THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603260139
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
When subjects such as Sick Building Syndrome or Legionnaires' Disease come up, William Converse hopes to clear the air - of indoor air pollution, that is.
Converse, an internationally recognized consultant and lecturer, flew into Norfolk recently to speak to an audience of 125 attending an indoor air-quality seminar at the Lake Wright Motor Hotel on Northampton Boulevard.
``We've just kind of taken air for granted,'' Converse said. ``But what is `school air' or fresh air? You could walk into a school blindfolded and know where you were; they all smell the same. It's all the waxes they use shining the floors.
``The restrooms all smell the same. Look at the classroom from a contaminant standpoint. You've got 30 kids waving solvent pens around, loading the place up.
``And the rooms are full of gerbils, snakes and birds. But the worst contaminant is the kids. They're like little magnets. It's a composite of all this stuff.''
People in general create the lion's share of the problem, Converse said.
They constantly slough off flakes of skin and hair, organic material on which bacteria, viruses, mites, molds and fungi can flourish. People also release moisture droplets into the air by breathing, sneezing and coughing. Modern, hermetically sealed, energy-efficient buildings exacerbate the problem by allowing concentrations to build up with no way to remove them.
For those who are allergic or sensitive to these substances, Converse said, their presence can create discomfort, health problems and even behavioral changes. He cited examples of children who became disciplinary problems in school and employees whose work markedly declined with a change in their environment. In one such case, an employee ultimately lost her job and began experiencing difficulties with her family.
``People think that if we don't have cigarette smoke, the air is clean,'' Converse said. ``We've always had the idea it was the problem; if we can control it, we've got clean air. This winter, I've seen smokers in Minnesota, 20 below, standing outside freezing to death. But 80 percent of the time, the air inside isn't any better. In fact, we've lost our best `tracer,' (with the smoke) showing up bad ventilation. When we realized cigarette smoke wasn't the whole problem, I think we lost our innocence about clean air. If we can't control a burning leaf, what about the rest?
``But when you look at cigarette smoke, it's not a burning leaf anymore. It turns into chemistry.''
Converse - an engineer, inventor and president of Alpine Industries, a producer of indoor air-purification equipment - explained why, in his view, traditional means of dealing with indoor air pollution have failed to solve the problem.
Many of those present took notes as the subject matter turned technical.
``Any time you can attach a number to anything, you think you know more about it than you really do,'' Converse quipped during an esoteric explanation concerning the limitations of filters.
Converse's theories center around ionization of particles, causing them to coalesce into larger particulates that drop out of the air, coupled with low-level ozone as an oxidizer to control undesirable organisms.
Early efforts to achieve commercial success with equipment based on his concepts seemed doomed to failure. An initial order for 10,000 units was placed by someone with no means to pay for them. Only after teaming up with others who could market what he had invented did success appear to be within his grasp.
Now, about nine years later, Converse is barnstorming the country with a plane and two pilots to sell his ideas and products. He was invited to Kuwait by its government to serve as a consultant after the Gulf War and has testified before a congressional committee holding hearings on clean air standards. His business success was highlighted in a feature article in The Marketeer, Minneapolis/St. Paul's Journal for Business to Business.
Alpine Industries uses network marketing, where customers can become dealers. Many who came to hear Converse speak were interested in the business opportunity, but others included environmentalists, contractors, builders and health-care providers. Personnel from the Portsmouth and Norfolk health departments and Chesapeake and Virginia Beach Public Schools attended. Some came from as far away as the Peninsula, Northern Virginia and North Carolina.
``My neighbor, next door, is in the business, and invited me down to hear the speaker,'' said Don Daveau of Virginia Beach. ``I'm interested in seeing the technology involved.''
``I work in environmental health,'' said Karen Gulley of Norfolk. ``We're looking at indoor air quality a lot more now and trying to gather all the information we can find.''
``I've been here a couple of other times,'' Converse said. ``Each time I come back the group keeps getting larger as people become aware of the problem.
``Now, wherever I go, it gets a lot of attention. About 10 years ago I got involved with indoor air quality by accident. Any time you're doing something different, it's a long, uphill swim.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAWSON MILLS
William Converse of Blaine, Minn., is an internationally known
consultant on indoor air quality.
by CNB