The importance of air purification

by David L. Smith

Over the last few years, the pandemic has affected how we clean to stay safe. The increased use of disinfectants and cleaners has also increased the amount of airborne chemicals. Although facilities have improved their cleaning processes, how we clean buildings directly affects the air quality inside them.

Air purification is an emerging form of cleaning in the world of safety and indoor cleanliness. An air purification system can combat the chemicals and pollutants in the air to ensure cleaner air in your facility.

A study conducted by the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) reported that occupants living in “green buildings”, buildings that keep human health and environmental, economic, and social impact in mind exhibited higher productivity. By breathing in air with lower concentrations of CO2 and

volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — pollutants — occupants experienced “fewer sick days and lower asthma rates.”

With the ability to choose an air purification solution for your space and as an emerging sustainable cleaning technology, air purification is a practical approach to keeping the environment healthier.

In a report by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollutants are two to five times higher indoors. Pollen, dust, pathogens, and VOCs are all pollutants commonly found indoors and can be attributed to negative health effects. Sources can include HVAC systems, cleaning supplies, building and furnishing materials, outdoor air pollution, people, and animals.

While pollen and dust may trigger allergic reactions and induce symptoms such as sneezing, dizziness, coughing and fever, inhaling mould and VOCs can result in more serious health ramifications. Through the process of “off-gassing” (the release of chemicals into the air), VOCs from paint, air fresheners, cleaning solutions, fabrics, carpets, and other consumer goods can permeate the air throughout a facility.

Breathing in the chemicals released by these products can result in both short-term and chronic effects. Short-term exposure to low levels of VOCs may lead to headaches, nausea, and dizziness, while prolonged exposure can be associated with serious disease and central nervous system damage. In spaces where air ventilation is inadequate, the risk of infection from viruses and pathogens also increases, especially in crowded areas.

Buildings with poor air quality can often experience a high rate of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), a widely used term to describe adverse health effects linked to the time individuals spend in the building. Establishing methods to battle SBS within workplace settings can play a major factor in increasing a company’s efficiency.

A study in the Harvard Business Review reported that air purification and good ventilation “has been shown to reduce SBS symptoms, cut absenteeism, and even reduce infectious disease transmission” within the workplace. Statistics Canada also reports that improved air quality within workplaces can reduce the total number of sick days claimed each year by 19.4 per cent.

Air purification technology

The base technology in air purification systems is the cleaning of indoor air from air pollutants. Different types of systems change the way air is purified.

The most common purification system is the passive air purifier. Passive air purification machines pull indoor air into the system where any air pollutants detected are trapped in a filter and cleaner air is expelled back into the room.

The filtration processes in an air purifier varies depending on the type of material used in the filter. Each of the three most common scientifically engineered filters work to trap or inactivate air pollutants: 1. High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter: This filter traps particulates like allergens, pollen, viruses, mould, and bacteria to the fibres of the filter and pushes out cleaner air. 2. Activated carbon filter: Air is absorbed into the porous carbon where organic compounds found in the air react chemically with the activated carbon. This way, the pollutants stick to the filter and the air leaves the filter purified. 3. Ultraviolet (UV) lights: Unlike

HEPA and carbon filters, UV lights inactivate pollutants instead of trapping them. Then, cleaner air is pushed back into the room.

Along with understanding the types of filtering available for air purification, there are four other factors to consider when choosing an air purifier fitting for your space: 1. Filtering. Not all machines advertised as “air purifiers” have filters that trap

pollutants and instead just move air around. Look for a system that includes layered filtering to ensure that air is getting cleaned. 2. The size of your space and how many air changes needed within an hour. Air purifiers are not a single machine fix for all spaces. A small room and a larger office space will require different purifiers with different square-foot capabilities. Ideally, your purifier’s square-footage should slightly exceed the size of your space to ensure efficient air purification.

The size of your space also determines the air changes per hour, the rate at which all the air in the room is cleaned and replaced within an hour. 3. Noise levels. Since many purifiers use fans to pull in and push air out of the system, it’s important to choose a system whose noise level is appropriate for the space. Air purifiers often run at decibel levels equal to an upright vacuum. Be mindful that your purifier operates at a whisper quiet level, which is anywhere from 15db to 45db. 4. Documentation. Check that your purifier includes documents specifying the system’s capabilities and technical aspects to ensure your indoor air is being purified effectively.

According to the EPA, ideal air purification systems for office buildings include multiple filters, an appropriate squarefoot capacity, whisper quiet noise levels, and detailed documentation, such as Surgically Clean Air’s systems. With such capabilities, not only will the air purifier combat the increase of pollutants put into the air, but it will also positively affect the people in the spaces and contribute to a greener cleaning approach. All told, air purification is a practical and sustainable solution to create cleaner air and a safer space. /

David L. Smith is the Cleaning, Hygiene & Sanitation Director at Bunzl Cleaning & Hygiene, Canada’s largest specialist distributor of cleaning and hygiene products and equipment.

