There are many factors that impact indoor air quality, from ventilation to your choice of air filter. Some of them are out of your control, but others you can affect directly—especially when it comes to your choice of interior products. 

“We spend roughly 90% of our time indoors and inhale as much as 11,000 liters of air per day. If the air quality is bad, then we’re inhaling contaminants,” explained Hafsa Burt, studio head for hb+a Architects, a design firm that advocates for high-performance buildings. 

“What I come across in interior design is that most people just put objects in an interior environment and call it design,” Burt added. “To me, design is a well-thought-out solution that focuses on how occupants feel physically and mentally in a space and what effects the indoor environment might have on their wellbeing, including cognitive function.” 

Focusing on occupant wellbeing means approaching IAQ thoughtfully and purposefully. Here’s what you need to know about interior choices and IAQ. 

[Related: Plants May Mitigate VOC Threats]

How Interior Design Impacts IAQ 

When it comes to interiors, your best bet for improving IAQ is reducing airborne pollutants. You may not be able to replace the HVAC system, but you can make sure that your new furnishings aren’t releasing volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. VOCs are given off (or “offgassed”) by all sorts of interior products, including:  

• Paints, stains and coatings 
• Furnishings 
• Cabinetry 
• Flooring 
• Paint strippers 
• Adhesives 
• Cleaning solutions 
• Printers 

Why is this important? VOCs released into the air can cause eye and respiratory inflammation, headaches, fatigue and inability to concentrate—all of which negatively impact productivity. The interiors choices in a space can directly affect the work people are able to do there. The EPA reported to Congress in 1989 that improving indoor air quality “can result in higher productivity and fewer lost work days,” according to the agency’s IAQ guide, “An Office Building Occupant’s Guide to Indoor Air Quality.”  

Terra Glen is a 1970s-era apartment complex in San Jose. Its renovation gutted the building down to studs in order to open up the space for light, proper ventilation and views. The design team selected low-VOC paints and coatings for the project. Photo courtesy of Jason Foy.

Strategies for Improving IAQ 

There are a few ways to reduce the level of VOCs in your facility, and they work best when used together.  

1. Invest in low- or no-VOC products. It’s much easier to simply start with fewer VOCs in the first place. Many manufacturers offer low- or no-VOC versions of paints, coatings, wood treatments and more. If you’re pursuing a green building certification, you’re probably already familiar with the available selection. 

2. Remove the sources of VOCs you already have. Move new furnishings or other VOC sources into a well-ventilated area until they’re done offgassing. 

3. Remove remaining VOCs from the air. Make sure your spaces are adequately ventilated with fresh air. Consider adding plants that are good at absorbing VOCs from the air—Vadoud Niri’s 2016 research at the State University of New York at Oswego ranked the bromeliad near the top. 

“The best thing to do in any space is a constant supply of fresh air and selection of materials that don’t have toxins that are harmful to human health,” Burt said. “These considerations are very important in terms of specifying paint or other finishes.” 

Materials Matter 

The furnishings and materials you specify can have a direct impact on the wellbeing of people within the space, so it’s important to specify wisely. Some of Burt’s go-to sources include: 

Health Product Declaration: Products that have earned HPDs must report product contents and the associated health information. 

mindful MATERIALS: This free product library aggregates information on health and environmental impacts for submitted products. 

Declare: A project by the International Living Future Institute, Declare is a “nutrition label” and transparency platform for building products. Declare-labeled products disclose their ingredients and VOC content. 

LEED and other green building certifications: Many certifications require products with low health impacts and may give project teams specific parameters to consider. These can be a good source of information on products that promote good IAQ. 

“We always encourage folks to judiciously read labels on products and seek the materials safety data, just like you read food labels,” Burt said. “More people need to start reading the labels of the product they’re specifying. There are a lot of marketing claims people can be tricked with, so it might be a good idea to bring a professional on board to consult with you.”

Read next: 4 Ways to Improve IAQ and Your Property’s Bottom Line

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Houseplants have been keeping a lot of us company during the pandemic, and the good news is there’s a plant for any home, big or small, well-lit or not.

