LEED v2009
Commercial Interiors
Indoor Environmental Quality
Construction IAQ Management Plan—During Construction

CI-2009 IEQc3.1: Construction IAQ Management Plan—During Construction

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Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Develop and implement an IAQ management plan for the construction and preoccupancy phases of the building as follows:

  • During construction, meet or exceed the recommended design approaches of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Contractors Association (SMACNA) IAQ Guidelines For Occupied Buildings Under Construction, 2nd Edition 2007, ANSI/ SMACNA 008-2008 (Chapter 3).
  • Protect stored on-site and installed absorptive materials from moisture damage.
  • If permanently installed air handlers are used during construction, filtration media must be used at each return air grille that meets one of the following criteria below. Replace all filtration media immediately prior to occupancy.
    • Filtration media with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 8 as determined by ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999 (with errata but without addenda1)
    • Filtration media is Class F5 or higher, as defined by CEN Standard EN 779-2002, Particulate air filters for general ventilation, Determination of the filtration performance
    • [East Asia ACP: Construction IAQ Equivalent]
    • Filtration media with a minimum dust spot efficiency of 30% or higher and greater than 90% arrestance on a particle size of 3–10 µg

Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs)

East Asia ACP: Construction IAQ Equivalent
Projects in East Asia may use filtration media classified as medium efficiency (中效过滤器) or higher as defined by Chinese standard GB/T 14295-2008(空气过滤器). [view:embed_resource=page_1=4787174]
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.
See all forum discussions about this credit »

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No results found
See all forum discussions about this credit »

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Cost estimates for this credit

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Addenda

09/05/2011– Updated: 14/08/2020
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000929

In the fourth paragraph, add "and the ISO methods" after "The protocols described in the referenced publication, EPA\'s Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Air Pollutants in Indoor Air,"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
09/05/2011– Updated: 14/08/2020
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000930

In the fourth paragraph, add in after "...the greatest presumed contaminant source strength", "Determine the number of ventilation systems serving the building. Then, determine if the individual floor plates served by each single ventilation system are larger or smaller than 25,000 square feet. If they are smaller, take at least one sample for every 25,000 square feet, or fraction thereof, served by a single ventilation system. If they are larger, take one sample per floor plate. For example, a 110,000 square foot building with ten 11,000 square foot floors, served by a single ventilation system, needs only five samples - one per 25,000 square feet (or fraction thereof) because each 11,000 foot floor plate is smaller than 25,000 square feet. However, a building with ten 30,000 square foot floors, also served by a single ventilation system, needs ten samples for the building because each 30,000 floor plate is larger than the 25,000 sq ft criterion." Delete, "For example" in the following sentence.

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
09/05/2011– Updated: 14/08/2020
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000931

In the fourth paragraph, add in after "...at normal daily start times and at the minimum outside airflow rate.", "For projects with standardized identical construction, such as classrooms in a school or multifamily residential units, identify which rooms are identical in construction, finishes, configuration, square footage, and HVAC systems. For these scenarios, project teams can sample the identical spaces by testing one in seven."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/07/2014– Updated: 29/03/2018
Regional ACP
Description of change:
100001904

The third new bullet should read: “Projects in East Asia may use filtration media classified as medium efficiency (中效过滤器) or higher as defined by Chinese standard GB/T 14295-2008 (空气过滤器).”

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001544

The third bullet should read as follows: "If permanently installed air handlers are used during construction, filtration media must be used at each return air grille that meets one of the following criteria below. Replace all filtration media immediately prior to occupancy."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
02/11/2009– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000125

In the third line of the paragraph, remove second period after "...(e.g.., collection bins..." so the text becomes "...(e.g., collection bins..."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001547

The second new bullet should read: "Filtration media is Class F5 or higher, as defined by CEN Standard EN 779-2002, Particulate air filters for general ventilation, Determination of the filtration performance"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
01/11/2011– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100001091

In alphabetical order, add the following definition for occupied spaces, "Occupied Spaces are defined as enclosed spaces that can accommodate human activities. Occupied spaces are further classified as regularly occupied or non-regularly occupied spaces based on the duration of the occupancy, individual or multi-occupant based on the quantity of occupants, and densely or non-densely occupied spaces based upon the concentration of occupants in the space."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001545

Add three bullets, indented, below the third bullet.

