Multidisciplinary evaluation of a public high school

The Indoor Air Quality Committee of the Boston Society of Architects was invited to evaluate a large brick school building erected in 1963 to serve 1600 students. The investigation included a written questionnaire, evaluation of air using the ASTM E981 (modified) bioassay, fungal and bacterial testing, real time monitoring of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, respirable particulate, total volatile organic compounds, relative humidity and temperature. The survey and testing enumerated many potential causes for poor IAQ. The walkthrough included evaluations by a building envelope specialist, HVAC specialists, non-industrial indoor air quality investigators and filter use specialists. The reported human data, the animal bioassay data, the microbial data, real time monitoring and observations provided strong support for remediation actions.