There’s also a virtual jungle of stylish containers in which to show them off.

“I love incorporating plants into our interior spaces,” says designer Mel Bean of Tulsa, Oklahoma, “both for the sense of life that they contribute, and for their help in improving indoor air quality. I prefer significantly sized plants in large containers rather than many small pots. It creates a dramatic impact while feeling sculptural rather than cluttered.”

Bean’s go-to shop is Bloomscape, which offers a range of simple pots, in muted hues, made of 80% recycled ocean plastic. There are handy wheeled saucers for larger plants, and bamboo stands that adjust to fit the pot.

Other great options in planters and stands:

Clever shapes, like a smooth-sided planter that can serve as a bookend on a shelf, can solve limited-space issues.

“It’s unique, interesting, and an especially innovative idea for anyone who lives in an apartment or smaller space,” Better Homes & Gardens lifestyle editor Jennifer Aldrich wrote recently in the magazine.

A sea-green, hand-glazed finish on Holistic Habitat’s Pita bookend planters gives them an artisanal look. And Urban Outfitters’ pair of bookend vessels also serves a dual purpose; the terracotta glaze gives them a nice look on a shelf.

Miijmoj Design turns a cantilevered oak board into a bookend, and adds a cylinder vase, which can be filled with an air plant or single stem.

Pedestal planters literally and figuratively elevate your greenery.

Brooklyn, New York-based Tortuga Living has collaborated with Farrah Sit, founder of Light + Ladder studio, on the Platform Vessel collection. The concrete and stone terrazzo bowls and planters in various sizes were inspired by Bauhaus architecture’s geometric forms, and can be used indoors or out.

Chen-Yen Wei and Hung-Ming Chen’s Story Planter, a series of rising containers, can be paired with their Story Bookshelf so plants and books are showcased together in a vertical stack with a compact footprint.

Swedish company Wetpot offers a self-watering pot that makes sure you don’t over- or underwater. A terracotta planter, available in two sizes for either a couple of smaller plants or, perhaps, a potted fern, sits inside a reservoir of hand-blown glass; fill the reservoir, and plants will take in what they need.

Eli Manekin of Loop Living has designed a thoughtful collection of self-watering planters that hang elegantly from the wall or ceiling on wooden rods, knobs or loops.

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Consider how the air quality of your basement is affecting those in your household. Maintaining good air quality can improve your breathing and overall health.

Tips and Tricks to Improve Basement Air Quality

Basements are known to be subject to the growth of fungi and the accumulation of contaminants, whether used for storage or as a playroom. There are a few ways to ensure that the air quality of your basement remains safe throughout the year. That is why we have created a list of some tips and tricks that will help you improve the air quality of your basement:

1. Proper Ventilation

Many homes with basements in Colorado do not have proper ventilation to allow the recycling of air between the indoors and the outdoors. This results in circulating air that may have been exposed to substantial amounts of dust, dander, hair, mold, mildew and other substances. To improve ventilation in your basement, it is a good idea to install a mechanical ventilation system. This can bring outside air indoors and purify it before it enters your home. It is important that outdoor air is properly purified, but we will get to that. Mechanical ventilation systems are great ways to ensure that the air quality in your basement remains satisfactory. Recycling indoor and outdoor air will help expel air that has been around contaminants and fungi within your home.  

2. Keep Windows Closed

Many homeowners believe that opening windows and running fans is the best way to improve air quality indoors. What they do not realize is that outdoor air is just as subject to contaminants, allergens, bacteria and fungi as indoor air that has not been purified. Purifying outdoor air is key to ensuring that contaminants and other substances are not present in the air that you are breathing. It is best to keep windows closed and rely on a sufficient mechanical ventilation system for purified air. 

3. Air Purifiers  

Air purifiers themselves circulate the air in your basement through a series of filters and strip out contaminants that may be present in the air. Not all air purifiers are made equally. That is why it is important to invest in an air purifier that features elements such as a HEPA filter, Carbon filter and Ultraviolet light. These features help eliminate up to 99% of contaminants, including dust, dander, mold spores, allergens and more! Be sure to find an air filter that is the appropriate size for your basement.

