May 1 marks World Asthma Day, a global annual event to improve awareness and care for this life-changing respiratory condition. Here in the UK they, unfortunately, have some of the highest levels of asthma in Europe: 5.4 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma – that's 1.1 million children (1 in 11) and 4.3 million adults (1 in 12).
Asthma is a condition of the airways whereby sufferers face symptoms from wheezing to potentially fatal attacks. Poor outdoor air quality, a huge contributor to respiratory illness, is set to become a public health crisis.
Effective building ventilation
London is likely to exceed nitrogen dioxide (NOX) limits and this problem echoes around many cities, not just the capital. Although many of us spend over 90% of the time inside a building, this does not offer 100% protection from outdoor pollutants.
Effective building ventilation plays a vital role in reducing the triggers for asthma
Even with natural ventilation/opening windows, amounts of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, volatile organic compounds, smoke, fungi, pollen, and bacteria can penetrate the inside environment adding to the risk of asthma, eczema, colds, flu, and the condition known as sick building syndrome. Effective building ventilation, therefore, plays a vital role in reducing the triggers for asthma, benefitting all occupants – not just those with respiratory conditions - by improving indoor air quality. Schools, offices, and even residential properties can be made cleaner and fresher with a cutting-edge yet flexible ventilation system.
Reducing energy consumption
Clean indoor air also has a commercial value in terms of reduction of lethargy, germs, and sick pay, and increased productivity and staff well-being. Although air tightness of buildings is high on the agenda for reducing energy consumption, they should also be striving to improve indoor air quality. According to The BESA's chief executive "Improving building ventilation is a quick and relatively painless process that can be tackled today to help protect people in the meantime. Building owners also have a duty of care to protect the health of their tenants and employees.”
Those responsible for ventilation, heating, and cooling of buildings (and indeed a duty of care) will be pleased to hear there is a range of energy-efficient solutions that can provide clean, fresh air all year round. They can also reduce energy bills, smells, and outdoor noise – something not to be sniffed at.
Quality ventilation products
Adcock has successfully improved ventilation for various educational, research, and commercial premises including William Hill, Apex Contractors for Mid Kent College, and BDW’s offices. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) units and air handling units (AHUs) are designed to deliver a constant supply of fresh air to a building whilst simultaneously extracting the stale air.
The heated (or cooled) outgoing air transfers the heat energy to heat (or cool) the incoming air
They provide a healthy, comfortable environment and can work alongside the current heating and/or cooling system. As Adcock is a top tier partner for Mitsubishi Electric, they can offer the best advice on such quality ventilation products. Their engineers regularly install Mitsubishi Electric's popular Lossnay MVHR which can recover over 80% of the energy from the outgoing air with its fine paper core system. The heated (or cooled) outgoing air transfers this heat energy to heat (or cool) the incoming air. As one can expect, the air is also filtered from outdoor pollution.
Clean indoor air
The new Lossnay VL-50 is a unit that can be fitted on a room-by-room or retrofit basis, meaning fresh indoor air can be enjoyed in homes as well as commercial and public buildings. The VL-50 also reduces condensation and limits mildew growth that attacks human health and the building itself.
As buildings move from being functional to eventually biophilic, engineering leaders are positioning clean indoor air as a right, not a privilege. If one has existing ventilation or air conditioning unit, their engineers can thoroughly assess its performance. If one requires a new or upgraded system they can find the one that fits in seamlessly and delivers clean air, health and productivity.
