Healthy Building Checklists

Healthy Building Checklists
This is the second in a series of blogs diving deeper into the Healthy Building Rating System’s Healthy Home Standard. There are four healthy building checklists within the Healthy Home Standard: Qualification Checklist, Indoor Air Quality Checklist, Electromagnetic Radiation Checklist, and Water Quality Checklist. This blog reviews the first and perhaps most important  of the
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EMF and EMR Conversion Formulas

Minimize EMF exposure
How do you convert microwatts per square meter (uW/m2) into microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2)?  How many nanoTesla (nT) are in 2.0 milliGauss (mG)?  We’re asked these questions frequently so we’re providing a few common EMF and EMR conversion formulas and conversion charts for your reference. EMF and EMR Allowable Limits “What level of EMF
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Mold Testing – Air Quality Lab Interpretation

Mold Testing Petri Dish Impactor
Mold Testing Air Quality Lab Interpretation People with asthma and mold allergies are the first to ask about mold testing. Since their symptoms are primarily respiratory, it is only logical they ask for “air quality testing.” Other individuals looking for peace of mind or suffering much more severe symptoms sometimes also ask for mold testing air
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Healthy Building Rating System

Healthy Building Rating System
Healthy Building Rating System Is there a “Healthy Building Rating System?”  I asked the same question five years ago, when Healthy Building Science was just getting off the ground. Having been a LEED and “green building” consultant for many years, I knew of several health-related credits in the major green building rating systems. The major
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Air Quality and Duct Cleaning

NADCA ACR Duct Cleaning Standard
Air quality and duct cleaning are big concerns for some… and big business for others. It seems like every cheap mailer we receive has a scary picture of a rat infested attic and they’re selling duct cleaning services as a way to improve indoor air quality. Is air quality affected by duct cleaning? The simple
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Envelope Commissioning Guidelines and Standards

Envelope Commissioning Guidelines
Envelope Commissioning Guidelines and Standards include ASHRAE 202P, NIBS Guideline 3, ASTM E2813, and LEEDv4 Enhanced Commissioning credit requirements. The December 2012 issue of Environmental Building News had a great article, Verifying Performance with Building Enclosure Commissioning, that did a great job outlining the differences between traditional mechanical Commissioning (Cx) (HVAC, lighting controls, plumbing, etc) and Building
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Building Biology 25 Principles

Building Biology 25 Principles
No one rating system can isolate every possible environmental angle, and the International Institute of Building Biology founders were certainly most interested in human health, but it is hard to imagine a more comprehensive healthy building checklist than what’s provided in the Building Biology 25 Principles. It is quite difficult to incorporate every principle into
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German Building Biologist in the US – Leaves Lasting Impression

Building Biologist in the US
Helmut Ziehe is the Building Biologist who brought Building Biology to the United States. Helmut learned Bau-Biologie in Germany from the “mothership.” In Germany he was trained as an environmentally-conscious architect at the Technical University of Berlin, followed by a Master’s Degree from the London School of Architecture. Helmut mastered 5 languages during his life
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Six simple steps can minimize EMF exposure

Minimize EMF exposure
Minimize EMF Exposure The following article was first printed on January 30th, 2013 in the Los Altos Town Crier A growing number of Americans are concerned about electromagnetic fields (EMF) but don’t know what to do to mitigate the problem and minimize EMF exposure. Many European and Asian countries have enacted more stringent EMF regulations
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Fluoride, Health and Drinking Water

Tooth Decay Trend in Flouridated and Non-Flouridated Countries
Fluoride, Health, and Drinking Water The addition of fluoride to the drinking water supply began in the 1950s as a method to fight against tooth decay.  Currently, 11 countries in the world have more than 50% of their population drinking fluoridated water. These include Singapore (100%), Hong Kong (100%), Brunei (95%); Australia (80%), Malaysia (75%),
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