4. Dehumidifiers

Dampness and humidity are major contributors to the build-up of mold and mildew on the ceiling, joists, walls or floor. This will also eliminate the musty smell that comes with fungi such as these. Mold and mildew do not only result in foul smells, these fungi also can cause major health problems that range from allergies all the way to asthma. To prevent the growth of mold, invest in a dehumidifier and be sure to keep humidity levels below 50%. This will ensure that mold growth ceases. 

5. Test for Radon

Breathing in radon gases that result from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water is known to cause lung cancer. Sadly, more than 2,000 people die per year of lung cancer caused by inhaling radon. Ordering a professional radon test is the best way to detect radon. If your home is exposed to radon, you may need to install a mitigation system that expels radon from your home. Sometimes, radon and mold can enter your home through cracks or gaps in your basement floor or foundation. Luckily, there are specialists who can fix those cracks and gaps!

Does Your Basement Require Maintenance?

If you have noticed an influx in dampness or humidity in your basement, along with mold or mildew, you may need to call a professional. In most cases, cracks and gaps in your basement floor or foundation can lead to the spread of these contaminants and water droplets. 

Complete Basement Systems have been lending a helping hand to the communities of Denver and Colorado Springs for more than 20 years! Our specialists are pros when it comes to ensuring that the air quality of your basement remains adequate and safe for inhalation. From waterproofing to foundation repairs, there is nothing we cannot do to improve the air quality in your basement. Contact us today for a consultation!

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©Kittichai Boonpong

In a joint statement, six trade unions have urged the government to fund schools in tackling the ongoing indoor air quality (IAQ) crisis in school buildings

The ASCL, GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU and UNISON all expressed alarm at the extent of the air quality crisis in school buildings exposed by the wider use of CO2 monitors. They said schools could not afford to pay for mitigation measures and the central government should intervene.

The government has spent £25m on supplying CO2 monitors and has pledged to supply 7,000 air purifiers for classrooms, but the unions agreed this was totally inadequate to address the scale of the growing air quality crisis.

‘A basic human right’

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) said:  “Seven thousand more air purifiers is something, but it is completely inadequate for what should be a basic human right, the provision of clean air in every classroom.

“The fact that the Government has provided the extra purifiers shows that it recognises the problem but with over 300,000 classrooms in England it has failed to provide an effective solution.”

Rhetoric

There is growing concern that the indoor air quality crisis (IAQ) will cause a further disruption to children’s education, unless the problem is addressed, as the government is accused of offering rhetoric rather than solutions.

The NEU also reported that 58% of its teacher members said they did not have regular access to a CO2 monitor and, of those who do, 13% said readings in their classrooms were regularly over 1,500 parts per million (ppm) and 32% said they were over 1,200ppm.

The government’s own guidance is that all settings should have access to CO2 monitors and the ventilation should be able to keep CO2 below 800ppm in all occupied classrooms.

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) said there was a wide range of low-cost mechanical solutions available that could help schools take control of their air quality.

‘Raising awareness of CO2 levels only goes so far’

BESA’s head of technical Graeme Fox commented: “The government has a much better grasp of the extent of the problem thanks to the deployment of air quality monitors, but simply raising awareness of CO2 levels only goes so far.

“Opening windows can help, but only to a limited extent as it does not provide complete ventilation of the indoor space. It can also create other problems including bringing outdoor pollution into the classroom and increasing background noise if the school is located close to a main road.”

The government-funded air cleaning units are being provided to schools and colleges with specialist needs and others are being directed towards an online ‘marketplace’ where they can purchase others.  The unions have described this action as “simply not good enough”.

‘A breakthrough year for building ventilation’

Nathan Wood, whose firm Farmwood Ventilation works with a number of schools to address IAQ problems, stated: “2021 was a breakthrough year for building ventilation because the pandemic increased the focus on how viruses are transmitted through the air.

