£EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency 402F07005 A unique opportunity to.. comprehensive ata set on indoor air U.S. office buildings Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation Study ------- Discover the Facts about Indoor Air Quality in Office Buildings BASE Study Overview The BASE Study covers three major areas: • Environmental and comfort measure- ments, • Building and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems characterization, and • Building occupant demographics, symp- toms, and perceptions. Indoor air quality (IAQ) data from 100 randomly selected public and com- mercial office buildings were collected using a standardized protocol. Buildings were selected from 10 climatic regions in 37 cities and 25 states. The data can be used to examine the re- lationships among environmental meas- ures, building characteristics, and occupant perceptions. In addition, the data may be used to generate hypothe- ses on topics such as sick building syn- drome. Scientists and policy makers may also use the data to develop or refine guid- ance and policy on the design, construc- tion, operation, and maintenance of buildings. In addition, the standardized protocol, established to collect BASE data, may be useful for future IAQ benchmarking studies. The BASE Study was designed to allow users to: • Address the significant data gap that exists regarding baseline lAQ-related parameters and occupant perceptions in typical office environments, • Provide data and summary information on lAQ-related parameters in office spaces, and • Enhance the understanding of IAQ and the role of indoor environmental factors in occupant perceptions of lAQ-related symptoms. ------- Example Uses for BASE Data Indoor Air Toxics Including Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) • Determination of typical indoor pollu- tants and concentrations • Information on indoor sources • Examining the association of symptoms with indoor air toxics • Examining the association of indoor air toxics with building characteristics Mold and Other Biologicals • Determination of common indoor and outdoor species of fungi and bacteria • Comparison of bioaerosol testing methodologies • Examining the association of symptoms with biological contaminants • Examining the association of biological contaminants with building characteris- tics Homeland Security • Input into guidance development General IAQ • Comparison of collected parameters to those reported in similar studies of other building types such as schools • Determination of building factors that may be associated with respiratory dis- eases (e.g., asthma) or sick building syn- drome • Comparison by building managers of their buildings to BASE buildings • Comparison of problem buildings with BASE buildings ------- (SI m ui i f i M _. 3 =• :± a =. "O m 0) D ? I isi g-g. ^* ------- Who Might Use BASE? The BASE data set standardized protocol, and other study docu- mentation materials are intended for use by scientists, students, and other researchers. Beyond the raw data set, data summaries and useful publica- tions are available on the BASE Study web site. This information is intended for use by building professionals, environmental con- sultants, public health officials, and policy makers working on in- door environments. IAQ and BASE: An Introduction Millions of people spend a majority of their working hours in office environments. In- door air quality (IAQ) can significantly im- pact the health, productivity, and sense of well being of building occupants. Poor in- door air is estimated to cost the nation tens of billions of dollars each year in lost pro- ductivity and countless hours of illness and discomfort. Early research concerning IAQ in U.S. public and commercial office buildings focused on evaluating buildings whose occupants had significant public health complaints. Since baseline information from typical buildings was sparse, no reference existed with which to compare the so-called "sick" buildings. To fill this data gap, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted the Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) Study, a cross-sectional study of pub- lic and commercial office buildings across the U.S. The information collected in this study provides normative IAQ data and symptom incidence in typical office buildings. ------- www.epa.gov/iaq/base Office of Air and Radiation Indoor Environments Division (6609J) EPA 402-F-07-005 March 2007 ------- |