Air Date: 6-10-2011| Episode: 211
This week “Radio Joe” Hughes will be coming straight back to the studio from Indoor Air 2011 (12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate) and joining us by phone will be IAQA President Carl Grimes...
Full Description:
This week “Radio Joe” Hughes will be coming straight back to the studio from Indoor Air 2011 (12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate) and joining us by phone will be IAQA President Carl Grimes. We want to provide an overview of the Indoor Air 2011 conference and discuss why the conference is important to all of us. We will focus on two simple questions, first what did we learn this week and then how do we put it into practice? An important component of what we will discuss is how IAQ Radio and others can help ensure the wealth of information presented at this conference and available from previous conferences can be accessed and used to help improve IAQ practice. Maybe more importantly we need to start the discussion about how we as practitioners can help to ensure future research focuses more on topics that will help us do a better job of improving indoor air. This was an eye opening experience for the practitioners that attended and we will pass along some of what we learned. The bottom line is that what we do is important and will only become more important over time.
Z-Man’s Blog:
Stayin Alive
As Radio Joe and today’s IAQradio guest Carl Grimes discussed their experiences at and impressions of the Indoor Air 2001, I jotted down what I considered to be the important points for inclusion in today’s blog.
Joe and Carl were overwhelmingly impressed with the event. They gave kudos to Richard Corsi, Glenn Morrison, Don Weekes, Richard Shaughnessy, Wane Baker and others. Over 1,000 people attended the event with the majority being one of 38 countries other than the US. Joe and Carl noted that many of the attendees were young and of the feminine persuasion.
· The event was akin to taking a sip of water from a firehouse.
· IEPs do important work, the work it will only become more important.
· The strong influence that outdoor air has on indoor air. The unanticipated negative consequences that weatherization and green buildings have on indoor air. Green building is moving too fast without definition.
· Plant based green building materials are food and colonization sources for bacteria and fungi. What did they think would happen? I can’t help but wonder what effect government earmarks, pork barrel spending, tax rebates and other financial subsidies have on putting a thumb on the scale.
· Noted accomplishment of bringing researchers and practitioners together.
· Semi-Volatile Compounds are a growing concern.
· “If we don’t see it, we aren’t testing correctly.”
· A genome is all the DNA in an organism including its genes. Dr. J.C. Venter, genome researcher and considered one of the leading scientists of the 21st century presented startling results of air sampling and digitizing the biology of indoor air.
· Comment from past guest , Robert Bean “What you breathe today has the ability to affect your offspring.”
Trade associations and other event sponsors often struggle in developing a compelling theme to draw attendees to the meeting. The speakers and presenters work hard to develop exciting new information. Often times after the event concludes, the public conversation and the discussion ends. To me, the most important comment made during the show was by Carl Grimes when he said “keep it alive”, espousing the great importance of continuing the dialog and conversations which started at the event. Now I can’t get the Bee Gees disco song “Stayin Alive” out of my head. “Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’, people, Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive. Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive. Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive”
Today’s Music: “Gimme Clean Air” by Beebo
Z-Man Signing Off
