Indoor Air Quality Program

PSU is committed to maintaining safe and healthy indoor air quality environments for the campus community. PSU's Facilities and Property Management (FPM) Department manages the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in campus buildings with the goal of meeting or exceeding industry performance standards regarding ventilation, temperature, relative humidity, air quality, odor, noise, and lighting.  

EHS works collaboratively with FPM to help identify, remediate, and maintain acceptable indoor air quality parameters recommended  by the US EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (US EPA NAAQS), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and Regenerative Ecological Social and Economic Targets (RESET).

If you have questions or concerns with the indoor air quality within buildings on campus, please contact the Facilities Work Control Center to submit a work request.  A member of EHS will be in contact to discuss the concern and, in certain situations, perform air quality sampling to compare conditions to industry standards. 

For urgent or potential emergency situations, such as a natural gas smell, please call the Work Control Center to ensure a timely response: 503-725-2FIX (2349).

Monitoring Indoor Air Quality

EHS utilizes air monitoring devices to check for the following conditions inside of our buildings. EHS follows nationally recognized recommendations for acceptable 24-hour averages for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ):

• Particulate Matter (PM2.5) – Acceptable levels less than 35 μg/m3 (US EPA NAAQS)
• PM10 – Levels less than 150 μg/m3 are considered acceptable (EPA NAAQS)
• Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) – Averages under 500 μg/m3 or <0.25 ppm are considered acceptable (LEED) (US EPA NAAQS) (RESET)
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) – Averages under 1,000 ppm are considered acceptable (ASHRAE)
• Carbon Monoxide (CO) – Averages under 9 ppm are considered acceptable (US EPA) (NAAQS) (ASHRAE)
• Formaldehyde (CH20) – In select locations where formaldehyde solutions are used, EHS conducts personal exposure monitoring using a standard 8-hour Time Weighted Average (TWA)

EHS also conducts risk assessments for potential mold growth and will collect air and bulk samples based on the conditions observed during the assessment.

Wildfire Events and Indoor Air Quality

PSU has taken a multi-pronged approach to wildfire event response including an emphasis on air quality and HVAC filtration. Building occupants should ensure windows and doors are kept closed and allow the building air filtration system to operate as intended. In more extreme events, HEPA rated filtration units are utilized around campus to support the existing HVAC system.