INDOOR HEALTH EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
- amexcai
- Oct 21, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 31, 2024
The quality of the spaces we inhabit and their indoor air are undoubtedly key factors for our health. Multiple campaigns, such as the WHO's BREATH LIFE campaign, point out that one of the most accentuated problems in today's urban society is the quality of the air we breathe.
We spend 80 to 90% of our time indoors, according to the WHO, where air quality is, according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency of the USA), 2 to 5 times worse than outdoors. This is mainly due to the fact that indoor pollutants are added to outdoor pollutants, producing a significant decrease in air quality that is already deficient outdoors. Its effects on health range from a simple feeling of drowsiness, to headaches, nasal and/or eye irritations, and can lead to allergic processes and hypersensitivity. It can also reinforce its synergistic effect with other environmental diseases that affect people's productivity in their work environment, their performance and creativity and, therefore, also their comfort and well-being.
Thermal comfort, in general, plays an important role in how we experience the spaces where we live, learn and work, and also has direct implications for the productivity and health of its users. One study (de Dear et al., 2013) found that increasing office temperature by just 1°C decreased productivity by 15%, while others (Fisk & William, 2002) suggest that small temperature differences of a few °C that can influence worker speed and accuracy by up to 20%.
Energy performance certificates require an increase in air renewal - the breathing of the building - is exclusively in the hands of ventilation and its regulation. The use of building materials that limit the emission of pollutants into the indoor air should be the starting point; and air renewal, always necessary, appropriate to the conditions of use. However, both the way of ventilation and the regulation and measurement of current ventilation systems is not adequate. These are the main reasons why this phenomenon occurs:
- The constructive trend towards high energy efficiency entails greater airtightness in buildings to minimize energy losses and optimize the regulation of the air conditioning/ventilation system, thus gaining greater importance both in terms of low indoor air emissions of finishes and furnishings, as well as the proper regulation of the ventilation system.
- Thermo-hygrometric comfort (temperature and RH) and even CO2 concentration are not enough to define the biohabitability of a space. It is necessary to take into account other possible pollutants that condition indoor air quality (IAQ).
- Air renewal in work spaces and educational centers, where students, teachers and workers perform tasks that require concentration, is generally based on occasional renewals, not complying with the air renewal requirements of RITE.
- Indoor air quality, generally linked to the work of the prevention services, is measured in accordance with the occupational risk prevention regulations, however, these measurements are taken on an ad hoc basis over time and do not allow for improvement measures adapted to the building's usage patterns. This results in poor Indoor Air Quality and inefficient control of ventilation systems. It is therefore necessary to continuously monitor the evolution of indoor air quality, which allows to analyze patterns of behavior and thus to know the pattern of use, the occupancy profile, the degree and source of pollution, as well as the potential for improvement of a space in terms of indoor air quality. The evaluation of building performance is highly variable depending on the use (air conditioning and ventilation habits, hygiene and cleaning products, building materials, finishing and equipment.
PARAMETERS
As of the last update, CO2 concentration is taken into account as an indicator of adequate indoor air - as such, CO2 is not a pollutant, however, in high concentrations it is toxic due to oxygen displacement, and high levels (>800 ppm) affect comfort, concentration, well-being and productivity in indoor spaces. Its monitoring is key as an indicator that the air renewal system is working properly.
The environmental parameters that determine the quality of a healthy indoor environment are classified according to their nature as physical (such as temperature, radiation, noise, etc.), chemical (such as organic and inorganic substances and/or compounds) or biological, with various consequences on people, the natural environment and buildings. Indoor air quality is mainly defined by its chemical parameters (chemical pollutants, CO2, indoor temperature, relative humidity, suspended particles, radon, etc.) and/or biological parameters (fungi, spores, mites). Formaldehyde is the next parameter to be incorporated into the classic air quality measurement of temperature and humidity. It is the most important aldehyde, and perhaps the most common toxic substance (classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, neurotoxic, sensitizing and allergenic) in indoor spaces.
Under normal conditions of temperature and pressure, formaldehyde occurs as a gas, with a pungent, intense and penetrating odor. It is water soluble and highly volatile. It is a substance widely used in industry due to its use as an adhesive, biocide, preservative, degreaser, disinfectant, solvent, fungicide, cleaner, wood protector, among other uses. Very present in building interiors, due to construction materials - chipboard and other wood-derived materials, equipment, hygiene and cosmetic treatments or products, or exhaust gases and tobacco smoke - as a consequence of slow combustion.
Another group of pollutants would be volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are frequently released by solvents, paints and other commonly used products. There are more than 120,000 chemical substances and more than 12 million published compounds. Of these, only a small fraction are studied from a medical perspective and there are limit values for only about 500 in the occupational/professional environment. In the residential sector, there is no specific regulation in the area of volatile organic compound pollution - beyond recommendations. And in the tertiary sector, the limit values are not designed from the perspective of prevention, but from the perspective of occupational safety (high concentrations). Additionally, the measurement of parameters such as suspended particles (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, carbon monoxide and radon will complement the range of sensors to be incorporated in the monitoring of Indoor Environmental Quality.
TECHNOLOGY
By taking air quality readings periodically, with the interval configured by the user depending on the type of space, the ventilation system and the purpose of the monitoring, which can be from 1 minute data range. A touch button allows an instant reading, activating a light that turns on as a traffic light to report the overall status of air quality.
The data is transferred to a Data Platform in the cloud that allows visualization of the recorded data through configurable options (the format adapts to any type of screen, Tablet or Smartphone), so that, depending on the values obtained, a pre-diagnosis is established and a series of tips are offered to improve air quality. Through this methodology of continuous improvement, it is possible to monitor the air quality uninterruptedly, validating or rejecting the actions that lead us to enjoy an optimal air quality.
The evolution of the studies allows to include new sensors and parameters to measure the biohabitability, as well as to provide a level of connectivity with the devices of the environment that allows it to act on the regulation of ventilation and air conditioning.
Thus, the development of an air quality monitoring solution, with a comprehensive and universal communication in the field of air measurement in buildings, is a novelty at international level. However, these devices are not able to communicate with all the communication protocols available in buildings, while most of them do not allow integration with other equipment or systems on the market.
At Amexcai we have specialization programs taught by experienced professionals to help you understand and improve indoor air quality, through AWARENESS and TRAINING programs designed for companies, organizations, maintenance engineers, maintenance managers, plant managers, technicians and operators of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, construction professionals and contractors working with air conditioning-selection of Chiller systems based on recommendations.
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