Design Buy Build Issue 45 2020 | Page 58

LIGHTING & ELECTRICAL MAKING WORKSPACES SAFE - WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING IN AN AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEM Providing a fresh, clean, healthy workplace has always been important for businesses to ensure staff are kept in safe, productive environments. This is of even greater importance now as the COVID-19 lockdown eases. But health experts are worried that conventional air purification systems won’t actually provide the protection required. These types of system use PHI (Photohydroionisation) Cells which are integrated into fans to ‘Actively’ clean the air by flooding indoor environments with Ionised Hydro-Peroxides. These are referred to as “mother nature’s cleaning agents” by the scientific community, as they occur naturally and are the reason the air smells fresh after a thunderstorm. They highlight the concerns surrounding conventional ‘Passive’ air purification, where air needs to pass through a filter in order to be purified. These filters are usually in devices, which, in reality take many, many hours to pass all the air in a room through it, if at all in poorly circulated spaces. As soon as someone enters the space, the air is then immediately exposed to contamination, so the likelihood of all air being treated is extremely remote. They also warn how filter based systems don’t sterilise surfaces – pathogens like Coronavirus, E.COLI and Listeria can survive for hours on uncleaned surfaces, putting occupants at risk. There’s also concern that these harmful viruses, germs and bacteria can continue to thrive in filters, which means that the task of changing and cleaning filters can also carry its own risks. In independent research, results showed that PHI fan technology eradicated up to 99% of all known viruses and pathogens. It also showed that with an active in-room PHI fan, over 99% of the germs in a human sneeze are neutralised before they can travel 2 metres. So, for anyone investing in air purification technology it might be worthwhile considering ASHRAE’s advice and looking into the simple-to-install, ductless, PHI fans as an approved, safe and tested solution. www.airius.co.uk After extensive research, ASHRAE, the worldwide trade association for HVAC professionals, have now come forward to recommend that building owners consider UVGI (Ultra Violet Germicidal Irradiation) combined with autonomous circulation fans to protect staff and customers from viruses, such as Coronavirus and other harmful pathogens. 58