'Green' walls bad for office worker health: Study

In hot and polluted environments, indoor air
pollution may be worse with 'green' walls.

Going green is a growing trend - but in the case of living 'green' walls in offices, it might be a bad idea.

In fact, they could contribute to poorer air quality indoors, experts say.

Researchers of the University of York recently looked at the levels of ultrafine particles (UFPs) in hot and polluted environments. Such particles are a health concern as they can carry potentially toxic substances into the lungs.

The scientists simulated typical UFP levels in Athens, Helsinki and Milan offices during a heatwave and typical summer temperatures. The three cities were selected to compare contrasting climates and locations across Europe.

The researchers found that indoor concentrations of UFPs were highest in the Milan and Athens offices, reflecting high outdoor air pollution levels in these cities.

The pollutants make their way indoors through doors, windows and ventilation systems as well as through gaps in building materials.

However, indoor UFP concentrations were well above those expected through penetration of outdoor particles alone.

The researchers wanted to know why and realized they were a result of high concentrations of reactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) outdoors, emitted by plants and trees.

These reactive VOCs include limonene, a naturally occurring compound emitted by plants and trees responsible for the citrusy smell in lemons and oranges, and pinene, emitted by pine trees.

Once in the atmosphere, such compounds rapidly oxidise to form a range of gas-phase and particle-phase products, which exist in a dynamic equilibrium depending on the conditions.

During heatwaves such as that experienced during 2003, emissions of VOCs increase in high temperatures and the formation of the secondary gas and particle-phase products becomes very efficient.

When outdoor air is drawn into an office air inlet, it is often filtered to partially remove outdoor particles. However, removing these particles disturbs the equilibrium of the secondary products and in order to re-establish a balance, new particles quickly form once the air reaches the office environment.

Therefore, indoor UFP concentrations are seen to be much higher if reactive VOCs exist outdoors near an office air inlet, as the impact of air filtration is lessened.

This finding is significant as, for the first time, indoor UFP formation is shown to be linked to the oxidation of outdoor plant and tree species in heatwave conditions.

Given the increasing popularity of green walls covered in plants and vegetation, their prevalence in hot, polluted locations could exacerbate indoor air pollution.

The filtration of air in modern office blocks is also seen to be less effective than expected, and this may explain why expected health benefits are often not realised when particle filters are added to a building.

Source: University of York

Facility management: Humidity reduces airborne flu

Better facility management can reduce
sickness and absenteeism rates.

A recent study carried out by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) has shown that the airborne transmission of the influenza virus is significantly reduced by maintaining an atmosphere of 40% relative humidity (RH) and above.

To test the effects of humidity on airborne influenza, aerosols of flu virus were “coughed” into a room’s atmosphere by a mechanical manikin at humidity ranging from 7-73%RH, while the air intake from a breathing manikin in the room was monitored.

The air inhaled by the breathing manikin showed that at ≤23%RH the airborne flu virus retained 71-77% infectivity, while at ≥43%RH infectivity dropped to just 15-22%. The study showed that inactivation of the virus at the higher humidity occurred rapidly after coughing with most of the decline occurring in the first 15 minutes.

The study concluded that maintaining relative indoor humidity at 40%RH and above will significantly reduce the infectivity of an aerosolized influenza virus.

It is estimated that over 7.6million working days are lost in the UK each year as a result of flu-related sickness, costing the UK economy over £1.35 billion per annum. Most experts think that flu is spread by tiny droplets created when people with flu cough or sneeze, which can remain in the air for hours.

“This study shows how important it is to maintain an optimum humidity in the workplace to reduce absenteeism and especially in areas of high risk to airborne viruses, such as hospitals and doctors’ surgeries,” said Tim Scott, a humidification specialist.

“Although many professional bodies, including BSRIA, CIBSE and HSE, all recommend maintaining indoor humidity at above 40%RH it is not uncommon to see humidification systems being turned off to reduce operating costs. A low humidity is not as noticeable by employees as a low temperature, so it can go unnoticed. However, the true cost of not maintaining indoor humidity can be poor staff health and an increase in absenteeism, which can far outweigh the cost of operating the building’s humidification system.” Scott said.

Source: Mousetrap Media Ltd

Provide cleaner and healthier air at the workplace

Apart from the flu virus, there are many other airborne contaminants that can affect employees' health, well-being and productivity.

Air cleaners for offices and other
work spaces provide cleaner and
healthier air.

Many workplaces expose employers and employees to airborne chemicals, particles, dust, allergens, mold, viruses, bacteria, odors and gases. 

