Indoor air quality matters

by | 19 May 2020 | Products

Daikin ventilation solutions for best in class indoor air quality

Did you know that the air quality indoors may actually be worse than the air quality outside? Harmful particulates in the air in your office or your own living room could impact your health. Having the right ventilation equipment is crucial to provide fresh air and to filter out pollutants.

Did you know that the air quality indoors may actually be worse than the air quality outside? When planning new residential buildings, offices or commercial buildings, many things must be considered. In addition to structural factors, there are also the issues of heating, cooling and something often neglected: indoor air quality. It is important for the health of all of us. The indoor air we breathe, whether at home, at the office, or in a hotel room could be much more polluted than the outdoor air. Therefore, ventilation should always be considered. With the right ventilation equipment, air pollutants such as pollens, spores, cement dust, bacteria, viruses or germs can be filtered out of the air.

During the ventilation process, the quality of the indoor air depends on that of the outdoor air. The more polluted the outside air is, the more important high-quality filters for the ventilation system are. EN16798 sets the standard for filter requirements based on the outdoor air quality and the desired indoor air quality level.

Particulate matter

The particles in the air can vary from simple pollen grains to germs, bacteria and viruses. When considering the filtration, and in order to fully understand the new standard EN16798, remember that particulate matter (PM) are categorized based on their size.

They are divided into the following three main categories:

  • PM10, all particles up to 10 µm (0.01 mm)
  • PM2.5, all particles up to 2.5 µm (0.0025 mm)
  • PM1, all particles up to 1 µm (0.001 mm = 1 micron).

The smaller the size, the easier they penetrate the body and can cause health problems. Particles up to PM2.5 are most present in the air – they have the highest mass. Particles smaller than 1 micron (PM1) often contribute only a few percent of the mass but have the highest ratio – up to 90 percent of the total amount of particles in the air. The lighter and smaller a particle is, the longer it stays in the air. Such small particles (PM2.5 and PM1) are the most dangerous ones and require higher quality filtration.

Particulate matter is a particularly worrying pollutant. Many studies have shown a direct link between exposure to particulate matter and negative effects on health (WHO: Indoor air quality). Smaller particles are generally more harmful because they can get deep into the airways and deposit on the alveoli of the lungs. These are the tiny sacs in the lungs where oxygen is exchanged with carbon dioxide in the blood. Ultrafine particles can penetrate tissues and organs, posing an even greater risk of systemic health effects.

Daikin’s Modular Light air handling unit offers a unique double filtration feature to eliminate the above-mentioned particles as much as possible while supplying fresh air to your premises. Of course, the smaller the particle, the more dangerous for our health. We need to pay a lot of attention in particular to PM2.5 and PM1, which are able to reach our lungs.

Here are some examples for the categories:

  • Viruses, nanoparticles, exhaust gasses: ePM1 min ≥ 50% (ISO ePM1)
  • Bacteria, fungal and mold spores, pollen, toner dust: ePM2.5 min ≥ 50% (ISO ePM2.5)
  • Pollen, desert dust: ePM10 ≥ 50% (ISO ePM10)
  • Sand, hair: ePM10 ≤ 50% (ISO Coarse)50 years of ventilation expertise

Daikin has more than 50 years of experience in the Air Handling Unit (AHU) business and is a key player in the ventilation industry. Since 1969, when the First European Design AHU was manufactured in Cramlington, Daikin has come a long way and has constantly expanded and improved its range of ventilation solutions. The AHU units by the Daikin Group are manufactured in ten sites globally. Among others in Milan Settala, Italy.

For a full overview of Daikin’s ventilation solutions visit https://www.daikin.eu/en_us/products/ALB-RB.html and see for yourself what the Daikin Modular Light air handling unit is all about.

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