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
08/01/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000126

Insert the term "Tenant space" in alphabetical order with the accompanying text "Tenant space is the area within the LEED project boundary. For more information on what can and must be in the LEED project boundary see the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) and LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance. Note: tenant space is the same as project space."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001548

The third new bullet should read: "Filtration media with a minimum dust spot efficiency of 30% or higher and greater than 90% arrestance on a particle size of 3-10

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
01/11/2011– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100001108

In alphabetical order, add the following definition for nonoccupied spaces, "Nonoccupied spaces are defined as spaces designed for equipment and machinery or storage with no human occupancy except for maintenance, repairs, and equipment retrieval."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001546

The first new bullet should read: "Filtration media with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 8 as determined by ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999 (with errata but without addenda)"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
01/08/2011
LEED Interpretation
Description of change:
Inquiry:

Overview: This CIR applies to Option 2- Air Quality Testing. With regards to the process to demonstrate that the maximum TVOC concentrations are below 500 micrograms/cubic meter, this CIR is requesting the acceptance of an alternate unit of measure based on a volumetric reading from an instantaneous, direct reading photoionization detector instrument (PID) using a 10.6 eVolt lamp. This reading would be recorded in a ppb (parts per billion) measurement and then converted to the designated unit of measure called out in the requirements (micrograms/cubic meter) using a conversion factor. This direct reading approach for TVOC will offer a more economical solution for IAQ testing by a factor of approximately two for our ~480,000 SF project. Methodology A conversion factor has been developed (by EH&E in Newton, MA) and is based on a TVOC "fingerprint" of 33 individual volatile organic compounds grouped by chemical category, resulting from a technical evaluation of the Building Assessment Survey Evaluation (BASE) data, the EPA TO-15 list of VOC\'s, and other relevant technical data. The EH&E team examined three lists of indoor VOC\'s to develop the TVOC "fingerprint." These lists originated the following sources: BASE dataset for commercial buildings, PID-readable chemical compounds, and an EPA approved list of indoor VOC\'s. Seven individual VOC\'s from the BASE data the had the highest reported concentrations and could be measured by a PID formed an initial, preliminary fingerprint. These individual VOC\'s were chemically regrouped (i.e. alcohols, halogenated hydrocarbon, aliphatics, etc.) and the relative group proportions in the fingerprint were compared with the BASE dataset. Based on the EPA guidance and a review of indoor VOC literature, additional VOC\'s not measured in the BASE dataset were considered for inclusion. By mapping additional pollutants from the EPA TO-15 list of VOC\'s, EH&E modified the fingerprint to represent new or existing buildings. The expanded list of compounds included all BASE compounds that were both on the EPA TO-15 list and measurable by the PID. This "fingerprint" is based on the following list of chemicals, sorted by their group, their average group molecular weight (AGMV), the % in BASE data, and specific compounds in fingerprint: Format given in following order: Group/AGMW/% in BASE/Compounds in Fingerprint Aldehydes/44.06/12%/Acetaldehyde Alkanes & alkenes/113.6/8%/n-undecane; n-decane; Nonane; Octane; n-hexane; 1,3 butadiene Aromatics/110.5/14%/d-limonene; a-pinene; Naphthalene; o-xylene; m- & p-xylenes; Ethylbenzene; Styrene; Toluene; Benzene Halogenated Hydrocarbons/130/15%/1,2 -dbromoethane; 1,2, 4-trichlorobenzene; 1, 2, -dichlorobenzene; Trichlorobenzene; 1,3,5 -trimethylbenzene; Chlorobenzene; 1,1 -dichloroethene; Vinyl chloride Alcohols/78.5/31%/2 -butoxyethanol; Phenol; 1 -butanol Ketones/58.1/15%/Acetone Other(e.g. acetates,sulfides, ethers, etc.)/92.55/5%/Butyl acetate; Dimethyl disulfide; Ethyl acetate; Carbon disulfide; t-butyl methyl ether Conversion Factor In order to convert a PID reading from part per billion (ppb) to a mass-based equivalent in micrograms/cubic meter, the PID value is multiplied by a derived conversion factor, MCF, defined below as the product of two correction factors, CF-1 and CF-2. For the TVOC fingerprint listed above, the formula is MCF = CF1 * CF2, where MCF = 2.70 Mass Conversion Factor CF1 = 0.88 Correction for predicted ppb PID reading to "actual" ppb reading, based on isobutylene equivalents, and CF2 = 3.07 Correction for "actual" ppb to micrograms/cubic meter equivalent, based on the chemical distribution of the mixture and the average molecular weight. Summary The acceptance of this CIR would provide a lower cost test for TVOCs, including the use of both hand held PID-TVOC direct read instruments and permanently installed PID-TVOC direct read instruments.