Most of these contaminants can be controlled with adequate ventilation, best facility management practices and air cleaning.

Electrocorp offers versatile and efficient air cleaners for industrial and commercial use, which provide cleaner and healthier air at the workplace.

The air purifiers strip the air of chemicals, particles and biological contaminants by forcing the air through a deep-bed activated carbon air filter, a HEPA filter and various pre-filters as well as an optional UV germicidal filter.

The air cleaners come in many different sizes and with a variety of options. They are custom-built to provide the protection that is needed.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and a consultation with an IAQ specialist.

Researchers tackle office air problems

Scientists develop intelligent door seal that prevents poor indoor air quality

Heated debates and no agreement in sight: the eight employees sitting in a small conference room have come together to get an important project moving. But after an hour, some of them have trouble focusing on the discussion, and some are even beginning to become drowsy.

Conference room meetings can lead to poor IAQ

No wonder: the air in the conference room is stuffy and stale, and increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) are making them tired and robbing meeting participants of their concentration.

There's only one solution: air the room out. Or else rely on the intelligent door seal system that has now been developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS in cooperation with the Athmer Company.

Users of the system not only spare themselves the effort of regular airing: the door seal is also cold air's worst enemy, insulating to provide a perfect indoor climate.

Indoor concentrations of CO2 are still a problem, particularly in newer buildings.

"Modern buildings are becoming increasingly airtight," according to Hans-Jürgen Schliepkorte, group manager at Fraunhofer IMS in Duisburg. On the one hand, better windows and construction materials provide effective insulation - an issue that was long a major concern. But air quality was overlooked in the process.

"In many cases, the supply of fresh air still comes through an open window," Schliepkorte points out. "This has consequences for the energy efficiency."

Sensor measures CO2 concentration in the air

The electronically controlled door seal developed by IMS engineers opens or closes based on the CO2 concentration in a room. A CO2 sensor records concentrations in the air.

If this value exceeds a certain threshold, a tiny motor moves a spring to open the door seal at the bottom of the door leaf. The seal raises to permit an exchange of air inside the room. At the same time, the system uses building based measurement and control technology to activate the ventilation system to extract stale air from the room.

"Our standard is based on the Pettenkofer value of 1000 ppm (parts per million)," Schliepkorte explains.

It was Max von Pettenkofer who investigated indoor air quality in the middle of the previous century and identified the CO2 value that, if met or exceeded, makes people begin to feel unwell indoors.

Opening a window is not always
desirable or possible in offices.

Today's rules and guidelines based on DIN for the workplace set 1500 ppm as the upper limit and recommend a CO2 concentration of 1000 ppm.

"We can achieve this with the aid of the intelligent door seal – without having to open doors or windows," Schliepkorte observes.

The door seal system is electronically coupled with building measurement and control systems. If a ventilation system or for that matter a heat recovery system has been installed, they can additionally be activated based on indoor CO2 concentrations and temperatures.

"The system always calculates the best compromise between good indoor air and optimal utilization of energy efficiency," Schliepkorte says.

Beginning in June of this year, it will be in use in the Fraunhofer inHaus-Center in Duisburg, an innovation workshop for application oriented and market based research for systems in rooms and buildings.

Indeed, Fraunhofer researchers have already set their sights on further applications: in the future, the door seal may well also help regulate humidity in residential and commercial buildings. This may soon make mold in the home and dry eyes in the office a thing of the past.

Source: EurekAlert! and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft 

Improve office air quality for higher productivity

Poor indoor air quality at the office has been linked to higher rates of absenteeism, but also to decreased productivity and lower morale.

Short of renovating or installing a new HVAC system, office managers and employers can help provide cleaner indoor air by using one or more of Electrocorp's air cleaners with activated carbon, HEPA and UV. 

With the air cleaners for offices, Electrocorp controls airborne contaminants such as volatile organic compounds, dust, mold, chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other particles and odors. Specially designed air cleaners for larger office printers remove toxic chemicals and particles right at the source.

Contact Electrocorp for more information.

Workers unhappy with open offices: Study

Employees in open offices complain about increased noise
and less privacy, researchers say.

Recent trend of activity-based office spaces not popular with workers

A study by researchers at the University of Sydney has found that many employees feel activity-based working environments, which feature open-office plans designed to foster teamwork, are disruptive to their productivity.

Jungsoo Kim, one of the study's authors, said open-office layouts, which have been a growing trend in recent years, have been touted as a way to boost workplace satisfaction and team effectiveness.

