LEED's Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Assessments
The United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world for all types of buildings.
The intent of the LEED rating system is to establish better indoor air quality in a building, both after construction and during occupancy. LEEDS created the testing scope to evaluate the environmental performance of a building acting as a catalyst for change towards sustainable design. This focuses on reducing negative impacts on the environment, improving the health and comfort of building occupants, by improving building performance.
Higgins’ industrial hygienists perform the air quality testing for LEED documentation and verification. These tests measure the maximum concentrations of contaminants outlined in table 1 of the LEED standards. The number of samples taken by our industrial hygienists depends on the size your building (total square footage) and the number of air handlers in each area.
Higgins performs air testing following Table 1 of the current LEED standard, including:
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Formaldehyde: 27 parts per billion (ppb) - (healthcare 16.3 ppb)
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Ozone: 0.075 parts per million - (healthcare 0.075 ppb)
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Particulates (PM10): 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) – (healthcare 20 µg/m3)
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Particulates (PM2.5): 15 micrograms per cubic meter of air - (healthcare 15 µg/m3)
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Total volatile organic compounds: 500 micrograms per cubic meter - (healthcare 200 µg/m3)
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Carbon monoxide: 9 parts per million (ppm); no greater than 2 ppm above outdoor levels
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Target volatile organic compounds: 35 specific compounds [1]
After performing on-site readings and laboratory sample testing, Higgins will generate an IAQ test report, which can be used as part of your LEED certification process. This option will give you two points toward your certification.
Request a quote for LEED testing
To learn more about LEED air quality testing, contact Art Goguen, Director of EHS, Higgins and Associates, LLC at (303) 708-9846 or info@higgins-and-associates.com.
References:
[1] Indoor Air Quality Assessment - Indoor Environmental Quality