The Extent of Indoor Pollutionin Jamaica

Prof. Homero Silva

President JOHPA

The Problem

• Buildings built after the late 1970s, when the energy crunch was being felt at both the gas pump and cooling costs, were designed to maximize energy efficiency to help alleviate spiraling energy costs.

• Two of the design changes that improved energy efficiency included superinsulationand reduced fresh air exchange.

DevelopmentWhy the concern?

Source: The Bathroom, the Kitchen and the Aesthetics of Waste. (1992) Upton and Abbott Miller.

Wood and Metal

PetroleumBased

Products

The Problem

• Synthetic building materials, which are known to emit or "off-gas" various organic compounds, have been linked to numerous health complaints.

• The office equipment and furnishings placed in these buildings are also a contributing factor because of the types of materials used in their manufacture and design.

• Lack of maintenance of air conditioning ducts may also be contributing to biological pollution.

The Problem

• Indoor Chemical Pollutants

• Indoor biological Pollutants

Indoor Chemical Pollutants

• Benzene

• Trichloroethylene

• Formaldehyde

Indoor biological Pollutants

• Bacteria, molds, pollen, and viruses are types of biological contaminants.

• Biological contaminants are, or are produced by, living things.

• Common biological contaminants include mold, dust mites, pet dander (skin flakes), droppings and body parts from cockroaches, rodents and other pests or insects, viruses, and bacteria.

• Many of these biological contaminants are small enough to be inhaled.

• We eat 1kg of food per day

• We drink 2 litres per day

• We breathe 25kg of air per day!

• A big part of the population lives and works in areas

where the rates of particles exceed WHO guidelines

regarding PM2,5 (10μg/m3/year)

End Result

Recommendation

• In order to achieve acceptable indoor air quality in office environments, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) latest ventilation standard (Standard 62-1999) raised the recommended outdoor air ventilation rates from 5 cfm/occupant to 20 cfm/occupant. This four-fold increase in ventilation rates was contrary to common energy conservation practices and has raised a number of questions concerning the feasibility and cost of implementing this standard.

• ASHRAE 62-2004 recommended minimum Outdoor Air Flow– Range 15 - 60 cfm per person

– Most common range 15 - 35 cfm per person

– Average range 15 - 20 cfm per person

Energy Cost

Weak Economy

Climate Change Hot

Island Effect

How much does electricity cost?Average national electricity in US cents/kwh (2011)

8 810 10 10

1112

1718

1920

2628

2930

35

38

41

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15

20

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30

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40

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10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

GD

P p

er

cap

ita

(US$

)

Cost of Electricty (US Cents/kWh)

Cost of Electricty versus GDP per Capita

Jamaica

USACanada

Climate Change Impacts

• Higher temperatures– 2 oC

• Higher Relative Humidity– 2.2% from 1973 to 2003

• Rising seas• Increased risk of drought, fire and floods• Stronger storms and increased storm damage• Changing landscapes• More heat-related illness and disease• Economic losses• Wildlife at risk

It is expected an increase of 1.5 to 2.8o Celsius increase in temperature by 2050 and 2080

Temperature Increase “Heat Island”

• Increase in Temperature by “Heat Island”

– 5.8 a 8.0 oC, above present conditions

– an average of 6.9 oC

• Total Temperature Increase

– By 2050 1.5 + 6.9 = 8.4 oC

– By 2080 2.8 + 6.9 = 9.7 oC

Weak EconomyEnergy Imports

• Value of all the island's exports from January

to August this year would fail to cover the

cost of importing petroleum products for the

same period.

• Total exports valued US$1.1 billion or J$97

billion, while imported petroleum products

valued US$1.6 billion or J$142 billion.

• This represents a US$500 million, or J$45 billion

trade deficit on petroleum products alone.

• Total imports, including petroleum products,

valued more than US$4.3 billion or J$382 billion.

• For every J$1,000 in exports earned, Jamaica

has to find J$3,900 to cover its import bill.

• The total deficit in 2012 stands at US$3.2 billion,

in excess of J$284 billion.

• Jamaica must find almost J$105,000 per citizen

to pay for all the imports the island has made in

this calendar year up to August 2012.

The cost of importation

Item J$ Million

per Hour

Food J$9.5

Machinery and transport equipment J$9.3

Chemicals J$7.9

Manufactured goods J$6.4

Other items, including cigarettes, alcohol and

cardboard boxes

J$7.7

Number of Enterprises

Number of Banks

• Scotia Bank 37

• National Commercial bank 38

• First Caribbean Bank 13

• First Global 6

• RBC Royal 13

• Sagicor 6

• Citibank 2

• Total 115

Labour Distribution By Sector

Goods Producing sectorAgriculture/Forestry/Fishing 216500

Mining 9700

Manufacturing 71200

Construction/Installation 110900

Services Producing SectorsElectricity/Gas/Water 7600

Wholesale/Retails/Hotels/Restaurants Services 269700

Transport/Storage/Communication 79700

Finance/Insurance/Real Estate/Business Services 74100

Community/Social/Personal services 317700

Industry Not specified 1700

Total Emploted Labour Force 1158800

Service Sector

• In 2008, the services sector which consists mainly of:

• i. transport, storage and communication;

• ii. finance, insurance, real estate and business services;

• iii. community, social and personal services;

• iv. electricity, gas and water, v. wholesale and retail trades, hotels and restaurant services)

• Employed an annual average of 748,800 persons

• Approximately 65% of the employed labour force

The Extent of the Problem

• 300,000 Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Jamaica

• 54,116 business

• 126,300 Government Employees

• 269,700 Wholesale/Retails/Hotels/Restaurants Services

• 74,100 Finance/Insurance/Real Estate/Business Services

The Extent of the Problem

• Health is considered the absence of disease

• Illness still not a disease just Discomfort. Sensory irritation of the eyes, nose, throat; skin irritation, etc.

