The importance of indoor air purification systems and how to find one

Yet another shortcoming of our daily lives comes to the fore in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic — air purity. And air purity in this context refers not generally to the quality of the air we breathe outdoors (air pollutants from traffic, industry, and so on), but specifically to the contained air, we breathe indoors. In fact, we’ve produced a free-to-download paper explaining what denotes air contamination, the science behind it, and how air purification technology is used to decontaminate it.

Research now tells us that Covid-19 is more highly transmittable through airborne particles than through contaminated surfaces. So communal spaces like hospitals, schools, and offices pose a high health risk to patients/staff, schoolchildren/teachers, and employees/employers, reinforcing the need for better indoor air quality (IAQ) in public buildings.

Alongside government health authorities, the World Health Organization and its Scientific and Technical Advisory Groups have long been advocating the importance of clean air and the effects of air pollution on health, including respiratory and other diseases. In fact, WHO data shows that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits containing high levels of pollutants. The US Environmental Protection Agency states that indoor air quality is 2 to 5 times worse than outdoor air quality and indoor air pollution is ranked as one of the top 5 environmental risks to public health. The WHO now recommends achieving a ventilation rate of 10 liters of fresh air per person per second.

How do we do that?

Of course, public sector bodies (and private businesses) want to comply with this clean air quality recommendation, not least for the public good but for more efficient business, including reducing sick building syndrome, absenteeism and generally to maintain the right levels of ventilation and purer air in the indoor space leading to better health of the workforce. While recommendations (and sometimes legislation) are all well and good, the people who are tasked with buying airborne pollutants cleaners need to know what to look for and, frankly, where to start.

We hear repeatedly at Public Spend Forum that buyers tasked with finding specialist equipment, like hospital-grade and mobile air purification systems, are often stumbling at the first hurdle through lack of information about where to find the right suppliers, informed choices, and importantly, resources. In fact, time consumption is the biggest pain point for public sector buyers endeavoring to research markets to find the right equipment, from the right people at the right time.

If they were to scroll through the thousands of suppliers on GovShop (connecting buyers and suppliers in public sector markets), searching with rich text like ‘hospital-grade air purification systems,’ the AI behind the search engine will instantly find them a plethora of suppliers that precisely meet their requirements and those of the government agencies they represent.

At the top of that list will appear a company called Rensair, because GovShop is optimized to pull out the best matches that literally tick all right boxes — even if you aren’t sure exactly what they are yourself — because of its intelligent search algorithms.

What to consider in your search for air purification systems?

Rensair is a portable, plug-and-play, medical-grade, air purification system that removes airborne pollutants and pathogens – including the coronavirus family – from indoor spaces, trapping and destroying 99.97% of airborne bacteria and viruses. There are many systems on the market using different technologies, and it’s not an easy task to differentiate between them.

As with choosing any goods or service, we all know that that some brands can use unsubstantiated claims to market their products, and we often face a sea of credentials to wade through. Public Spend Forum created a series of masterclasses to help with this, explaining how to navigate, research, and identify the right product for your criteria, or even to help understand what your selection criteria are or should be, and offering advice on how to validate manufacturers’ claims.

The science behind what makes a good ventilation system for inside buildings, for example, is a complex one. The paper we discussed earlier, “How to buy an air purifier for your business,” is another example of how Public Spend Forum is clarifying and simplifying your search options. It is a simple guide to understanding the subject of ventilation, how air decontaminators work, where they can be installed and by whom, what different types are on the market, and how to choose between them. It also provides the latest scientific research and health authority guidelines on air quality, why we need indoor air purifiers and the costs of not installing them.

For anyone considering, or in the process of buying, air purification technology, this guide is an invaluable free download.