Breathe Easy – The Future of Air Quality in Office Spaces
Featuring FIBA company Aura Air. The reopening process is underway and soon we will have to go back to our offices. A treatment for COVID-19 won’t be found tomorrow, but we will still be expected to come to the office and work. In this case then, how will work . . . work?
The virus can live on surfaces for days at a time, and it can stay in the air for up to 14 minutes, potentially infecting people who breathe it in. The popular efforts to keep people separated provides a short-term solution. However, in spaces that many human bodies are sharing for eight or more hours at a time — especially in spaces that are as poorly ventilated as office buildings — separation may not always be a realistic solution. Right now, the majority of office buildings in the U.S. do not have adequate HVAC systems to bring in fresh air. Instead, most office buildings in the U.S. recirculate the same indoor air, which actually aids in the spread of airborne pathogens. It also means most buildings have unhealthy levels of carbon dioxide, which has been shown to decrease productivity levels and cognitive ability.
A new study from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health even correlates COVID-19-related-deaths to poor air quality. Individuals who were exposed to particulate matter 2.5 were significantly more prone to die from the coronavirus. PM 2.5 comes from a number of sources, both indoor and outdoor, which is why air filtration is so important for employee health. Air conditioners, which often lack proper filters, will circulate outdoor air that is filled with pollutants throughout the office space.Read the full article on In Business Phoenix here.
