06/06/2024
11 am PT / 12 pm MT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET
*approximate length: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Presenter: Kevin E. Aikman, PhD, CIH, FAIHA / Principal at Ramboll
This presentation will provide an overview of the challenges related to building-related illness that can be attributed directly to airborne contaminants in buildings. The US EPA defines the term “sick building syndrome” to describe a situation in which building occupants experience similar acute health or comfort-related effects that are linked to time spent in a building. Some of these adverse effects can be attributed to chemical contaminants, biological contaminants, or inadequate ventilation. As experienced during the recent pandemic and with other infectious diseases, the source or carrier of many diseases is the building occupant which is not building-related. This presentation will review the various types of infectious diseases and common methods of transmission with discussion if each disease is “building-related” and how facility managers should address the potential environmental hazards.
Learning Objectives:
- The differences between building-related illness and sick building syndrome
- Review of common types of infectious diseases and relation to the built environment
- Air quality best practices and industry guidelines to manage environmental health risks
Dr. Aikman has over 30 years of professional consulting experience in health sciences, including industrial hygiene, indoor environmental quality, mold & moisture, water-borne pathogens, hazardous building materials, chemical and biological exposures. He has managed hundreds of industrial hygiene related projects and partnered with clients to develop and implement industrial hygiene and safety programs, and assessment of chemical, physical and biological hazards in a variety of workplace environments and in communities. Dr. Aikman is a subject matter expert in asbestos, industrial hygiene, and microbial disciplines. He earned his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in Plant Biology in 1992 and certification in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene by the ABIH/BGC in 1998. Dr. Aikman was recognized as a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (FAIHA) in 2014 based on his professional contributions to industrial hygiene or related disciplines, representing the top 5% of AIHA membership.