Do you know what kind of air you are breathing?
A lot of companies actively seek to do their bit for their workers’ health, such as encouraging staff to come into work by bike, offering healthy food at the company restaurant, etc.
Sadly, in a lot of cases, good indoor air quality remains to be added to the list of priorities. As much as people eat healthily and get plenty of exercise, the air we breathe is every bit as important for our health. Research shows that our indoor air is three times more polluted than our outdoor air.
Why is good air quality so important?
You cannot see poor air quality
As bad air is invisible, we are breathing in this bad air without even knowing it. This bad air is the cause of a lot of complaints: in fact, bad air is responsible for no less than 3% of the total number of absences from work. In addition to causing people to get sick, poor air quality can also result in loss of concentration and other health complaints.
The whole Covid-19 crisis is something we all want to relegate to oblivion as soon as possible, but it is something we would like to bring to mind just to hit home the effects of air quality. Most infections had nothing to do with touching surfaces that had not been disinfected, but were everything to do with the virus that spread through the air as a result of insufficient air purification.
What is in the air?
Our air quality depends on the amount of PM10s, PM2.5s, PM1s or VOS (volatile organic compounds) in the air. These are particles which may be harmful to the human body. They act as an ideal seedbed for the transmissibility of viruses.
The tinier the particles, the less visible they are. PM10s are particles you can see suspended in the air, such as pollen for instance. In most cases, these are prevented from entering the body by the hairs in our nose and throat. PM1s on the other hand directly penetrate the body and are absorbed into the blood, which affects our organs.
VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are emitted as gases by specific solids and liquids. They contain substances/chemicals which may, in due course, go on to have a negative impact on our health. Indoors, the concentration of a lot of VOS is up to ten times higher than it is out of doors. A hairdresser’s salon for instance has a extremely high VOS count because of all the products being used: hair dyeing products, hair sprays, etc.
Interesting fact: on average, we spend 80% of our time indoors.
New rules and regulations on indoor air quality in Belgium
New rules and regulations were recently introduced to improve indoor air quality in Belgium.
The purpose of the new act is to limit the presence of pollutant substances in the indoor air, reduce the transmission of viruses through aerosols and minimise the effects of potential future respiratory epidemics. The logical consequence of these efforts is that they will step up the protection of public health in general.
The new Act took effect on 10 December 2022 and is set to be worked up in greater detail through royal decrees. For now, there are no immediate obligations for the sectors and industries concerned, which include the hospitality industry, the world of sports, the events industry, nightlife, cultural venues and cinemas. The new Act currently only applies to places that are open to the public, although this is expected to be extended to apply across the private sector in due course.
Air purification never hurts and only comes with benefits. After all, this is about the health of your employees, your customers and yourself.
Aeration, ventilation, air purification: what is the difference?
There are three different ways to improve air quality.
Aeration
The easiest option is aeration, which simply sees you open a few doors or windows which will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in any given space. In the process, this simple act also evacuates the contaminated air. Some drawbacks include:
- Temperature fluctuations: during winter, it is often too cold to open a window, plus it also drives up the energy cost.
- Poor outdoor air is also able to get in: in a green setting, this is not a problem, but for companies located inside urban environments or that are based in industrial estates, this is not ideal.
- Noise nuisance: when opening doors or windows.
Ventilation
Ventilation is a continuous process. The contaminated indoor air is evacuated and replaced by fresh outdoor air. This sees you drive down the amount of carbon dioxide and filters out coarse particles from the incoming air. However, it does mean that unpleasant substances that are tinier in particle size can still enter the spaces. In addition, maintenance is quite expensive, ventilation is not easy to fit and comes with a higher energy cost.
Air purification
The best solution is air purification. This gives you the best air quality, means you do not lose any heat plus these systems are easy to fit. An air purifier is an electrically powered device that removes pollutants and other harmful substances from the room. In other words, the device removes VOS and particles from the air.
When it comes to air purification, there are three methods (validated by HGR):
- UVC: neutralises harmful particles but does not trap them
- HEPA: traps harmful particles but does not neutralise them
- ESPF: does both, traps the harmful particles and then neutralises them
ESPF, or electrostatic precipitation filtering, is what Vandeputte offers with the air purifiers of the Genano brand
The electrostatic air purification units trap and reduce pollutants and other tiny particles such as viruses, bacteria, fungal spores and harmful gases. This makes it the best way to counteract disease and to protect employees from harmful substances.
Do be aware: air purification is not a replacement for ventilation. Air purification gives you the purest air but it does not refresh the air, which means you end up with a high level of carbon dioxide. If you are only ventilating the rooms, you will get a good carbon dioxide content but you are also allowing in the hazardous substance from the outside.
Discover the Genano air purifiers
Integrated approach
Using air cleaning technology, no less than 99.99% of all harmful substances are removed from the air. The Genano air purifiers bring an integrated approach to ensuring air quality, which sees you as an employer doing the utmost to ensure good air quality for your staff. This means that, in addition to fitting air purification systems, you also get the most out of the extra services on offer. These services range from forecasting the air quality to monitoring once the systems have been fitted.
1. Simulation and forecasting
The first step is to determine the air quality in the vicinity of your company, which is used as one of the bases to obtain a forecast of the air quality inside your buildings.
2. Measuring
Before the indoor air can be cleaned, the amount of PM10s, PM2.5s, PM1s and VOCs in the air is measured. These data are then used as the basis to put together an air purification plan. This also tells Genano how many devices you need and where they should be ideally set up.
3. Air purification plan
Where unduly high PM10, 2.5 or 1 values are found, an air purification plan is compiled to improve the air quality. The purification systems are fitted as standalone devices or are incorporated into the (existing) ventilation systems.
4. Monitoring and assessment
Air quality is monitored 24/7 to ensure the air you breathe is of appropriate quality.
If this is the case, you will be sent a safe zone label issued by a licensed inspection body (such as Vinçotte for instance) which certifies that the indoor air quality complies with the applicable rules and standards.
5. Communication
By way of a QR code, a mobile app and/or information screens, customers and employees have the possibility of checking the air quality any time of day.
Test results
The test results are generated by an independent party, which means they are not manipulated.
The table below shows the test result of a Genano 350 on a Corona surrogate. The study was conducted by VTT, one of the biggest and most authoritative labs in Finland. The figures show that, without air purification, the virus is left suspended in the air for up to three hours. Using (Genano 350) air purification, the virus is as good as completely gone after half an hour. After one hour, it is no longer detectable in the air.
The next image shows the test results of OLFA primary school in Edegem, with the test performed by Antwerp University. Here too, you can see on the display that the PM2.5 count is much lower when the device is on, especially when the windows are kept shut. This is because, when the windows are not opened, there is less risk that fine particles come in from the outside. The table also shows higher peaks which are due to the cleaning products and alcohol gel that were used.
Want to find out more about our air purification solutions? Make an appointment. We will be happy to call round to show you how things work.