Indoor air quality, a major concern for office workers

IAQ in Office Buildings - A Major Health Concern

As more and more organizations became aware of the importance of healthy and productive indoor environments, the demand for good indoor air quality (IAQ) for office buildings increased exponentially in the last decade.

Scientific evidence indicates that indoor environments sometimes can have concentrations of pollutants that are much higher than levels found outside. The air inside homes and office buildings can be two to five times more polluted than the outdoor air and in some extreme situations up to one hundred times. During the cold season when homes, schools and offices are sealed up to conserve energy, the health and comfort issues associated with poor indoor air quality multiply exponentially.

Today, people are spending nearly 90% of their time indoors, exposing themselves to higher concentrations of pollutants for extended periods of time. The pollutants in our indoor environment can increase the risk of illness and have significant economic consequences for companies due to high loss of work time and performance, linked to health issues.

Health effects often include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and allergy-type symptoms. While these symptoms are usually short-term, and disappear when the source of pollution is removed, more serious conditions such as asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonia, Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), Building-Related Illness (BRI) and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) can affect some individuals after exposure.

The quality of indoor air is affected both by the pollutants inside the workplace and outdoor sources. Some of the major indoor pollution sources include building materials, furnishings, biological contaminants, cleaning and personal care products, office equipment, HVAC systems and humidification devices. Outdoor pollutants are mainly generated by the exhaust fumes from vehicles, chemicals and odors from production facilities and industrial plants and dust and particles from nearby construction sites.

In general, Indoor air quality problems in office buildings can be resolved by providing sufficient clean air and by eliminating major sources of contamination within the building.

Quatro Air Technologies (1.877.978.2876) offers complete air purification solutions to help improve the air quality in office environments. Using a multi-stage filtration system, our versatile and cost-effective air purifiers offer enhanced protection against a wide range of airborne pollutants including chemical compounds, gases, odors and particles.

The AF Series Air Purifiers for Home an Office Environments [Download PDF brochure]