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Why Air Matters

Click the topics below to learn more about why air matters:

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Making The Most of Every Breath
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The Changing Air Space
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New Standards, New Strategies
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Air Quality Regulations and Recommendations
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Better Buildings, Healthier Humans
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What Could Be In Your Air?
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Small Particles, Big Impact
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How To Create Healthy Spaces
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Supplementing HVAC

Making The Most Of Every Breath

Each Day, The Average Human Being Takes 20,000 Breaths.

This means that 20,000 times each day, our bodies ingest the airborne particulates, vapors, viruses, and gases from our daily environment -- the places and spaces where we live, work, and play. With each breath, we are biologically and physiologically shaped by the air around us. It influences our emotions, impacts our cognitive function, and determines our short and long term physical health.

Fellowes is helping organizations around the world understand the implications of indoor air quality on their people and how creating healthy spaces is essential to creating flourishing and productive individuals, organizations, and communities.

Air matters. Let's explore why.

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For Many Organizations, Indoor Air Quality Has Been Typically Seen As A Peripheral Component Of The Workplace Experience.

But evolving conversations, research, and perceptions surrounding indoor air quality are now elevating the issue as fundamental to human health and wellness.

In 2023, Fellowes conducted a landmark study on office workers' perceptions and opinions of indoor air quality and its impact on health and productivity. The results emphasized the compelling link between indoor air quality and how it shapes the well-being and experiences of office workers.

photo of a brochure Download The Report
graphic that states one in three office workers
stated they would consider leaving their employment due to concerns associated with poor indoor air quality
Indoor Air Quality is becoming a focal point of worker satisfaction and performance1
91% icon
Expressed that clean air should be a fundamental right for all workers
81% icon
of people believe that monitoring IAQ should be mandatory—not just CO2
Respondents ranked preferences for workplace enhancements in the following order of importance:
#1 icon
Clean indoor workspace, including clean air
#2 icon
Health allowances and/or stipends for gym membership and exercise equipment
#3 icon
Free Coffee/Snacks
Fewer Americans surveyed rated their workplace IAQ as “very clean”.2
Only 33% of Americans surveyed in 2023 rated their workplace as “very clean”, down 2022 respondents
Bar Graph showing 36% Bar Graph showing 33%
A doughnut chart depicting 29%
Rated their workplace air quality as “very clean”
Only 29% of respondents (Comprising 33% of Americans and 25% of Canadians) characterized the air quality in their workplace as “very clean.”
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Download the Fellowes 2023 Air Quality Report for critical health insights and IAQ improvement suggestions for your workplace
Download The Report
1 Fellowes 2023 Indoor Air Quality Survey
2 https://www.healthaction.org/updates/04-19-22-digest
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The recent COVID-19 pandemic proved that many buildings are not yet designed with a focus on health or respiratory infection control.
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Dr. Joseph Allen, Associate Professor at Harvard;
Director of Harvard Healthy Buildings Program

Cognitive Effects On Performance

According to a study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, adequate ventilation significantly improves people's ability to respond to crises, use information, and strategize.1

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-13% Decrease In Cognitive Function With Every 500Ug/Ml Rise In VOC Concentrations
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-21% Decrease In Cognitive Function Scores With Every 400ppm Rise In CO2 Levels
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+172% Increase In Information Usage During A Crisis Response
1 https://www.carbonlighthouse.com/blog/consumers-to-drive-u-s-economic-recovery91-say-indoor-air-quality-critical-in-fight-against-covid-19
2 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health and the Global Environment
The Private And Public Sector Continues To Expand Understanding Of How Indoor Air Quality Impacts Health, Wellness, And Performance.

Sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, regulators, employees, and guests are defining their own standards for safe indoor air quality. These standards, some regulatory and some culturally-driven, come with significant financial implications for organizations of every size.

Leaders at every level of management and organizational strategy face a growing obligation to meet improved air quality requirements in order to compete for top talent and market share.

