Boris gets a wheeze on poor London Air Quality

Posted on 24/07/2012 by Camfil Farr

Article by Peter Dyment, Energy Consultant, Camfil Farr

Boris Johnson the London Mayor should reconsider whether spraying glue on the ground near to London Air Quality monitoring sites is an effective way of reducing air pollution and a good use of public money.

It is good to see that he is taking any action to respond to the public health hazard of the respirable fine combustion particles found in PM10. At least there is a tacit acknowledgement from government that there is a public health problem judging by these actions.

Source: WHO

These diagrams show why this is not good use of resources if the London authorities are genuinely trying to protect peoples lung health from damage by inhaling fine combustion particulate.

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Indoor Air Quality – Frequently Asked Questions

Posted on 14/05/2012 by Camfil Farr

Article by Peter Dyment, Energy Consultant, Camfil Farr

There are many different ways our indoor air quality can become a problem. The basic properties of air that can easily vary are temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure. Relatively small changes of temperature or humidity can make us feel uncomfortable.

Lastly but not least, air composition includes what we term air pollution. As we have become a crowded industrial nation this pollution has increased sharply over the last few decades. Here are some frequently asked questions on Indoor Air Quality problems.

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Indoor Air Quality: We stir up millions of bacteria when we enter a room

Posted on 30/03/2012 by Camfil Farr

New Study: Yale Researchers say findings might help efforts to improve indoor air quality.

A person’s mere presence in a room can add 37 million bacteria to the air every hour — material largely left behind by previous occupants and stirred up from the floor — according to new research by Yale University engineers.

We live in this microbial soup, and a big ingredient is our own microorganisms

said Jordan Peccia, associate professor of environmental engineering at Yale and the principal investigator of a study recently published online in the journal Indoor Air.

Mostly people are re-suspending what’s been deposited before. The floor dust turns out to be the major source of the bacteria that we breathe.

Many previous studies have surveyed the variety of germs present in everyday spaces. But this is the first study that quantifies how much a lone human presence affects the level of indoor biological aerosols.

The research team measured and analysed biological particles in a single, ground-floor university classroom over a period of eight days — four days when the room was periodically occupied, and four days when the room was continuously vacant. At all times the windows and doors were kept closed. The HVAC system was operated at normal levels. Researchers sorted the particles by size.

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