HRAI forms new IAQ expert panel to address virus transmission in ventilation

October 23, 2020 | By HPAC Magazine

The group will produce resource materials on the best practices currently in place to limit the transmission of COVID-19 through HVAC systems.

The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) has established an expert advisory panel on indoor air quality in commercial and institutional buildings.

The panel is being chaired by Joe Muchynski, Arvin Air Systems, and member of the contractors division board of HRAI. The panel also includes members from each of the three HRAI member divisions as well as representatives from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the National Research Council (NRC), the University of Toronto and University of Alberta, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

One objective for this group is to produce easy-to-use and understand materials on the best practices currently in place to limit the transmission of COVID-19 through HVAC systems.

“Over the months ahead we will work together to make sure Canadians have better information about the risks of transmission in an array of environments and conditions,” said Muchynski in a media release. “We want to ensure business owners, building managers, and institutional administrators can confidently assess risks and make good choices for indoor environments while navigating the impacts of the pandemic.”

In addition to Muchynski, the panel includes:

Allan Haybarger, General Filters;
Gerry Cellucci, Yorkland Controls;
Jim McAughey, Standard Mechanical;
David Underwood (retired), Past International President of ASHRAE;
Joel Primeau, J.L. Richards;
Francis Dietz, AHRI;
Bala Gnaman, BOMA-Toronto;
Dr. Jeffrey Siegel, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto;
Dr. Brian Fleck, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta;
Dr. Boualem Ouazia, Research Officer, National Research Council of Canada;
Joe Tanelli, Director of Engineering Science and Support, PHAC;
David Barnes, Biocontainment Engineer, PHAC;
Rob LeForte, Impact Public Affairs;
Kyle Larkin, Impact Public Affairs;
Niss Feiner, Delta-T Design (Council Secretariat);
and HRAI staff Sandy MacLeod and Martin Luymes.