A documented development process - Quality is more important than quantity
The Big Challenge
IAQ 1.0 - here's what's covered
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's)
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are compounds that easily become vapours or gases. VOCs are released from burning fuel such as gasoline, wood, coal, or natural gas. They are also released from many consumer products such as; cigarettes and solvents. VOCs are a group of carbon-based chemicals which evaporate easily at room temperature. We use thousands of these chemicals in products we have around the home, and while some of them have an odour, others have no smell. Some are also created biologically by plants, including some moulds found around the home.
Some of the most common VOCs include benzene, acetone, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde, methylene chloride, perchloroethylene, toluene, xylene, and 1,3-butadiene. These can be found in paints, solvents, upholstery fabrics, carpets and adhesives, varnishes, vinyl floors, cleaning chemicals, air fresheners and cosmetics. At any one time, there could be from 50 to hundreds of individual VOCs in the air.
If you have asthma or another respiratory condition, young children, or an elderly person in your building, they will be affected by Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These are the groups of people who are potentially susceptible to the effects of VOCs. As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect will depend on many factors including level of exposure and length of time exposed.
Our IAQ Monitors measures VOCs to an index that determines the intensity, duration and frequency of VOCs.
Particulate Matter 1
PM1 (Particulate Matter 1) is most harmful. Today, WHO and the EU are monitoring PM2.5 and PM10 and reporting on the negative health effects of these particles and their ability to penetrate our lungs and cause respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and disease.
But to provide a truly healthy and productive indoor air environment in areas with bad air pollution, ventilation systems need filters that are also capable of removing PM1 particles – the smallest fraction and the most harmful.
Our lungs are prey to PM1. When inhaled, PM1 particles travel to the deepest area of the lungs, where a significant part of them passes through the cell membranes of the alveoli (the millions of tiny sacs in our lungs where O2 and CO2 are exchanged), enter the bloodstream, damage the inner walls of arteries, penetrate tissue in the cardiovascular system and potentially spread to organs.
At worst, PM1 can contribute to deadly diseases like heart attacks, lung cancer, dementia, emphysema, edema and other serious disease, leading to premature death. The National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing has proven a direct correlation between PM1 and premature deaths.
PM1 – particles <1 μm in size. Examples: dust, combustion particles*, bacteria and viruses
Particulate Matter 2.5
PM2.5 – particles <2.5 μm in size. Examples: pollen, spoors and other organic particles.
Very small particles in the air - less than 2.5 micrometers wide - are called fine particles, or PM 2.5. They can come from dust, dirt, soot, and smoke. They are small enough to be inhaled. People who are exposed to high levels of PM 2.5 can have more heart and lung problems
Particulate Matter (PM) is a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air, and its composition depends on its origin. In urban areas, the combustion of diesel, brake and tyre wear as well as construction and demolition activities can be important local sources. Any dust deposited on roads can be resuspended by moving traffic. Much of the PM, however, is formed in the atmosphere from other pollutants and is ransported over long distances from the emission of its precursors. The UK also periodically xperiences mineral dust pollution from the Sahara Desert. Indoor emission sources include renovation works, cooking (particularly frying), smoking, wood burning fires/stoves, burning candles. Clothing, carpets and soft furnishings also release particles/fibres into the air. In the 1990s, the emphasis of air quality management was on the particles less than 10 µm in diameter (PM10), but from the late 2000s it began to move towards smaller particles that penetrate deeper into the respiratory system (e.g. PM2.5). A range of health effects including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancers and mortality, diabetes and low birthweight have been associated with exposure to PM (PHE, 2018). More recently, there is emerging evidence that it may also affect cognitive ability
Particulate Matter 10
Particulate matter (PM) is everything in the air that is not a gas and therefore consists of a huge variety of chemical compounds and materials, some of which can be toxic. Due to the small size of many of the particles that form PM some of these toxins may enter the bloodstream and be transported around the body, lodging in the heart, brain and other organs. Therefore, exposure to PM can result in serious impacts to health, especially in vulnerable groups of people such as the young, elderly, and those with respiratory problems.
PM10 – particles <10 μm in size. Examples: coarser fine dust and organic particles.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Many people live with high carbon dioxide levels in their buildings, cars, and offices without ever knowing it. However, recent studies show that common indoor carbon dioxide exposure can reduce cognitive and decision-making performance up to 50%. The Earth’s atmosphere is about 400 parts per million or ppm (0.04) carbon dioxide. Scientists estimate that before human industrial activity, Carbon Dioxide concentration was around 270 ppmv (part per million by volume). This means that CO2 levels in our atmosphere have risen about 40% since the onset of industrialization.
When we breathe out, the air is 100 times more concentrated in carbon dioxide, around 40,000 ppm (4.0). As you might guess, this can become problematic when you are sleeping or working in a room without adequate ventilation.
At room temperature and atmospheric pressure CO2 is a colourless and odourless gas and, because of this, people are unable to see it or smell it at elevated concentrations. CO2 is not flammable and will not support combustion. As the concentration of CO2 in air rises it can cause headaches, dizziness, confusion and loss of consciousness. Since CO2 is heavier than air, fatalities from asphyxiation have occurred when, at extremely high concentrations, it has entered confined spaces such as tanks, sumps or cellars and displaced oxygen.
Humidity %
Temperature and humidity are closely linked. Relative humidity refers to the ratio of the amount of moisture present in the air and the maximum amount it can hold. If the weather is cold, the relative humidity may drop low. If the weather forecast of the day states that the relative humidity can reach 100%, it means that the area is most likely to experience rain.
No matter what time of year it is or what indoor and outdoor temperature is, your humidity levels should stay between 40 to 70 percent. If your indoor humidity levels are low or less than 30 percent, it’ll get too dry in your building, and this is called dry air. When this occurs, dry air results in dry skin, nosebleeds, and sore throats. At most times, dry air will make you feel warm, rather than cold.
IAQ 2.0
including other pollutants
Compliance data
We believe our indoor air quality score system serves as a global target for national, regional and city governments to work towards improving their citizen’s health by reducing air pollution and improving air quality. We aim to make the score system accessible to all business and the public around the world. Clean air is a basic human right.
Along with our experience we have utilized the years of hard work by professors, scientists, universities, businesses, governments and governing bodies to develop our scoring method. The viewmyair score makes something complicated, easy to understand for everyone.
References we use:
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) :Humidification
Humidity may need controlling in almost every type of building, both for comfort and health and for the building’s contents and processes. In many cases this is undertaken using well-established natural mechanisms, but there are often circumstances where the total-life cost of the building would benefit from active humidification control
Public Health England
Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for
selected Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs) in the UK. Public Health England estimates the annual death toll in the UK from air pollution at
between 24,000 and 36,000 with associated healthcare costs between £8bn and £20bn.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002 (COSHH)
COSHH is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health and includes nanomaterials. You can prevent or reduce workers' exposure to hazardous substances by:
Which includes employers to provide monitoring and health surveillance
BB 101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality in schools
This document describes the factors that affect the indoor environment of schools, setting out the regulatory framework for ventilation in schools and gives recommended performance levels for compliance with UK regulations.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Every employer shall ensure that the exposure of his employees to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a term referring to the air quality within and around buildings, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants. Indoor air is becoming a significant environmental issue and an increasingly more concerning health hazard than outdoor air. IAQ can be affected by microbial contaminants (molds, bacteria), gases (including carbon monoxide, radon and volatile organic compounds) and particulates