"We found people in open-plan offices were less satisfied with their workplace environment than those in private offices," Kim said. "The benefits of being close to co-workers in open-plan offices were offset by factors such as increased noise and less privacy."

The research was based on surveys of more than 42,000 office workers in the United States, Finland, Canada and Australia.

In addition, researchers analyzed a University of California database that measures indoor environment quality in office buildings, factoring in things such as indoor air quality, temperature, lighting, noise, privacy and the amount of space an individual perceives they have.

Researchers said that the data further validated earlier findings that uncontrollable noise and loss of privacy are the main sources of workplace dissatisfaction in open-plan offices.

Kim said open-plan offices dominate modern workplaces, yet there is little solid evidence they improve interaction between co-workers.

The study, co-authored by professor Richard de Dear, was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Source: BusinessNewsDaily 

Ways to improve the office atmosphere

Disgruntled workers don't have high productivity ratings, but there are many things employers can do to improve the situation -- short of remodeling the entire office.

• Enforce office rules to respect privacy and work hours. Make sure employees know that they should concentrate on their work during office hours instead of interacting with each other unnecessarily.

  

  Electrocorp air cleaners feature
  carbon, HEPA and optional UV.

• Tell facilities management to monitor the indoor environment closely. Conditions such as temperatures that are too high or too low, humidity that is too high or too low and poor indoor air quality can affect employees' health, well-being and productivity. Listen to their concerns and make the necessary changes.
• Use portable dehumidifiers, heaters and air cleaners where needed. Some offices require extra help, especially when the existing HVAC system is unable to do the job. The air cleaners should have activated carbon, HEPA and possibly UV germicidal filtration for best results. These filters can remove airborne chemicals, particles, odors, fumes, mold, bacteria and viruses.
• Make sure the office is well lit and ventilated.
• Make some private offices or meeting rooms available to workers. 

Want to know more about indoor air quality in offices and how it affects worker productivity and attendance records? Have a look at some previous posts or contact an Electrocorp IAQ specialist for more information. Electrocorp has designed a wide range of indoor air cleaners with carbon, HEPA and UV for offices
and printers.

Hidden office dangers: Poor IAQ

Office buildings can suffer from
poor indoor air quality.

Most people tend to feel safe in a full-time office job, since working at a computer or a phone doesn't exactly meet the requirements of a dangerous occupation. But studies show that working at an office can be more hazardous to health than previously known.

Not only can sitting for long hours affect workers’ health, the air they breathe is also a cause for concern. According to the EPA, “poor indoor air is estimated to cost the nation (USA) tens of billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and countless hours of illness and discomfort.”

The air in offices can suffer from increased levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bacteria, particles, mold, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, radon and formaldehyde, among others.

All of these contaminants have been linked to temporary as well as possible long-term health problems among office workers. Discomfort and illnesses contribute to productivity issues and absences.

Possible causes of poor indoor air at the office

Poor indoor air quality can have many reasons, and many cases may require a specialist assessment. High levels of chemicals, particles and odor-causing contaminants in the office can be caused by insufficient air circulation, printer fumes, cleaning and cosmetic products, new building and construction materials, and more.

In case of water damage, office workers may be exposed to mold and mold spores. Long-term exposure has been linked to respiratory diseases and other concerns. Some workers may be more sensitive to poor indoor air quality than others, but office management can help boost productivity and morale by taking a proactive approach to indoor air quality at the office.

Prevention is the best solution for IAQ

In offices, an assessment of IAQ problems and possible solutions can go a long way. Identifying and minimizing pollution sources and using reliable air filtration systems can help provide cleaner air instantly.

For the best overall protection, an air purification unit for the office should feature a multi-filtration system that includes activated carbon and HEPA to remove chemicals and odors, VOCs, fumes, particles and biological contaminants such as mold and bacteria.

Contact an Electrocorp Air Quality Expert to learn more about industrial air cleaners and specialized IAQ solutions for the office.

Escambia Co. Workers Hospitalized for Chemical Exposure

Source: AP

Four workers at an Escambia County office complex in Pensacola, Florida were hospitalized and the building was briefly evacuated after workers smelled apparent chemical fumes from a nearby laboratory.

The Pensacola News Journal reports that the building reopened Wednesday afternoon after it was deemed safe by the county's hazardous-materials unit.

Escambia County spokesman Bill Pearson says the smell began on the first floor near a laboratory used for water sampling.

Officials said exposure to the chemical can cause burning of the eyes and throat and vomiting but that the chemical is not life-threatening.

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