maintenance matters CO 2 By: Thomas Aiken Beyond VOC monitors help improve indoor air quality and reduce energy costs. T Todayʼs maintenance professionals are faced with a dilemma. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can cause health problems for occupants, reduce productivity and create a negative impres-sion of the facility. One solution is to install indoor air qual-ity monitors that signal fans to turn on only as needed. Some of these systems function by mon-itoring the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the air. Unfortunately, CO 2 -based monitors canʼt detect the smell from a tuna sandwich left in a desk drawer over the weekend, or sweaty socks in a gymnasium locker or unpleasant odors in a restroom. A better solution is an air quality monitor that can detect odors by sensing the pres-ence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). By signaling fans to turn on when these compounds are present, and off when air quality returns to normal, VOC monitors reduce utility costs and optimize proper ventilation, thus ensuring the highest air quality. The True Cost Of Poor Air Quality Adults typically spend more than 80 per-cent of their day indoors, consuming about 15 kilograms of air per day. If the quality of the air they breathe is poor, it can cause health problems. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), immediate symptoms of exposure to polluted air can include throat irritation, dizziness and headaches. Long-term health risks can include respi-ratory disease, heart disease and even cancer. According to a U.S. White House Summit on Sustainable Buildings, students in schools with healthy air are more profi-cient at retaining information and teachers have fewer sick days. For employers, improving indoor air quality directly correlates with higher pro-ductivity and a more satisfied workforce. In fact, the Technical University of Denmarkʼs International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy reported that poor indoor air quality in buildings can decrease productivity by as much as six to nine percent. While health and productivity are impor-tant, a malodorous room reflects poorly on the image of the facility. A restaurant with great food and reason-able prices is bound to see a decrease in business if patrons lose their appetites after a visit to an unpleasant restroom. Lingering cigarette smoke in hotel hall-ways and lobbies can drift into non-smok-ing rooms, irritating guests. And while gym visitors come to sweat, they donʼt want to be overwhelmed by the odor of perspiration when they walk in the door. levels, theyʼre not detected by most indoor air quality monitors. As air quality monitoring technology has become more sophisticated, itʼs now possi-ble to detect the presence of VOCs, such as cooking odors, human bio-effluents, out-door pollutants, paints and lacquers, clean-ing supplies and toxins. F I G U R E 1 Examples Of VOCs And Sources Su b s t a n c e G r o u p Alcohols Aldehydes Ketones Esters Terpenes Aromatics Alkanes E x a m p l e alcohol, mineral spirits formaldehyde butanone methyl acetate pinene xylol heptane S o u r c e s cleaning supplies building materials paints glues glues paints and glues human breath IAQ Defined By Temperature, Humidity And Odor The climate control industry defines the quality of indoor air as a measure of tem-perature, humidity and carbon dioxide. For decades, the primary method for improving indoor air quality has been to dilute the amount of CO 2 and other con-taminants through HVAC systems. Unfortunately, as odors do not alter CO 2 Figure 1 shows the sources of the most common chemical groups of mixed gases found in indoor air. These gases can be released into a facil-ityʼs air from building materials, furnishings, office equipment and adhesives. According to the EPA, VOCs are two to five times more likely to be found inside enclosed environments than outside. VOC-based air quality monitors optimize proper ventilation to ensure the highest air quality. 36 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • July 2009
CMM – Archives Jul 2009: 36
