Where clean air is essential

At home

Despite the evolution from caveman to urban man, home is still our preferred retreat to close ourselves off from the outside world. It is the preferred place to make ourselves comfortable, relax and sleep. At the same time, we want our home to be inviting as possible when hosting family, friends and colleagues. Parents are increasingly recognizing the importance of clean air and are choosing to live in neighborhoods that have this. Since increasing numbers of people are now working – at least part of the time – from home, clean air within our four walls is gaining even more importance. Thanks to new smart solutions, indoor air quality can be optimized easily. Affordable consumer devices with multiple sensors enable air to be monitored, controlled as well as purified, making homes an even better place to spend time in.

In the UK, India, China, and South Korea, for example, many people already use air purifiers to ensure clean air in their homes. This occurs mostly at places where outdoor air pollution finds its way indoors through open windows or ventilation systems. In particular, people want to get rid of outdoor pollutants such as soot, car exhausts and pollen. However, often they do not realize that indoor air quality also can be worsened by existing chemicals from paint, textiles and cleaning products as well as cooking odors, or dust mites.

In brand-new facilities

The smart building is no longer a future scenario. In fact, smart homes and other smart buildings can contribute to?healthy living by managing indoor air quality. However, modern buildings are often too air-tight and lack sufficient?ventilation. Thus, it is important to leave behind architectural concepts that have neglected indoor air quality?because of the focus on energy efficiency.

But technological innovation demonstrates that one does not have to exclude the other. Demand-driven solutions?allow air to be ventilated or purified only when needed in order to meet energy requirements and keep operating?costs low. There is a large potential to be unleashed if the building-led approach of the last decades is replaced by?smart, user-centered solutions. Properties are becoming more appealing for tenants and forming the basis for a higher productivity, which is also increasing their return of investment.

Today, systems that monitor indoor air quality can be installed and put in operation rapidly. Offering wireless?communication and APIs, the reported information can be accessed remotely and be used in overall systems?addressing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC).

At the workplace

Since we are at work for around one-third of the day,?it makes sense to care about indoor air quality at the?workplace. This particularly applies to employers:?clean air in the office leads to clear thinking, better?decision-making and?less absences, resulting?in higher productivity. Besides humidity and?temperature, also air?pollutants like CO2,?VOCs and particles?can affect performance?and well-being in the?office. Moreover, as the?measures against the?COVID-19 pandemic?showed, bacterial and?viral infections can?easily be reduced by following simple safety instructions. In other words: sick?employees should stay away from healthy ones. A lot of?people worry about the air quality in the office, because?they do not have the possibilities to act against possibly?polluted air. Commonly known problems are poor ventilation, windows that cannot be opened or printers standing too close to employees. In point of fact, all over the?world there is a lack of regulations that forces companies to guarantee clean indoor air.?

A Harvard University study from 2017 found that people working in "green" buildings with better ventilation had higher cognitive function, fewer symptoms of sickness and better sleep quality.

On the road

Exhaust emissions like NOx as well as particulate matter from tire wear, dust swirl and brake pads can enter?the driver cabin. In addition to that, a wide variety of?other pollutants are already present inside cars: concentrations of chemicals emitted from components like the dashboard, interior panels, seat coverings, or flooring materials. Especially in new car cabins, VOCs are?emitted by a wide array of materials, including natural?or artificial leather, adhesives, paints, and plastics.

Concentrations of toxic pollutants are very high in urban areas, particularly near major roads and freeways.?In many countries, on-road vehicles are the primary?source of air pollution. Their emissions are transported?from areas with very high concentrations to surrounding local environments. They can infiltrate both personal and public-transport vehicles, thereby increasing?the exposure of passengers.

Subway systems can play a pivotal role in reducing outdoor air pollution in large cities by helping to reduce?motor-vehicle use. However, in response to increasing?scientific and public awareness regarding the importance?of clean air, several studies have revealed unacceptably?high levels of particulate matter in some subway?systems. These dominantly iron-containing particles?are sourced from rails, wheels, brake pads, as well as?dust swirl.

Whereas airplane pilots and locomotive drivers are provided with clean air in the cockpit, the situation of passengers looks quite different. Trains and airplanes are?affected from outdoor air pollution and their own engine emissions. Additionally, they represent a hotspot for all kinds of bacteria and viruses. Ventilation systems in planes can be particularly affected by them,?because the constant temperature changes provide the?perfect conditions for germs.

However, the use and thus the exposure to air pollution?in transport vehicles strongly depends on the level of?air monitoring and control. The impact of the pandemic?forced public transport operators to come up with new?solutions regarding interior air quality in order to make?traveling attractive for commuters once again.

In public buildings

Depending on their age and their job, human beings might spend a lot of time in public buildings. Clean air is important for them for different reasons: children in day-care centers, kindergartens and schools, as well as adolescents?in universities, develop, learn and study better. The elderly in retirement homes, who are more likely to be suffering from diseases and having a weakened immune system, are more protected against respiratory illnesses. And people?with responsibility such as doctors in hospitals need clean air to focus on their challenging tasks.

With COVID-19, feeling safe from infection in all public spaces has become a major issue. However, we also desire?clean air as a comfort factor, for example in shops, train stations and hotels. Restaurants, for example, represent a?special case because we want clean air to enjoy food. We choose restaurants with good air – at least with regard to?its scent – because eating tastes better with clean air.?Again, the situation is different for gyms, where people demand?clean air because they breathe intensively when exercising.

Learn more about indoor air quality in our brochure or visit our landing page.