Ruling:

**Update January 1, 2014: This Interpretation is no longer valid. See LI 2467.
**Update October 1, 2013
The applicant is requesting approval for use of a photoionization detector instrument (PID) to measure TVOC concentrations during air quality testing. The proposed alternative for testing of TVOC using a PID is not an approved method in the United States Environmental Protection Agency Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Air Pollutants in Indoor Air which are the methods required for this credit. The IAQ testing must be conducted according to the test procedure outlined in the referenced standard using an approved indoor TVOC measurement device, which is either Method IP-1A, Stainless Steel Canister, or IP-1B, Solid Adsorbent Tubes. Both of these methods utilize GC/MS analyses to determine the concentrations of the collected VOC\'s. Most laboratories will calculate the total concentration of VOC\'s (TVOC) according to a toluene equivalent mass from the Total Ion Chromatogram (not just the peaks of EPA TO-15 compounds, but the integrated area of the peaks from all compounds). This method is discussed in the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) Standard Practice. http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/Specs/Section01350 First of all PID analyses miss many of the common indoor VOC\'s such as aldehydes and aliphatics and has a poor response factor (i.e. and thus large uncertainty) for common indoor VOC\'s such as alcohols. The "fingerprint" method proposed for calibration of the PID is fundamentally flawed in that it uses a calibration based upon an assumed fixed percentage of mass of VOC\'s from seven different groups of VOC\'s while the actual mass percentage of VOC\'s can vary widely from building to building. The errors associated with the "fingerprint" method could be easily demonstrated by simultaneously measuring the TVOC concentration with a PID and either method IP-1A or IP-1B in a number of buildings. Such a comparison was conspicuously missing from the EH&E report "Development of a Method to Convert Total Volatile Organic Compound Measurements in Buildings to Equivalent Mass Based Units", although the report did contain numerous caveats regarding the accuracy of the "fingerprint method" including limitations related to the "Representativeness of TVOC List" and the "Variability by Building Type". Additionally, the LEED-NC v2.2 Reference Guide states that samples must be collected over a minimum 4-hour period; instantaneous TVOC measurements do not satisfy this requirement.Applicable internationally.

Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
See all forum discussions about this credit »

LEEDuser overview

Frank advice from LEED experts

LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Develop and implement an IAQ management plan for the construction and preoccupancy phases of the building as follows:

  • During construction, meet or exceed the recommended design approaches of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Contractors Association (SMACNA) IAQ Guidelines For Occupied Buildings Under Construction, 2nd Edition 2007, ANSI/ SMACNA 008-2008 (Chapter 3).
  • Protect stored on-site and installed absorptive materials from moisture damage.
  • If permanently installed air handlers are used during construction, filtration media must be used at each return air grille that meets one of the following criteria below. Replace all filtration media immediately prior to occupancy.
    • Filtration media with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 8 as determined by ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999 (with errata but without addenda1)
    • Filtration media is Class F5 or higher, as defined by CEN Standard EN 779-2002, Particulate air filters for general ventilation, Determination of the filtration performance
    • [East Asia ACP: Construction IAQ Equivalent]
    • Filtration media with a minimum dust spot efficiency of 30% or higher and greater than 90% arrestance on a particle size of 3–10 µg

Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs)

East Asia ACP: Construction IAQ Equivalent
Projects in East Asia may use filtration media classified as medium efficiency (中效过滤器) or higher as defined by Chinese standard GB/T 14295-2008(空气过滤器). [view:embed_resource=page_1=4787174]
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Checklists

Step by step to LEED certification

LEEDuser’s checklists walk you through the key action steps you need to earn a credit, including how to avoid common pitfalls and save money.

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now

Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now


Addenda

09/05/2011– Updated: 14/08/2020
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000929

In the fourth paragraph, add "and the ISO methods" after "The protocols described in the referenced publication, EPA\'s Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Air Pollutants in Indoor Air,"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
09/05/2011– Updated: 14/08/2020
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000930

In the fourth paragraph, add in after "...the greatest presumed contaminant source strength", "Determine the number of ventilation systems serving the building. Then, determine if the individual floor plates served by each single ventilation system are larger or smaller than 25,000 square feet. If they are smaller, take at least one sample for every 25,000 square feet, or fraction thereof, served by a single ventilation system. If they are larger, take one sample per floor plate. For example, a 110,000 square foot building with ten 11,000 square foot floors, served by a single ventilation system, needs only five samples - one per 25,000 square feet (or fraction thereof) because each 11,000 foot floor plate is smaller than 25,000 square feet. However, a building with ten 30,000 square foot floors, also served by a single ventilation system, needs ten samples for the building because each 30,000 floor plate is larger than the 25,000 sq ft criterion." Delete, "For example" in the following sentence.

