What did you breathe today?
We spend more than 90 percent of our time indoors and indoor air can be up to 50 times more polluted than outdoor air. In homes, offices and schools, indoor air
pollutants consist of outdoor pollutants that infiltrate buildings but are also generated by our own activities. Indoor pollutants can include, for example, fine and
ultrafine combustion particles and gases from copying papers, fireplaces, candles, air fresheners, textiles, furniture, paint and detergents, for instance.
Every day we eat about 1 kg of food.
We drink approximately 2 litres of liquids
and we breathe 25 kg of air.
You are probably quite conscious about what
you eat and drink, but do you know if every breath
you take is really healthy clean air?
Filter facts – how particles impact health
Efficient air filters can capture ultrafine particles (2.5 μm diameter and below), which are the most harmful because they can reach the lungs and diffuse through the blood
stream directly to the vital and sensitive organs of our bodies. According to WHO, ultrafine particles are known to have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system
and reduce lung and respiratory functions, especially in children and older, more vulnerable people. The particle size that can most easily penetrate filters and the human body is around 0.4 μm. All filters are therefore tested against this particle size.
A high-quality air filter will keep its efficiency over its lifetime, which is not the case of charged synthetic filters. When synthetic air filters are new, they trap particles thanks
to electrostatic bonds. However, this initial performance decreases over time as the filters lose their electrostatic charge, and eventually they will also lose their ability to
capture particles and will consequently release them slowly into the indoor environment.
The cost of air pollution
Air pollution reduces the life expectancy of Europeans by almost nine months and sick leave totals more than EUR 80 billion of the EU’s GDP. Short-term sick leave associated with the outdoor air supply has been analyzed using a sample of 3,720 employees (of which 600 were office employees). The results show a 35-percent reduction in sick leave rates associated with increased ventilation. The combination of a systematic improvement in ventilation systems and sick leave reduction was estimated to save approximately EUR 180 annually per employee.