Popular Search Terms:
  • Fellowes Shredder
  • Volo Wall System
  • Bulldog Shredder
  • LX Series

What are the benefits of indoor air purifiers?

Click to learn more about why clean air is critical to creating healthy indoor environment

Increased Productivity
Stop Viruses Spreading
Eliminating
Pollutants
Minimising
Mould
Removing
Odours
Supporting a healthier, happier environment
Increased productivity

Poorly ventilated air has a personal and a business impact, with absence through sickness estimated to cost UK employers over £20 billion in 2021. As one of the likely causes of sick building syndrome in offices, poor indoor air quality has likely contributed to the news that respiratory conditions are to become the fourth most common reason for sickness absence in 20222.

Refreshing the air that we live, work, and breathe in, air purifiers keep everyone healthier, significantly improving wellbeing and attendance.

Cost to Businesses
Stops Viruses Spreading

A good indoor air purifier with HEPA filtration can reduce the risk of virus and pollutant spread by removing nearly all (99.95 percent of) airborne particles at 0.3 microns3.

Tiny virus particles, emitted by coughing, sneezing, and even talking, can not only travel more than six feet but then build up in areas with little or no ventilation - and linger in that air for hours.

Without proper ventilation or air purification, aerosolised particles are small enough to remain airborne for a significant length of time, where they can then be inhaled and travel into people’s respiratory systems4, and potentially cause a cold, flu or virus outbreak.

Impact on our Health
Eliminating pollutants

Allergens and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are some of the other pollutants that we are breathing in without realising when we’re indoors, particularly in open plan offices.

VOCs are thought to be a leading cause of sick building syndrome5. They come from construction and building products, such as paints, varnishes, waxes and solvents, as well as detergents, cleaning products, air fresheners and personal care products. They can also be emitted from electronic devices such as photocopiers or printers6.

Frequent air purification is an ideal way to keep these down to minimal levels.

Minimising mould

Air purification tackles another hazard of every poorly ventilated environment, mould spores.

Released in their thousands into the atmosphere, these are found everywhere. If they are inhaled or touched, this can cause an allergic reaction, trigger asthma attacks and cause coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.

By banishing mould spores from the environment, air purifiers also help to reduce the risk of black, white or green mould patches appearing on walls, and the damp and musty smells that can accompany this.

Removing odours

With around 400 types of olfactory receptors in the human nose⁷, most of us are sensitive to smells, good and bad, and this can affect our emotional, physical and mental health.

Smells are known to make a difference to our motivation, stress and concentration⁸ - with studies showing that the decisions we make, the speed we move at or how happy we feel can all be affected.

Air purifiers are highly effective at removing smells, including those that come from kitchens, break rooms, rest rooms and busy offices.

Supporting a healthier, happier environment

Beyond meeting regulatory health and safety9 expectations for proper ventilation, good indoor air quality also makes sense for morale and motivation.

In world of hybrid working, we are more aware than ever of comfort differences between home and office, and any issues in the workplace can be easier to spot.

By helping to make an atmosphere more comfortable, healthier and cleaner, air purifiers are a vital way of welcoming people into the work environment and encouraging them to stay there.

Learn more about Fellowes’ latest Indoor Air Quality Management solutions by speaking to a Fellowes Air Quality Expert.

Sources:

1 https://www.novuna.co.uk/news-and-insights/business-cash-flow/sickness-absence-rate-in-the-uk-highest-since-2010/

2 https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/labourproductivity/articles/sicknessabsenceinthelabourmarket/2022

3 https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-hepa-filter

4 Evidence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Spread by Aerosol. Time to Revisit Infection Control Strategies? | American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (atsjournals.org)

5 How to deal with SBS Sick Building Syndrome (hse.gov.uk)

6 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479721021162

7 How a Human Smell Receptor Works Is Finally Revealed | Quanta Magazine

8 Influence of Fragrances on Human Psychophysiological Activity: With Special Reference to Human Electroencephalographic Response - PMC (nih.gov)

9 Overview - Ventilation in the workplace (hse.gov.uk)

Operating as a fourth-generation family business establishes our cultural foundation. It’s a shared ideal among our team to align under our commitment to integrity and solidifying the relationships that matter most.

Our Family Heritage

Fellowes GIVE is a purpose-led corporate initiative in which we partner with organisations to help meet some of the most fundamental human needs in our local communities.

Our Give Initiatives

How we shape the world of work today has a profound impact on the world of tomorrow. By building sustainability and stewardship into every level of our organisation, we can protect the worklife potential of our children and grandchildren.

Our Sustainability Efforts