HOME Return to Industrial, Commercial & Government Facilities Home  

 

Types of Contaminants

Causes and Effects of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Problems for Industrial, Commercial
and Government Facilities

The United States Environmental protection Agency (USEPA) ranks IAQ as one of its top five environmental concerns. According to a USEPA study, the levels of contaminants in industrial facilities, commercial office buildings, schools, governmental facilities and other indoor environments can be many times higher than levels found outdoors. Common problem sources are:

  • Manufacturing processes
  • Interior maintenance activities
  • Renovation projects
  • Office and cleaning chemicals
  • Off-gassing from furnishings and carpets

Poor IAQ is a top concern of the USEPA.

 

Bad IAQ can have a negative impact on productivity.

Negative Health Impact

Potential adverse effects of poor IAQ on the health, comfort and well-being of building occupants are well documented. These can include:

  • Allergic reactions
  • Infectious illnesses
  • Reduced comfort
  • Reduced productivity and morale
  • Employee complaints
  • Increased absenteeism
  • Potential lawsuits

The detrimental perception alone created by unpleasant or unfamiliar odors can affect occupants and cause “reactions” that are real or imaginary. The causes of IAQ problems generally fall into one or more of several categories.

Building-Related

Building materials, building systems, undiagnosed maintenance or repair problems and poor facility maintenance can create indoor air pollutants. Building-related illness (BRI) is the term used to describe the more serious potential health effects.

Inadequate facility maintenance can create building-related illness.

Indoor Pollutants

Office furnishings, such as new carpets and laminated wood products, create off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOC) including formaldehyde. This is especially noticeable when the furnishings are new.

Allergens that are trapped in carpets, drapes and upholstered fabrics can be released into the air. Other sources of indoor pollutants are improperly designed or maintained facility HVAC systems that act as a breeding ground for bacteria and mold; and inadequate fresh air ventilation.

Outdoor Pollutants

Outdoor air contaminants and allergens can enter the building envelope, thereby lowering the IAQ of the facility. Pollutants such as dirt, dust, soot, pollen, mold, bacteria and odors not removed by the facility HVAC system can create an on-going health hazard.

Indoor construction and maintenance projects can create poor IAQ.

Facility Renovation and Maintenance

Indoor construction, renovation, maintenance or repair activities can release drywall dust, sawdust (a carcinogen), mold spores, VOC, odors and other contaminants into the air. Even routine and seemingly harmless maintenance activities such as replacement of drop ceiling tiles or fluorescent lamps can release potentially harmful dust particles containing Aspergillus–which may lead to Aspergillosis in sensitive patients.


Infectious Occupants

In enclosed environments, germs from one person can spread much more easily from person-to-person than in outdoor air. Facility HVAC systems can circulate these germs from one room or area to another.

Process or Equipment

Manufacturing processes, warehousing and food preparation can create potentially hazardous or irritating airborne contaminants. Though these processed may take place “out on the floor,” the potential exists for pollutants to enter the office environment where facility HVAC systems cannot remove them causing poor IAQ.

 

Manufacturing processes can release hazardous contaminants into the air.

 

Facility managers must be prepared for the threat of bioterrorism.

Bioterrorism

A more recent concern and certainly the most frightening potential threat to facility occupants involve the intentional release and distribution of a highly toxic chemical, biological or nuclear material into a building’s central ventilation system.

The Solution to Improving IAQ

Since 1990, HEPA-AIRE® Portable Air Scrubbers (PAS) from Abatement Technologies have been the number one choice among facility managers and professional contractors for capturing and controlling indoor air pollutants in commercial buildings, industrial facilities and government buildings. Today, Abatement Technologies offers an array of state-of-the-art air purification and facility inspection products to mitigate a wide range of IAQ problems, including the potential threat of biological contaminants.

Abatement Technologies HEPA-AIRE Portable Air Scrubbers
Left to right: Abatement PAS600, Abatement PAS1200, Abatement PAS1800 and Abatement PAS2400

To learn more about our IAQ Testing and Remediation products, click here.

To learn more about Setting Up Clean Air Zones and Bioterrorism Safe Rooms, click here.

  
 

Top

Home About Us New Products Press Releases CareersContact Us Site Map

 

© 2007 Abatement Technologies, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.Disclaimer