CLEANING
HOW CLEAN IS THE AIR YOU BREATHE?
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) air pollution - both indoor and outdoor – is the leading cause of death worldwide. We spend more than 90% of our time indoors (in homes offices and schools) and indoor air can be up to 50 times more polluted than outdoor air. Peter Dyment, Buildings IAQ and Energy Consultant at Camfil looks at what we can do to clean up the air in our workplaces.
In the UK public awareness of the health effects of poor air quality both indoors and outdoors is increasing. It’s a challenging issue and many employers are unaware of the implications on employee health and productivity. We all breathe 25kg of air per day, if that air is polluted or unclean, there can be serious and costly implications.
Air pollution is thought to contribute to 29,000 deaths per year in the UK. Recently, the Environmental Audit Committee launched the ‘Action on Air Quality’ report which states that new schools and hospitals must not be built next to major roads to reduce the tens of thousands of deaths currently being caused by nitrogen dioxide and particulate pollution every year in cities.
The report also states over 1,000 existing schools could be fitted with air filtration systems, if they are sited in pollution hotspots. Labour MP Joan Walley said: “There is a public health crisis in terms of poor air quality. There are nearly as many deaths now caused by air pollution as there are from smoking.”
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH
IMPLICATIONS? Air pollution can have extremely negative impacts on personal wellbeing, leading to serious health problems. People living
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and working in areas near major roads in the UK are exposed to particularly high levels of pollution. It causes eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, respiratory diseases or asthma, impairs lung function and children’s lung development. Recent research confirmed particulate matter (PM) and O3
into the building, as well as improve energy efficiency.
Mikael
Forslund, PhD, Tech Expert in Molecular
Filtration at Camfil, said: “Highly efficient air filtration systems stop these can cause cardiovascular diseases.
In 2013 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – part of WHO announced there is convincing evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer. IARC also classified a major component of outdoor air pollution – particulate matter – as carcinogenic.
HOW DO WE CLEAN UP THE AIR IN OUR
One effective measure to reduce city workers exposure to this air pollution is to improve the clean Indoor Air Quality inside the workplace. This means ensuring effective air filtration is fitted in offices and public buildings. A class F7 low energy air filter will remove a large part of PM2.5 from supply air as it is drawn
BUILDINGS? City centre air quality in the UK is typically above the WHO annual warning levels for PM2.5 and NO2
.
pollutants ‘at the door’. People in city centres cannot limit their exposure to outdoor air pollution, but they should be able to choose to work and live in buildings with recognised high indoor air quality (IAQ). …employers should understand that high IAQ helps reduce sick rates and also boosts productivity, as shown by a number of studies.”
The CamCleaner™ range of air cleaners are effective, plug-in, standalone air cleaners that combine this filter technology for offices where large HVAC systems are not in use. They can also work as a supplement to existing ventilation systems and deliver a healthier indoor environment by removing dust, contaminants and harmful particles in shops, industry, offices and homes. Tests have shown that the CamCleaner 300 standalone air cleaner, designed for small offices and home offices, can remove over 90% of harmful air particles.
www.air-cleaner.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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