A teleconference on Indoor Air Quality and Health, Part II will be presented by John Spengler, Ph.D., Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation in the Harvard School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health.

Teleconference Description

The quality of our indoor environments affects our well-being and productivity. In addition, the risk of disease is increased by factors such as indoor air pollutants, toxins and microbes on surfaces, and human contact. The seminar starts with a brief summary of our current understanding of ambient air pollution health concerns. Contrasting outdoor air to indoor air as a public good, it is seen that the policy debate about regulating indoor environments is still quite confused. A pollutant-specific framework rather than a comprehensive framework has characterized public and private responses to indoor air quality to date. Examples include formaldehyde, asbestos, radon and now molds. Contemporary topics of molds and synthetic organic compounds illustrate the continuing concerns about the health of indoor environments.

Speaker Biography

John D. Spengler, PhD, is the Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation at Harvard University’s School of Public Health. Prof. Spengler has conducted research in the areas of personal monitoring, air pollution health effects and indoor air pollution. Several investigations have focused on housing design and its effects on ventilation rates, building materials’ selection, energy consumption, and total environmental quality in homes. He is co-editor of three books: Indoor Air Quality Handbook (2000); Particles in Our Air: Concentrations and Health Effects (1996); and Indoor Air Pollution: A Health Perspective (1991). He has served on several National Research Council committees, including chairing the recent Green Schools committee. In 2003, Prof. Spengler was recipient of the Heinz Award for the Environment, and from 2002 through 2005 he was President of the International Academy of Indoor Air Sciences.

WHEN: Tuesday May 6th, 2008

TIME: 2-3pm Eastern Time
(Please dial in a few minutes before 2:00 p.m. so we can start on time!)

Moderator: Laura Abulafia, MHS

Toll Free: 1.800.868.1837

Direct Dial: 1.404.920.6440

Pass Code: 321 727#

COST: FREE!

MATERIAL: Go to the Initiative website at www.ehinitiative.org and click on the button that says next teleconference. There you will find the announcement with logistical information and the presentation under “materials” to down load or follow along on your computer.
For more information on the teleconference series or AAIDD’s Environmental Health Initiative, contact: Laura Abulafia at Laura@aaidd.org or visit the website at www.ehinitiative.org. Thank you.