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Employees Demand Transparency

The 2023 Fellowes Air Quality Study survey found that employees are demanding more transparency when it comes to IAQ:

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Full IAQ transparency is available with the Fellowes Array Viewpoint Community Dashboard
Doughnut Graph depicting 89% Doughnut Graph depicting 89%
Of respondents agree that clean indoor air helps them perform their best at work.
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Of respondents believe their employer is taking steps for clean indoor, showing room for improvement.
Fellowes 2023 Indoor Air Quality Survey
Aim to deliver 5 or more air changes per hour (ACH) of clean air to rooms in your building. This will help reduce the number of viral particles in the air. You may also need to use a combination of ventilation, air supply, filtration, and air treatment strategies to reach this target.
Learn More
Requirements for Equivalent Clean Airflow Rate specify outdoor airflow rate and filtration requirements to control normal indoor air contaminants. Standard 241 sets requirements for equivalent clean airflow rate, the flow rate of pathogen-free air flow into occupied areas of a building that would have the same effect as the total of outdoor air, filtration of indoor air, and air disinfection by technologies such as germicidal ultraviolet light. This approach allows the user of the Standard flexibility to select combinations of technologies to comply with the Standard that best satisfy their economic constraints and energy use goals.
Learn More
Three main strategies are recommended to meet indoor air quality metrics: eliminate individual sources of pollution and reduce their emissions, increase the amount of outdoor air coming indoors, and effectively cycle indoor air using a dedicated air filtration system with superior filters.
Learn More

Real Benefits Of Clean Air

Studies Show That H13 True HEPA-Grade Air Purification Delivers A Range Of Benefits And Outcomes Across Physical And Cognitive Metrics:
Improves
Productivity
Reduces Common Complaints such as Odors
Reduces Absenteeism and Presenteeism
Creates a More Positive, Health-Focused Environment
Improves Facility Perceptions
Building Infrastructure, Construction Materials, And Engineering Play An Outsized Role In Air Quality For Their Inhabitants.

The importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) cannot be overstated in creating healthy, energy-efficient buildings. Consequently, contemporary green building standards emphasize the significance of maintaining optimal IAQ levels through both architectural design and filtration technology. Monitoring and improving IAQ not only contributes to healthier indoor environments, but also enables building owners to earn points towards various green and healthy building certifications.

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78% of employees said they would be more likely to come to the office if it had a healthy building certification
2022 AirRated Research Study
Learn more about the role IAQ and Monitoring play in achieving Building Certifications
LEED Certification
WELL Certification
RESET Certification
fitwel Certification
Indoor Air Is Composed Of A Complex Assortment Of Particles And Contaminants.

Understanding the nature and dangers of these airborne elements is the first step towards creating an effective approach to fight them. Because each particle has unique characteristics, dangers, and optimal levels, a robust, science-backed air quality management strategy is the best approach to effective management and remediation.

Tap Or Hover to Learn More:

TVOCs

What Are They?

  • A group of organic chemicals that easily vaporize at room temperature. VOCs can be emitted from a wide range of sources including building materials, cleaning products, paints, solvents, fuels and even personal care products like perfume
  • VOCs are characterized by having a high vapor pressure and low water solubility
  • Common VOC include Formaldehyde (bldg. materials, furniture), Benzene (emissions, tobacco smoke), Toluene (paints, cleaning products), Xylene (printing, rubber, paints), Styrene (packaging materials, insulation), Acetone (paints, nail polish remover)

What Is The Danger?

  • Short-term exposure can trigger headaches, asthma, allergy attacks dizziness, nausea, and loss of coordination. Long-term exposure to high levels of VOC can cause liver and kidney damage, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and cancer
  • They can persist in indoor environments for extended periods of time (chronic exposure)

What Is A Safe Level And How Do You Measure It?

  • Reduce amount of VOCs in a new space by choosing low VOC products verified by ecolabels such as GREENGUARD Certification
  • Overall, having a concentration of TOTAL VOCs that is lower than 0.5 mg/m3 is acceptable, however its important to understand that individual VOCs may have much lower thresholds (Example: Formaldehyde has a TLV-TWA of 0.1 ppm (8 hrs) and TLV-STEL of 0.3 ppm (15 min))
  • Utilize Standards such as the RESET Air index to determine safe and optimal levels
  • Use indoor air quality sensors to continuously monitor and identify any areas with issues
  • Using air purifiers with activated carbon will reduces levels of VOCs
multiple people sitting around a long skinny table in an office building

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

What Is It?

  • Carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas. It is produced both naturally and through human activities, such as burning gasoline, coal, oil, and wood. In a built space, people exhale CO2 which contributes to the elevation of CO2 levels in the air.
  • CO2 can be an indication of poor HVAC performance. Further, CO2 monitoring may be used to assess the risk of indoor airborne respiratory disease transmission.

What Is The Danger?

Short-term exposure to elevated levels can cause headaches and drowsiness. At higher levels, it can cause rapid breathing, confusion, elevated blood pressure. In extreme cases, suffocation.

What Is A Safe Level And How Do You Measure It?

