What exactly can I do to clean my air?
Any
of these contaminants can be found separately or together in office
air. The resulting problems for employees and their employers are
well-documented - reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and
the onset of chronic illnesses. In some cases, employees have challenged
an employer's or building owner's legal responsibility for a "sick
office space" or building.
One obvious solution is to eliminate contaminants at their source. But
the US Environmental Protection Agency, in its publication "Building Air
Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers" (go to www.epa.gov/iaq/largebldgs)
identifies over 60 sources of potential contamination grouped into 15
broad categories. While many of these can be addressed, it is unlikely
that all of them can be eliminated. In fact, some sources of contamination
are inherent to the operation of a facility.
After removing as many sources of contaminants as possible, the next
step is to design an air handling system that minimizes the exposure
of building occupants to remaining contaminants. To assure a reasonable
amount of cleanup, indoor air should be exhausted or cleaned and re-circulated
to provide at least six air changes per hour. Of course, using the
exhaust method alone is likely to overtax existing HVAC systems, and
create budget-busting energy costs.
An alternative to retrofitting the entire HVAC system is to introduce
self-contained, freestanding air cleaners to troublesome spaces. With
either method, both the amount of air moved and the pattern of airflow
are important: the goal is to maximize the mixing of cleaned and ambient
air and to push contamination away from the breathing zone.
The NQ Commercial Clarifier,
with its unique air flow pattern, is designed to do just that. In addition,
its combination of HEPA filtration, carbon/potassium permanganate gas
removal, and germicidal ultraviolet to disable biological hazards can
clean up problems from almost all of the sources cited by the EPA.
