How to Prevent Build-up of Indoor Air Contaminants

The build-up of indoor air contaminants in workplaces and commercial premises can cause headaches, respiratory irritation, loss of focus, fatigue and other health problems. In addition, this will result in loss of morale and productivity as well as affect the customer experience.

How to prevent build-up of indoor air contaminants

It’s then important to maintain good indoor air quality to safeguard people’s health and overall wellbeing. One straightforward solution to that is by improving area ventilation. This way, the contaminants get diluted and the build-up is slowed down or prevented.

An adequate supply of fresh outdoor air will help with that dilution. Through effective natural or mechanical ventilation, more outdoor fresh air comes in and some of the contaminants may find their way out. In other words, if the system is open, the system or area tends to achieve equilibrium with its surroundings (just like when the smell of perfume quickly spreads throughout the room). If outdoor air quality is good and the fresh air is allowed to come in, that fresh air will also be present inside the building premises.

To improve area ventilation and further dilute the contaminants or make them come out, we have to talk about efficiency. This way, air flow becomes active and free. To improve air flow and ventilation efficiency, HVAC professionals might first verify if the room air vents and outdoor air supply dampers are open. Another measure is inspecting the area whether there are obstructions that restrict or block air flow. The obstructions and partitions might then be removed or modified to improve air circulation. In many workplaces and commercial premises they use room fans to further improve the dilution of pollutants.

The assessment done by HVAC professionals might also reveal that the outdoor air intakes are near automobile parking, roadways, building exhausts and other areas that are potential sources of air contamination. The assessment might also result in the recommendation of the use of air treatment technologies such as filtration and chemical treatment using sorbents.

There are other effective solutions for improving ventilation inside workplaces and commercial premises. If you want to learn more and know which ones are practical for your building or asset, you can contact us here at ACG Commercial.