IAQ in the News
See what's being reported on and discussed in the world of Indoor Air Quality. Read brief article summaries, with links to the full original publications.
Feds launch indoor air quality research program
The BREATHE program aims to improve indoor air quality nationwide by creating smart buildings that continuously monitor and enhance air quality. ARPA-H, a funding agency for health research, is launching this initiative to address...
Effort for better air quality in CT schools gets bipartisan support
Efforts in Connecticut are underway to address poor air quality in schools, impacting learning and health. A proposed bill aims to inspect 20% of school districts yearly until...
Maintaining Good Indoor Air Quality is a Balancing Act
Maintaining good indoor air quality is crucial for facility managers. Indoor air can become polluted from various sources, including finishing materials. A balance needs to be achieved between IAQ, energy consumption...
How to improve your indoor air quality at home
Follow these tips to improve your indoor air quality at home, including saying goodbye to pollution sources like candles and air fresheners. Vacuum frequently, reduce dust, and use less-polluting cleaning products...
It threatens us all: How dirty air became the world’s silent killer
Air pollution is a major global problem, causing more deaths than AIDS and malaria combined. Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable; 60 per cent of the air pollution-related deaths that occurred in 2019 were among children under...
2024 Air Quality Awareness Week Toolkit
The US Environmental Protection Agency hosts Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW) from May 6th to 10th, 2024. This year's theme is "Knowing Your Air". The week coincides with World Asthma Day and aims to educate people about air quality and its impact on health...
Older Office Buildings Adopt Open Protocol Systems For Energy Efficiency
Office building owners in Singapore are increasingly adopting **open protocol systems** for energy management, integrating new energy systems with older infrastructure to enhance efficiency and reduce environmental impact. These open protocols facilitate easy...
How Central Heating Changed Everything About Our Homes
Central heating revolutionized how people lived by ensuring consistent warmth throughout homes. This shift, starting in the late 1970s, led to increased expectations of comfort and transformed living spaces. Central heating not only improved living conditions but...
The Not so Silent Office Productivity Killer
Noise can be a significant productivity killer in office environments. A survey reveals that distractions from noise, especially conversations, can impact productivity, with men being affected more than women...
Is It Possible For An Office To Be Too Quiet?
Communication barriers, decreased productivity, and lack of creativity are the potential negative effects of a completely silent office environment. Hence, progressive firms implement solutions...
Selling Whole-Home Humidification
Whole-home humidifiers are gaining popularity due to health and comfort benefits. They integrate with existing HVAC systems and improve indoor air quality by reducing static electricity, allergies...
Survey Reveals Disparities In IAQ Prioritization In K-12 Schools
A survey of K-12 educators found a gap between teachers and school administrators on indoor air quality (IAQ) prioritization. While 96% of teachers linked good IAQ to student performance...
Low-cost sensor-based investigation of CO2 and volatile organic compounds in classrooms: Exploring dynamics, ventilation effects and perceived air quality relations
This study examined classroom air quality (CAQ) and found high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) alongside CO2. VOCs increased with occupancy and insufficient ventilation...
Air Quality Monitor Market size to grow by USD 2 billion from 2022-2027
The global air quality monitor market size is estimated to grow by USD 2 billion from 2022 to 2027, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.99% during the forecast period...
You may be breathing in more tiny nanoparticles from your gas stove than from car exhaust
A Purdue University study found cooking with gas stoves emits tiny nanoparticles, potentially linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. These particles are smaller than 3 nanometers, making them difficult...
How vaping has an unhealthy impact on indoor air quality
Vaping, despite being marketed as a "safer" alternative to smoking, negatively impacts indoor air quality. The key culprit is particulate matter (PM), especially the fine PM2.5, which reaches harmful levels similar...
Indoor Air Quality: Out Of The Shadows, But Still On The Back Burner
A recent report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) highlights the health risks of indoor air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5). While the report is valuable...
EPA has tightened its target for deadly particle pollution − states need more tools to reach it
The EPA recently tightened the air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), impacting millions in violation areas. While this stricter standard is beneficial...
Chronic exposure to air pollution may increase risk of cardiovascular hospitalization among seniors
A Harvard study found chronic exposure to fine air pollutants (PM2.5) increases seniors' risk of heart disease hospitalization. Examining data from 60 million people...
Air Pollution Is a Creeping Tax on American Life
Air pollution worsening due to climate change, posing a hidden but high cost...
DIY Tips for Better Home Air Quality: Simple Steps for a Healthier Environment
Healthy homes need healthy air! Pollutants lurk indoors, harming your lungs and well-being. But fear not! DIY solutions are here...
Indoor Air Pollution: A Silent Threat to Child Growth in Ethiopia
Ethiopian study links indoor air pollution to stunted children, highlighting a global issue. The situation is attacked with education & awareness campaigns, kitchen ventilation improvements, and policy changes to combat this invisible threat...
Avoid complacency as Hong Kong air pollution creeps back
According to the latest air quality report (AQR) released by Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department, air pollution returned to “normal levels” last year. Even though pollutants such as respirable suspended particulates...
EPA Establishes Stricter Air Quality Standard
U.S. EPA tightens soot, i.e. particulate matter "PM2.5", pollution limits, expecting major health benefits. New EPA standard aims to prevent 4,500 premature deaths and billions in healthcare...