“Our industry has been aware of this threat to children’s health for many years, but now everyone is talking about it, and we finally have a great opportunity to address it properly.

“Many of the solutions are relatively straightforward and inexpensive, but every building is different so must be addressed individually. There are also a lot of ‘snake oil’ salesmen out there who are jumping on the bandwagon and offering ‘miracle’ air purification solutions that do not work.

“So, I would urge head teachers to approach local ventilation firms and ask them to survey their building before they do anything else.”

Recommended Related Articles

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The materials and test protocols used in the work are presented in the following sections.

Masks

The filtering materials of four non-medical masks were tested in this study. The masks were made from different fabrics produced by French manufacturers. Throughout this article, the masks will be referred to as A, B, C and D. The breathing performance was measured as the air permeability for a vacuum pressure of 100 Pa. The results for the four mask samples are Table 1. It is observed that the air permeability covers a large range from 100 to 300 L m−2 s−1.

Table 1 Permeability of 4 masks models used in this study.

Particle filtration efficiency (PFE) test protocol

The PFE protocol used in this study was developed by the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA). The DGA is one of the agencies that is able to test the performance of non-medical masks. The PFE values evaluated in this study were obtained from the DGA reports provided to the manufacturers. The experimental setup consists of a test bench which allowed the generation and measurement of aerosols. Poly-disperse Holi particles were generated with a RBG 1000 PALAS. The Holi particles were generated with a median diameter of 1.1 µm (GSD of 1.6) and an average total concentration of 350 particles cm−3 (Fig. 1). A mask sample (cut out from full mask) was placed in a sample holder which were fabricated in-house and had an internal diameter of 44 mm.

Figure 1

Size distribution of Holi particles.

Two aerodynamic particle sizers (APS, model 3321; TSI Inc.) and two sample holders (one with mask sample and the other one without) were used to measure simultaneously aerosol number concentrations upstream and downstream of the sample holder.

The particle size considered for filtration efficiency is fixed at 3 µm as per the AFNOR SPEC S76-001. The PFE is calculated as:

$$PFE=1- frac{{C}_{down}}{{C}_{up}}* 100$$

where Cdown and Cup are the particle concentrations downstream and upstream the mask sample respectively; a correction factor was applied on concentrations ratio to take into account the systematic bias between the two measurement channels. The correction factor was calculated with data from a test without the sample on the sample holders. The PFE value is the average of three measurements of the same sample.

Bacterial filtration efficieny (BFE) test protocol

The BFE tests were performed by the accredited laboratory of the Centre Ingénierie et Santé (CIS) of Mines Saint-Etienne. The test protocol is compliant with the EN14683:2019 standard test method. The experimental set-up previously described in26 and27 is shown in Fig. 2.

Figure 2

BFE experimental set-up developed by CIS of Mines Saint-Etienne.

Briefly, the mask sample was clamped between an aerosol chamber (glass tube 60 mm in external diameter and 60 mm long) and a six-stage viable aerosol cascade impactor (ACI) (Tisch Environmental, Cleaves, USA) requiring a flowrate of 28.3 L min−1. The 50% effective cut-off diameters (i.e., the particle diameters corresponding to 50% sampling efficiency) for each of the six stages when operating at 28.3 L min−1 are 7 µm (stage 1), 4.7 µm, 3.3 µm, 2.1 µm, 1.1 µm and 0.65 µm (stage 6).

Each sample measured at least 100 mm × 100 mm and the test area was therefore at least 49 cm2 as required by EN 14683. The tests were performed by putting the interior of the mask in contact with the aerosolized bacteria. Each sample was conditioned at 21 ± 5 °C and 85 ± 5% relative humidity for at least 4 h to reach atmospheric equilibrium prior to testing.

