3-Part Webinar (Free): Quarantine, Responses to COVID-19, by Healthy Indoors, The Building Performance Workshop, & Maine Indoor Air Quality Council

Posted by: Allison Friedman // Rate It Green Admin

Healthy Indoors, The Building Performance Workshop, and the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council recorded a series of three webinars on Friday, March 19.  The webinars are now available, with no registration required.  

These are comfortable, fairly approachable conversations, definitely by experts.  When they get too technical, someone on the panel usually brings the conversation back to what everyone might need to know for living in our homes in a way we didn't initially plan for them, and what to think about as we attempt to clean and disinfect and operate both residential and commercial buildings, and perhaps slow or close commercial buildings down for periods of time. 

The first presentation focused on the interesting point that we're asking a lot more of our homes as we all coop up together and spend more time in them...  CO2 will increase, partiulates will rise, and our chemical use may rise as well.  What do we need to think about? Also, in the second webinar, how do we need to think about these measures across different income levels - that one we still need to keep discussing.  

Some highlights we observed across the series:

• Cleaning CAN be low chemistry - Don't disparage good old soap and water!
• Open those windows (unless allergies are a real concern)
• Don't bring contaminated items into your building
• Only use chemicals for what they are labeled for, and ONLY as directed
• Do NOT just mix chemicals!  And, do not overuse them either.  Many chemical mixes are dangerous, and when you over-treat a problem, there can be more risk to you
• Ventilate when cleaning and disinfecting!
• Peoper balance and air flow are also important
• Use the right filters for your system, and make sure to install them properly
• Never use chemicals to clean your HVAC system
• Watch out for dry drain traps, can be a source of sewer gases
• Stagnant water in the pipes in commercial buildings can be really dangerous when water starts flowing again, if proper precautions aren't taken to avoid Legionnaire's disease  

These are just a few highlights. It's interesting to hear the experts talk, and it's even more interesting when they engage and even disagree a bit! 

3 Webinar Series, Recorded 3/19:

The Domino Effect of Quarantine and Responses to COVID-19:
What We Know, What You Can Do
Now Available as a Recording

https://healthyindoors.com/2020/03/the-domino-effect-of-quarantine-and-responses-to-covid-19/


Webinars:

• How the Virus is Affecting Us
• Managing the Public Health Crisis
• Practical Anti-Virus Measures for Buildings

Speakers: 

Part 1: How the Virus is Affecting Us
Dr. Michelle Sanborn 
Dr. Delphine Farmer
Bob Krell
Joe Medosch 
Moderator: Corbett Lunsford 

Part 2: Managing the Public Health Crisis

Dr. David Krause
Scott Armour 
Tim Hebert 
Corbett Lunsford
Moderator: Bob Krell

Part 3: Practical Anti-Virus Measures for Buildings

Cole Stanton
Kristofer Anderson, PE Corbett Lunsford
Moderator: Bob Krell

 

Maine Indoor Air Quality Council has also compiled a list of resources for management of our indoor environments during this pandemic (see post in this group, or visit: https://maineindoorair.org/resources-for-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-indoor-environments/?inf_contact_key=d8c21d77194de63980584ab7333f76b9)