How is indoor air quality (IAQ) regulated?

A panoramic view of lush, green trees, a wildflower meadow, and a mountain range can be seen through the windows of an R.W. Kern Center corner office. A large conference table surrounded by eight chairs sits inside the office. Text at the top of the image reads: Indoor Air Quality Regulations. A banner at the bottom of the image includes a simple shape of the R.W. Kern Center and reads: 100 Days of Building Solutions.

Did you know indoor air quality (IAQ) is not regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency? In fact, California and New Jersey are the only states with specific IAQ regulations. OSHA policies offer some protection for employees (who must be provided with a safe workspace that contains no known health hazards). Residential IAQ is partially addressed in housing codes and landlord-tenant laws, which very by state. But no one agency provides enforcable IAQ oversignt.

Given these regulatory gaps, the building professions have an opportunity to help safeguard human health by producing buildings that help maintain healthy IAQ for all.

Project categories: 100 Days of Building Solutions

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