Air Date: 1-27-2012| Episode: 233
Brad Prezant MSPH, CIH, CPE is a research scientist at Massey University in New Zealand and an Associate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington...
Full Description:
Brad Prezant MSPH, CIH, CPE is a research scientist at Massey University in New Zealand and an Associate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington. Previously Mr. Prezant founded and served as the President/CEO at Prezant Associates, Inc. in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Prezant was also the Senior Industrial Hygienist at Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, School of Public Health & Community Medicine, University of Washington. Brad Prezant was also the co-editor of the publication from the AIHA, “Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Indoor Mold” and is a widely respected authority on indoor air quality issues. He got up in the middle of the night to join us from New Zealand.
Z-Man’s Blog:
Today’s interview with IAQ researcher Brad Prezant MSPH, CIH, CPE got off to a very rough start. Most IAQradio listeners don’t know that on the average Friday, Radio Joe and Val Bender, spend 2 hours commuting 93 one way miles from their homes to the radio studio to do the IAQradio show. Today, during their trek they encountered heavy additional traffic due to road construction, and their commute took much longer. I’m a low tech guy who was delegated the task of trying to start the show with remote cell phone guidance from Val who was driving separately from Joe and also stuck in traffic. Joe and I both feared that our guest who was calling in from Australia, wouldn’t be able to call in and that we would be unable to communicate the fact that we were encountering technical difficulties to him. With me at the controls, an assist from my coworker Steve O the show got off to a rough start. When Joe and Val finally arrived, she needed to restart. During our broadcast we lost Internet connections multiple time. The phone connection with our guest also failed multiple occasions. Val had insufficient time to download the guest’s intro music that I selected. We forgot to break for the trivia question. We did complete the show. Fortunately, we record the show and with Val’s audio editing skills, I’m confident that the final product that the majority of you subsequently download and listen to will be fine.
Brad Prezant, who hails from the Pacific Northwest, now lives and works in New Zealand. Brad is a widely respected authority on IAQ issues has experience as both an IAQ investigator and collegiate professor.
Nuggets mined from today’s show:
· Running a business is satisfying due to having more control. In your own biz you have the opportunity to shape the company, establish company culture and style.
· Loser pays legal system in New Zealand results in less frivolous lawsuits.
· While fear of IAQ related litigation is prevalent in the US, it is much less prevalent in NZ
· In the past, IEPs were typically interested in only one environmental factor, now they must be interested in all of them.
· Particulate begins to accumulate in buildings during construction and over time continually gets worse.
· LEED Green Buildings are interested and focused on easy-to-measure parameters. LEED over emphasizes VOCs and while underestimating the role of particulate.
· The intense Initial focus on Stachybotrys distracted attention away from the real problem, moisture.
· Evaluate the efficacy of the cleaning, not the organisms and microbial ecology. The statement that its about the cleaning not the microorganisms, fondly reminded me of a comment made by the late Jim Darling who summarized mold training for English as second language workers down to just 4 words: Mold Bad-Clean Good.
· IAQ down under. Similarities of exposure to North America. Construction differences-predominately wood frame construction, fewer basements, absence of central heating, reliance electric space heaters and use of large windows facing windows for solar heat. Insulation is uncommon even in high-end housing stock. Infiltration is a significant problem. NZ has among the highest rates of asthma. “Leaky home situation” is prevalent in NZ.
· Sick buildings of the 1980’s. Contributing factors: psychological component + tedious-repetitive work + workers having little control+ less than optimal ventilation+ moisture issues+ limited occupant coping skills = complaints about IAQ. Workplace ergonomics: work stations, lights blinking at 60 hertz, color spectrum of lighting, glare, lighting intensity also play a role. Peter Sandman, theory Risk + Hazard = Outrage.
· Dieterism- the aerodynamic diameter of particulate, both size and density matter. Latin quotation. Mens sana in corpora sano (a sound mind in a healthy body)
· There are 2 types of asthma: allergic asthma and non-allergic asthma.
We found Brad Prezant to be amongst the most knowledgeable and well rounded guests we have ever interviewed.
Today’s Music: Little Green Book by the Woovs
