The dangers of poor air quality, especially indoor, is now a major issue for all actors in society! However, to remedy it does not seem so easy for most of the professionals… Indeed, even if we spend 90% of our time in indoor spaces, the danger that represents a bad indoor air quality remains invisible and vague. Open spaces, schools, territorial actors, shopping malls, and many professionals are concerned by the implementation of measures to control indoor air quality. But why implement such measures?
Ellona, with its expertise in the identification and remediation of environmental nuisances, gives you all its advice on why you should care about indoor air quality in your companies and how Ellona can help you remedy it!
The consequences of poor air quality in public spaces
The consequences of poor air quality in public spaces can be manifold depending on the indoor space and its context. Headaches, fatigue, eye or respiratory tract irritation, increased risk of contamination, or even cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be the result of exposure to poor indoor air quality. In addition, the physical consequences of poor air quality can also manifest themselves in the form of discomfort during work and difficulty focusing.
Air quality and its impact on health can have global repercussions on your business objectives. Business objectives, customer satisfaction, costs optimization or the implementation of a CSR strategy will be at the heart of the implementation of solutions for a better quality of indoor environments and avoid:
- Employee dissatisfaction and lack of productivity
- A negative customer experience
- Additional fees
- Health risks for your employees and customers
Allergens, particles and Co2 are to be banned from your indoor spaces! What remains is to identify their sources of emission! At Ellona, our teams of experts have developed solutions to identify the sources of these nuisances, but how can you do this when you do not have experts at your side to understand your environment and improve its quality?
How to improve indoor air quality?
Before you can ask yourself how to improve your indoor air quality, it is important to have some basics about the different sources of emissions in indoor spaces.
Air pollution in buildings is the result of different components. However, we can identify 3 types of pollutants:
- Chemical pollutants such as: ozone, metals (arsenic, lead, etc.), volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as butane or ethanol, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons (e.g. petroleum), etc.
- Bio-contaminants such as: CO2, allergens, pollens, molds, and other micro-organisms.
- Physical pollutants such as: fine particles, and dust.
These different pollutants are emitted from a wide variety of sources within your indoor spaces. From paint to carpeting, furniture to household products, the sources of indoor air pollution emissions may surprise you! As environmental experts, we’ve put together a chart to help you see more clearly:
|
Emission sources |
Main pollutants | Impacts on health |
| Building materials, decorative materials, floor coverings | Formaldehyde, flame retardants, allergens | Carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and allergens |
| Location of the building (near construction sites, emissive industries, roads) | Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) | Carcinogenic |
| Computer equipment (computers, printers, etc.) | Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone (O3) and fine and ultrafine particles | Carcinogens |
| Cleaning products, paint | Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), alcohols, terpenes, glycol ethers, ketones | Reprotoxic and carcinogenic |
| Ventilation, insulation and heating | Co2, carbon monoxide, mold |
Fatigue and discomfort factor, irritants, asphyxiants and allergens |
Now that you have all the knowledge about the sources of poor indoor air quality emissions, what can you do about it? What are the solutions to make your spaces healthier in the long run?
Indoor air quality measuring devices for professionals: a solution?
Implementing indoor air quality measurement devices for professionals is a solution to truly control your spaces and make them better.
However, there are small things to consider:
- It has become a real reflex since the COVID-19 crisis: the regular ventilation of your spaces is essential to renew the ambient air.
- Opt for cleaning products that are free of perfumes and volatile organic compounds.
- Regularly check your heating and air conditioning systems, which can carry pathogens and pollutants.
However, as we have stated, indoor pollution emissions are mainly invisible and plural. It is difficult to make a global assessment without an intelligent solution.
Setting up a device that measures indoor air quality, particles, CO2 and all other nuisances gives you an all-in-one tool to identify, but above all, to improve your spaces.
Because monitoring your air quality is not just about measuring it, we have created a connected technology for monitoring environmental nuisances linked to a digital platform. Our scientific expertise in chemical sensors and IoT allows us to adapt our solutions to different environments and needs.
Indeed, although some nuisances are inerrant to indoor environments, some are more specific to some spaces. It is to respond to this that, beyond measuring air quality, our products identify gases, particles, odors, vibrations, noise and all the components which characterize a lack of well-being and safety in a space. The objective? To have a 360° vision of your environments in order to estimate the nuisances’ sources and to set up the adequate remedial actions.
Favoring solutions accompanied by a digital platform will allow you to set up alarms, monitor nuisances and engage the necessary solutions. Air purification, heating and ventilation system troubleshooting, more frequent cleaning; all these remediation actions will be implemented thanks to the data acquired on your spaces. On the other hand, these actions will also be analyzed in real time to estimate their long-term effectiveness in your environments.
Data-driven technologies allow you to implement continuous air quality improvement that is comprehensive, simple and effective.
Thus, using an expert company against the dangers of poor indoor quality such as Ellona will allow you to acquire :
- Compliance with government indoor air standards
- Employees satisfaction
- An increase in productivity
- An increase in well-being in your company
- An internal CSR policy
More than a CO2 sensor, these types of solutions are essential to initiate a global change in your company towards the well-being and health of your employees and customers in the long term.
For more information on how to implement a better air quality in your buildings, discover our POD2 products and contact our experts for an offer adapted to your needs!