ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - 50
HVAC APPLICATIONS
COLUMN
Lew Harriman
Damp Buildings,
Human Health and
Ventilation Design
BY LEW HARRIMAN, FELLOW/LIFE MEMBER ASHRAE
All other factors being equal, occupants of damp buildings are more likely to have
negative health outcomes than the general population. Recognizing this fact, since
2012 the ASHRAE Board of Directors has taken the position that: "...the potential for
these problems can and should be reduced by limiting the buildup of indoor moisture
through the decisions and actions taken by designers, contractors, owners and occupants of buildings."
The 2012 position document recognized that while
this principle is simple, implementation can be
"culturally complex." The authority, resources and
motivation to avoid and eliminate excessive moisture accumulation cross the boundaries between the
expertise and responsibilities of architects, contractors, engineers, building owners and facility operators. To assist all the professions, the Board called for
the Society to collaborate with health professionals
to develop inspectable criteria to help answer three
obvious questions: How damp is too damp; how will
I know it, and what risk factors suggest taking action
before the building becomes "too damp."
In response, in 2013 ASHRAE's Technical Activities
Committee established a Multidisciplinary Task
Group (MTG: Damp Buildings). Members were
appointed from within three of ASHRAE's technical
committees along with the chief engineer of a major
international hotel chain and U.S. public health
50
ASHRAE JOURNAL
ashrae.org
J U N E 2020
professionals at the state and county levels. Over several years, the MTG worked to understand the relationships between dampness, health, common causes
of excessive dampness and potential early warning
signs. Efforts included gathering moisture-related
experiences within the ASHRAE membership, generating a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies,2
and reviewing case histories of mold and moisture
damage. The completed report is now an ASHRAE
special publication titled Damp Buildings, Human Health
and HVAC Design.3
The report is available at no cost in PDF format.
It can be downloaded using the QR code shown in
Figure 1. Based on the meta-analysis of epidemiological studies, there are four readily observable
indicators of excessive dampness. Each of these has
been clearly and strongly associated with increased
Lew Harriman is emeritus director of research at Mason-Grant Consulting in
Portsmouth, N.H. He served as chair of the ASHRAE MTG: Damp Buildings.
https://www.ashrae.org/
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - June 2020
Contents
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - Intro
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - Cover1
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - Cover2
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - 1
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - Contents
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - 3
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - 4
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - 5
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - 6
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - 7
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - 8
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ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - Cover3
ASHRAE Journal - June 2020 - Cover4
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