With all the awareness towards indoor air quality, building owners have also started giving importance to their ventilation systems. So, why are they so important? It is astounding to think that in the 21st Century we seem to be losing the battle to clean up the air that we breathe. Generations gone by assumed the industrial smogs of the 1950s and 1960s were things of the past. Clean Air Act Amendments were passed by the US government as far back as the 1970s which led to the creation of national air quality standards.
And yet in 2021 we find that air pollution is one of the biggest threats to our health and – particularly shaming – to the health of our children. New figures from the World Health Organisation make shocking reading:
- More than 25% of all child deaths globally are attributable to unhealthy environments including indoor and outdoor air pollution;
- There are 360,000 premature deaths in the EU every year as a result of worsening air pollution – around 40,000 of which are in the UK;
- 1.7 million children under 5 years of age die every year as a result of the poor state of their living environment with air pollution a major contributor;
- Somewhere between 11 and 14% of children aged 5 years and older worldwide display asthma symptoms and an estimated 44% of these are related to environmental exposures including air pollution, second-hand tobacco smoke, and indoor mould and damp;
- Infants and pre-schoolers exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution have an increased risk of pneumonia in childhood, and a lifelong increased risk of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma.
Health Risks of Dirty Ventilation Systems
Biological pollutants can cause coughing, sneezing, dizziness, shortness of breath and even fevers; while excess chemicals in the air can lead to serious respiratory problems and lung disease. They also exacerbate existing heart conditions. If a child loses lung capacity as a result of living or playing close to a major road they will never get that capacity back again along with serious consequences for their health in later life too.
The British Lung Foundation has indicated that air pollution is potentially as big a threat to health as obesity and should be taken just as seriously after research has linked it to heart disease. Studies also reveal that up to 29 per cent of new childhood asthma cases in the UK are linked to air pollution. Pollution is a cause of health problems across the globe.
“Air pollution is contributing substantially to the burden of paediatric asthma”
Haneen Khreis of the Texas A&M Transportation institute.
The UK government has produced a Clean Air Strategy and part of this plan involves the reduction of indoor air pollutants and the role of indoor ventilation. Although this area is not currently subject to a lot of monitoring or enforcement we are likely to see this changing due to EU clean air regulations and court cases around this subject. As outdoor pollution rates soar so does the need for buildings to become ‘safe havens’ protecting children, employees and visitors from the infiltration of irritants and other pollutants entering buildings. Ventilation can create indoor ‘clean air zones’.
We are all accustomed with air conditioning and the concept of controlling heat inside buildings to improve comfort; when it is too hot or cold outside, people expect to step into comfortable conditions inside stores and offices. The same principle should apply to air pollution – people should expect a similar protection from outside air brought in from undesirable locations.
Currently, in many buildings, the opposite is the case with indoor conditions contributing to health issues. Check out our Ventilation Systems services here. Get a free quotation from our experienced team and let’s create the Perfect Service Solution for you!
