UNDER OBSERVATION

Using ActiveIAQ, remote sensors to monitor continued health of buildings

By David Muise & Jack Dulmage

The natural environment may seem static but it is a complex system that changes continuously at different speeds. As the understanding of the relationship between climate and the environment grows so does the necessity for real-time environmental monitoring and data collection. Real-time data collection and analysis will lead to the development of efficiencies that can be used to optimize the performance of the built environment.

This necessity has spurred the creation of innovative equipment and technologies that nearly make obsolete the traditional air quality assessment practices of sample collection, laboratory transport and analysis. These new methodologies are cost-effective and convenient for long-term or annual monitoring needs and can be utilized to supplement or replace the traditional assessment.

Many of Canada’s leading building owners and facility managers have been looking to real-time indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring technology in response to COVID19 occupancy challenges. IAQ monitoring as part of a robust pandemic management strategy was and is a powerful tool to provide insights on understanding building occupancy and transmission risk. The benefits of this form of data collection can be realized well beyond COVID-19 and will make building environments more desirable in the future.

ActiveIAQ incorporates a reliable and maintenance-free real-time monitoring solution that can be utilized in many environments from construction to commercial buildings to healthcare facilities. In healthcare settings, monitoring can be used during ongoing construction or renovation. Air quality monitoring needs to be completed during construction or renovation to ensure the health of healthcare workers and patients when infection control measures have been implemented.

To determine the true benefits of ActiveIAQ, a pilot project was launched with a healthcare provider in Ontario. The purpose of the project was to see where efficiencies could be built into air sampling processes during construction and renovation work at a city hospital. This project was coordinated with the hospital’s facilities management and engineering department, as well as its infection prevention and control (IPAC) team to monitor inhalable air particles, specifically particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or less (PM10). However, in the interest of seeing what this technology was capable of, the hospital also elected to track temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide and smaller particulate (PM1, 2.5 and 4).

In initial coordination meetings, the hospital requested a traditional IAQ suite, with specific monitoring for PM10 using a conventional IAQ monitor for spot measurements. These devices are routinely used to complete this type of monitoring for hospitals but require a technician to conduct the sampling. And if used for longer term monitoring, the timeframe is typically 24-hour data logging periods. It was determined that due to the length of the project and level of involvement required to complete it, there may be more cost-effective ways to procure the data. ActiveIAQ, or real-time continuous monitoring, was proposed for consideration.

One of the main benefits of using this remote sensor technology was trends in IAQ could be tracked and reports created. But the most attractive advantage was the technology could provide live alerts if any air quality parameter thresholds were broken. The option of live alerts was crucial as sensitive populations were nearby. The theory was if IAQ trends could be tracked and alerts received when there was a breach, mitigation actions could be implemented in real-time, too. It wasn’t long before this was put to the test.

On the first night of work, there was a breach of the PM10 parameter just inside the site isolation ante room. Sensors had been installed both inside and directly outside the ante room to record in real-time when the work area was dusty and whether dust would migrate from the work area to occupied areas of the hospital. (The strategy was if the ante room work area was above the IAQ threshold, the contractor would react immediately to reduce the site isolation dust levels before they could travel outside the work area.) There was an airborne particulate level exceedance in the ante room (IAQ node 6) at 11:30 p.m. (during working hours) that was not on the indoor reference sensor (IAQ node 7, present outside the work area). The contractor was able to view the workers’ exact practices and could easily determine specifically what was creating the exceedance. The contractor determined the ante room cleaning practices taking place at 11:30 p.m. were not adequate; they were altered to use more water to wet materials and added more HEPA vacuums to control airborne particulate. This resulted in no further exceedances throughout the week.

This is just one example of some of the applications utilized from ActiveIAQ. The accountability of contractors with the live alert system and the IPAC department’s ability to clearly show trends and create reports for project stakeholders has been instrumental in creating a safe and comfortable patient environment next to an active construction project.

As a result of using ActiveIAQ on this project, the consulting costs were reduced by 50 per cent of the conventional monitoring system cost. On top of its lower price, the ActiveIAQ system enabled real-time monitoring 24-7, 365 days a year. So, instead of a single snapshot in time or a 24-hour view of air quality conditions, all data was accessible to anyone who needed it and could be looked at from a smartphone.

The project provided a glimpse into the power of remote monitoring. As knowledge advances and access to more reliable sensor technology is gained, the sky can be the limit. Other uses for ActiveIAQ are utilizing it as an in-duct sensor system to test the efficacy of HEPA filters inside hospital ventilation systems or to monitor negative pressure of IPAC site containments to enable a cheaper and more efficient way to surveil negative pressure while off-site. These and other applications are being constantly developed.

Monitoring buildings remotely is critical to staying relevant in the present operating environment. Taking control of current technology and being creative is an opportunity to improve processes. Real-time sensors allow for the proactive identification of areas of potential concern, so that reactive and agile mitigation actions can be taken to optimize the chance for a successful outcome.

With adaption to these innovative changes in the workplace, there will be a savings in time and money, followed by improvements in building performance outcomes. And because of the air quality in buildings being more consistent, the chances of a healthy building environment are increased.

David Muise is the national practice leader with the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) group at Pinchin Ltd. In this role, David’s focus is on the technical performance of his team to ensure clients receive consistent and responsive superior service in every region and across Pinchin’s IEQ offerings. Jack Dulmage is a project manager with the IEQ group in the Northeastern Ontario region. He is responsible for the management of projects, including infection control, pre-renovation and demolition assessments, indoor air quality (IAQ) assessments and mould investigations, among others. Pinchin is one of Canada’s largest environmental, engineering, building science, and health and safety consulting firms. ActiveIAQ is the company’s latest technology solution for IAQ testing.