BESA new guide advises on Clean Healthy Indoor Air Quality

The Building Engineering Services Association have published their new guide that is aimed to inform and advise practitioners and those with an interest in Clean healthy indoor air.

Lets face it, these days that should be just about everybody.

The BESA guide is written to draw together sources of guidance from a number of areas. For the health effects of exposure to air pollution the World Health Organization (WHO) are the primary reference. The WHO?are due to update their exposure limit guidelines this coming September.

The BESA will update their guidance in line with any new recommendations from the WHO. One important point is that annual mean limits for exposure are retained for assessment of long term health effects. This is especially important for traffic air pollution PM1, PM2.5 fine airborne particles and nitrogen dioxide that is associated.

The new BESA guide refers to international technical standards such as the current international particle filter test standard BS EN ISO ISO16890:2016 which gives accurate testing of general HVAC ventilation particle filters.

These air filters when properly selected, designed and engineered into Air Handling Unit ventilation systems are quite capable of removing traffic air pollution but also airborne Covid19 droplet aerosol particles to a high level of efficiency.

The BESA also offer guidance datasheets SFG001, SFG003 and SFG004 which cover air filter selection, Life Cycle Costing to reduce energy use and Clean Air Benchmarking.

The new guide also references BS EN 16798-3:2017(under revision) and Eurovent 4-23 which cover the definitions of air in buildings and the method by which air filters can be selected for best filter efficiency with minimum energy use.

There is a big opportunity here to improve air filter performance in existing ventilation systems and where possible minimize operating costs.

A combination of improving existing mechanical ventilation systems, using an air monitor to check the levels of PM1 and PM2.5 particles in the air. (Compare with WHO guidance) will inform people in buildings.

Use for standalone air cleaners or air purifiers will also give good results in buildings where ventilation is insufficient.

This combined strategy offers a way to really improve building clean indoor air quality. Please feel free to contact me for any further assistance

Here is the link to the guide

#cleanairmatters #BESA #indoorairquality #peoplematterfirst