The average person breathes in over 10,000 liters of air each day, and about 90 percent of that is indoor air. But there’s a problem. As well as carrying the oxygen your body needs to function, the air you breathe might also be laced with varying levels of indoor air pollutants that could adversely affect the health and productivity of the people breathing it. Those persistent headaches, niggling allergies and feelings of lethargy could be down to the air you breathe, so controlling your indoor air quality has a lot of potential benefits.
Improving Health and Wellbeing
There are many ways that poor indoor air quality could affect the health of the people who spend time there, and the general discomfort it causes has been given the name “Sick Building Syndrome.”
This is when symptoms like airway irritation, congestion, headaches, dizziness and fatigue occur when in a particular building but clear up when you leave. This is particularly common in large open-plan offices, but it can occur anywhere.
Additionally, poor indoor air quality can lead to a build-up of allergens, which cause problems for the approximately 20 percent of people who suffer from hay fever. Improving your indoor air quality often clears up these persistent symptoms.
Improving Productivity
For offices in particular, a huge benefit of controlling your indoor air quality is that it boosts productivity. When indoor air is of poor quality, the physical symptoms it causes have knock-on effects on your productivity. Simply put, you work more efficiently (and happily) when you aren’t battling these symptoms or dealing with allergies caused by poorly-controlled air quality.
Indoor Air Quality, Efficiency and Your HVAC System
It’s estimated that 70 percent of all problems with indoor air quality are linked to the operation and maintenance of your HVAC system. One of the most common issues faced by HVAC systems is the build-up of bacteria and dirt in the fiberglass insulation. When moisture is added to this mixture, mold, fungi and bacteria can thrive and spread around your home or office. Professional cleaning, replacing the system’s air filter and making use of ultra-violet (UV) light – which neutralizes microbial growth – can rectify these issues.
An additional benefit of keeping your HVAC system in tip-top condition is that it will generally improve the efficiency of the system as well as keeping your air clean. This is great for the environment, but most of all, it saves you money too.
McLay Services, Inc.’s Indoor Air Quality Services
Using our indoor air quality testing service and our products – including air filtration products, humidifiers, ventilators, UV lights and carbon monoxide detectors – keeps your indoor air as clean as it can be, and goes a long way towards improving the well-being, health and productivity of everybody who breathes it.
For more information about how our indoor air quality testing and services can benefit you, give us a call on (909) 326-6106 or follow us on social media.
