Page 14 - Climate Control News September 2019

Air Movement, Fans & Ventilation
Call to limit PM concentration in
ventilation systems
HVAC INDUSTRY GROUP, EUROVENT, HAS CALLED ON
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO INTRODUCE LIMITS
ON THE PARTICULATE MATTER CONCENTRATION IN THE SUPPLY AIR OF VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO PM IN INDOOR AIR ITSELF.
matter, which affects more people than any other pollutant. Exposure to PM can cause de- creased lung function, skin and eye problems, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and dementia.
Andersson said the introduction of harmo- nised enforceable requirements across the EU would help protect building occupants from those risks and level the playing field for compa- nies providing IAQ solutions.
According to the Position Paper European reg- ulators have developed important EU legislation that limits the concentration of certain pollut- ants in the ambient air (i.e. Directive 2008/50/ EC), but there are no regulatory requirements for the quality of indoor air.
While Eurovent acknowledges that an approach similar to the one laid out in Directive 2008/50/EC might not be feasible for indoor air pollutants, the Position Paper states that the European Commis-
sion should formalise its in- tentions on indoor air quality with the primary focus on particulate matter (PM).
Chair of the Eurovent Product Group Air Filters, Jan Andersson.
TO REINFORCE THE need for more legislation and standards, Eurovent has developed a Posi- tion Paper to foster greater recognition of the im- portance of adequate ventilation for the health and well-being of building occupants.
Although air quality considerations were incor- porated in the recast Energy Performance in Build- ings Directive, there are still no concrete enforcea- ble IAQ requirements in the European Union (EU).
Ventilation systems play a crucial role in the quality of indoor air, but in the absence of EU regulatory requirements, they are not always ad- equately serviced, or components replaced.
Jan Andersson of Camfil, and chair of the Eu- rovent Product Group Air Filters, said developing a regulatory regime for IAQ is complex and there is no silver bullet.
“However, without any concrete legislation, the clean air needs of building occupants and the IAQ solutions that can meet them will remain undervalued,” Andersson said.
“With this Position Paper, we hope to make clear that a first concrete step towards enforce- able limits on certain indoor pollutants – short of being a perfect solution – is better than the status quo. “Eurovent does, and will continue to, support initiatives to make the building en- gineering sector more energy efficient and sus- tainable, but we cannot lose sight of functional- ity, health and safety considerations as well.”
The Position Paper focusses on particulate
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