As we finally start to replace our winter wardrobe with a more spring-like one, our attentions also turn to the air that we breathe. And whilst it may not be quite as thin as it once was a couple of weeks ago, that’s not to say that when we next inhale a lung-full of it that it won’t throw up some new seasonal problems all of their own.  Yes, it’s that time of year when sufferers are reminded about the presence of our old nemesis, pollen, in all of its wonderful and expansive forms. Although we all love to observe the blossoming daffodils around Easter time each year, for some the otherwise welcome sight of spring flowers on the local verges and embankments heralds the advent of something altogether more irritating; significantly irritating to our noses and eyes in particular. And it wouldn’t be quite so bad if the uninvited guest remained outside once we’d closed the front door and battened down the hatches, rather than doing its utmost to permeate every means of free entry into our homes, offices, factories, warehouses and public spaces. Yes, that scourge of sniffling and sneezing society at large is set for a comeback this spring and summer, as pollen begins to infiltrate our lives and play havoc with our allergen receptors.

The problem is, while we can adopt measures to counter the effects of pollen in our own immediate and domestic surrounds, the same can’t always be said when we’re at work. But that needn’t be the case if employers take the necessary steps to help staff breathe easier. Good, clean, pollen-free indoor air quality is perfectly achievable thanks to many existing technologies which work behind the scenes as such to eradicate our workspace air space of a range of commonly occurring allergens and dust. Later we expand on the primary examples of these relatively straightforward practices employers can implement to alleviate the spectre of compromised indoor air quality, but first we’ll remind ourselves of some all-important figures.

A Head for Figures

For example 90% is the percentage of our lives most of us spend indoors (of which on average, 212 days per year are governed by work), and that for the most part the elements we’re exposed to during this passage of time remains pretty much unexamined. Which, essentially makes indoor air pollution a significant threat to our health and wellbeing if potential problems are both unacknowledged and subsequently undetected.

Another number we want to hit you with here and now is 70. Again, in terms of percentage this is the recognised volume of office workers here in the UK who believe that their air quality is so routinely compromised that it’s impacting in a negative way on their daily productivity levels and general feeling of wellbeing. Also, and according to a recent YouGov survey (which was commissioned by the Building Engineering Services Association - BESA), some 60% of office employees admit that their first line of defence – and to ventilate the poor air quality they’re experiencing – is to fling open a nearby window to encourage fresh air in. However by reacting in such a way could make matters worse, as of course we then run the risk of further polluting our working environments by way of inviting outdoor toxins and nefarious (and largely unseen) substances into our head space.

So you’re trying to tell us That Compromised Indoor Air Quality Might Be More Dangerous than Outdoor Air Quality?

Potentially, yes, given individual scenarios and other possible factors. Although air pollution in general has long been a concern for people, courtesy of far more headlines underlining the medium and long-term effects inhaling noxious fumes can have on us, the flagging up of indoor air pollutants is a relatively newer fear. Experts have recently concluded that indoor air quality – even in the most polluted of cities globally – can often be worse than the air we breathe outside. Again, this is based on inadequate ventilation protocols and practices been adhered to, with both the opening of windows and poor building insulation acting as a welcoming party to high levels of PM2.5-heavy air. Contributing to a heady cocktail of health-compromising elements, we’re talking about high levels of formaldehyde, carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs); effectively gases that can be emitted by poor building materials, furniture, paints and adhesives, which are all known sources of health issues – including in more severe cases, implicated in heart disease, cancer and other life-threatening conditions - when inhaled on a regular basis.

What’s the Physical Upshot of Exposure to Poor Indoor Air Quality Experienced in the Workplace?

Well, for a start it’s no secret that as much as 11% of asthma worldwide is caused not by the great outdoors (and the pollutants we’re exposed to when out and about), but rather gases, dust and/or fumes generated in our workplaces, according to no lesser authority on the subject than the World Health Organization.

Addressing the key symptoms more closely associated with compromised indoor air quality in the employment sector, and some 68% of office staff spoke of lapses in concentration on a frequent basis, with monthly reported as minimum. Meanwhile 67% of recipients of the recent BESA survey stressed that they had suffered from fatigue while at work on at least a monthly cycle. Elsewhere 54% implied that decreased productivity manifest as a result of the inhalation of poor indoor air quality, while 41% admitted to having either watery or irritated eyes on a monthly basis, the blame for which they firmly put at the door of air quality in the workspace.

The BESA study was conducted on the back of a recently published white paper by the Royal College of Physicians, which had found that both indoor and outdoor air pollution could be linked to at least 40,000 premature deaths each year in the UK.

What Can Employers Do To Combat the Problem Posed by Poor Indoor Air Quality?

For its part, the Building Engineering Services Association has called on employers across all industries, along with building managers and the general public themselves to ensure that robust measures are implemented to all but guarantee that indoor ventilation systems and air conditioning units are fit for purpose and regularly maintained, so as to protect employees. BESA stress that while retrofitting a building may not be a viable option for some companies, that’s not to say that there aren’t other, simpler and more cost-effective ways in which to reduce the risks posed by poor indoor air quality. And running the rule over existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems already in situ is as good a starting point as any.

Tasked with distilling and effectively removing dust, pollen and other allergens in the workplace, HVAC filters need to be regularly monitored and replaced, while air purifiers can only remove so much dust (and other airborne contaminants) if filters are unattended to and black with dirt, month-on-month. It’s imperative that filters ate working to their optimum levels of performance, and although a filter that is too small will let damaging particles into the air stream, conversely too large an example will impede airflow. Filter inspections need to be frequent events, as every few weeks excess dust can build up and physically impede the transit of airflow through the installation. Experts suggest that filters which accommodate a greater surface area can absorb more particles, and as a result need to be changed less often; just so long as they don’t overburden the assemblage.

HVAC equipment has a habit of changing and revising fast, which means that standard filter sizes risk becoming obsolete that much quicker. Therefore it may be beneficial to opt for custom-manufactured filters, which can be tailor-made to individual systems. Those individuals responsible for building management could also source a raft of new innovations which appear on the market all the time, and aim to counter poor indoor air quality before it takes hold and employees start to suffer the health effects. These forward-thinking new technologies include specific ionization functionality and dedicated energy-recovery ventilation products, both of which can also help buildings save energy.