Improving indoor air quality is a goal of the green building initiatives enacted by the State of California and by the City of Los Angeles. The most recent of these initiatives addresses reducing air borne pollutants, noise and contaminants associated with building construction and use.
Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, so the quality of the indoor environment has a significant influence on their well being, productivity, and quality of life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that pollutant levels of indoor environments may run 2 to 5 times-and occasionally more than 50 times-higher than outdoor levels*.
Improving indoor air quality is addressed by regulating fireplaces, protecting duct materials during construction, and imposing volatile organic compound (VOC) limits on sealing and joining compounds, paints, coatings, and floor and wall coverings. Low VOC building materials reduce the negative impact on indoor air quality in buildings. High rise buildings and nonresidential buildings with demand control ventilation must have carbon dioxide monitors for verification of adequate ventilation and for adjustment of outside air supply to ensure removal of indoor air pollutants. Documentation is required to be provided to the inspector to verify that proper materials are used and construction techniques are followed to insure compliance.
In addition to improving air quality, control of moisture levels in buildings is required and addressed through moisture content limits and by installation of vapor barriers in concrete slabs. Indoor sound quality is addressed for high rise buildings and nonresidential buildings by limiting the exterior noise transmission into buildings and by mandating limits on the interior sound level.
"Indoor Air Quality" is referred to as "Environmental Quality" in the new 2010 CALGreen Code.
To learn more about CALGreen, please visit the following link:
http://www.bsc.ca.gov/Home/CALGreen.aspx
To learn about the City of Los Angeles Green Building Code, please visit the following link:
Los Angeles Green Building Code Ordinance
City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety Green Buildings