Healthy Facility Brief – Steps for Protecting Indoor Air Quality

Clean air is a basic human need, and protecting it a top health priority.

Below are ten steps to protect Indoor Air Quality. They are not numbered as you can start wherever desired:

• Place, maintain, generous entry mats to remove tracked in pesticide, road dust, other outdoor particles. Clean and replace frequently.

• Seal the building envelope to prevent particles getting through cracks (this will lower energy costs too).

• Use cleaning techniques to capture particles not spread them; such as well-maintained and filtered vacuums, a damp and/or microfiber cloth or other dust-removing method.

• Remove internal dust sources such as facial tissue dispensers on desks and cloth-upholstered furniture.

• Declutter the indoor environment to reduce dust harbors, which will also reduce cleaning-related labor.

• Consider a no-fragrance policy among workers. Personal fragrances pollute the indoor air, and many people are sensitive.

• To lower costs and use of cleaning chemicals, consider on-site generation of ElectroChemically Activated (ECA) Solutions, as well as Saturated Steam Vapor (SSV), and Dispense-And-Vac (DAV) technologies.

• Use unscented products and beware of goods or materials that outgas.

• Install dust monitors, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide detectors.

• Keep HVAC systems maintained and fine-tuned to prevent emissions.

• Install an HVAC-integrated air purification system that monitors IAQ and activates the system using sensors, while lowering ozone levels indoors.

[Links are to additional info or possible sources; not an endorsement]