Indoor Air Quality

Contact Facilities Management or make a work request for the following concerns:

• Temperature or humidity issues
• Stagnant or stale air
• Drafty air
• Particulates or dirt coming from the HVAC system
• Pressure balance issues

Contact Facilities Management or make a work request for odors associated with the following:

• Rotten eggs/sulphur
• Sewer smell
• Musty/stagnant air

Contact UTD Safety for strong or unusual odors associated with the following:

• Chemicals
• Spills or accidental releases of hazardous materials

NOTE: All incidental releases of chemicals should be handled as indicated by the associated Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and lab or work area standard procedures. SDS for inventoried chemicals on campus can be found on UTD’s BioRAFT platform.

Faculty, staff, or students who have health-related concerns that they believe may be related to their work or on-campus living environment should notify their supervisor or on-campus housing contact and submit the Indoor Air Quality Assessment request. UTD Occupational Health & Safety will contact the requestor to schedule an investigation of the area; departmental administration should provide reasonable accommodations to the affected employee or student, as needed.

For environmental allergy sufferers, reviewing the current 5-Day Pollen Allergy Forecast may be helpful.

If you smell a gas odor, or if a gas monitor alarm sounds:

• Call UTD Police at 972-883-2222
• Provide dispatch with your name, the location of the suspected leak, and where you will meet emergency responders
• Warn others in the immediate vicinity
• Evacuate the immediate area
• Notify your supervisor, principal investigator, or on-campus housing contact, as appropriate
• Prevent the use of, or remove sources of, ignition (cigarettes, electrical equipment, etc.) in the area, if safe to do so
• Meet with and assist emergency response personnel
• Do not re-enter the area until cleared by authorized personnel

Mold is a naturally occurring fungus that is found in the environment. It grows on plants, food, and even walls. While some molds (such as the ones responsible for producing cheese and penicillin) are beneficial, others may be a serious health threat. 

Molds produce microscopic cells called spores. Mold spores are present everywhere, both indoors and outdoors, and spread easily through the air. Mold is present in all buildings. It is only when mold levels exceed those outside that we say there is a “mold problem”. The most common “problem” mold in indoor environments is mold that grows in buildings when the right conditions are met. 

Mold needs a food source, excess measurable moisture, and mild to warm temperatures to survive. The food source can be any organic materials such as dust, books, papers, animal dander, soap scum, wood, particleboard, paint, wallpaper, carpet, and upholstery. When such materials become and stay damp, especially in dark areas with poor air circulation, mold may grow. Average humidity levels above 60% or greater and average temperatures of 75℉ or greater can provide the right conditions for mold growth.

Flooding, pipe leaks, leaky roofs, moisture in walls, high indoor humidity, and poor heating/air-conditioning system design and operation can create a damp environment that mold needs to grow. If you smell a musty odor or see mold, you may have a mold problem. If you suspect you have a mold problem, you should contact UTD Occupational Health & Safety for more information.

The UTD Occupational Health & Safety team has highly trained professionals with specialized equipment who can come out and assess your area to determine if any mold is present. Mold assessments involve an inspection of the building area to evaluate whether mold growth may be present, and to what extent. They may also include air monitoring of the space to assess the average levels of humidity, temperature, and other factors (such as carbon dioxide and dust). 

If mold growth is present, mold remediation may be necessary. Mold remediation is the cleanup and removal of mold growth from surfaces and/or contents in a building. It also refers to actions taken to prevent mold from growing. You can help inhibit the growth of mold in buildings and improve indoor air quality for all occupants by keeping humidity below 60%, reporting water leaks immediately, ensuring that your trash is put out regularly, and that food is stored in appropriate locations. We can all do our part to ensure the health of UTD’s buildings for everyone!

For more information regarding mold assessment and remediation, please contact the UTD Occupational Health & Safety team at OHsafety@utdallas.edu or submit an Indoor Air Quality Assessment request.

Roof work and construction projects are a necessary part of building preservation on campus. Frequently, odors are generated during these projects, especially when hot asphalt or coal tar is used as water-proofing material or pavement. Though you may be able to smell roofing odors, the sulfur compounds in roofing asphalt or coal tar have very low odor thresholds (in the parts per billion range); simply smelling the roofing odors does not indicate overexposure to harmful fumes. 

To reduce odors during roofing projects, you can do the following:

• Keep windows closed when hot asphalt or coal tar roofing is being applied in the vicinity.
• Contact Facilities Management to see if it is feasible to adjust the building’s ventilation system to circulate more air within the building and minimize the amount of air drawn from outdoors. This can reduce the odor indoors.
• Report roofing contractors who place asphalt kettles near building air intakes for building HVAC systems to the Facilities Management project manager and/or UTD Occupational Health & Safety.

If you feel that you are being overexposed to roofing or construction fumes and are experiencing symptoms such as watering eyes, headache, and nausea, you should take a break in fresh air to alleviate these short-term symptoms. If symptoms return, communicate your concerns to your supervisor and temporarily relocate your work, if possible. Supervisors should contact UTD Occupational Health & Safety to report their concerns about roofing or construction odors; follow up with a healthcare provider to get additional advice if desired.