Homeland Security and the Indoor Environment - again EPA is the source for this article

[Tamara R Pearlman]

Recent events have caused an increased interest in the vulnerability
of our buildings to chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR)
threats. In January 2002, the Office of Homeland Security (OHS)
formed the Interagency Workgroup on Building Air Protection which
includes representatives from agencies across the Federal government.
EPA is the Executive Secretariat of this Workgroup which is chaired by
OHS. One of the first tasks of the Workgroup was to produce guidance
to building owners and managers that would contain a set of
recommendations they could implement now to better protect the indoor
environments of their buildings from terrorist threats.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in close collaboration
with Workgroup members, took on the task of drafting the document.
NIOSH, working with members of the Building Air Protection Workgroup
and non-Federal stakeholders, developed a set of recommendations that
building owners and managers can implement now to protect indoor
environments of buildings from a terrorist release of CBR
contaminants. Read more about Indoor Environmental Quality topics at
NIOSH.

Guidance for Filtration and Air-Cleaning Systems to Protect Building
Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological
Attacks
DHHS (NIOSH) Pub No. 2003-136, April 2003

Provides preventive measures that building owners and managers can
implement to protect building air environments from a terrorist
release of chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants.

Guidance for Protecting Building Environments from Airborne Chemical,
Biological, or Radiological Attacks
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-139 (May 2002) 841 KB (40 pages)

This document identifies actions that a building owner or manager can
implement without undue delay to enhance occupant protection from an
airborne chemical, biological, or radiological attack. Includes
information about: what you can do; specific recommendations; things
not to do; physical security; ventilation and filtration; maintenance,
administration, and training.

NIOSH Emergency Response Resources
For Additional Information

Several organizations have developed guidance to assist building
owners and operators in addressing issues related to building security
and CBR terrorist attacks. Many other organizations have guidance that
addresses security needs and disaster response plans for events such
as fire, natural disasters, and bomb threats. While this latter
guidance may not specifically address a terrorist threat to heating,
ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, readers may find
portions of the information below beneficial in establishing their own
building's emergency response plans.

The following list is not all-inclusive. Available guidance is
updated regularly as additional organizations and evolving
technologies identify new protective recommendations.

Organization Reference or Link Description
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) www.cdc.gov/niosh/
Health and safety guidance, publications, and training information.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) www.cdc.gov/ Health
guidance for CBR agents.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Protecting Buildings and Their
Occupants from Airborne Hazards Document presents a variety of ways to
protect building occupants from airborne hazards.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
www.epa.gov www.epa.gov/iaq/largebldgs/baqtoc.html Building Air
Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers Provides
procedures and checklists for developing a building profile and
performing preventive maintenance in commercial buildings.
www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/ Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools
Action Kit

Provides procedures and checklists for developing a building profile
and performing preventive maintenance in schools.
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
www.gsa.gov

Facility Standards for the Public Buildings Service (PBS-P100)
Establishes design standards and criteria for new buildings, major and
minor alterations, and work in historic structures for the Public
Building Service. Also provides information on conducting building
security assessments.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
www.cia.gov www.cia.gov/cia/publications/cbr_handbook/cbrbook.htm
Chemical, Biological, Radiological Incident Handbook Unclassified
document describing potential CBR events, recognizing potential CBR
events, differences between agents, common symptoms, and information
for making preliminary assessments when a CBR release is suspected.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory http://securebuildings.lbl.gov
Web site with advice for safeguarding buildings against chemical or
biological attack.

Federal Facilities Council (FFC) FFC Chem/Bio Forum Online notes
and presentations from FFC seminar on chemical and biological threats
to buildings.

American Institute of Architects (AIA) Building Security Through
Design www.aia.org/security/sec_default An AIA resource center:
offers architects and others, up-to-date, in-depth material on
building security issues.

American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) www.ashrae.org/ Risk Management Guidance for
Health and Safety under Extraordinary Incidents Draft report provides
recommendations for owners and managers of existing buildings.

American Society for Industrial Security www.asisonline.org/ Locates
security specialists and provides the Crises Response Resources link
to find information related to terrorism and building security.

Building Owners and Managers Association
www.boma.org Safety and Emergency Preparedness -
www.boma.org/Advocacy/SafetyAndEmergencyPlanning/ Information on
emergency planning and security assessment.

International Facility Management Association (IFMA) www.ifma.org/
Information on security-related training courses.
National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) www.wbdg.org Whole
Building Design Guide Internet site featuring security-related design
information.

State of Rhode Island Department of Health www.health.ri.gov/
www.health.ri.gov/media/041122a.php

Building HVAC Vulnerability Assessment tool This tool has been
designed so that building owners with a functional knowledge of their
air-handling system may identify the vulnerabilities of that system to
introduction (either deliberate or accidental) of a contaminant. This
document also provides recommendations to address the identified
vulnerabilities and references to obtain further, more authoritative
information.