Poster Title Here

1
Indoor Environmental Quality Demonstration
Results Buffalo Niagara Marriott Hotel,
May-September 2006
Robert E. Baier, Ph.D., Anne E. Meyer, Ph.D.
Industry/University Center for Biosurfaces,
University at Buffalo John W. Barrett, M.B.A.,
C.P.A. - National Indoor Environmental Quality
Research Innovation, Inc.
INTRODUCTION During May-September 2006,
repetitive instrumental monitoring and direct
sampling of air and surfaces was accomplished in
more than 10 guest rooms of the Buffalo Niagara
Marriott Hotel on multiple occasions. The
sampling was associated with room cleaning,
maintenance, and equipment modification
operations that were intended to improve each
test rooms environmental quality. Samples also
were taken from the hotel rooftop and in the
parking lots, hallways, and elevators. Results
for the roof, control room, and 2 of the treated
rooms are presented here.
RESULTS Figure 1 shows light micrographs LM
documenting the general qualities of respirable
particulate matter from the prevailing outdoor
air masses during the project period. Note the
larger inorganic particles in the air impactor
prisms central region, as well as smaller
particles of hygroscopic salts and fine fibers in
the peripheral regions. Although the particulate
matter amounts and distributions were distinct
and characteristic for each air mass sampled,
their general features were similar for each test
occasion during the project period. Figure 2 is
a series of related scanning electron micrographs
SEM. Note the diverse morphological features
of the respirable outdoor air particulates and
the abundance of numerous small particles that
could infiltrate to the indoor environment.
Figure 5 is a comparison of LM views of
particle distributions in the Control Room (Room
1) on two different days. The photos illustrate
the weather-related variance found for respirable
particle distributions inside unmodified hotel
guest rooms. Figure 6 illustrates the conversion
in Room 2 (PURE Healthway) by comparing LM views
of the pre- and post-conversion air impactor
samples. The table (to the right) lists values
from the infrared spectra for ambient respirable
particulate matter in each guest room and the
outdoor air, sampled before and after the room
intervention procedures. It is clear that the
smaller hygroscopic particles were diminished
more by the outdoor air mass change than by the
room interventions.
Rooftop sampling location
Total fungus (filter)
2 air impactors (agar Ge prism)
Figure 1 LM views of particulate from air
samples (roof)
Figure 3 Comparison of particulate from roof
air samples (SEM views). The EDX
spectrum (lower left) indicates presence
of silicon, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, calcium,
iron,
and titanium in the particles.
PCM
Aircuity
Simultaneous air sampling (roof)
Figure 2 SEM views of the same particulate
shown in
Figure 1 (roof air samples)

• METHODS
• ? Aircuity Optima 500 continuous air sampling
  before, during, and after interventions in each
  room temperature, RH, CO2, CO, small particles
  (PM2.5), large particles (PM10), TVOC, O3, radon
  daily on roof for 1-2hr (simultaneous with
  measurements described below)
• Met One PCM intermittent measures of
  respirable particle concentrations (0.3-10?m)
• Custom particle impactor respirable particles
  impacted on agar (3min, for subsequent culture)
  and germanium prisms (1hr, for IR spectroscopy,
  light microscopy, SEM, and EDX-ray analyses)
• Andersen sampler impaction on agars for fungal
  bacterial counts speciation (roof rooms)
• Surface swabs fungal and bacterial sampling of
  carpet, PTAC, and other surfaces in rooms

Figure 4 Infrared spectrum of particulate from
01JUN2006
roof air
sample
Room 2 air filtration unit installed
Figure 5 Comparison of LM views for control
room
aerosols on two different days
Room 1 (ctrl) Andersen impactor
Figure 6 Comparison of LM views for pre- and
post-conversion aerosols (PURE Allergy Friendly
Room)
Cross-calibration of 5 Aircuity units (performed
in IUCB office tested for multiple days, while
deliberately changing air quality)
2
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Numerous environmental
quality criteria were used to compare an
unmodified control room with hotel guest rooms
converted to PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms.
Continuous monitoring of 9 environmental air
quality parameters and intermittent sampling for
accredited laboratory analyses of total and
viable fungi and bacteria in bioaerosols, as well
as allergens on environmental surfaces, showed
the values to be within published, recommended
guidelines for good environmental quality. ? All
the guest rooms retained fewer coarse mineral
respirable particles than the prevailing outdoor
air over a 5-month period of warm, humid weather.
The PURE room maintained better performance,
regarding lower background counts of suspended
small respirable particulates. ? The converted
rooms also had lower bioaerosol counts for viable
fungi, attributed to cleaning procedures for the
Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner (PTAC) units in
the PURE rooms. ? Retained viable bacterial
counts on PTAC surfaces led to selection of
improved reagents for later PURE Room
applications.
DISCUSSION From SEM views, many of the Control
Room particles were seen to be aggregates and
conglomerates of numerous smaller particles.
Comparison of SEM images obtained by secondary
electron emission with images of identical areas
obtained by electron backscatter revealed that
most of the in-room respirable particulate matter
was of low electron density, including numerous
shed skin flakes and organic fibers. Concurrent
analysis by EDX technique confirmed the general
absence of heavy elements (i.e. atomic number gt
11). EDX spectra of the outdoor air on the same
sampling days showed that the larger respirable
atmospheric particulates contained aluminum,
silicon, sulfur, potassium, chlorine, calcium,
and iron. Backscatter imaging and EDX methods
confirmed that the smaller outdoor air
particulate comprised mainly the lower atomic
number compounds associated with the ammonium
carbonates and sulfates documented by infrared
spectroscopy for these same specimens.
An interesting and important exception was the
frequent observation of fine rigid filaments in
the collected small particle range from the
outdoor air (apparently glass fibers with
submicrometer diameters, but many micrometers in
length). Use of the polarization mode for the LM
confirmed that these fine fibers were
birefringent.
Fibers and bioaerosol particulates collected
outdoors with aerosol impactor