• Lack of OHS safety in small and medium enterprises

Some Household Products• Air Freshener, Deodorizer, Odour

Remover

• All-Purpose Cleaner

• Fabric Softeners

• Bleach

• Carpet Cleaner

• Carpet Deodorizer

• Dishwashing Liquid (Hand)

• Dishwashing Detergent (Automatic)

• Disinfectant

• Drain Opener

• Fabric Softener

• Floor Cleaner, Wax, Polish

• Floor and Furniture Polish

• Glass Cleaner

• Heavy Duty Cleaner

• Laundry Detergent Soap

• Laundry Stain Remover

• Laundry Starch

• Lime or Mineral Remover

• Metal Cleaner/Polish

• Mould and Mildew Cleaners

• Oven Cleaner

• Scouring Powder

• Sink, Tub and Tile

• Spot Remover

• Toilet Bowl Cleaner and Deodorizer

• Upholstery Cleaner and Protector

Common Hazardous Ingredients in Cleaning Products

• Acetone

• Ammonia

• Diethanolamine (DEA)

• D-limonene

• Ethoxylated nonyl phenol

• Formaldehyde

• Fragrance

• Methylene chloride

• Monoethanolamine

• Morpholine

• Naphthalene

• Parabens• Paradichlorobenzene• Phosphoric acid• Sodium

dichloroisocyanuratedihydrate

• Sodium hypochlorite (bleach)

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate• Toluene• Turpentine• Xylene

Some Known Cases

• Ministry of Health

• Air Jamaica Building (2012)

• St Joseph Hospital (Asbestos)

• University of West Indies Hospital (Asbestos)

Exposure to SHS from tobacco products in Hospitality Workers in Jamaica

• Exposed to air pollution levels that are two times the EPA annual average occupational exposure standard.

• Air quality measurements show that harmful pollution is released in the air by cigarette smoking.

• The air quality in places where smoking was observed exceeded the WHO Air Quality Guideline by 9 times and is regarded as unhealthy and harmful according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards.

• SHS contains 4,000 chemicals, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful and 50 of which are toxic and can cause cancer;

• There is no safe level of exposure to SHS from burning tobacco products which has been proven to be harmful to both smokers and non-smokers

• Immediate health effects such as eye irritation, dizziness and nausea and long term health effects including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and respiratory illnesses in adults; and in children sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and severe asthma

Exposure to SHS from tobacco products in Hospitality Workers in Jamaica (2011)

• Thirty (30) locations were sampled during peak hours of business:– 10 fast-food places,

– 10 bars,

– 7 restaurants and

– 3 clubs, Twenty nine (29) venues were used for data analysis as one sample was statistically identified as an outlier.

Results of the study

• Air pollution was 8 times higher in locations where smoking was observed than in the locations where smoking was not observed.

• The WHO sets an air quality PM2.5 guideline annual target mean of 10 μg/m3 to maintain good health.

• The air quality in places where smoking was observed exceeded the WHO annual mean by 9 times.

• The calculated annual average occupational exposure of employees due to their occupational exposure to tobacco smoke pollution is 21μg/m3, which is 2 times higher than annual levels established by the EPA.

Smoking Observed Smoking not

Observed

Place Number % Number %

Locations 14 48 15 52

Bars 9 90 1 10

Clubs 2 67 1 33

Fast Foods 2 22 7 78

Restaurants 1 14 6 86

Air Pollution PM2.5 (µg/m3) 94 18

Natural Solution

Pot mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)

Removal of low concentrations of benzene and trichloroethylene using a golden pothos in an 8 inch pot

Safe Solution

Roof Temperature

Reduction 24 C

Energy Consumption

Reduction (~20%)

A corresponding

14% drop in peak

hour demand).

1000 ft2 = 10 Tons

CO2

WHITE ROOFS

Green Walls

• A green wall is a wall of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane;

• surface of an exterior green wall is up to 10°C cooler than an exposed wall,

• considerably less heat is radiated inward.

Green Walls

Energy Efficient Lamps: Light Emmiting

Diode (LED)

Increasingly used for lighting.

Visible, ultraviolet and infrared

2.3 W - lighting to read a book

Life expectancy 50K -100K hours

No Heat emission.

No UV or IR emissions

LED Lighting

Economic Benefits

• Significant productivity gains, • Absenteeism ↓• Health problems ↓• Better sense of well-being• More content and comfortable, • Morale is higher • Concentration and productivity are negatively

effected when elevated levels of carbon dioxide are present indoors

• 12 percent more productive and less stressed

Economic Benefits

• More innovative thinking, generating more ideas and original solutions to problems in the office environment that included flowers and plants. In these surroundings, men who participated in the study generated 15% more ideas. And while males generated a greater abundance of ideas, females generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems when flowers and plants were present.

• When reviewing 12 of the common symptoms most often related to poor indoor air quality and 'sick building syndrome,' there was a 23% lower complaint rate during the period when the participants had plants in their offices.

• A significant reduction in neuro-psychological symptoms and in mucous membrane symptoms, while skin symptoms seemed to be unaffected by the plant intervention

India Studies

Prevalence (%) of respiratory symptoms in past three months

Prevalence (%) of lung function decrement

Comparison of Sputum Cytology, genotoxictyand hypertension data

Thanks

hsilva10@hotmail.com