COVID 19 - AIR QUALITY MONITORING

The responsibility to manage IAQ ultimately falls on building owners and operators to safeguard occupant health. This is particularly true with regards healthcare facilities, where people are most vulnerable and at risk to airborne infections, such as coronavirus and influenza.

​Public building occupants are being exposed to increased risk from viruses, such as the coronavirus, because the regulations on indoor air quality (IAQ) are falling short of current scientific knowledge. Maintaining IAQ at above 40% RH has been scientifically shown to reduce viral cross infection, including coronavirus and influenza. Yet out-of-date regulations on the topic result in buildings such as hospitals, offices and schools experiencing dangerously low humidity levels every winter.

​The seasonality of viruses, such as coronaviruses and influenza, are further evidence of humidity’s role in their transmission. Indoor air is much drier in the winter and this corresponds to the rise of infections. The government’s coronavirus containment strategy takes into account the fact that infections will probably drop as warmer weather returns, and indoor humidity levels naturally return to a mid-range 40-60% RH. It doesn’t need to be this way! ​A healthy indoor humidity level can be maintained during winter if buildings incorporated humidification as part of the ventilation system. This would significantly reduce seasonal ‘flu transmission and save thousands of lives every year.​