A bacterial culture of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) was inoculated into 30 ml tryptic soy broth in an Erlenmeyer flask and incubated with mild shaking at a temperature of (37 ± 2) °C for (24 ± 2) h. The counts are expressed in Colony Forming Units (CFU). The culture medium was then diluted to obtain a concentration of approximately 5 × 105 CFU ml−1 for the tests. The inoculum was stored in a freezer at − 80 °C. The bacteriological inoculum was maintained on average between 1.7 × 103 CFU and 3.0 × 103 CFU as required in EN 14683. The EN 14683 also imposes a mean particle size (MPS) of 3.0 ± 0.3 µm. The bacterial challenge corresponds to the total CFU observed on the six positive-control dishes.

$$MPS= frac{left(P1* C1right)+left(P2* C2right)+left(P3 * C3right)+left(P4 * C4right)+left(P5* C5right)+left(P6 * C6right)}{C1+C2+C3+C4+C5+C6}$$

Px is the the 50% effective cut-off diameters of each of the six stages, Cx is the viable particle counts obtained from each of the six agar collection surfaces and x is the stage number (1–6).

The bacteriological inoculum was nebulized using an E-Flow mesh nebulizer (Pari GmbH, Starnberg, Germany) for 1 min and then the air flow in the cascade impactor was maintained for an additional minute (total test duration was 2 min). To evaluate the BFE of a mask, a series of eight successive measurements must be performed. First, a positive-control run was performed without a mask positioned between the cascade impactor and aerosol chamber. Next, five experiments were performed on test samples, changing the mask for each experiment and cleaning the experimental set-up to avoid bacterial contamination. A second positive control experiment was then performed. Finally, this cycle of eight consecutive experiments ended with a negative-control run in which air is passed, without adding bacteria, through the cascade impactor for 2 min (this served as a contamination control to verify that the bacteria deposited during the positive run and the test samples came only from the bioaerosol source).

In an effort to provide insight on the possible modernization of the standards on BFE analysis, Pourchez et al.26. showed that: (i) 90-mm disposable Petri dishes can be used instead of the 100-mm dishes supplied with the six-stage viable ACI and (ii) Automatic HD colony counters can be used to directly count viable particles on collection substrates without requiring the use of the positive-hole conversion table. In this work, 90-mm disposable Petri dishes were used. The petri dishes were removed and incubated at 37 ± 2 °C for 22 ± 2 h. The CFU were counted with an automatic colony counter Scan 1200 (Interscience).

The BFE is calculated as:

$$BFE= frac{C-T}{C * 100}$$

where C is the mean of the two positive runs of the total of the six plate counts, and T is the total of the six plate counts for each test sample. Five samples each are tested for Masks A and B, 4 samples for Mask C and 3 samples for Mask D.

Statistical analysis

Statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism 8.4.2 (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA). A conformity analysis of the BFE to the 95% minimum value for Type I masks (EN 14683) was performed using the student t-test. In order to evaluate if there were any significant differences between the filtration efficiency results of the PFE test method and the BFE test method a Wilcoxon test was used. p-values < 0.05 were considered significant. Correlation coefficients for the comparison of filtration efficiency between the test methods were obtained using Excel.

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Your winter walk or bike ride along the Yakima Greenway will be disrupted this week with levee repairs along the Yakima River.

The work along the Yakima River Starts on Tuesday

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing the work starting January 25 in three locations along the Yakima River and Yakima Greenway. The first location is north of El Mirador along the Greenway trail. The second location is slightly farther upstream of the Yakima River near the new Rotary playground. The last repair site is south of State Route-24 near the City of Yakima Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Portions of the Greenway Pathway will be closed this week

Because some of the work is next to the Yakima Greenway Path portions of the path in the work areas will be closed. A press release says “these repairs are part of routine inspection and maintenance of the federal levee system that protects the City of Yakima from over bank flooding from the Yakima River. As the local sponsors, the City of Yakima and Yakima County provide the real property interests required to access the sites and the Corps performs the repairs.”
The areas closed will be clearly marked for walkers and bike riders. Greenway officials say it’s a good time of year to do the work when the pathway isn’t as busy as it is in the spring and summer months.

Here are some tips for self-care during the pandemic:

 

KEEP READING: 15 Natural Ways to Improve Your Sleep

 

KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system

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