The Right Way to Increase Indoor Air Quality
June 09, 2021
A new article by World Design Magazine titled, "Gain Employees Trust through Improved Indoor Air Quality,
" highlights the importance of introducing new practices in regards to indoor ventilation, particularly within working areas meant for employees. While the impact of improved indoor air quality has been addressed in the past, the long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought this discussion to the forefront, with business owners and building operators working through several methods to improve indoor heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units.
A recent survey showed that 60% out of 3,000 employees
in Canada and the U.S. prioritize indoor air quality over salaries. It's safe to say that employers have their work cut out for them as businesses and public establishments start reopening their doors. With that said, ventilation methods shift from one building to the next. The air quality of a building can be greatly affected by environmental factors like occupancy and seasonal changes, but there are four major steps that cannot be absent if one's ultimate goal is to promote cleaner air indoors:
- Make Way for Natural Air: When a building's layout and the surrounding environment allow it, fresh air from outdoors goes a long way in tempering product-generated air pollutants. The current biophilia trend also serves as an alternative to maintaining a nature-oriented approach within modern constructions. However, if the building has no openings for natural air to get in and you lack the means to implement sustainable design practices, indoor plants are a relatively simple alternative to help remove pollutants and reduce carbon dioxide in the air.
- Combine HVAC Systems and Air Purifiers: High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration units reduce sickness rates by eliminating 99.97 percent of airborne contaminants and allergens, along with dust, vapors, bacteria, viruses, mold, and fungi. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends implementing these units to enhance the air-purifying power given by HVAC systems and minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) filters.
- Consult Air Hygiene Experts: If a building owner has the resources to implement the practices described above, a third-party assessment team will help them evaluate the risks posed by the structure and customize the best approach to increase the indoor air quality. This assessment is important because poor air circulation can happen even when a room is equipped with a high-functioning HVAC system. A building's HVAC, for instance, might not be equipped to support higher MERV-rated filters, and a replacement would reduce the volume of air passing through the system. Another issue is the placement of air purifying units. To properly clean the air that circulates indoors, the units' location should HVAC flow and natural flowing air.
- Purify Your Spaces with Electrolyzed Water: Enclosed spaces are all the more vulnerable to the chemicals and fumes that regular cleaning products release into the air. The repeated use of chemical cleaners will make it harder to dispel these contaminants after they've settled on surfaces and in the air. Sustained by the basic principle in which an electric current is passed through a substance to cause a chemical change, electrolyzed water serves as a safe alternative that rules out the use of chemicals to eradicate germs and bacteria from indoor spaces. GenEon's electrolized water products have no fragrance and emit no fumes or VOCs, so they preserve the air's purity while promoting the circulation of unpolluted air. This, in turn, creates a more effective feedback between a building's indoor ventilation practices and the outdoors' natural resources.
Indoor spaces are an inescapable reality for a major portion of the American workforce, and studies on the COVID-19 virus have shown how the risks are enhanced when virus particles are allowed to dwell within close quarters. Investing in better indoor ventilation practices will improve a building's potential in terms of public health, safety, and comfort.
You can read the complete article here: Gain Employees Trust through Improved Indoor Air Quality