Tag: IAQ

BS 40102 – A Two Part Standard on Health, Wellbeing, Thermal Comfort, and Indoor Air Quality

Sotirios Papathanasiou2 Comments

The BS 40102, a fresh standard introduced in 2022 (draft released) by the British Standards Institute, focuses on assessing the health, wellbeing, and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of buildings. It incorporates an updated best-practice method for addressing thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and overheating in buildings.

Regarding the new exposure limits, they are derived from various sources, including the DEFRA Daily Air Quality Index, WHO Air Quality Guidelines 2021, BREEAM and WELL Guidelines, and British Standard BS EN 16798-1.

Part 1 – Health and Wellbeing in Buildings

  • BS 40102-1 gives recommendations for the measuring, monitoring and reporting of the well-being and IEQ performance of an occupied building and the associated building services.
  • BS 40102-1 provides an evaluation and rating system (IEQ performance score), the aim of which is to enhance IEQ, to create healthier buildings and improve the well-being of building occupants; including but not limited to staff, visitors, tenants and customers. 
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Understanding ASHRAE Standard 241: A Boon for Building Occupants

Sotirios Papathanasiou1 Comment

Understanding ASHRAE Standard 241: Control of Infectious Aerosols

ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, is a global professional organization committed to advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and their allied fields. They have recently introduced a new standard, ASHRAE 241-2023, which focuses on the ‘Control of Infectious Aerosols.’ This new standard is a significant step forward in addressing the transmission of airborne diseases in non-healthcare settings.

The Genesis of ASHRAE 241

The genesis of ASHRAE 241 was during the COVID-19 pandemic, where there was a widespread realization that ventilation rates in non-healthcare settings were not designed to mitigate airborne disease transmission. The pandemic highlighted the inadequacies of our buildings’ ventilation systems, and organizations scrambled to upgrade their systems without a clear understanding of ‘how much’ ventilation was needed.

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Indoor Air Quality and ChatGPT by OpenAI

Sotirios Papathanasiou4 Comments

This is the first Artificial Intelligent (AI) written article on Indoor Air Quality. I was interested to see if technology understands the issue. I have done zero corrections. What do you think?

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important but often overlooked aspect of a home’s environment. Poor IAQ can lead to a variety of health issues, such as asthma, allergies, headaches, and other respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Given the health risks associated with poor IAQ, it’s important to understand the sources of indoor air pollutants, the measures you can take to reduce them, and the steps you should take if you suspect your home has a IAQ issue.

Indoor air pollutants come from a variety of sources, including mold, dust mites, pet dander, pollen, chemicals, and building materials. These pollutants can enter your home through open windows, ventilation systems, and other pathways. Poor maintenance of these sources can lead to an increase in the amount of pollutants in the air. For example, failing to regularly clean carpets and filters can lead to an accumulation of dust and other contaminants.

One source of indoor air pollution that is often dismissed is wood burning. Wood burning can produce both direct and indirect air pollutants, such as smoke, soot, and other particulate matter. The smoke can contain a variety of hazardous compounds, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde. In addition, the smoke from wood burning can also contain other pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). All of these pollutants can be hazardous to human health, particularly if the exposure is prolonged.

Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to reduce the levels of indoor air pollutants and improve the quality of your home’s air. Regularly cleaning carpets, upholstery, and other surfaces can help reduce the amount of dust and other allergens in the air. Additionally, regularly changing the air filters in your air conditioning and heating systems can help reduce the amount of dust and other particles in the air. Finally, using an air purifier can also help reduce the amount of indoor air pollutants.

If you suspect your home has a IAQ issue, it’s important to take steps to investigate and address the problem. The first step is to identify the source of the problem. This can involve hiring professionals to assess the air quality in your home, as well as conducting tests to identify the specific pollutants in the air. Once the source of the problem has been identified, you can then take steps to address it, such as improving ventilation, cleaning regularly, and using air purifiers.

In conclusion, poor IAQ can lead to a variety of health issues, including asthma, allergies, headaches, and other respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Therefore, it’s important to understand the sources of indoor air pollutants, the measures you can take to reduce them, and the steps you should take if you suspect your home has a IAQ issue. By taking steps to reduce indoor air pollutants and address the sources of IAQ issues, you can help ensure your home’s air quality is as healthy as possible.

Indoor Air Quality Do’s and Don’ts

Sotirios Papathanasiou5 Comments

When it comes to indoor air we have to be very careful because common activities can deteriorate the air quality very fast. Apart from the fact that we spend a lot of time indoors, an indoor environment needs more time to recover once air pollution become present because houses tend to be very tight and don’t allow the dilution of pollutants as fast as ambient air.