Ensuring that any type of facility is clean and supports a hygienic environment comes with a host of challenges. However, maintaining a university or college campus has always been a particularly demanding test for the cleaning and janitorial staff.

A typical campus is extensive and expansive in nature and contains not only a mixture of residents, visitors, faculty, and staff, but also numerous different high-traffi c areas, encompassing dormitories, classrooms, food and beverage and hospitality facilities, washrooms, recreational facilities, common areas, and more.

No two buildings are the same – nor are any two post-secondary education facilities – and this poses several acute challenges, including cleaning and maintaining differing areas, while balancing the need for these spaces to remain fully operational and hygienic throughout different hours of the day and week.

That was true even before COVID-19, but the pandemic has forced a shift in priorities when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing, putting individuals’ health and safe environments fi rst.

In the wake of the pandemic, everyone – from students and faculty to management – has higher expectations, so much so that research suggests that having a clean campus is key to attracting new students. Nearly half of parents of college-age kids now rank campus cleanliness and indoor air quality in the top three most important factors affecting school selection, according to a JLL Higher Education survey.

Meanwhile, in the era of hybrid learning, there is no longer such a thing as a “typical day” for cleaning teams. The shift towards the combination of in-person and virtual classes makes an already challenging facility management job signifi cantly more diffi cult, as operations managers must now assess how to maintain a high and consistent level of cleaning and hygiene at a time when the number of students and faculty on campus varies widely and shared workspaces and study areas are now of greater concern.

The question is: how do you deliver on cleaning quality and hygiene in an agile and more demanding environment without compromising on operational effi ciency?

The new Tork Campus Hygiene Package™ from Tork, the global leader in professional hygiene, has everything operations managers need to elevate the experience across campus in one convenient package. It features the industry-award winning Tork PeakServe Continuous™ Hand Towel systems, as well as sustainable skincare solutions such as the Green Seal-certifi ed Tork Alcohol Gel Hand Sanitizer and Tork Clarity Foam Soap, which supports sustainability goals as 99 per cent of its ingredients are from natural origin.

Also included in this package is Tork Vision Cleaning – the world’s leading facility management solution designed to enable cleaning crews to clean when and where it is needed most via realtime data.

While the challenges are ever-evolving, practising the basics remains a vital aspect of campus hygiene. A key to maintaining a hygienic environment is to make sure you excel on the essentials.

For instance, it does not matter how much you clean and disinfect if faculty, staff, and students do not follow proper hand hygiene protocols. As widely known, a reliable way to prevent infection from spreading via surfaces is to regularly wash hands with soap and water and dry hands with paper towels or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

By offering students, faculty, management, and visitors hygiene systems that are intuitive to use, comply with ADA guidelines, reduce waste due to one-at-a-time dispensing and are high capacity like Tork

PeakServe, you can help promote better hand hygiene and ensure facilities are operating effi ciently while also supporting sustainability goals - all throughout campus.

In addition, the use of collaborative workspaces like meeting rooms, lecture halls, labs, and libraries, along with “hot-desking” where students share furniture and equipment, has increased the risk of transmission adding the need for more access to effi cacious hand sanitizers that are offered in multiple formats and offer installation fl exibility. Also, it is important to educate and encourage all to keep shared spaces clean and sanitized by promoting a “clean desk” environment where users understand they have a role to play in keeping the facility hygienic and thus they help sanitize screens, keyboards, mice, phones, and more high-touch surfaces before and after use.

However, developing and implementing a clear cleaning and sanitizing strategy, one that meets the different needs and expectations of the students, faculty, and staff in all areas of the campus is extremely challenging. With the aid of internet-of-things (IoT) technology and the right systems in place, a comprehensive plan can be easily developed, executed, and reported on.

In the era of mixed-use hybrid occupancy, analog cleaning protocols are no longer suitable. In order to meet the expectations of an agile environment, utilizing data to inform cleaning routines is a true advantage.

Tork Vision Cleaning helps you improve operational effi ciency and hygiene in your facility by providing real-time information on refi ll and cleaning needs. In fact, 100 per cent of existing Tork Vision Cleaning customers say the system helps them improve hygiene in their facility.

Key benefi ts include making sure dispensers are stocked up to 99 per cent of the time, using reporting tools to show adherence to safety regulations, and knowing when and where service is needed to reduce dispenser checks by up to 91 per cent and save up to 20 per cent of cleaning hours. Also, depending on the needs and requirements of your facility, you can choose between three data-driven cleaning offerings, each providing additional benefi ts and increasing business value.

Because every institution, building, and even area within a college or university has its unique hygiene needs, we understand you need a custom hygiene program. Tork offers the largest assortment of IoT- enabled dispensers in the market, compatible with a broad selection of refi lls that help meet your facility’s fi nancial and sustainability goals.

Campus operations are complex, but your job doesn’t have to be. Talk to a Tork Hygiene Advisor and learn how to elevate the campus experience.