Why Buildings and Offices Need High Efficiency Air Filters

Learn about the importance of high efficiency air filters in buildings and offices and how air purification systems protect indoor air quality.

Camfil Commercial Air Filters News – With the increased awareness about the dangers of outdoor and indoor air pollution, many businesses, building managers, and tenants are turning to high efficiency air filters to protect the air inside their establishments.

Given how most Americans spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors and spend up to 60 hours a week inside office environments, it’s no surprise that indoor air quality is recognized as a pressing concern, having the potential of affecting the health, comfort, and productivity of building and office occupants.

What is Happening to Indoor Air Quality?

The problem is that indoor air quality can sometimes be worse than outdoor air quality, leading to health issues such as asthma and allergy attacks.

“Sick Building Syndrome is now a common label used for headaches, eye irritations, nasal irritations, fatigue and other symptoms that can be correlated to time spent inside a specific building or room,” said Camfil USA’s Charlie Seyffer, Manager of Marketing & Technical Materials for commercial air filters and 37-year ASHRAE member and active committee participant. “Building Related Illness refers to a specific diagnosable illness whose cause can be traced to a particular building or room. Legionnaire’s disease is an example of a Building Related Illness.”

The indoor air quality crisis can be traced back to the 1970s. It was during this time that energy usage became an important political and economic point of discussion due to widespread energy shortages, especially in developing countries. Naturally, the demand for energy, for electricity and heating led to an increase in the cost of heating, venting, and cooling of air in buildings.

Why Commercial Air Filtration Systems Are More Important Than Ever

The rise of commercial air filtration systems was also an effect of changes in construction techniques and choice of materials, with many buildings retrofitted with insulation, vapor barriers, and weather-sealed doors and windows. These construction techniques were vital in reducing the amount of heat transfer through walls, ceilings, floors, and windows, while also keeping outside air from entering the building through these areas.

Creating this sealed environment, however, also had the effect of encouraging the buildup of moisture and contaminants inside buildings, creating another air quality problem altogether.

Where Do Commercial High Efficiency Filters Come In?

Commercial high efficiency filters are designed to trap and remove the airborne pollutants that increase the risk of illness. For building owners and office managers, this means air filters reduce the likelihood of employees getting sick and using sick days, which in turn, protects their productivity numbers.

As early as 1989, the EPA has reported that improving indoor air quality can lead to better productivity and fewer employee absences. In fact, the agency estimates that indoor air quality issues cost the country tens of billions of dollars in productivity loss and medical care.

Multiple studies by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state governments, and independent university research teams have consistently ranked indoor air pollution as a serious environmental health problem. While modern cleaning and safety standards have reduced severe indoor air quality problems, even well-maintained buildings can still experience spikes in diminished indoor air quality.

This, in turn, highlights the importance of having a commercial air filter to treat air inside offices and buildings.

Workplace Pollutants that Can Be Removed by Commercial High Efficiency Air Filters

Workplace managers and building owners need to take it upon themselves to create an indoor air quality program which involves the installation of commercial high efficiency air filters and regulations for the handling of pollution-causing materials. These pollutants include:

• • Particulate matter – Particulate matter (PM) are particles of solid or liquid substances that are small and light enough to be carried by the airstream. The largest PM area visible under sun beams as dust-like particles. The human body does a fairly good job of protecting itself from these particles; it’s the smaller PM pollutants that are likely to be the cause of respiratory issues. These particles are not coming from just outside air; instead, they are also generated indoors by processes such as cooking, heating and lighting.
  • Chemical pollutants – Chemical pollutant sources include cigarette smoke and emissions from solvents, paints, finishes, and materials that are common in buildings such as office equipment, wall and floor coverings, furniture, and cleaning products. These pollutants are also common in workplaces that handle chemicals and fuel.
  • Biological contaminants – Biological contaminants are more common in hospitals and medical facilities, where bacteria, viruses, and fungi from sick patients put other recovering patients and healthcare workers at risk of becoming ill. These contaminants, however, will always be present in places where groups of people gather.

Things to Remember Before Installing an Air Purification System for Offices

When choosing an air purification system, it’s best to avoid cheap bargain filters. Before choosing an air filter system, be sure to consult a trusted provider of air filters.

To learn more about the importance of indoor air quality control in offices, talk to Camfil USA. You may also explore our catalog of air filtration systems to learn more about our products.

 

Media Contact:

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

T: 888.599.6620

E:Lynne.Laake@camfil.com

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What the EPA’s Relaxed Mileage Standards Mean for the Air Purifier Industry

The air purifier industry has an opportunity to increase profits, and it’s handed to them by no less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency is considering a rollback of vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards implemented under the Obama Administration, which placed the recommended fuel economy at 54.5 miles per gallon until 2025, thereby reducing carbon emissions that contribute to air pollution and climate change.

The move is reportedly part of a greater effort by the Trump administration to ease the regulatory burden on automakers, who have protested the strict regulation for years. It will also allow them to manufacture more affordable trucks, vans, and SUVs.

