Weatherization Department
The Friday Report Friday October 25,1996
FromWright Energy's
Weatherization Network Since 1984
970-349-0551 fax
970-349-0923 voice
MichaelR@WrightEnergy.com email
WebSitehttp://WrightEnergy.com
Last updated 10/11/96. A few problems still.
How Much Does Poor Air Quality Cost?
In a time when you can read
anything you want regarding the food you eat; "It's Good; It's Bad..."
etc. It is becoming more amazing to me that choosing good air quality is
considered expensive.
Do you consider that it would be a cost saving measure to eat garbage? Of
course not. It is obvious that the cost of getting good fresh food pays
for itself with better health.
But in many cases the air we breath is akin to garbage. It is contaminated
by the waste cast off by the chemicals around us. Think about it.
IAQ and Productivity
In a major study conducted by The National Energy Management Institute (NEMI)
in conjunction with West Bend Mutual Ins, Co. (West Bed Wisc.) the insurance
company estimates that a 6% - 8% productivity increase was achieved by providing
it's employees an optimum IAQ environment.
Economic models from NEMI the EPA and others show that even a 1% or 2% increase
in efficiency justifies these improvements.
Some other costs affected by less than optimum IAQ are operation and maintenance,
insurance, threat of litigation and, in some cases, - an empty building.
But Then Again.. It's an imprecise field
Excerpted from a paper
presented by Professor Alan Hedge at 1st Asian Indoor Air Quality Seminar
Urumqi, China, Sept. 22-23, 1996.
...Field research also shows that thermal comfort variables, such as air
temperature and air movement, affect perceptions of stale and stagnant air.
Experiments show that judgments of acceptability correlate better with the
percentage of dissatisfied people than judgments of odor intensity. Acceptability
ratings change with air temperature (from 68o F to 79 o F and the higher
the air temperature the lower the acceptability of perceived air quality
.
...Unpleasant odors do not necessarily indicate hazardous indoor air and
the absence of odors does not necessarily signify healthy air because many
pollutants, like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and airborne
microorganisms have no odor.
...Environmental illness
People diagnosed as suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity or environmental
illness are thought to be extremely susceptible to environmental agents.
However, this susceptibility also can be influenced by psychological factors.
Research suggests that for many sufferers the symptoms which they report
are comparable to those of one or more commonly recognized psychiatric disorders,
such as mood disorders, affective disorders, and anxiety disorders
Mold as a Threat to Librarians.
Librarians and archivists who work with old books and papers are exposed
to a wide variety of molds and other microorganisms, some of which are known
causes of disease. Some of those diseases are chronic, some fatal. They
can affect anyone, whether or not they have been previously sensitized to
the organism.
Silicon Valley Beats L.A. Area in Exports
Commerce: High-tech center vaults to No. 3 in U.S. A voracious global
appetite for computers and other electronic products pushed Silicon Valley
ahead of rival Los Angeles-Long Beach in the dollar value of exports in
1995, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
The home of Apple, Intel and other U.S. high-technology
giants boasted $26.82 billion in exports last year, an increase of 34.5%
over the previous year, making San Jose the fastest-growing major export
area in the country.
Exports from the Los Angeles-Long Beach region
also increased, by 11.3% to $24.73 billion, but not enough to maintain its
No. 3 position nationally. . The top two exporters remain Detroit and New
York.
People with Pull Soon Give Way To People With Push
The Original
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Call Mike
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