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Air Filters for Business to Business Education

Regulatory Issues The Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970 initiated a national campaign to control air pollution and maintain healthier air quality. In 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) passed amendments making the requirements of the CAA more stringent. A major pollutant addressed by the CAA is chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) that can be released into the air from refrigeration and air conditioning systems. CFCs can rise into the stratosphere and interact with other chemicals and compromise the stratospheric ozone layer. One of the aims of the CAA is to reduce CFC emissions in order to protect the Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer. The air pollutants that are regulated under the 1990 Clean Air Act are: ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter (PM-10 & PM-2.5), and lead. OSHA has a standard addressing indoor air quality in indoor work environments. The instigating factor in this standard is that employees working indoors have a significant risk to their health because of poor indoor air quality and adherence to the provisions in the standard will greatly reduce that risk. The standard requires employers to develop a written indoor air quality compliance plan and implement that plan through actions such as inspection and maintenance of building systems which influence indoor air quality. A helpful guide is “Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Managers”. Copies may be obtained for a small fee from: Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office PO Box 371954 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Reference Stock No. 055-000-00390-4 ASHRAE has a standard with regards to commercial applications. It is Standard 62 (which sets minimum ventilation rates and other requirements for commercial and institutional buildings). It recommends a minimum of MERV 6 for commercial filter applications. Many commercial buildings will have a minimum of MERV 15 depending upon what the building is used for and the number of occupants.

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