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  1. Air
  2. Air quality standards

Air quality standards

Features>Air>01. Air quality standards

01. Air quality standards

Pollutants generated indoors such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), combustion byproducts and airborne particles are known to trigger nausea, asthma and allergies. While ambient outdoor air is often better quality, natural ventilation methods, operable windows and doors, and general envelope infiltration can harm indoor air quality if external air quality conditions are poor.

This feature requires that an accredited assessor completes a performance test after occupancy as an independent means of verifying that the building, whether naturally or mechanically ventilated, is meeting critical air quality requirements.

Part 1: Precautionary Material Selection

At least one of the following requirements is met:

a.13 The project completes all Imperatives in the Materials Petal under Living Building Challenge 3.0.
b.1 At least 25% of products by cost (including furnishings, built-in furniture, and all interior finishes and finish materials) are Cradle to Cradle™ Material Health Certified with a V2 Gold or Platinum or V3 Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Material Health Score.
c.1 At least 25% of products by cost (including furnishings, built-in furniture, and all interior finishes and finish materials) have no GreenScreen® Benchmark 1, List Translator 1 or List Translator Possible 1 substances over 1000 ppm, as verified by a qualified Ph.D. toxicologist or certified industrial hygienist.
d.1 At least 25% of products by cost (including furnishings, built-in furniture, all interior finishes and finish materials) meet some combination of the certifications described in Requirements b and c.
Part 2: Standards for Particulate Matter and Inorganic Gases

The following conditions are met:

a.2 Carbon monoxide less than 9 ppm.
b.2 PM₂.₅ less than 15 μg/m³.
c.3 PM₁₀ less than 50 μg/m³.
d.3 Ozone less than 51 ppb.
e. Nitrogen dioxide less than 53 ppb.
Part 3: Below-Grade Air Quality Standards

The following conditions are met:

a. Radon less than 4 pCi/L in the lowest occupied level of the project.
Part 4: Operational Kitchen Air Quality

The following air quality concentrations are met in the commercial kitchen space:

a.2 Carbon monoxide levels less than 35 ppm.
b.2 PM₂.₅ less than 35 μg/m³.
c.2 Nitrogen dioxide less than 100 ppb.
d.129 Formaldehyde less than 81 ppb.
Immune
Cardiovascular
Endocrine
Respiratory
Nervous

Applicability Matrix

Core & Shell Tenant Improvement New Construction
Part 1: Precautionary Material Selection - O O
Part 2: Standards for Particulate Matter and Inorganic Gases - P P
Part 3: Below-Grade Air Quality Standards P P P
Part 4: Operational Kitchen Air Quality - - -
Commercial Kitchen Schools Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
Part 1: Precautionary Material Selection O O O O O
Part 2: Standards for Particulate Matter and Inorganic Gases - P P P P
Part 3: Below-Grade Air Quality Standards P P P P P
Part 4: Operational Kitchen Air Quality P - - - -

Verification Methods Matrix

Letters of Assurance Annotated Documents On-Site Checks
PART 1 (Design)
Precautionary Material Selection 		Architect
PART 2 (Performance)
Standards for Particulate Matter and Inorganic Gases 		Performance Test
PART 3 (Performance)
Below-Grade Air Quality Standards 		Performance Test
PART 4 (Performance)
Operational Kitchen Air Quality 		Performance Test

1

U.S. Green Building Council. LEED v4: Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction. Washington D.C.: U.S. Green Building Council; 2013: 37, 43-44, 541-552, 567, 605, 623, 645-53, 658-61, 682-3, 685-6, 723-4.
1.1.a

USGBC's LEED v4: Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction EQ Credit: Indoor Air Quality Assessment requires demonstration of formaldehyde levels less than 27 ppb.
1.1.b

USGBC's LEED v4: Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction EQ Credit: Indoor Air Quality Assessment requires demonstration of total VOC levels less than 500 μg/m³.
2

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. National Ambient Air Quality Standards. 40 CFR Part 50. http://www.epa.gov/air/criteria.html. Revised October 2011. Updated December 14, 2012. Accessed September 16, 2014.
1.2.a

The EPA's 2012 NAAQS require ambient air in cities to keep 8-hr average levels of carbon monoxide below 9 ppm and 1-hr averages below 35 ppm, not to be exceeded more than once per year.
1.2.b

The EPA's 2012 NAAQS requre PM₂.₅ to be less than 12 μg/m³ for a primary annual mean, secondary annual mean of 15 μg/m³ and a 24-hour concentration of 35 μg/m³, averaged over three years .
1.4.a

The EPA's NAAQS set a 1-hour concentration level for carbon monoxide at 35 ppm, which is not to be exceeded more than once a year.
1.4.b

The EPA's NAAQS sets standards for PM₂.₅ at 12 μg/m³ for a primary annual mean, a secondary annual mean set at 15 μg/m³ and a 24-hour concentration set at 35 μg/m³, all averaged over three years.
1.4.c

The EPA's NAAQS for nitrogen dioxide set 100 ppb as the limit for the 98th percentile (averaged over three years) of hourly means.
3

World Health Organization. WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Particulate Matter, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2005: 9, 14.
1.2.c

The WHO's Air Quality Guidelines for Particulate Matter, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Sulfur set 50 μg/m³ as a 24-hour mean concentration limit for PM₁₀.
1.2.d

The WHO's Air Quality Guidelines for Particulate Matter, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Sulfur Dioxide recommend ozone limits at 100 μg/m³ 8-hour mean.
4

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A Citizen’s Guide To Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself And Your Family From Radon. http://www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/citizensguide.pdf. Published May 2012. Accessed September 16, 2014.
1.3.a

The EPA's A Citizen's Guide to Radon recommends radon levels to be less than 4 pCi/L.
129

World Health Organization. Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality – Selected Pollutants. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010: 141-142.
1.4.d

The WHO's indoor air quality guidelines set a short-term (30 minute) formaldehyde guideline of 0.1 mg/m³ [81 ppb] to prevent sensory irritation and also long-term health effects including cancer.
Features>Air>01. Air quality standards