Some office buildings house thousands of workers. Many office employees are spending longer periods of time at work. As businesses raise awareness about improving worker health, there is a hidden danger that goes overlooked. Proven research reveals how working conditions directly affects employee output and more people are spending long periods of time at work. Consequently, it is vital for buildings to have healthy air. But how does humidity affects indoor air quality? Let’s see.
Indoor Air Quality Factors and Health Risks
A report from the Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that:
- people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors
- exposure to indoor air pollutants for extended periods leads to health issues related to air quality
- workers with lung or heart problems are a high risk in poor indoor air quality
Office buildings suffer from constant changes in air quality. This occurs because of the amount of people constantly entering and exiting. Subsequently, many buildings have high levels of poor indoor air quality. The best way to fix this is to control the temperature, humidity, and the ventilation of the building. The report also details health risks occurring when these factors are neglected:
- dry or burning in the nose, eyes, and throat
- sneezing, stuffy or a runny nose
- fatigue
- headache
- dizziness
- nausea
- annoyance
- loss of thoughts
Obviously, these negatively affect the comfort, productivity, and health of the employees in a office building. Yet, addressing how to determine the right quality for a business involves answering such questions as:
- Which kind of businesses are inside the building?
- What it the effectiveness of the ventilation system?
- Where are the access points of the outside air?
- What are the humidity levels in the region?
- Is there a schedule of vent ducts, fans, and electrical system maintenance?
- What kind of humidification controls are in place?
How Humidity Affects Indoor Air Quality
Excessive humidity increases indoor air quality problems. How? These conditions create ideal settings for:
- mold
- dust mites
- viruses
- bacteria
Thus, high or low moisture levels is a major cause of bad air quality. Additionally, the CPSC report says that “…ventilation systems can be a source of indoor pollution themselves by spreading biological contaminants.” Such contaminants multiply “in cooling towers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, or the inside surfaces of ventilation duct work.”
Health Signs That Your Office Space Might Need an Industrial Humidifier
Do you see the same signs of poor health over and over in your employees? It could be due to the humidity levels in your workplace. You can get the optimal humidity levels from an office space industrial humidifier. Here are the signs to watch for that may indicate your need for an industrial humidifier.
When Air is Too Humid
The air in your office may be clean but can have too much humidity. This can cause mold growth in areas hidden to your eye. If mold begins growing, employees can start showing signs of mold toxicity. These signs include the following:
- Chronic coughing and wheezing
- Irritated skin
- Scratchy throat
- Eye infections
- Sinus infections
Not everyone is susceptible to toxic mold. However, if your employees are negatively affected by it, their work quality could suffer and they may need additional time off work. If toxic mold is left untreated, it can lead to lung problems in certain people. You can’t afford to leave your employees exposed to toxic mold. This can cost you precious working hours, slow down efficiency and affect your bottom line.
By using an industrial humidifier, you can ensure that the humidity level is not too high. This will help inhibit toxic mold growth and improve air quality. An industrial humidifier does a better job than a small humidifier since it regulates the size of the water droplets and constantly monitors the humidity level. It self-adjusts to the ideal level for your workplace.
When Air is Too Dry
Your employees can also experience negative health symptoms when the air is too dry. Neither extreme is good for your company. If the humidity level falls below 35 percent, you may run into problems such as these.
- Runny nose
- Nose bleeds
- Asthma attacks
- Allergy flare-ups
- Sinus problems
- Throat problems
SmartFog industrial humidifiers will keep the humidity level within a healthy range. You don’t have to spend much time maintaining them. Simply set them within the desired range and they will do the work of keeping air filled with the right amount of moisture.
Older or smaller humidifiers can’t do the “heavy lifting” of industrial humidifiers. They may do well in a certain area of a building but fail to provide sufficient humidity for the entire office space. They also need more maintenance and don’t always shut themselves off. You’ll save energy, water, time and money with an industrial humidifier.
The Solution: Innovative Humidifier that Sanitizes the Air
The ideal humidity level to maintain employee health is between 35 and 45 percent. This range will combat mold growth and also keep sinuses hydrated. SmartFog humidifiers do not have moving parts, so they require very little maintenance to do their job.
Considering the above, how will you approach the air quality in your office building? Too many businesses address the situation randomly or tend to guess at solutions. Why? There is a tendency to assume that building air quality and humidity are not fixable matters.
Nevertheless, Smart Fog’s systems use smart tech to address air cleanness and moisture. Our patented tech cleans the air and regulates correct humidity levels in office buildings. It does this by killing airborne pathogens through oxidization. How?
Smart Fog® uses a non-chemical process to form tiny water droplets. Normally, water droplets tend to attract. However, when droplets are extremely small; they oxidize into the air. Tiny droplets attract airborne pathogens and then destroys. Remarkably, Smart Fog causes no wetting, use no fans, and never clogs.
Smart Fog® destroys dust, mold, bacteria, and viruses. Our systems are available in wall-mounted units or in duct installations. Furthermore, they are energy-efficient, very low maintenance, and low pressure. The system also controls humidity levels to the exact needs of the working environment.
If you want to improve employee health or ward off health problems, consider investing in an office space industrial humidifier by SmartFog. Contact us at info@smartfog.com or call us at 1-800-921-5230 to get a quote. We can help you choose the best humidifier for your employees and your budget. You’ll have happier, more productive employees with the right humidifier solution.
To find out more about how affordable and safe our systems are, contact us today.
