Which credits address occupant safety and health via IEQ?

• A. MR credits on materials recycling.
• B. IEQ credits focusing on ventilation, filtration, and pollutant source control.
• C. EA credits on energy performance only.
• D. SS credits on site sustainability.

Answer: (B)

Focusing on Indoor Environmental Quality to improve occupant safety and health hinges on how the indoor air is managed. The IEQ credits that deal with ventilation, filtration, and pollutant source control are the ones that most directly affect health and safety because they change what people actually breathe and how much exposure they have to pollutants. Increasing ventilation brings in outdoor air to dilute contaminants; good filtration reduces particulates and some gases; pollutant source control limits emissions from materials and activities, cutting off pollutants before they enter the air. Other credit areas like materials recycling, overall energy performance, or site sustainability don’t target the health effects of the indoor air in the same direct way, so they don’t address occupant safety via IEQ as specifically.