Answer the Call: Improve Indoor Air Quality and Improve Health
Clean air is attainable and beneficial for the bottom line if approached correctly.
- By Dustin DeVan
- Jun 01, 2022
In March, as part of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, the EPA released the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge, a call to action for all building owners and operators, schools, colleges and universities and organizations of all kinds to improve the indoor air quality (IAQ). This move from the EPA is a great first step toward cleaner and safer indoor spaces for office workers, teachers and students, renters and other building occupants, and signifies a growing awareness in this area since the onset of the pandemic. Facility managers, landlords and building operators should take note and begin their IAQ journey now.
Implementing the federal guidelines begins with an understanding of how air quality impacts the health and safety of occupants, includes accurate monitoring and recognizes the importance of data security. Clean air is attainable and beneficial for the bottom line if approached correctly.
What Makes Indoor Air Quality Important?
We often focus on outdoor air pollution but according to the EPA, people spend 90 percent of their time indoors where the concentrations of some pollutants are often two to five times higher than those found outside. And while air quality in indoors spaces has been largely overlooked in the past, the pandemic brought forth a newfound awareness and concern from consumers and now, the government. According to a recent worldwide survey, 72 percent of office workers report being worried about the air quality of their office space and more than 60 percent are prepared to leave their job if their employer does not address their concerns to establish a healthier indoor environment.
For those looking to implement the strategies suggested by the EPA, which includes creating an indoor air action plan and optimizing fresh air ventilation, it is important to first understand the underlying, invisible variables that exist in the air and impact quality of breath. The most important factors are carbon dioxide, total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), particulate matter (PM2.5), temperature and humidity; some of which can have adverse health effects.
This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.