NYC to Consider INDOOR Air Quality Regulations Following Covid-19 and Summer’s Smoky Haze

According to the Wall Street Journal, officials in New York City are preparing to propose regulations on indoor air quality, a legislation that has been under development for nearly a year but gained renewed urgency following the heavy smoke caused by Canadian wildfires that blanketed the skies along the East Coast.

If passed, two bills to be introduced by lawmakers on Thursday would mandate the creation of standards to measure, monitor, report, and enforce air quality within schools and municipal buildings. Proponents of the legislation argue that these standards, which would be more detailed than the existing building and health codes, should be formulated within an 18-month period.

Additionally, two other bills would establish five-year pilot programs to assess air quality in residential and commercial buildings. These pilot programs would take effect four months after approval, with participation being voluntary for many buildings. However, buildings that receive financial assistance from the city after the legislation comes into effect would be required to participate.

If the pilot programs are successful, officials would later provide recommendations for a permanent regulatory framework concerning residential and commercial buildings. City Council member Keith Powers and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, both Democrats, have led the drafting of the legislation, which has been in progress for almost a year.

Their efforts were primarily spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which improving indoor air quality became vital in combating the spread of the virus. The proposals were subsequently expanded to encompass climate change after the recent impact of Canadian wildfire smoke, which added urgency to the conversation.

“The way it impacted New York was a reminder that air quality is a health issue,” remarked Levine regarding the smoke.

These proposals align with updated ventilation guidance for buildings provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in May. The CDC recommended that the air in a space should be refreshed five times per hour to reduce the presence of germs.

Powers explained that the legislation establishes a framework for the creation of rules and regulations aimed at collecting information about indoor air quality and making it accessible to the public. Both Powers and Levine hope that these standards could serve as a model for other cities.

While the estimated costs of implementing the indoor air quality standards are yet to be determined, Powers and Levine anticipate that the public health benefits will outweigh the expenses.

On Wednesday, New York City was placed under an air quality health advisory from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. due to the anticipated unhealthy air quality index for sensitive groups.

In the meantime, during a Wednesday oversight meeting, city council members criticized the city’s response to the wildfire smoke, expressing their dissatisfaction with the communication to New Yorkers regarding the smoke. Council Member Lincoln Restler, a Democrat representing Brooklyn, declared, “The failure to respond swiftly and proactively to protect people is completely unacceptable.”

Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol and others faced questioning from council members. Iscol acknowledged the difficulty of accurately forecasting air quality and emphasized the complexity of the scientific process. He highlighted that initial forecasts did not indicate that the city would experience hazardous levels of air pollution, stating, “We have to understand that these forecasts are unreliable.”

Improving indoor air quality was particularly crucial in schools during the pandemic. However, an April survey conducted on K-12 public school districts nationwide revealed that many districts had not taken significant steps to enhance ventilation in school buildings. Among the participating districts, less than 34% reported completing or initiating HVAC system replacements or upgrades. Additionally, approximately 28% mentioned the installation or use of HEPA filtration systems in classrooms or student dining areas, or plans to do so.

{Matzav.com}