Practical Strategies to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air quality is essential in places where many people come together, like schools, offices, factories, hospitals, etc. Poor air quality can harm the overall health of an individual. While the initial effect can be seen through constant headaches and nausea, it could lead to more severe health issues like asthma, respiratory diseases, and even death if the situation remains the same.??

Continued exposure to polluted air adds stress to the lungs to supply the body with the needed oxygen and is also detrimental to the vitality of the healthy cells in the body.?

Understanding Adverse Effects Of Indoor Air Pollution

Improving Indoor air quality has become more important than ever, as reports show that the fatality rates of coronavirus are more visible in areas with poor air quality inside offices and workspaces.

Although the lockdowns enforced worldwide due to the pandemic have positively improved air quality, the environment has not completely recovered.?

According to WHO, air pollution contributes to around 4.2 million death every year. There is no specific demographic that is exempt from the harmful effects of air pollution. Children, young adults, and the elderly – everyone is impacted by air quality.

However, children with developing immune systems, the elderly with weaker immune systems, pregnant women, and those who already have an underlying respiratory disease.?

Common Indoor Airborne Pollutants

There are many contributors to poor air quality. However, a few common airborne pollutants play a more significant role than others.

1. Carbon dioxide?– This gas is released through the respiratory processes of humans and animals. Burning fuels also release it.?
2. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)?are the gaseous substances released from paints, furniture polish, aerosol sprays, pesticides, disinfecting cleaners, printers, glues, etc.?
3. Carbon Monoxide (CO)?– this harmful gas is produced when fuel sources like coal, wood, gasoline, etc . are burned or ignited.?
4. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)?– Nitrogen dioxide is released into the atmosphere when fuel is burned.?
5. Particulate Matter (PM)?– Particulate matter comprises minuscule solid particles and liquid droplets floating in the air.??
6. Industrial Pollutants?– Any polluting smoke or airborne by-product originating from manufacturing units or other industries is classified as industrial pollutants.?

• Biological Pollutants?– Pollen from flowers, fungi, mold, dust mites, and other organic bacteria are considered biological pollutants that propagate inside AHU unit filters.

These are a few of the common air pollutants present in indoor air that compromise air quality. However, how harmful these can be to human health is also dependent on how concentrated the gases are, along with other factors that make humans susceptible to infection.?

Impact of Poor Indoor Air Quality

Poor indoor air quality as a result of various air pollutants leads to poor quality of life. For example, coronavirus is a disease that attacks the respiratory functions of humans. Coronavirus in a respiratory system weakened over time due to poor air quality could be fatal.?

Poor air quality also impacts the growth of grains like maize, wheat, soy, etc. Air pollution has also contributed to the increase in temperatures that the Earth sees every year. Air pollution is also assumed to impact the water levels on the planet due to the disturbance in monsoon patterns.?

Strategies To?Improve Air Quality

It can be quite challenging to tackle and reduce the number of pollutants released into the air during routine activities. However, it is possible to reduce the impact of poor air quality in the workplace or any other indoor space.?Your Office HVAC/AHU system could be contaminated with pathogens and viruses, that can pose a serious threat to the health of your employees.?It is the ideal way to maintain good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and promote productivity.

1. Block Air From Outside

One of the best ways to ensure that people in public spaces like offices and schools can breathe in good quality air is by controlling pollution levels inside the premises.?

2. Ventilation Directions

You can seal the building to reduce the inflow of polluted air from outside. For ventilation, shafts can be built at ceiling level rather than building windows at ground level facing the roads or highways. This can reduce the amount of dust and other gaseous particles that enter the premises.?

3. Filtration

Public spaces can be fitted with filtration devices that clean indoor polluted air and provide breathing air. Almost every modern office space, the corporate, and commercial establishment has centralized HVAC installations with a huge network of Air ducts. These ducts become an ideal place for breeding bacteria, mold, and viruses that get transported to every part of the offices/premises.

A high-efficiency air filtration solution can prevent infections in the air because it can trap and remove flu viruses from the air. The effectiveness depends on the efficiency of the air filter. But as infectious droplets generally are larger than 1 micrometer, the reduction of virus is significantly greater. The virus captured in the air filter is strongly bound to the fibers in the filter media.

Once the virus is captured it will stay in the air filter and eventually dry out and die (refers to as inactive). Another step is upgrading the air filters to a higher filter class that would increase the virus reduction over the filter step for increased added protection. These products deliver clean air for high indoor air quality (IAQ). At the same time, they help building owners reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint.

4. Reducing Pollutants Indoors

Most of the substances used inside schools and offices, like disinfectants, cleaners, chalks, etc., reduce air quality. This can be reduced by replacing the existing products with organic substances that use natural ingredients.?

Conclusion

Globally, the world is slowly entering the post-covid era, where vaccinations have made it safer for adults and children to venture into physical offices and schools.?

To safeguard human life against respiratory and related health issues, corporate offices and schools need a step-by-step plan to improve air quality indoors.?

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