  • Utilize Standards such as the RESET Air index to determine safe and optimal levels.
  • Use indoor air quality sensors to continuously monitor and identify any areas with issues.
CO2 Levels
Guidance
400 ppm
Normal outdoor air
400-1000ppm
Typical CO2 levels indoor. High performance buildings should target <800, but acceptable up to 1000 ppm
1000-2000ppm
Common complaints of drowsiness or poor air quality. Usually first indication of poor ventilation/overcrowding
2000-5000ppm
Associated with headaches, fatigue, stagnant stuffiness, poor concentration, increased heart rate, nausea
>5000 ppm
Toxicity or oxygen deprivation may occur. NOTE: this is the permissible exposure limit of daily workplace exposure

Particulate Matter (PM) - PM 2.5, PM 1.0

What Is It?

  • Particulate Matter are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air.

What Is The Danger?

  • Fine particles 2.5μm or less in diameter (PM2.5, PM1.0) have increased short- and long-term adverse health effects because they penetrate more deeply into the respiratory system. The human eye can normally see from 25 microns, but 0.3-0.9-micron particles often present the greatest health risk.
  • Despite increased awareness of negative health impacts, indoor PM2.5 sources and levels have remained largely unaddressed in standards and codes (Exception: health care facilities) until more recently

What Is A Safe Level And How Do You Measure It?

  • The EPA, WHO, RESET and others have provided guidance around exposure limits
  • PM2.5 < 12 ug/m3 over 24-hr period
  • Use indoor air quality sensors to continuously monitor and identify any areas with issues.
  • Using HEPA air purifiers will reduce levels of PM2.5.
photo of a blue-green empty room with particulates floating in the air

Viruses

What Is It?

  • Viruses are sub-micron particles less than 2.5 microns in size that are present in animals, plants and other living organisms.

What Is The Danger?

  • Poor indoor air quality, exacerbated by bacteria, viruses and germs, spread from employee to employee and from visitor to visitor, causing people to become ill.
  • Absence through sickness costs US employers $225.8 billion in lost productivity each year. The average annual absenteeism cost per employee is $1685.
image of virus particles floating around a room filled with people

What Is A Safe Level And How Do You Measure It?

  • ASHRAE Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols, establishes minimum requirements to reduce the risk of disease transmission through airborne viruses in indoor spaces. The standard introduces targets for equivalent clean airflow rates, which go beyond existing IAQ ventilation rates set by its predecessor, ASHRAE 62.1, which previously served as the standard for ventilation and acceptable IAQ.
  • The new ventilation requirements outlined in Standard 241 increase building ventilation rates by up to ten times that of current standards.
  • According to ASHRAE, “Standard 241 breaks new ground by setting requirements for equivalent clean airflow rate (ECAi), the flow rate of pathogen-free airflow into occupied areas of a building that would have the same effect as the total of outdoor air, filtration of indoor air, and air disinfection by technologies such as germicidal ultraviolet light (UV-C).”
  • As an added benefit, air cleaning solutions that are installed as part of complying with Standard 241 will also help clean up wildfire smoke that can enter a building, a topic that is becoming more critical as regions' air quality levels are impacted by distant events.
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Do You Have Clarity On Your Building's Indoor Air Makeup?

Schedule a complimentary indoor air quality assessment. A Fellowes IAQ expert will help you understand your current air quality and create an actionable plan to improve it.

Schedule Your Complimentary IAQ Assessment
Schedule Your Complimentary IAQ Assessment
Many People Use Their Senses To Perceive Air Quality. While Haze, Humidity, Smell, And Taste All Signal Air Quality, The Particles That Are Undetectable By Human Senses Are Often Far More Consequential.

PM (particulate matter) is a scale to measure microscopic particles such as dust, viruses, smoke, and particulates carried in smoke. Due to their extremely small size, these particles can slip past the human body's basic defenses, entering the lungs, bloodstream, and cellular makeup.

PM (particulate matter) is a scale to measure microscopic particles such as dust, viruses, smoke, and particulates carried in smoke. Due to their extremely small size, these particles can slip past the human body's basic defenses, entering the lungs, bloodstream, and cellular makeup.

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When developing an indoor air quality strategy, take steps to ensure your air purification system is designed to remove PM2.5 particles and smaller.
The Relative Size Of Particles
Particles with a diameter of 10 microns or less (PM10) are small enough to be inhaled into the lungs.
Here's a look…
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Human Hair
70 μm
Dust Particle:
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9 μm
Red Blood Cell:
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7-8 μm
Dust Particle:
image of a dust particle
2 μm
Bacterium:
image of a bacterium particle
1-3 μm
Wildfire Smoke:
image of a wildfire smoke particle
0.4 - 0.7 μm
Coronavirus:
image of a Coronavirus particle
0.1 - 0.5 μm
Ensuring Occupants Have Adequate Access To Clean Air Is An Iterative Process, Marked By Constant Monitoring, Evaluation And Improvement.

