Indoor Air Quality Safe?
Air pollution has always been a concern for us. For decades now, we have been worrying and focusing on ways to keep our environment free of pollutants. So, we plant trees, build parks, carpool, and do our bit to ensure the air we breathe is safe and healthy. However, air pollution isn’t only about the air outdoors, there are many pollutants indoors that can pollute the air we breathe.
What is Indoor Air Quality?
Indoor air is the air within and around buildings, homes, offices, and other indoor spaces. The term ‘Indoor Air Quality’ indicates how our health, ability to work, and even comfort is affected by the air inside a room. This measure considers various factors like the humidity, temperature, ventilation, presence of mould or other chemicals in the air.
What pollutes Indoor Air?
Indoor air can be polluted through many things. Some of the most common things include:
- Smoke from cooking, cigarettes
- Mildew, Mould, fungi, dust mites from badly maintained ducts
- Chemical fumes from cleaning solvents, personal care products
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are released by consumer products like furniture, carpets, etc.
- Building materials and even radon (from earth decay)
Health risks due to polluted indoor air
Research shows that on average, the UK population spends around 80-90% of their time indoors. Poor quality of Indoor air has adverse effect on our health, performance, productivity, comfort, and the over-all well-being of the occupants.
Apart from the fact that most of the air in your workspace is recycled stale air, there are other contaminants that cause the following in short term:
- Allergic reactions like skin irritation, itchiness, rashes
- Shortness of breath and respiratory infections
- Headaches, dizziness, lethargy, trouble concentrating
- Cold, persistent cough, flu like symptoms
Additionally, research has proven that exposure to air pollution for a long time can have much severe effect on our health which include heart diseases and even cancer.
Safe Indoor Air Quality
While there are no formal guidelines for Indoor Air Quality in the UK, the recently revised Department for Education Guidance BB101: Ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality (DfE,2018) seeks guidance from the WHO (2010) Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) guidelines. Also, the Building Regulations Part F (2010) indicates the permissible amount of certain pollutants within the building envelope for ventilation purposes.
The Air quality inside rooms is considered to be good only when it ensures a comfortable temperature and humidity along with a good supply of fresh air from the outdoors and control over pollutants.
Ecoshield Tech Air Purifiers
It is essential that businesses protect their employees who spend a majority of their time indoors, in office spaces. Advances in technology today help us to achieve this easily. Every business should invest in a real-time air monitoring system that can track and report the presence of a wide range of pollutants inside.
Ecoshield Tech aims at making air purification and surface sanitization of homes and offices a high-tech and eco-friendly affair. If you are looking for a product that combines multiple air filtrations along with sterilization technologies, please get in touch with us.
