Talking about IAQ at ANAM 14

Two days of conference with a wide participation of associates and high-profile speakers. Rewarded with wide acclaim the efforts of the organizers of the AIISA - NADCA Annual Meeting, a cultural reference point for indoor air quality

Maurizio Pedrini

ANAM14 - AIISA NADCA Annual Meeting - the meeting that, for the past fourteen years, has seen the Italian Association of Aeraulic System Hygienists propose a busy professional update program to its members, in close synergy with NADCA (acronym for National Air Duct Cleaners Association) - was held in Bari, Italy, and closed successfully. NADCA is an American association, which has always promoted the culture of indoor air quality through the treatment of aeraulic systems. Three days, from 6 to 8 June, full of interest and participation, which received a wide consensus on the interesting content addressed by all members. In short, it was truly a successful, high-profile cultural event that rewarded the efforts of the organizers, starting with AIISA's president, Gregorio Mangano, who was validly supported by the secretary, Raffaele Caruso, and the members of the Board of Directors. This important event provided a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences, offering many insights in terms of both cultural and relational growth. Let us start with the figures that best summarize this edition. The event brought together 220 participants; seventeen were the sponsors, and three were the partners for two days of meeting. Eight exhibiting companies, five working sessions, sixteen speakers, one lecture, two technical sessions, four partner associations present.

An event in growth

The numbers of ANAM 14 thus mark, in the best possible way, the growth - year after year - of the event. The first day, traditionally reserved for the 'annual members' meeting, saw AIISA's secretary general, Raffaele Caruso, expound the accounts and narrative of the association's activities: from long-standing projects to future ones. AIISA President Gregorio Mangano, in his appreciated report, invited the members to "write together the future of the association," starting with the constitution of the next Board of Directors, whose elections will take place at the Annual Meeting 15 already scheduled for May 2024 in Rome, which will celebrate the association's 20th anniversary. Several, all very interesting, questions and insights were highlighted and delivered to the audience, along with the concluding thought of the president, who made his own and encapsulated AIISA's motto: "Quality is knowledge." "Human action," Mangano said, "may be imitated by robots, but they can never apply human common sense, flexibility, mediation, intuition and knowledge. And quality comes only from knowledge, study, and application." AIISA - founded in Italy 20 years ago by a group of companies intent on raising the level of quality of work in the field of inspection, maintenance and remediation of aeraulic systems, in order to improve the well-being of end users - has long been a sure point of reference for those who care about the full healthiness of indoor air. The association has always promoted indepth technical and practical knowledge of hvac systems and the most suitable cleaning and disinfection techniques to protect the health of people occupying spaces served by air conditioning. The main novelty of the 2023 edition of ANAM was the presence on stage, when the assembly was over, of the exhibiting companies who, under the spotlight, were better able to present their products and services to the audience of members. As per tradition, the members' assembly day ended with a social dinner: the Zonno hall hosted the convivial moment in the picturesque setting of Bari's waterfront. A walk through the alleys of Bari Vecchia gave all participants a few more memories to keep and take home. The following day, as always, was reserved for the conference, with the presence of speakers from outside the association.

Cleanliness and new Procurement Code

This edition had important guests. Among AIISA's partner associations in order of attendance were: Umberto Berardi, AICARR Board Member; Alessandro Temperini, representing ASAPIA; Marco Oldrati, director of As - sofrigoristi; and Gaetano Settimo, coordinator of the ISS Indoor Pollution GdS and president of SIIAQ (Italian Indoor Air Quality Society) as well as an honorary AIISA member. To them went AIISA's sincere thanks for their presence to testify to the firm partnership with the association. "With a star player you can win sometimes, but with the collective you can win more often", this was the meaning of the words of AIISA's president at the close of the exchange of ideas and points of view held on stage and moderated by Chiara Lico, journalist and writer. Also welcomed under the spotlight was Toni D'Andrea, Ceo of Issa Pulire Network and Director of Issa EMEA. He introduced the theme "Cleanliness as an absolute value", preceded by an introductory appreciation to Bari, the host city, which starting from a now remote experience of due and sudden welcome to Albanian immigrants, has also structured itself aesthetically by developing the concepts of cleanliness and solidarity. D'Andrea then analyzed the concept of clean, as opposed to the meaning of the absence of dirt, highlighting its positive meaning: cleansing from idols that compress horizons and limit imagination, cleansing from thuggish behavior. He then concluded, "Cleanliness is always a place of collective freedom in which the sense of respect for human beings is celebrated and from which the planning of the future can start again." Salvatore Torrisi, president of Fare (the Federation of Regional Associations of Health Care Bursars and Providers), presented a paper with the theme, "Aeraulic Hygiene and the Administrative Approach of the Health

Care Sector." Torrisi took stock of the preparedness of the public structure toward the administrative changes that come with the new Procurement Code. Current systemic and organizational constraints were highlighted, including in comparison with the new responsibilities and streamlined procedures expected in the immediate future. D'Andrea, Torrisi and Mangano subsequently answered the moderator's questions regarding "result," one of the two principles on which the new Procurement Code is based. As mentioned by President Mangano, the AIISA Operational Protocol and the Dei Price List, together with the validation paths of cleaning processes, help to control the achievement of the "result."

The work then continued with the presence of Vincenzo Buonomo, Rec- tor Magnificent of the Pontifical Lateran University. A truly enlightening exposition focused on the precious value of the "human" resource and the concept of "militant prayer". A more detailed report on technical passages was then illustrated by Paolo Topa, head of general services and maintenance of the Pontifical Lateran University. Finally, the highly appreciated exposition on the concept of air in Chiara Lico's talk about the topic of communication. "ANAM 14," says Mangano, "provided reflections, insights, awareness: ultimately, knowledge. Once again, we were faithful to AIISA's motto, 'Quality is Knowledge', which expresses the conscious connection between the meanings of these two words: only continuous technical updating, both of the operating companies and of the users of the services offered, can improve the level of well-being of the end users of aeraulic systems. "On March 8, 2006," Mangano continued, "Eng. Ziragachi, AIISA's first president and founding member, and the then president of NADCA, Bill Lundquist, signed an agreement that gave birth to the now well-established partnership between AIISA and the National Air Duct Cleaners Association. I am truly happy and proud that this valuable collaboration with NADCA continues to bear excellent fruit, as the Bari meeting largely confirmed, putting the focus on the sensitive issues of indoor air healthiness through proper maintenance, cleaning and sanitization of aeraulic ducts. It only remains for me to give all our members and friends the appointment to ANAM 15, which will be held in Rome”.