The planned rollback, however, could put the federal government on a collision course with states like California, which has a special waiver that allows the state government to impose stricter air pollution standards. According to California officials, the rollback could exacerbate the already severe air pollution in major metropolitan areas, increasing the risk of diseases like asthma, emphysema, and cancer.

Air Pollution and the Need for Air Purification Systems

Should the rollback push through, concerns over increased levels of air pollution are expected to boost demand for air purification systems.

“Long term exposure to ultrafine particles can induce respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. It increases the mortality rates for people living in highly polluted urban areas, points out Camfil USA’s Charlie Seyffer, Manager of Marketing & Technical Materials for commercial air filters and 37-year ASHRAE member and active committee participant. “Particles below PM2.5, are more harmful because they penetrate deeper into the lung’s alveoli. They can cross blood vessel walls, diffuse into the blood circulation, and affect the function of major organs such as the heart, liver, brain and endocrine system.”

These health issues are why some of the world’s most heavily polluted cities are turning to air purifiers to reduce pollution levels indoors and outdoors. Delhi, for example, is mulling the installation of large-scale purifiers to reduce air pollution levels in the city.

Can Using an Air Purifier Protect You Against Air Pollution?

The problem with outdoor air pollution, whether it’s from automobiles or industrial processes, is that once it makes its way inside a home or building, it can combine with dust, ultra-fine particles, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among others to create an environment with poor indoor air quality. To protect against these pollutants, it’s a good idea to install an air purifier for home or office use or an HVAC level  commercial air filter for offices, factories, and commercial facilities.

High efficiency air filters, for example, are a commonly used air quality solution used in residential and commercial buildings. For ultra-critical situations, a HEPA filter should be considered.

How Does an HEPA Air Purifier Work?

A true HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) purifier is specifically designed and certified to remove contaminants in the air down to 0.3 microns in size at an efficiency rate of at least 99.97 percent.

For high efficiency air filters, MERV, short for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, is a measure of an air filter’s ability to remove particulate matter.

• • For example, an air filter with a MERV of 1 to 4 rating will remove large particles, hence why they are often used to protect equipment and living spaces from dust. Filters with these values typically capture contaminants roughly 3 to 10 microns in size at an efficiency rate of 20 percent.
  • In contrast, an air filter with a MERV of 11 to 14 is designed to capture fumes and particulate matter in automotive paint shops, laboratories, large office spaces, hospitals and clinics, as well as pharmaceutical facilities at an efficiency rate of at least 99 percent.

In other words, the higher the MERV of an air purifier or filter, the more powerful and effective it will be at removing pollutants in the air. Tobacco smoke, for example, typically has particles averaging from 0.2 to 0.5 microns in size, which means they can only be removed by a true HEPA filter.

What Is the Best Air Purifier?

Ultimately, there is no such thing as the best air purifier. The choice of air filtration solution depends entirely on the building’s air pollution needs, its indoor quality problems, and the kind of contaminants its occupants are exposed to on a daily basis.

A Final Note on HEPA Air Filters

The best way for people to surround themselves with clean air is to spend as much time indoors as possible, in a sealed building with filtered air made possible by the installation of HEPA air filters. This only works, however, if people make the conscious effort to close their windows and use a filtered air-conditioner or purifier.

Ultimately, HEPA filters are merely a stopgap measure to treat the symptoms of a deeper problem. Unless automakers are compelled to make cleaner, more efficient vehicles, air pollution will only continue to be a fact of life. In the meantime, you can learn about air filtration systems by Camfil USA, please click here.

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

T: 888.599.6620

E:Lynne.Laake@camfil.com

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How to Defend Against Cancer-Causing Gas Found Under Your Home

Growing awareness of the health dangers of radon is one of the many factors driving demand for high-quality, high efficiency air filters. Although we’ve known for years that the air in our homes, offices, commercial spaces, and other high efficiency sites may contain allergens such as dust mites, pollen, mold spores, chemical fumes, and off-gassing from adhesives and machinery, radon has been more of a mystery.

Why High Efficiency Air Filters Are the Solution Against Radon Gas

“According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers,” said Camfil USA’s Charlie Seyffer, Manager of Marketing & Technical Materials for commercial air filters and 37-year ASHRAE member and active committee participant. “In buildings proven to have a source of radon gas, ventilation and high efficiency air filters are used to remediate radon contamination.”

Statistics from the EPA point to radon as the second leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Approximately 2,900 of those fatalities occur to people who have never smoked in their life. (1)

Protecting Against Radon Gas Using Commercial Air Filtration Systems

The good news is that excess radon gas is an issue addressed by commercial air filtration systems. But what exactly is radon?

Radon is an invisible, odorless, and tasteless gas that’s a byproduct of the breakdown of naturally-occurring uranium found in soil, rock, and water. Radon is everywhere—traces can be found outdoors and in all kinds of buildings. Since radon gas usually comes from pockets of soil underneath houses and buildings, there’s no way to predict whether it could be polluting your indoor air until you test for it.

The problem is that the EPA describes radon as a form of ionizing radiation—a known carcinogen.

