Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has become a matter of increased concern in the UCSC campus community. This is not surprising since most of us spend 80 to 90 percent of our time indoors. The Environmental Health and Safety Office (EH&S) is routinely asked to address IAQ concerns, so we have put together these links to provide you with some background information on this persistent problem. EH&S also encourages you to review the UC Indoor Air Quality Committee document regarding what to expect during a routine Indoor Air Quality investigation at UCSC.

US Environmental Protection Agency IAQ Home Page

US Department of Labor - Indoor Air Quality

EPA information on portable room air filtration devices

EPA information about ozone generators

California Indoor Air Quality Program links page (air cleaners, mold, asbestos, radon, etc.)

California Indoor Air Quality Program home page

OSHA Technical Manual - Indoor Air Quality Investigations

Fed OSHA Technical Manual - Legionnaires' Disease

Building Air Quality Action Plan

Personal Air Cleaners

In order to protect the rights of the nonsmoking community to breathe smoke-free air on the UCSC campus, smoking is prohibited:

• in all indoor areas of all public buildings on campus
• in all common areas of residential buildings (e.g. bathrooms, lounges)
• outside areas within 25 feet of building doors, windows, or air intakes (including patios underneath building windows)
• in all university-owned vehicles (including shuttles)

The smoking policy states that outside areas near a building may be designated as smoking areas provided that:

• smoke will not enter the building
• it is not a thoroughfare for nonsmokers
• there are ashcans available for cigarette disposal

If you smoke, please be aware that contact with smoke poses a serious health hazard for those with allergies, asthma, and other pulmonary or immune system disorders. Maintaining a smoke-free area around buildings is critical to ensure that people can avoid smoke while entering and exiting, and to prevent smoke from entering staff work areas via doors, windows, and air intakes.

If you are a student, and would like information on how to quit smoking, please contact the staff at the Student Health Center (x2211). In addition to literature, they also stock nicotine patches and smoking cessation kits. If you are an employee, please contact the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-654-6717.

For more information about the campus smoking policy, you can view:

Policies, Information, and Resources on Smoking at UC Santa Cruz

Summary of California smoking law

College Tobacco Prevention Resource, with access to campus smoking policies across the nation