Makes provisions to protect indoor air quality including indoor air quality plans by building owners and air quality standards and investigations

1 Co-sponsor

• Ruben Diaz

Title of bill

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to protecting indoor air quality

Purpose

To protect public health by ensuring that building occupants have an adequate supply of fresh air, to provide that the ventilation system of buildings be operated and maintained according to design, that activities affecting indoor air quality be coordinated, and persons experiencing adverse health effects have some means of having these problems addressed.

Summary of provisions

Requires that every building owner have in place an indoor, environmental plan, which includes a description of the buildings heating ventilation and air conditioning system and documentation of its operation and maintenance. Also provides for an inventory of hazardous substances used in the building, and that renovation projects include an assessment of the effect on indoor air quality. Requires that building owners have in place a system for responding to requests for information and for investigating and responding to complaints about indoor air quality problems. Provides for the establishment of an indoor ventilation standard which shall take into effect building structure, size, use, age and occupancy. Requires that building owners respond to complaints concerning indoor air quality and that the State Health Department if it sees fit, may investigate complaints and make recommendations concerning corrective measures. Directs the department of health in consultation with other agencies and professional associations to develop model courses in tile operation and maintenance of heating ventilation and air conditioning systems,

Justification

Indoor air problems are responsible for a variety of chronic and acute public health problems ranging from mild irritations to life threatening diseases. These conditions represent an important public health threat affecting millions of workers, school children, and other members of the public. The costs from degraded quality of life, lost productivity and health care expenses are enormous and growing, The magnitude and sources of indoor problems vary greatly. Sources include the build up of carbon dioxide and irritant substances released from office machines, furniture and carpets; pesticides; biological contamination in ventilation systems' second hand cigarette smoke; pollutants drawn from outside air, radon, and asbestos. Other reasons for indoor air quality problems include efforts to conserve energy through better insulation and lower ventilation. The Assembly Health Committee, Environmental Conservation Committee, and Labor Committee held a series of five hearings around the State in 1990 and 1991 on indoor air quality. The hearings showed that these problems, while pervasive, were often preventable. They also indicated that these growing problems demand a response. Like the problem, potential solutions are complex and varied. Approaches include construction standards, maintenance requirements, expanded employee rights and education, and standards for ventilation and specific contaminants. The provisions of this bill, while modest, are an appropriate first step to addressing these ongoing problems. They focus on coordinating activities within a building that are most likely to effect air quality: ventilation system operation and maintenance, construction, hazardous substances and pesticide use. They also seek to provide occupants access to information so that they can contribute to system improvement, ultimately increasing productivity and saving money.

Legislative history

03/07/07 REFERRED TO HEALTH 01/09/08 REFERRED TO HEALTH

Fiscal implications

Minor costs associated with the Health Department promulgating ventilation standards, costs incurred by owners to carry out air quality inspections should more than be offset by productivity gains.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of September in the year after it shall have become a law.