“The EPA pegs the average indoor radon level at around 1.3 pCi/L, while outside air has an average radon level of around 0.4 pCi/L,” adds Seyffer. “It’s a disparity that has not only fueled demand for commercial air filtration systems, but it has also prompted Congress to set a long-term goal for reducing indoor radon levels to be no more than outdoor radon levels.”

On the other hand, buildings with a radon level of at least 4 pCi/L need immediate action because of the following:

• At this level of radon exposure, the risk of occupants developing lung cancer compares to five times the risk of dying in a car crash.
• If 1000 people who smoked were exposed to 4 pCi/L of radon throughout their lives, 62 of them could develop lung cancer.

How Are High Efficiency Air Filter Manufacturers Responding to the Radon Problem?

High efficiency air filter manufacturers have taken the lead in reducing high radon levels in indoor spaces.

One study, for example, sought to test two methods of radon removal through air filtration:

• The first method used a common high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter
• The second method used a HEPA filter plus an activated carbon filter

The results showed that both filtration methods were effective at lowering radon levels in indoor air.  Aside from removing the decay byproducts of radon, air filtration systems also capture airborne particulates that can complicate allergies, emissions from cleaning detergents, and a wide variety of chemical fumes. (2)

Although these solutions for controlling radon exposure exist, the installation of radon removal systems hasn’t caught on with the public. Many Americans make the mistake of assuming that just because the danger or action level for radon is 4 pCi/L, anything lower should be “safe.” This is an especially problematic assumption in the real estate market.

Risk management, however, should always be concerned with worst-case scenarios. And for the ordinary homeowner and building owner, the highest exposure to radon happens in below-grade spaces–rooms that are in contact with or below the ground such as basements and underground parking facilities.

Test for Radon Before Choosing from the Many Commercial HEPA Filter Air Purifiers on the Market

Before choosing from the many commercial HEPA filter air purifiers on the market, it’s important to determine whether your building’s occupants are actually at risk of radon exposure.

Both the EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend radon testing in any room below the third floor—especially basements and crawl spaces—as well as:

• Schools
• Commercial establishments
• Hospitals
• Airports
• Manufacturing and industrial  facilities

There are two primary testing methods for radon: short-term tests and long-term tests.

Short-term radon tests are the fastest way to identify if your building has high levels of radon, and are recommended by the EPA for the initial assessment of radon gas. These tests are performed using kits that remain in the building for two to 90 days, depending on the device used. Options include:

• Charcoal canisters
• Electret ion chambers
• Continuous monitors
• Charcoal liquid scintillators
• Alpha track

The downside with short-term testing is that it usually can’t identify your year-round average radon level. This is because radon levels fluctuate daily and seasonally.

For long-term or comprehensive radon testing, you can get in touch with a service provider by looking up your state’s radon program. The EPA requires states receiving indoor radon grants to provide the public with a list of radon testing service providers who are accredited by:

• A state-run program or process that regulates radon service providers
• The National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP)
• National Radon Safety Board (NRSB)

Combining Other Methods of Radon Removal with  HEPA Air Filters

Aside from the installation of HEPA air filters, there are several ways to mitigate the presence of radon gas in indoor spaces.

• Active soil depressurization (ASD) – Also known as sub-slab depressurization, this method requires the installation of a simple system of underground pipes and an exhaust fan, which draws air from beneath the concrete floor/foundation, preventing the radon gas from dispersing inside the building.
• Sealing walls and floors – Sealing cracks and openings on walls and floors is a basic and effective approach to radon control. Sealing limits the flow of radon into the building, and prevents indoor air (usually conditioned) from escaping.
• Drainage systems – Buildings with sumps or French drains to control the flow of rainwater can be installed with a sump that collects radon from the soil. Alternatively, a separate hole can be used to accommodate the sump system.
• Radon-resistant new construction (RRNC) – RRNC refers to a set of construction standards for builders designed to improve radon resistance through common construction materials and simple techniques.

A Final Note on Commercial HEPA Filters and Radon Removal

The basic function of commercial HEPA filters is to make the air inside indoor spaces cleaner and safer to breathe. But while air filtration systems, especially those that use a combination of a HEPA filter and activated carbon, are capable of removing traces of radon gas from the air, they are not recommended as a standalone solution against radon exposure.

As the EPA notes, source control and ventilation should always be the primary mitigation approach to controlling radon levels. In particular, the agency recommends active soil depressurization to safely vent radon gas outside, as well as passive solutions like radon-resistant new construction. When these methods are insufficient, or if an added layer of protection is desired, a commercial filtration system can be considered.

As one of the country’s leading high efficiency air filter manufacturers, Camfil USA is committed to helping people improve indoor air quality. To learn more about the benefits of air filtration for radon control, click here.

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

T: 888.599.6620,

E:Lynne.Laake@camfil.com

F: Friend  Camfil USA on Facebook

Y: Watch Camfil Videos on YouTube

 

Sources:

1. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-02/documents/2012_a_citizens_guide_to_radon.pdf
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10967-008-7379-0

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