PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT:
Vik Ahuja, CIAQP
Pure Air Control Services
4911 Creekside Drive, Suite C
Clearwater, FL 33760
Phone: (800) 422-7873, ext. 804
vahuja@pureaircontrols.com
National Institute of Standards and Technology “Mold in Housing” Workshop
For Immediate Release:
Clearwater, FL (September 2002) – The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Commerce Department’s Technology Administration, will be holding a workshop entitled “Mold in Housing” from October 30 – 31, 2002 in Gaithersburg, MD.
The workshop will be organized around stakeholder group perspectives on mold related issues. Because of Pure Air Control Services’ leadership in the industry, Alan Wozniak, President/CEO of Pure Air Control Services, has been invited by the NIST to serve as the lead representative for the “remediators” stakeholder group.
Serving as lead representative for the ‘remediators’ stakeholder group, Wozniak will be making a brief presentation and act as moderator in discussions during breakout sessions. “The recommendations from the presentation made by my group will have a very significant, very positive impact on the indoor environmental industry in general, and the the mold remediation industry specifically,” said Wozniak. The presentation made by the “remediators” stakeholder group will cover perspectives on:
1. Characterizing the mold issue.
2. The affects of mold on the “remediators” stakeholders group directly and indirectly.
3. The difference between single family and multifamily housing related to the mold problem.
4. The differences between the problem of mold in older buildings and newer buildings.
5. The two most important things related to new buildings that, if implemented, would most assist the “remediators” stakeholder group in dealing with mold prblems.
6. The two most important things related to existing buildings that, if implemented, would most assist the “remediators” stakeholder group in dealing with mold prblems.
In addition to the “remdiators” stakeholder group perspectives on mold in housing, there will be five other stakeholder groups: “owners/occupants,” “finance/insurance,” “producers,” “gatekeepers,” and “research/regulators”.
Each stakeholder group will address workshop objectives and orientation session recommendations solely from the perspective of the topic grooup. Objectives to be addressed will include, minimally:
o Identify what we know and do not know about mold – mechanisms, effects, and impacts.
o Determine how to apply existing knowledge to avoid moisture and mold problems.
o Catalog effective remediation techniques and recommend methods for disseminating guidance to the building community.
o Define knowledge gaps and research needs to address mold assessment and remediation.
Discussions at the workshop will lead to recommendations on what the stakeholder groups need, what opportunities exist for information exchange or collaboration with other stakeholder groups, and what actions the “remediators” stakeholder group should undertake for each specific objective (e.g. What information/tools do “owner/occupants” need? What information can “owner/occupants” share with /obtain from other stakeholder groups? What coordinated actions can “owner/occupants” undertake to mitigate the mold problem in housing?).
As a recognized leader in the Indoor Environmental Quality industry, Pure Air Control Services will help insure the ultimate success of the workshop.
For more information, contact:
Vik Ahuja, CIAQP
Vahuja@PureAirControls.com
(800) 422-7873, ext. 804
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