Protecting Building Environments Report

 In the Spring of 2002, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report entitled, "Protecting Building Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks." The report "identifies actions that a building owner or manager can implement without undue delay to enhance occupant protection from an airborne chemical, biological, or radiological (CBR) attack."

The intended audiences for this study are the owners, managers, and maintenance personnel of public, private, and governmental buildings, including offices, laboratories, hospitals, retail facilities, schools, transportation terminals, and public venues.

If you are interested in receiving the full report for free, please fill out this request form.

Report Excerpt:
"Preparatory Recommendation: Know Your Building"
…In initiating any plan to modify building system design or operation, an important first step is to understand these systems: How were they intended to operation? How do they currently operate?

Getting to know your building may best be handled by conducting a walk-through inspection of the building and its systems, including HVAC, fire protection, and life-safety systems. During this inspection, compare the most up-to-date design drawings available to the operation of the current systems. This step may require, or benefit from, the assistance of qualified outside professionals. Without this baseline knowledge, it is difficult to accurately identify what impact a particular security modification may have on building operation. While it is i mportant to understand how the existing building systems function, the systems need not operate per design before you implement security measures. A partial list of [considerations for] your building walk-through [follows].

Considerations for Your Building Walk-through
  • What is the mechanical condition of the equipment?
  • What filtration systems are in place? What are their efficiencies?
  • Is all equipment appropriately connected and controlled? Are equipment access doors and panels in place and appropriately sealed?
  • Are all dampers (outdoor air, return air, bypass, fire and smoke) functioning?
  • How does the HVAC system respond to manual fire alarm, fire detection, or fire-suppression device activation?
  • Are all supply and return ducts completely connected to their grilles and registers?
  • Are the variable air volume (VAV) boxes functioning?
  • How is the HVAC system controlled? How quickly does it respond?
  • How is the building zoned? Where are the air handlers for each zone? Is the system designed for smoke control?
  • How does air flow through the building? What are the pressure relationships between zones? Which building entryways are positively or negatively pressurized? Is the building connected to other buildings by tunnels or passageways?
  • Are utility chases and penetrations, elevator shafts, and fire stairs significant airflow pathways?
  • Is there obvious air infiltration? Is it localized?
  • Does the system provide adequate ventilation given the building's current occupancy and functions?
  • Where are the outdoor air louvers? Are they easily observable? Are they or other mechanical equipment accessible to the public?
  • Do adjacent structures or landscaping allow access to the building roof?
Note: If sufficient questions or surprises arise from the building walk-through, an independent evaluation by a qualified HVAC professional should be used to establish a useful baseline. Excerpted from "Protecting Building Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks": U.S. National Institute of Operational Safety and Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [May 2002].

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AirCom is happy to provide you with a free copy of the NIOSH report, "Protecting Building Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks." Kindly fill out the request form to get your free copy now.