Philadelphia Section AIHA April 2026 Full-Day Technical Seminar

"The Air We Share: IAQ and Fungal Insights"

Thursday, April 16th, 2026: 8:30 AM – 3:00PM

West Chester University: McDermott Graduate Center

(1160 McDermott Drive, Room 126, West Chester, PA)

Please plan on joining us for our annual full-day technical seminar, “The Air We Share: IAQ and Fungal Insights”, being presented on Thursday, April 16th at West Chester University’s McDermott Graduate Center.

Topics to be discussed will include IAQ, risk assessment of mold contamination in cleanrooms, and environmental topics. The second half of the seminar will focus on West Chester University research projects, with follow-ups on a mushroom farm study and a particulate matter study.  Local and national EHS product and service providers will be sharing technical presentations and will have booths set up showing their products and services.

Thanks to our seminar sponsors: Pace Analytical, Pine Environmental and EMSL Analytical.

Agenda:

8:30 AM:  Registration/Networking/Continental Breakfast

8:55 AM:  Introductions/Announcements

9:00 AM:  “Bias Introduced into IAQ Investigations” (Harris Brody: WSP)

9:50 AM:  “Pine Environmental Capabilities” (John Iannotti: Pine Environmental)

10:40 AM:  Break/Exhibitor Visits/Networking Opportunity 

11:00 AM:  “Risk Assessment of Microbial Contamination in Cleanrooms” (Rhonda Linter: Pace Analytical)

11:50 AM:  Buffet Lunch/Networking Opportunity 

12:50 PM:  “Why Do Mushroom Farms Smell So Bad?” (Overview of Environmental Health Program & Research Presentation) (Lorenzo Cena, Ph.D., MS: West Chester University and WCU Students)

1:40 PM:  Break/Exhibitor Visits/Networking Opportunity with WCU Students 

2:10 PM:  “Particulate Matter Studies in West Chester” (Dr. Melanie Ville: West Chester University)

3:00 PM:  Wrap-Up and Adjournment 

COST: $70 (includes continental breakfast and buffet lunch)

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration and pre-payment, via credit card, for this technical seminar is required. The registration fee is non-refundable and non-creditable, but can be transferred to another attendee at this meeting only. 

To pre-register, please use the following link: https://square.link/u/o9Yam4W7

Please be sure to provide the name of the seminar attendee and their email address during the registration process.

Presentations

“Bias Introduced Into IAQ Investigations” (Harris Brody: WSP)

This presentation will focus on the role of bias in industrial hygiene investigations, citing brief case studies that delineate bias introduced by various stakeholders including clients, industrial hygienists and building occupants. Approaches to these situations will be discussed, and how issues were ultimately mitigated to identify and rectify the initial problem. Each case study will present a IH perceived problem, a bias source, relevant situational conditions,  the investigation methodology, and identification and mitigation of the causative issue. The presentation will conclude with the suggestions for attenuating stakeholder bias in order to effect optimal solutions. 

Harris Brody is an accomplished professional holding certification as a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), with 38 years of experience leading EHS, industrial hygiene, and remediation programs for both public and private sector clients.  Mr. Brody has conducted hundreds of workplace exposure assessments focused on biological, chemical, physical stressors, and hazardous materials across diverse occupational environments with expertise in asbestos and lead consulting, building remediation, indoor air quality, OSHA compliance, mold and moisture intrusion assessments, environmental site assessments, storage tanks, and brownfield redevelopment.

Since January 2023, Mr. Brody has served as Senior Certified Industrial Hygienist for Federal Programs at WSP. From 2017 to 2022, Mr. Brody was Program Manager for TRC’s DuPont Remediation Services program

Mr. Brody currently serves as a Director on the Board of the Philadelphia Section AIHA.  He has an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Boston University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Delaware.

“EHS Service Capabilities: Pine Environmental” (John Iannotti: Pine Environmental)

This presentation will provide an overview of Pine Environmental’ s offerings with respect to IH, Safety, Environmental, Equipment, Service and  Supplies. 

John Iannotti studied Environmental Science at Cook College, obtaining his B.S. from Rutgers University.  A Technical Sales Representative with Pine Environmental for 14 years, he now serves as their Regional Sales Director, bringing years of environmental consulting experience to the Pine Team. 

“Risk Assessment of Microbial Contamination in Cleanrooms” (Rhonda Linter: Pace Analytical)

This presentation explores practical approaches to microbial risk assessment in cleanrooms, emphasizing interpretation of environmental monitoring data and confidence in decision-making.  Using a sterile compounding facility case study, we demonstrate how systematic evaluation of viable and non-viable particle data, combined with spatial risk mapping and excursion investigation, supports effective corrective actions to protect product quality and patient safety.

Rhonda Lintner is a seasoned expert in environmental monitoring and quality compliance with more than 20 years of experience in controlled environments and sterile compounding within healthcare settings. She specializes in cleanroom process design, construction oversight, and commissioning, including IQ, OQ, and PQ, and is well versed in USP <797> and <800> compliance as well as FDA-regulated sterile and non-sterile manufacturing.

Currently the Program Manager-Healthcare for Building Sciences with Pace Analytical Labs, Rhonda advises healthcare and research facilities on microbial bioburden management, environmental monitoring, and engineering controls. Her portfolio includes Department of Defense facilities, FDA- and EU-compliant pharmacies, and projects such as the Mayo Clinic Stem Cell Laboratory, where she integrates technical and regulatory expertise to advance quality, safety, and operational excellence.

“Why Do Mushroom Farms Smell So Bad?” (Overview of Environmental Health Program & Research Presentation) (Lorenzo Cena, Ph.D., MS: West Chester University and WCU Students)

The presentation addresses workers’ and general public’s exposure to hydrogen sulfide in the mushroom and soil growth substrate manufacturing.

Dr. Lorenzo Cena is an aerosol scientist and industrial hygienist with expertise in occupational and environmental health.  He has extensive experience in control and assessment of occupational hazards associated with exposure to aerosols and nanoparticles.  He has developed and patented a personal sampler for nanoparticles that mimics nanoparticle deposition in the human respiratory system.  Dr. Cena's research includes indoor and outdoor air quality measurements. 

Prior to joining WCU, he worked for 5 years for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he also led an Ebola-Response team in West Africa during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak.  Dr. Cena has worked for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and has published several articles on workplace exposures, particle characterization, novel exposure assessment and analytical methods, and has presented his work at national and international conferences. 

Dr. Cena teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental health, industrial hygiene, and environmental toxicology.  He is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the Workplace Air Quality committee of the ASTM international standards organization.

“Particulate Matter Studies in West Chester” (Dr. Melanie Ville: West Chester University)

Poor air quality associated with high levels of particulate matter (PMx) is one of the five greatest health risks worldwide. The overall goal of this research aimed to investigate the spatial and temporal variation of PMx and noise pollution in West Chester Area neighborhoods that vary in their demographic and socioeconomic status. 

Melanie Vile received her B.S. degree in Comprehensive Science with a minor in both Biological Sciences and Mathematics from Villanova University in 1992; a M.S. degree in Biological Sciences from Villanova University in 1995; a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame in 2001; and served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University from 2001-2003 in the Department of Ecology and Evolution.