Emergencies and Indoor Air Quality Resources for Businesses and Institutions

Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its Emergencies and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) website to provide the public with information about how to protect themselves and their IAQ before, during, and after an emergency. The agency suggests that preparation and response to weather-related and man-made emergencies are particularly important when it comes to indoor environments, since people spend most of their time indoors, and rely on indoor spaces for shelter. Specific areas of focus listed by the EPA include wildfires, floods, power outages, extreme heat, and winter weather.

Regarding floods, the agency warns they can make the air indoors unhealthy. This is because when things remain wet for more than 24 to 48 hours, they usually get moldy. Floodwaters can even carry biological and chemical contaminants indoors, which may affect people’s health.

Power outages that last longer than a few hours can also adversely impact indoor air quality. EPA encourages individuals to take action to prevent the buildup of harmful indoor pollutants during an outage, including deadly carbon monoxide from generators or other sources. They also caution that when indoor temperatures rise, people can suffer from potentially deadly illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

“Businesses and institutions need to be prepared for common emergencies and for emergencies with extreme consequences. It is critical for action plans to be prepared and practiced before the disaster,” said Derrick A. Denis, Senior Vice President for Clark Seif Clark. “A key part of this includes having access to the right resources and professionals on your emergency preparedness team. At CSC, our indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, building science, and infection control experts are experienced with handling biological, chemical, and physical exposure risks. We inspect, test, monitor, and develop solutions for a wide range of environmental, health, and safety issues associated with emergency situations. CSC also offers comprehensive facility-wide safety and health audits, regulatory compliance assessments, management training, personal protective equipment and safety training, and numerous other resources.”

CSC recently sponsored an educational video about emergencies and IAQ that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/8-1AGD52_fk

To learn more about this or other air quality, environmental, health, and safety testing, training, and consulting services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com, or call 800-807-1118.

About Clark Seif Clark, Inc. (CSC)
Since 1996, CSC has helped clients in both the public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational health, and environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers, and real estate professionals.

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Paul Cochrane

President

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