Guided by the latest scientific research, Fellowes recommends and provides an integrated approach to creating healthy spaces that not only addresses contaminants present in the air, but limits their ability to infect and spread throughout connected spaces.

Image of a woman standing in an office
A Multi-Layer Mitigation Plan To Improve Air Quality

Every building and indoor space has a unique set of variables and conditions that inform its ideal AQM strategy. Harvards University's T,H, Chan School of Public Health recommends a funnel-based methodology for improved air quality, with the top levels of the funnel being operational interventions and the lower levels of the funnel being hardware and infrastructure enhancements.

Fellowes can help you create an ideal IAQ plan for your space.
Let's Get Started
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Fellowes can help you create an ideal IAQ plan for your space.
Get Started
https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening schools/healthy-buildings/
Modern HVAC Systems Are Extremely Efficient At Air Circulation And Temperature Control But Are Not Designed For The Multi-Dimensional Challenges Of Air Quality Management.

As fluid matter, air behaves irregularly when enclosed within a space. Even with powerful fan systems, HVAC does not always circulate the entire volume of air, leading to buildups and concentrations of contaminants and particulates. These physical properties of air highlight one of the reasons why air monitoring, when used in concert with HVAC, can lead to drastically improved air quality.

When adequate air monitoring technology is placed throughout buildings and integrated with HVAC performance data, leaders can better understand how and where contaminants are lingering within their buildings, and take steps to improve air quality in those challenging areas through standalone air filtration, increased circulation, or both.

Importance Of Indoor Air Quality In Commercial Buildings
Most HVAC systems recirculate air to boost energy efficiency. However, this does not always occur evenly, causing air to stagnate.
Indoor air contains 70% more contaminants due to people, cleaning supplies, building materials, outdoor pollutants, mold, and others.

A Scientific, Engineering-Backed, And Human-Centric Approach To Indoor Air Quality

When building an effective air quality management strategy, Fellowes recommends 5 key protocols and initiatives which address the most important operational and equipment requirements to create and maintain clean indoor air.
Implement robust air purification technology that delivers H13 True HEPA filtration.
Air quality is too consequential for human health and wellness to be left to chance. H13 True HEPA filtration is the most effective means to removing 99.95% of contaminants down to 0.1 microns, which have the largest impact on human health and wellness.
Understand what areas may have poor IAQ and elevated levels of contamination by including indoor air quality sensors to continuously monitor and provide insightful data.
Air monitoring for common airborne contaminants is one of the most cost-effective and actionable ways to gain an understanding of the air quality within a space. This benefit is compounded with the ability to view building-wide air quality data in real-time across all spaces at the same time.
Consider IAQ as thoughtfully as you would the visual and auditory impacts of all of your spaces.
For many building owners, the aesthetics and environmental attributes of the space are the primary focus. But the reality is that IAQ has an outsized role in how your occupants will consciously and subconsciously experience your space, including the physical health implications.
Be conscious to include air remediation solutions that meet the spaces' occupancy and usage expectations.
Every space is unique, and every space requires a customized air quality strategy that reflects the building's use and occupants. Utilize Fellowes' complimentary indoor air quality assessment to accurately identify your space's needs.
Offer IAQ transparency to occupants to reassure them that their well-being is being prioritized.
Research has demonstrated that employees and guests want to know that the buildings they occupy meet minimum air quality requirements.
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Are You Ready To Implement An Effective Air Quality Management Strategy In Your Organization?

The first step is Fellowes' complimentary indoor air quality assessment. We'll help you understand your current air quality status and how to create an actionable plan for improving it.

Schedule Your Complimentary IAQ Assessment
Schedule Your Complimentary IAQ Assessmen

The Fellowes Air Quality Management Solutions Represents Our Longstanding Commitment To Helping People Create A Better Worklife.

For over 15 years, Fellowes has partnered with businesses and leaders to create and maintain safe indoor workspaces through effective air quality management. By developing pioneering air purification technologies and human-centric consulting services that address the root causes of poor indoor air quality, we help people improve their physical well-being, become more productive, and remain inspired in the pursuit of challenging, ambitious work-life goals.

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 organizations to help meet some of the most fundamental human needs in our local communities.

Our Give Initiatives

Earth by Fellowes represents our renewed commitment to sustainable practices at every level of our operations. Both aspirational and practical, Earth directs our steps to become an organization that pioneers new ways of doing business – ways that protect the potential of generations to come.

Our Sustainability Efforts