Air Quality 2/9

Investigating Indoor Air Quality

[Insert Student 's Name]

[Insert Subject]

[Insert Instructor]

[Insert Date]

Upon receiving a report of dizziness and a respiratory distress on a public access building , my office will immediately initiate investigation steps such as the following

The first phase would be the initial walkthrough which my personnel will respond to the area of incidence . The visual inspection of the area will be conducted , they will look for the ventilation system , possible contamination source , and the nearby buildings to see probable source of irregularities . It

is also necessary to interview the concerned affected staff who reported about the respiratory distress and dizziness . This will be the initial phase

The next phase is concerned on identifying an appropriate explanation to the complaint given by the interviewed subjects . This will involve collecting additional information from the subject as well as other building occupants for possible source of human infection . Then it is required to analyze the HVAC system (heating , ventilation , air conditioning system ) to see whether there is an irregularity or a breach on the system . Pollutant pathways and possible pollutant sources will be evaluated to see the possible entry to the building via HVAC system This series of steps correspond to the identifying phase

After the collection of sufficient information from the phase discussed above , the team will now hypothesize on the possible explanation involving the dizziness and respiratory distress . Hypothesis can be more than one depending on the analysis of the team on the current situation The strongest and the most possible hypothesis will be tested by altering building conditions or by performing biochemical tests if necessary . If the result of the tests supports the hypothesis then the visualization of a control strategy will be the next step . However if the results of the tests do not support the hypothesis it is necessary to go back to the identifying phase

After the control strategy conceptualization , a validation is necessary to see whether the problem is solved . If the dizziness and respiratory distress is gone , then a necessity to change the involved systems is inevitable to make sure that the reported cases of dizziness and respiratory distress will never occur again

Works Cited

U .S . Environmental Protection Agency IAQ in Large Building ' U .S Environmental Protection Agency 12 September 2007 Air Quality page PAGE \ MERGEFORMAT 3...