Even people that are very conscious, like myself, commit mistakes. The other day, for example, I was preparing caramel syrup for a holiday dessert, and as I wasn’t paying attention to the caramel (because I was multitasking), the caramel burnt. In a matter of seconds, IAQ dropped significantly. VOCs and PMx concentrations rose. At that moment and based on the outdoor conditions, I decided that it was more appropriate to open all windows in order to dilute the pollutants fast. Cross ventilation to the rescue!

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Webinar – IAQ from A to Z

Sotirios PapathanasiouLeave a comment

Join my webinar on January 11th 2022 at 10:00 AM EST as I discusses Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) from A to Z. Effective measurement of IAQ reduces the health risks associated with poor indoor air, creating a safer, more harmonious environment for people to thrive.

We spend up to 87% of our time indoors. In some cases, exposure to indoor air pollution can lead to acute and chronic respiratory illnesses, including asthma, lung cancer, pneumonia, systemic hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Finally, I will discuss the common sources and pollutants indoors, international IAQ standards, and many more.

Register here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

https://forms.gle/isUyLHwykGNXE61G9

How to Eliminate Odors from Indoor Spaces

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Let me tell you from the beginning it is not an easy task. Odors are VOCs, sulfur-containing compounds, and nitrogen-containing compounds. In most cases, odors come from rotten food inside the garbage bin or off-gassing materials that are new and of a low-quality like furniture, paint, and flooring.

Sulfur-containing compounds like hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs smell), dimethyl sulfide (rotten cabbage smell), etc are produced during the anaerobic breakdown of food waste. They have a low odor threshold, which means that we can smell them even in only very small amounts.

Nitrogen-containing compounds like putrescine (rotting meat smell), trimethylamine (fishy smell), etc have a low odor threshold. Unlike ammonia (pungent smell) which is produced in large quantities, it has a higher odor threshold, so doesn’t contribute to indoor smell as much.

Another source of unpleasant odor indoors is the combustion of cigarettes/wood as the chemicals released from the burning biomass can infuse inside the walls and textiles. They call it thirdhand smoke as the residual contamination from smoke lingers indoors, and the cancer-causing substances such as formaldehyde can harm us.

What NOT to do!

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The Dark Side of the Wood Stove Industry

Sotirios Papathanasiou11 Comments

You probably have seen “cozy” images of fireplaces or wood stoves with happy people, a blanket around them, and a hot beverage and you may have thought that’s something very appealing, I want that! Well, I would suggest thinking twice before taking that decision and if you have already taken it, maybe it’s time to undo your mistake.

You see, people get sick thanks to these “cozy” elements in houses. It’s very hard to undo the brain wash the wood stove industry has done all of these years but we have to realize that wood burning is neither sustainable nor healthy.

Many claims that biomass is sustainable but this is a myth. A story designed to push people into spending money for status or simple ineffective heating. You see, clean energy (wind, solar, etc) doesn’t require the user to buy fuel, logs, or pellets every season. It is there for us but doesn’t generate constant revenue for the companies.

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Modern Houses & Indoor Air Quality 🏡

Sotirios Papathanasiou1 Comment

One will think that the more modern the house, the better the indoor air quality. However, that’s not always the truth as recently I discovered that many houses have inadequate appliances that will create harmful air pollutants and some of them will falsely mitigate contaminants by creating a false sense of remediation.

Example #1

Gas cooktops are a must according to good chefs as the pans are able to heat immediately and you have more control of the heat. That’s not true as the new induction cook tops are able to heat the bottom of the pans as fast without releasing harmful pollutants like Nitrogen dioxide.

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Review: Mila Air Purifier by Mila Cares

Sotirios Papathanasiou3 Comments

Indoor air purification made affordable!? If you see the competition out there, you will notice that some air purifiers are crazy expensive. Sometimes justified, but most of the time not so much. The problem is that in a modern household we want smart devices that will manage stuff for us automatically and intelligently. Here comes Mila Air, an air purifier for the modern ages in an affordable package.

Mila Air by Mila Cares uses proven techniques to remove air pollutants from your indoor environment such as filters with HEPA H12 or H13 or H14, among others. You choose which one is the best for you. There are many other filter combinations that are ingenuously described by the company in order to make the product more accessible to the everyday folks that want to improve indoor air quality and aren’t experts in the field.

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Air Quality Monitors – Comparison List 2022 Q2

Sotirios Papathanasiou4 Comments

The famous list with all the available indoor air quality monitors is finally updated. In this version there are two tabs. Air quality monitors for consumers (B2C) and for businesses (B2B). As always, I stay away from knockoffs and cheap products. An air quality monitor needs to function properly for 5 to 10 years depending the sensors − gas sensors tend to have a shorter lifespan.

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