Is the heating giving me a headache?
Winter woes like headaches and coughs might not be solely due to germs. Dry, heated indoor air can worsen symptoms. Irritations can be triggered by:...
Pollution can also be air-conditioned: Concern over air quality inside offices
Study finds: Despite air conditioning, 2/3 of the office buildings included in the study had CO2 levels above ideal, some double or triple the threshold. Moren than 1/3 of the studied buildings also exceeded PM2.5 and formaldehyde limits...
41% of the Indian population still relies on biomass for cooking, emitting 340 million tonnes of CO2
Quoting from a recent study entitled "India's Transition to E-cooking" by the independent think tank Centre for Science and Environment, we learn that 41% of the Indian population still uses wood, cow dung or other biomass...
Major research begins into ‘non-ideal’ operation of wood burners
As current estimates of how much wood burners contribute to air pollution are based around their use in optimal conditions, researchers from the Universities of Manchester and York and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science have started a six week study to measure emissions from...
The International Code Council Completes Draft Carbon Emissions Evaluation Standard
ATLANTA (February 2, 2024) ASHRAE and the International Code Council (ICC) announced the release of the full publication public review draft of a proposed joint standard for the evaluation and documentation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across a building’s life cycle...
What’s Indoor Air Quality Like in Long-Term Care Facilities During Wildfires? Worse Than You’d Think.
Excessive levels of particulate matter ("PM"), e.g. due to wildfire smoke, pose a major health threat to nursing home residents who are already vulnerable due to respiratory and cardiac conditions. Research shows alarming levels of smoke infiltration into such facilities despite being indoors...
Airborne Particulate Matter Filtration Using Non-Thermal Plasma Air Purification
Indoor air pollution from tiny particles ("particulate matter"), a hidden health threat, is being tackled by a game-changer: non-thermal plasma air purification. Results from experiments indicate a potential replacement of the HEPA filters. This system removes harmful particles using electric fields, achieving HEPA-like efficiency (99.95%!) for most sizes. It shines compared with HEPA-filters due to a substantially lower energy consumption...
Beyond Breathing: Chemicals absorb through skin, too.
Even common household items like plastics, furniture, and cleaning products emit chemicals that pollute indoor air. These "semi-volatile" chemicals can not only be inhaled and ingested, but alarmingly, they can also directly penetrate our skin...
Fresh Air, Happy Diners: Why Restaurants Must Prioritize IAQ
IAQ is the new secret ingredient restaurants need to master. It's not just about keeping customers comfortable, it's about their health, your staff's well-being, and even saving the planet. Poor air quality means irritated diners, increased employee absences, and a potential hygiene nightmare. Think allergy attacks, headaches, and even higher respiratory illness rates...
CES Whispers Tech's Clean Air Promise
A CES trek revealed tech's air quality ambitions, but not without caveats. Sensor boom fizzled, leaving air filtration as the star product, albeit a basic one. VOCs, indoor pollution's elusive foe, lack convincing fixes...
Gas vs. Induction: Should You switch or stay?
Are gas stoves health hazards in disguise? A deep dive into gas vs. induction revealed some disturbing truths. Cooking with gas sends plumes of harmful pollutants, including NO2 and PM2.5...
Is Your Bedroom Stealing Your Sleep?
Think your bedroom is just a place to crash after a long day? Think again. New research reveals that the quality of your sleep environment, or indoor environmental quality (IEQ), plays a major role in your health and well-being.
Sick Schools, Sick Students: Why Our Classrooms Need an Indoor Air Quality Overhaul
America's school buildings are crumbling, with stale air thick with mold, chemicals, and viruses. Extreme temperatures bake classrooms, triggering heat exhaustion and disrupting learning. This neglected infrastructure...
Indoor air quality worse than outdoors for most of the world
Dyson's report reveals indoor air quality is worse than outdoors for most of the world. 85% of studied countries had indoor PM2.5 levels exceeding WHO guidelines for over 6 months in 2020
Ambient Intelligence, the Future of the Smart Office
How people use technologies in the future is likely to involve
ambient computing, a world where there is no need for conscious
interaction as billions of devices will work invisibly in the
background and only come to the fore when necessary.
Ambient computing is highly responsive and personalized to the
needs, preferences, and environments of the end user.
Sick Building Syndrome
What is it? Sick building syndrome (SBS) is when people in a building experience health or comfort problems that seem linked to being there. While specific causes are unknown, symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and eye irritation are common.
The Sleep Deprivation You Don't Know You Have
We all know sleep is essential for our health. But did you
know that elevated CO2 levels in your bedroom can disrupt your
sleep cycle, leaving you feeling tired and unproductive? A
common misconception is that split Air Conditioners bring in
fresh outdoor air. That's not true. They merely circulate it,
which may be good to conserve energy, but does nothing to
reduce CO2 levels. Quite the opposite.
We have attached a link to an article on the impact of
increased CO2 levels on sleep quality that you may find
interesting.
Schedule a Demo with AirGuard to learn more about the hidden
dangers of indoor air pollution and how we can help you and
your coworkers breathe easy.
Breathe Better, Think Sharper
Increasing ventilation rates in buildings significantly
improves occupant health and productivity, outweighing the
associated energy and environmental costs.
We have attached a link to an article on the Implications of
Enhanced Ventilation in Office Buildings that you may find
interesting.