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
09/05/2011– Updated: 14/08/2020
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000931

In the fourth paragraph, add in after "...at normal daily start times and at the minimum outside airflow rate.", "For projects with standardized identical construction, such as classrooms in a school or multifamily residential units, identify which rooms are identical in construction, finishes, configuration, square footage, and HVAC systems. For these scenarios, project teams can sample the identical spaces by testing one in seven."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/07/2014– Updated: 29/03/2018
Regional ACP
Description of change:
100001904

The third new bullet should read: “Projects in East Asia may use filtration media classified as medium efficiency (中效过滤器) or higher as defined by Chinese standard GB/T 14295-2008 (空气过滤器).”

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001544

The third bullet should read as follows: "If permanently installed air handlers are used during construction, filtration media must be used at each return air grille that meets one of the following criteria below. Replace all filtration media immediately prior to occupancy."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
02/11/2009– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000125

In the third line of the paragraph, remove second period after "...(e.g.., collection bins..." so the text becomes "...(e.g., collection bins..."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001547

The second new bullet should read: "Filtration media is Class F5 or higher, as defined by CEN Standard EN 779-2002, Particulate air filters for general ventilation, Determination of the filtration performance"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
01/11/2011– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100001091

In alphabetical order, add the following definition for occupied spaces, "Occupied Spaces are defined as enclosed spaces that can accommodate human activities. Occupied spaces are further classified as regularly occupied or non-regularly occupied spaces based on the duration of the occupancy, individual or multi-occupant based on the quantity of occupants, and densely or non-densely occupied spaces based upon the concentration of occupants in the space."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001545

Add three bullets, indented, below the third bullet.

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
08/01/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000126

Insert the term "Tenant space" in alphabetical order with the accompanying text "Tenant space is the area within the LEED project boundary. For more information on what can and must be in the LEED project boundary see the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) and LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance. Note: tenant space is the same as project space."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001548

The third new bullet should read: "Filtration media with a minimum dust spot efficiency of 30% or higher and greater than 90% arrestance on a particle size of 3-10

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
01/11/2011– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100001108

In alphabetical order, add the following definition for nonoccupied spaces, "Nonoccupied spaces are defined as spaces designed for equipment and machinery or storage with no human occupancy except for maintenance, repairs, and equipment retrieval."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001546

The first new bullet should read: "Filtration media with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 8 as determined by ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999 (with errata but without addenda)"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
01/08/2011
LEED Interpretation
Description of change:
Inquiry:

