Who we serve
Built for professionals. Focused on the people inside the building.
HBIA serves environmental professionals through standards, training, and certification — and it exists for the families and occupants whose health those professionals are working to protect. We don't serve everyone, and that's the point. The standards are specific, and the people we focus on are the ones ordinary building practice tends to overlook.
01 · The professionals
The people who do the work
HBIA's professional audience is the trained practitioners whose work directly affects the buildings people live, work and recover in. We give them standards, training, certification and a way to verify their work — not leads or referrals.
Environmental side
Environmental assessors
Professionals who investigate indoor environments — the people who find out what is actually happening in a building.
- Whole-building evaluations, not surface mold checks
- Exposure pathway and building science analysis
- Sampling beyond visible mold: mycotoxins, endotoxins, actinobacteria, VOCs
- Post-remediation verification, independent of the remediator
- Reports written so the occupant's own provider can work from them
Environmental side
Remediation contractors
The professionals who do the physical work — containment and source removal that actually changes a building's condition.
- Level 4 requirements where the occupant is sensitized
- Source removal rather than biocide in its place
- Containment, negative pressure and HEPA-controlled workflows
- Documentation built to be reviewed by someone independent
- Claims language that never promises a health result
Healthcare side
Healthcare providers
Licensed providers whose patients' illness may have an environmental component. HBIA does not provide care; it gives them building findings they can work from.
- Functional and integrative physicians (M.D.)
- Nurse practitioners (N.P.)
- Biological dentists
- Veterinarians (D.V.M.)
- Providers treating CIRS and related conditions
Community side
Community navigators and peer mentors
Trained volunteers who help families with the non-medical, non-technical side — housing, landlords, insurance, and the weight of it all.
- Landlord, insurance and housing questions
- Helping families understand what kind of professional they need
- Support through a hard and often isolating experience
- Educational guidance for the non-medical side
- Free and non-commercial; nothing is sold
Facility side
Facility and operations leaders
Property managers and facility directors whose day-to-day decisions about ventilation, cleaning and air quality affect everyone inside.
- Indoor air quality program development
- HVAC and ventilation performance
- Cleaning practices for occupied buildings
- Planning for occupants who are already sensitized
- Documentation after a water or smoke event
Research side
University investigators
Studies led by university investigators, to which HBIA contributes field data. Design, analysis and publication remain with the sponsoring institutions.
- Consented, anonymized environmental field data
- Indoor conditions in buildings with sensitized occupants
- CIRS and biotoxin-related research questions
02 · The buildings
Different buildings. Same human stakes.
The standard applies wherever people spend time indoors. It adjusts for who is inside and how the building is used, but the question stays the same: what is in this building, and what does the person inside it need?
Homes
Single-family homes, multi-family buildings and rentals — especially where someone in the household is already sensitized.
Offices and commercial
Office buildings, retail and mixed-use spaces — tenant concerns, return-to-office planning, lease-cycle reviews.
Schools and colleges
K–12 schools, colleges and universities — classrooms, dormitories, cafeterias, gyms and labs.
Healthcare facilities
Hospitals, clinics, dialysis centers, dental practices, and any facility serving immunocompromised people.
Senior and long-term care
Assisted living, nursing homes, adult day centers and hospice settings.
Industrial and warehouse
Manufacturing plants, warehouses and distribution centers.
Labs and life sciences
Research facilities and laboratories with specialized indoor air demands.
New construction and renovation
Checks before occupancy, oversight during the work, and verification after it.
Behind every building problem is a person. That is who this work is for.
03 · The people
The people ordinary building practice tends to overlook
Most indoor environmental work measures a building against building standards. HBIA's standards start from the people inside it — especially people who are already sensitized. These are the people on the other end of everything we publish.
CIRS and biotoxin illness
A priority focus for the institute. We work the environmental side of a condition that remains actively debated, and we do not overstate what the evidence supports.
Immunocompromised people
Transplant recipients, people in cancer treatment, and people with autoimmune conditions, whose providers may want the indoor environment looked at closely.
MCAS and chemical sensitivities
Mast cell activation syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity and related conditions, where people often report reacting to indoor conditions.
Long COVID
People living with post-acute effects of COVID-19 who, with their providers, want to understand the buildings they spend their days in.
Families dealing with mold and water damage
Households working through a leak, a flood or long-term moisture, and trying to understand what is in the building now.
Children with asthma and allergies
Children spend most of their time indoors, and their families often want to know what is in the air at home and at school.
Older adults in care settings
Residents of assisted living and nursing homes, where the occupants and the decision-makers are different people.
Companion animals
Pets share the same indoor air. Veterinarians are part of the provider audience HBIA serves for exactly this reason.
Naming a condition here describes who HBIA's standards are written for. It is not a medical claim, and HBIA does not diagnose or treat any condition.
An important distinction
What HBIA serves these audiences with, and what it does not
What every audience receives
- Published standards that hold everyone to the same bar
- Training for the professionals who do the work
- Certification against HBIA's own published standards
- Verification that finished work met its documented objectives
- Free guidance for the public, in English and Spanish
What HBIA does not do
- Perform remediation or construction
- Sell products, sell leads, or take referral fees
- Diagnose, treat or interpret anyone's health
- Promise any health outcome
- Require the use of any affiliated company, product or brand
The full rules every credential holder signs are published at Standards & Governance.
Wherever you fall on this page, the door is open
Whether you are a professional, a healthcare provider with a patient whose building is part of the picture, a facility leader, or a family — ask us directly. We will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Prefer to talk to someone? 1-800-781-7986
About the audiences on this page. Listing a profession, building type or group of people describes who HBIA serves through its standards, training and certification work. It is not a commercial relationship or a referral arrangement.
Training and certification. HBIA has certified indoor environmental professionals under its earlier program since 2005, and certifications issued under that program remain valid. The current HBIA certification program — a revised standard with an expanded review process — is in development. Until it launches, completing an HBIA training course results in a Letter of Course Completion, which confirms training only and is not a certification under the new program. Under that program as designed, a review board will evaluate the letter alongside verified credentials; completing a course will not guarantee certification.
What HBIA certification is and is not. HBIA certifies individuals and firms against its own published standards. HBIA is not a licensing authority and does not issue or replace any state license. Where a credential requires a professional license, HBIA verifies a license issued by someone else — it does not grant one. HBIA is not a 501(c)(3), and is not accredited by ANSI, ANAB, or NCCA.
Ownership disclosure. The Healthy Building Institute of America was incorporated in Ohio in 2005 and is currently a division of WeSpiritus, LLC. HBIA shares common ownership with AMOLDBUSTER and Apollo Environmental Solutions, which provide independent indoor environmental assessment and consultation services and perform no remediation. HBIA does not receive referral fees, and HBIA training and certification do not require the use of any affiliated company, product, or brand. HBIA is working toward establishing the institute as a separate legal entity.
Scope. HBIA characterizes indoor environments and sets standards for work performed by others. HBIA does not perform remediation or construction. HBIA is not a medical provider and does not diagnose, treat, or interpret health status. All health decisions remain with licensed healthcare professionals.
Educational content only. Information provided by HBIA is educational and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.
Page reviewed and updated October 9, 2026.