity system, visit www.aircuity.com.

Publication date: 09/16/2002