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The Air We Breathe

Government encourages businesses to improve the indoor air quality of their offices, writes BRETT CAMERON

Three million people die each year from air pollution related illnesses, according to the World Health Organisation reports. Given that indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than the outdoor air, indoor air pollution should be a serious concern for us all, as it can cause lethargy, upper respiratory diseases, weaken our immune system, and cause cancer.

Realising the need for improved air quality in the workplace, the government issued on September 18 "Guidance Notes for the Management of Indoor Air Quality in Offices and Public Places." The move provides a wake-up call to the very real threat that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) poses to our health.

As we usually spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, better indoor air quality can greatly benefit our health, improve productivity, reduce absenteeism at work and enable businesses to get the most out of their employees.

Ilse Massenbauer-Strafe, Managing Director of Oxyvital, a local company that has developed an air quality processing system, said companies are increasingly aware of the need to manage the quality of air in the workplace.

"People are waking up to the fact that they need to protect themselves against poor indoor air quality, not just because it can cause lasting damage to our lungs, but also because they realise it can be a potential breeding ground for diseases," she said.

Benchmarking

A report released by the Hong Kong Government in 1997 disclosed that 32 percent of our buildings could be considered "sick buildings." More recently, a study conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong concluded that 49.6 percent of office workers were clinically defined as having rhinitus (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose), and a Hong Kong University study reported that 42.3 percent of school children also suffered from rhinitus.

Current indications suggest that over 50 percent of our buildings do not meet the new government IAQ guidelines and, in some cases, may even be considered as "health threatening."

So what can businesses in Hong Kong do?  To keep air in the office clean, the air needs to be changed at least 20 times per hour. Bear in mind that the air changes can only be as good the outdoor air introduced. Good housekeeping has shown to reduce the levels of bacteria and dust in the office by as much as 10 percent.

Those with a green thumb might ask, will growing more plants around the office help?  Studies have revealed this is actually detrimental as plants introduce micro-organisms into the environment.

Air filters that contain a commonly used "HEPA" filter and activated carbon can reduce dust and certain harmful elements, but they require frequent maintenance.

Other machines provide ionization, ultraviolet light, and photocatalytic detoxifiers. Some can help reduce bacteria, some dust, and some volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but they are also known to produce ozone, which, when inhaled can damage the lungs.

Ms Massenbauer-Strafe, says companies should ask air purification system providers not just about how they clean the air, but also if they create any by-products.

"Our Oxyvital technology, for example, uses a natural mineral, zeolites, that processes the pollutant gases down to a size 2,000 times smaller than 1 micron, so it is really breaking down the pollutants, rather than just collecting dust and bacteria in filter-based systems," she said.

Ms Massenbauer-Strafe says a good air quality system needs to be able to take care of all indoor pollution factors: particulates, including airborne bacteria, spores, pollen, and dust; respiratory suspended particulates; and gasses -- CO, CO2, formaldehyde, radon, volatile organic compounds and NO2.

Maintenance costs also need to be factored into the price, such as electricity costs, replacement of parts and filters, etc.

"What might seem to be the cheapest solution at first glance, could end up being the most expensive at the end of the day," she said. "So businesses really need to carefully consider the pros and cons of each system or service before they commit themselves."

Brett Cameron is Chief, Business Development, Oxyvital. He can be reached at, brett@oxyvital.com.