AIR CONDITIONING
Indoor air quality: science and technology hold the key
Tony Nielsen, marketing manager at Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions UK, explains the need for raising awareness around indoor air quality (IAQ) and why science and technology must collaborate to deliver healthier air in the future.
A
s individuals we want to make healthy lifestyle choices, for our own quality of life and that of our dependents. Whether this is eating our ‘fi ve a day’, getting regular exercise to keep our bodies in shape or wearing sunscreen to protect our skin, we make choices about how we guard our wellbeing. But, how often do we think about the quality of the indoor air we are breathing and can we choose a healthier option?
To keep our minds sharp and our bodies healthy we need to breathe in approximately 18kg of air a day. This is a lot of air, especially when you consider that we eat just 1.3kg of food and drink 1.4kg of water per day. A large proportion of this air is consumed within buildings. In fact, a report from the European Commission indicates that Europeans now spend up to 90% of their time inside.
While this number may seem high, for those of us who work in offi ces for eight hours a day
N
anoe X is a cost-eff ective way to improve air hygiene by preventing transmission of airborne pathogens. It works by generating up to 4,800 billion hydroxyl radicals (OH) per second to oxidise chemicals and bacteria in the atmosphere, eff ectively removing them from the air and making it safer to breathe. A higher concentration of OH radicals means that there is an even greater reduction in pollutants, for a healthier environment.
before heading home (often inside a car, bus, train) to eat ahead of an eight-hour sleep, it is not unrealistic.
A growing body of scientifi c research suggests that indoor air can be signifi cantly more polluted than outdoor air, with a higher concentration of potentially harmful chemicals and particles. As we strive to make buildings more air tight to keep in cool or warm air, there is a greater chance that pollutants will accumulate, which can have a negative impact on our overall wellbeing. There are lots of airborne factors that can diminish the quality of the air we breathe – mould, pollen, viruses and smells, for example, can all contribute to an unpleasant environment. More importantly these factors can trigger health issues such as asthma, allergies and can make us feel unwell or uncomfortable. If left unaddressed, pollutants become more concentrated and bacteria can grow, creating a potentially harmful atmosphere.
Indoor air pollution can be particularly diffi cult to protect ourselves against as it comes from many sources and is often hard to see. The World Health Organisation categorises the most relevant IAQ issues for public health as biological air pollutants (dampness and mould), chemical pollution (which can include everyday cleaning products and Volatile Organic Compounds in building products) and pollutants from indoor combustion of fuels.
Children, patients, pregnant women, elderly people may be more sensitive to indoor air pollution. Therefore, schools, nursing homes and hospitals, for example, may have specifi c requirements and a greater need for better indoor air quality.
30 September 2018
So, how do we negate the situation and move towards healthier air? There are several everyday changes that we can all make immediately, such as using eco-friendly cleaning products and moving towards hard or wooden fl ooring that won’t trap dirt and dust mites. Another approach to lowering the concentrations of air pollutants in your home or business premises is to increase the amount of outdoor air coming indoors through mechanical means, such as ventilation and air conditioning systems. While this can increase comfort and disperse the concentration of pollutants, it is not enough to remove harmful bacteria. The European Commission is progressively building a holistic approach for the built environment which includes science-based policies, technological solutions and appropriate interventions. While the preferred solution is to target pollutant sources to reduce exposure, this is a very enduring strategy that will only stand to dilute rather than eradicate, and cannot challenge every pollutant category simultaneously. The only way to do that is by investing in science and technology.
By bringing physical science and technologies together we can fi ght indoor pollutants at source, paving the way for a cost-eff ective solution that could bring healthier air to people worldwide. This collaboration of chemistry and technology changes the properties of indoor air, making it safer and healthier to breathe – and more importantly, it provides a lifestyle choice. To protect our collective health, science-led ventilation needs to become an integral feature in every home, business and public building – as fundamental as hot water and internet access.
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