Page 18 - Climate Control News Magazine Feb 2021

Indoor Air Quality
An easy to retrofit
approach to fresh air
THE HEALTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES IS A HIGH PRIORITY FOR MOST COMPANIES. DR WALDEMAR WAGNER, PRODUCT MANAGER AT EBM-PAPST NEO, EXPLAINS HOW TO TAKE AN INTELLIGENT APPROACH TO INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ) WITH EASY-TO-RETROFIT COMPONENTS AND A CLOUD-BASED PLATFORM.
EMPLOYERS REGULARLY PUT nu- merous measures in place, ranging from ergonomic workstations to com- pany sports groups, to improve employ- ee health and productivity. While all of these steps can make a difference, one key compo- nent is often forgotten and that is air quality.
We can survive weeks without food and days without water, but only a few minutes without air. We breathe in and out up to 15,000 litres of air eve- ry day. That is why it is so important that the qual- ity of this air is as high as possible. It is crucial to health, important for our day-to-day productivity and essential for our wellbeing (Figure 1).
As most Australians spend more than 90 per cent of their time indoors (https://www.environ- ment.gov.au/), it quickly becomes clear that good air quality is a critical factor here. In indoor spaces, the surrounding climatic conditions and
environmental influences affect the air. But the number of people present, furnishings, technical equipment or building materials used can also directly influence air quality.
If temperatures increase outside due to cli- mate change, the inside can quickly become hot and humid, significantly restricting every- day life. A less obvious but perceptible indica- tor of poor air quality is the carbon dioxide content. A study by the Harvard School of Pub- lic Health shows that people's productivity de- creases by 19 per cent when the CO2 content in the air increases by 400 ppm. By comparison: The international standard ISO-13779 assess- es the quality of indoor air with a CO2 content of up to 1,000 ppm as medium, from 1,400 ppm as poor. Gases, spores, tiny particles, or haz- ardous germs or viruses are also invisible health hazards.
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