The American Indoor Air Quality Council

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Indoor air quality standards started to be followed by a greater majority in the United States in the late 1980’s. Towards the middle of the 1990s, consultants, remediators, and investigators proliferated across the country.

In 1994, with the primary aim of promoting awareness and education in the field of indoor air quality, the Arizona Indoor Air Quality Council was formed. The council carried out its mission by distributing newsletters and conducting workshops. After only a year, the council’s charter membership ballooned to 150. As a result of the council’s popularity, a number of similar organizations cropped up in different states. They decided to change their name to the American Indoor Air Quality Council (AmIAQ) in 1998 and in 2 years’ time, membership grew to 500. They were also able to attract 23 corporate sponsors. By 2002, AmIAQ had a total of 46 local chapters in 26 states and international locations.

After the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) and the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization, or IESO, signed a unification agreement, AmIAQ stopped offering memberships and concentrated on giving certification programs. Thus, today, the AmIAQ functions as an independent body that grants professional certification programs for those who are involved in the indoor air quality industry. The council’s main mission is to establish certifications that certificants, their clients, and the public can rely on.

The AmIAQ Council provides certifications in 5 indoor air quality-related disciplines namely, Indoor Environmental Consulting and Investigation, Microbial Consulting and Investigation, Microbial Remediation, Indoor Air Quality Administration, and Residential Mold Inspection. A certification candidate undergoes a thorough examination and review process in the indoor air quality industry before he is assigned his designation. And in order to maintain his designation, he is required to participate in an arduous recertification program. These certifications are verified and given by a national panel composed of volunteer industry professionals.

Since there are numerous certifying bodies at present, one of AmIAQ’s most important responsibilities is to ensure the proper development and maintenance of their certification exams so that certificants are assured of their credibility.

Early in July this year, the AmIAQ Council welcomed the help of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in their fight against consumer fraud. The BBB investigates suspicious certification claims.

At present, the AmIAQ Council has more than 5,000 certificants in the U.S., Canada, and overseas.

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