WHY SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT INDOOR AIR QUALITY?
(Image credit Haywire Media – Fotolia)
Why should I be worried about indoor air quality?
This is a question that people are asking. After all it doesn’t seem too bad, right? And you can’t see anything wrong?
It surprises a lot of people when we tell them that the air quality inside their building can be up to five times worse than the air outside. In the absence of good ventilation and filtration, airborne pollutants will continue to build up inside your building and there is no discrepancy when it comes down to who may inhale it.
Thankfully in the UK it’s rare to see smog blanketing cities like it did in the past, and still does in some developing countries today. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean the air we’re breathing is safe.
In fact, according to the WHO – Poor air quality kills more than 7 million people every year…
Ultrafine particles, invisible to the naked eye, are suspended in the air we breathe. Emissions from vehicle exhausts, power plants and industrial processes that are 2.5 micrometres in size or smaller (PM2.5) can get trapped in your lungs and cause asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Smaller particles less than 1 micrometre in size (PM1) are even more damaging and can penetrate directly through the lungs into the bloodstream, and then into your organs – and can lead to premature death.
Air Purifiers fitted with HEPA 13 or 14 filters are capable of removing more than 99.9% of all particles in the air measuring 0.2 microns or greater.
Another key concern for many is infection prevention. Where there is poor ventilation shown by high levels of carbon dioxide, viruses such as Covid-19 and Influenza can remain suspended in the air for up to three hours after an infected person has been present in the room, meaning others can be contaminated without any direct contact.
However, if that’s got you worried, there is good news! Studies by renowned scientists show that in room air purification has been proven to reduce the inhalation of respiratory pathogens by a factor of 6! And more recently in a trial in a COVID ICU ward at NHS Addenbrookes hospital – they found that when they used an air purifier with HEPA 14 filters – they were 100% successful at removing all Covid aerosols from the air, as well as many other harmful airborne bacteria that cause hospital infections.
Another key factor relating to indoor air quality that may seem minor to some, but is important to consider: Human Comfort. It’s estimated that over 10 million people in the UK alone suffer from hay fever and 5.4 million people in the UK suffer from asthma. These illnesses aren’t just inconveniences, they can have a serious impact on persons quality of life. The symptoms of both are significantly worsened by poor indoor air quality – dust/pollen and other fine particulate matter.
They have a cost to businesses as well, in sick leave and lost productivity. Sick staff costs the UK economy approaching £100 Billion a year – the impact of Covid and Flu transmission between teams dramatically effecting that number.
A 2014 study found that hay fever costs British businesses around £324 million annually. If you’re wondering what impact air purifiers would have in helping sufferers from hayfever, you only have to look at some of the reviews we get on our range of air purifiers
Sorted out my hay-fever within hours
“I purchased the Zona 250 for my office as I heard from colleagues that it’s a very effective unit. To my pleasant surprise, within hours of turning on the unit my hay-fever symptoms were dramatically reduced. Wow! Powerful little machine – will definitely recommend” (Keith P)
Very Happy!
“I get bad hay fever and since having this machine in my kitchen it’s made a noticeable improvement! Thanks Zonitise!”
Decided that you need an air purifier?
At Zonitise we distribute world class medical grade HEPA air purifiers for every type of space. From a large corporate office to your kitchen! You can check them out here!
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