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TESTING INDOOR AIR PRODUCTS: ONE APPROACH TO DEVELOPING WIDELY ACCEPTED PROTOCOLS
Citation:
Franke, D. L., D. S. Ensor, J. Hanley, AND L E. Sparks*. TESTING INDOOR AIR PRODUCTS: ONE APPROACH TO DEVELOPING WIDELY ACCEPTED PROTOCOLS. Presented at Indoor Air 2002, Monterey, CA, 6/30-7/5/02.
Description:
The paper describes an approach to developing widely acce ted products for testing indoor air products. [NOTE: Research Triangle Institute (RTI) is a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program with responsibility for evaluating products intended to improve indoor air quality.] The program objective is to further the development of self-supporting private environmental testing/certification programs for indoor air products by convening stakeholder groups and developing and verifying test protocols. Two areas of emphasis have been low-emitting (i.e., low offgassing) commercial furniture and general ventilation filters for removing aerosol contaminants, both of which have been reported earlier. A third area of emphasis currently being pursued is the evaluation of in-duct electronic air cleaners. While the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) provides a starting point for the test protocol, RTI has investigated conditioning and dust loading issues specific to electronic air cleaners. A companion paper at the conference discusses the laboratory results. The products of the ETV Program are the verified test protocols. These have been written to include a high level of quality management, including laboratory qualifications. Private testing programs now use the protocols. Procurements for public and private organizations have specified emissions testing using the ETV protocol for commercial furniture.