Descripción
Environmental Hygiene: What is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and what is its importance
Contamination of indoor environments can cause health problems,which can range from simple fatigue or discomfort, allergy symptoms, infections, among more serious ones.
The contaminants present in the indoor air can be of 3 types, pollutants and depend on the activity that develops inside the interior environments, as well as the location of the buildings, the ventilation of these and are:
- Chemicals such as carbon dioxide or monoxide, volatile organic compounds, vehicle fuel combustion products, industrial zones, garden location, etc.
- Physical as is the presence of fibers, dust, temperature, noise.
- Biological such as bacteria, viruses, fungi. Some of them are pathogenic and cause disease. Virus: Adenovirus (respiratory infections), Parvovirus, Herpesvirus (herpes, chickenpox zoster, mononucleosis), Influenza virus (flus), Coronavirus (common constipated, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Coronavirus). Bacteria: Neisseria meningitidis (meningitis), Staphylococcus aureus (pneumonia), Streptococcus such as Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, pneumococcus (throat diseases, middle ear, sinuses, lungs, skin, heart valves and bloodstream).
The summation of these contaminants in an indoor environment, can cause illness or unpleasant symptoms to people who develop their activity inside these spaces since high parameters are related to the degree of disconfort such as physical factors of high or low temperature, relative humidity, air renewals…
Indoor Air Quality Legislation (CAI / IAQ) – Quality and Environmental Health
Indoor Air Quality (CAI/ IAQ) in public buildings (offices, clinics, workplaces, factories, public transport stations, schools, etc.) is directly related to people’s health, productivity and comfort. So you can talk about environmental hygiene as a section of business management of great importance. In addition, there are regulations that require to ensure adequate Indoor Air Quality (CAI / IAQ), so it becomes, too, is another key aspects for regulatory compliance or compliance.
The Building Thermal Installations Regulation (RITE) establishes with respect to indoor air quality that thermal installations (heating, cooling and ventilation) will maintain an adequate indoor air quality for health and safety. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health indicates connections between environmental pollution and mere use of a building as a workplace and the appearance of discomfort and unpleasant symptoms that can lead to illnesses for workers: dryness, itching, stinging, tearing and redness of the eyes; dryness and nasal congestion, sore throat, sneezing, hypersensitivity, asthma, rhinitis or dermatitis… Poor indoor air quality can also affect a person’s overall condition: headaches, weakness, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, irritability and nausea. On the other hand, poor environmental hygiene causes chain contagion of infectious diseases,some of them as common as influenza.
Measures to improve Indoor Air Quality (CAI/IAQ) and Quality and Environmental Health can be adopted include natural ventilation, the use of mechanical ventilation and proper cleaning of all facilities. In this sense, performing indoor air treatments with ozone generators and air purifiers can be an appropriate and effective solution for environmental hygiene and improve Indoor Air Quality (CAI/IAQ) and Quality and Environmental Health.
CAI Indoor Air Quality IAQ and Abson Environmental Health Audit
For all that said, it is essential to take environmental hygiene, Indoor Air Quality (CAI / IAQ) seriously and develop a diagnosis of Quality and Environmental Health indoors; as the diagnosis is related to the health of the staff of the enclosures, facilities and buildings are carried out activities.
within our environmental hygiene services, what we do is an audit of the Quality of the Indoor Environment in the facilities and/or premises analyzing the parameters described in the regulations concerning Quality of Indoor Environments and Quality and Environmental Health (NORMA UNE 171330 – Environmental quality indoors; NORMA UNE-EN 15251 – Parameters of the interior environment to consider for the design and evaluation of the energy efficiency of buildings including indoor air quality, thermal conditions, lighting and noise (2008); NORMA UNE-EN 13779 – Ventilation of non-residential buildings. Performance requirements for ventilation and enclosure conditioning systems (2008), Royal Decree 238/2013, Royal Decree 1027/2007, UNE 100.012: Hygiene of Air conditioning systems, …).
It should be noted the mandatory and necessary compliance of an Annual Audit of indoor air quality in buildings with thermal installations of rated useful potential greater than 70kW (sum of the power of all equipment). Not forgetting, too, that WHO itself has identified the interior environment in buildings as one of the main health risks, given the large amount of daily time that people spend inside them.
Thus, with the indoor air quality environmental hygiene service (CAI / IAQ) and Quality and Environmental Health Abson presents the customer with the detailed environmental hygiene report with the necessary solutions, if necessary, to ensure a high degree of comfort and safety in the rooms and, in general, throughout the building; preventing illnesses, derived job casualties and ensuring regulatory compliance. In this way, it improves the productivity of workers, avoids sanctions, positively affecting business profitability.