Overview: This CIR applies to Option 2- Air Quality Testing. With regards to the process to demonstrate that the maximum TVOC concentrations are below 500 micrograms/cubic meter, this CIR is requesting the acceptance of an alternate unit of measure based on a volumetric reading from an instantaneous, direct reading photoionization detector instrument (PID) using a 10.6 eVolt lamp. This reading would be recorded in a ppb (parts per billion) measurement and then converted to the designated unit of measure called out in the requirements (micrograms/cubic meter) using a conversion factor. This direct reading approach for TVOC will offer a more economical solution for IAQ testing by a factor of approximately two for our ~480,000 SF project. Methodology A conversion factor has been developed (by EH&E in Newton, MA) and is based on a TVOC "fingerprint" of 33 individual volatile organic compounds grouped by chemical category, resulting from a technical evaluation of the Building Assessment Survey Evaluation (BASE) data, the EPA TO-15 list of VOC\'s, and other relevant technical data. The EH&E team examined three lists of indoor VOC\'s to develop the TVOC "fingerprint." These lists originated the following sources: BASE dataset for commercial buildings, PID-readable chemical compounds, and an EPA approved list of indoor VOC\'s. Seven individual VOC\'s from the BASE data the had the highest reported concentrations and could be measured by a PID formed an initial, preliminary fingerprint. These individual VOC\'s were chemically regrouped (i.e. alcohols, halogenated hydrocarbon, aliphatics, etc.) and the relative group proportions in the fingerprint were compared with the BASE dataset. Based on the EPA guidance and a review of indoor VOC literature, additional VOC\'s not measured in the BASE dataset were considered for inclusion. By mapping additional pollutants from the EPA TO-15 list of VOC\'s, EH&E modified the fingerprint to represent new or existing buildings. The expanded list of compounds included all BASE compounds that were both on the EPA TO-15 list and measurable by the PID. This "fingerprint" is based on the following list of chemicals, sorted by their group, their average group molecular weight (AGMV), the % in BASE data, and specific compounds in fingerprint: Format given in following order: Group/AGMW/% in BASE/Compounds in Fingerprint Aldehydes/44.06/12%/Acetaldehyde Alkanes & alkenes/113.6/8%/n-undecane; n-decane; Nonane; Octane; n-hexane; 1,3 butadiene Aromatics/110.5/14%/d-limonene; a-pinene; Naphthalene; o-xylene; m- & p-xylenes; Ethylbenzene; Styrene; Toluene; Benzene Halogenated Hydrocarbons/130/15%/1,2 -dbromoethane; 1,2, 4-trichlorobenzene; 1, 2, -dichlorobenzene; Trichlorobenzene; 1,3,5 -trimethylbenzene; Chlorobenzene; 1,1 -dichloroethene; Vinyl chloride Alcohols/78.5/31%/2 -butoxyethanol; Phenol; 1 -butanol Ketones/58.1/15%/Acetone Other(e.g. acetates,sulfides, ethers, etc.)/92.55/5%/Butyl acetate; Dimethyl disulfide; Ethyl acetate; Carbon disulfide; t-butyl methyl ether Conversion Factor In order to convert a PID reading from part per billion (ppb) to a mass-based equivalent in micrograms/cubic meter, the PID value is multiplied by a derived conversion factor, MCF, defined below as the product of two correction factors, CF-1 and CF-2. For the TVOC fingerprint listed above, the formula is MCF = CF1 * CF2, where MCF = 2.70 Mass Conversion Factor CF1 = 0.88 Correction for predicted ppb PID reading to "actual" ppb reading, based on isobutylene equivalents, and CF2 = 3.07 Correction for "actual" ppb to micrograms/cubic meter equivalent, based on the chemical distribution of the mixture and the average molecular weight. Summary The acceptance of this CIR would provide a lower cost test for TVOCs, including the use of both hand held PID-TVOC direct read instruments and permanently installed PID-TVOC direct read instruments.

Ruling:

**Update January 1, 2014: This Interpretation is no longer valid. See LI 2467.
**Update October 1, 2013
The applicant is requesting approval for use of a photoionization detector instrument (PID) to measure TVOC concentrations during air quality testing. The proposed alternative for testing of TVOC using a PID is not an approved method in the United States Environmental Protection Agency Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Air Pollutants in Indoor Air which are the methods required for this credit. The IAQ testing must be conducted according to the test procedure outlined in the referenced standard using an approved indoor TVOC measurement device, which is either Method IP-1A, Stainless Steel Canister, or IP-1B, Solid Adsorbent Tubes. Both of these methods utilize GC/MS analyses to determine the concentrations of the collected VOC\'s. Most laboratories will calculate the total concentration of VOC\'s (TVOC) according to a toluene equivalent mass from the Total Ion Chromatogram (not just the peaks of EPA TO-15 compounds, but the integrated area of the peaks from all compounds). This method is discussed in the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) Standard Practice. http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/Specs/Section01350 First of all PID analyses miss many of the common indoor VOC\'s such as aldehydes and aliphatics and has a poor response factor (i.e. and thus large uncertainty) for common indoor VOC\'s such as alcohols. The "fingerprint" method proposed for calibration of the PID is fundamentally flawed in that it uses a calibration based upon an assumed fixed percentage of mass of VOC\'s from seven different groups of VOC\'s while the actual mass percentage of VOC\'s can vary widely from building to building. The errors associated with the "fingerprint" method could be easily demonstrated by simultaneously measuring the TVOC concentration with a PID and either method IP-1A or IP-1B in a number of buildings. Such a comparison was conspicuously missing from the EH&E report "Development of a Method to Convert Total Volatile Organic Compound Measurements in Buildings to Equivalent Mass Based Units", although the report did contain numerous caveats regarding the accuracy of the "fingerprint method" including limitations related to the "Representativeness of TVOC List" and the "Variability by Building Type". Additionally, the LEED-NC v2.2 Reference Guide states that samples must be collected over a minimum 4-hour period; instantaneous TVOC measurements do not satisfy this requirement.Applicable internationally.

Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
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