Why do we pay attention to the quality of our drinking water, but not to our indoor air? Scientific American's Senior Health Editor, Tanya Lewis, explains how and why this matters.
So why aren’t we talking about indoor air quality, especially when COVID is still spreading and so many people are being encouraged to return to offices?We know that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, is transmitted by airborne droplets called aerosols that hang in the air and can travel over short and long distances.
SARS-CoV-2 isn’t the only virus that spreads through the air indoors. Influenza and other respiratory viruses also spread this way. Studies have also shown that poor ventilation leads to cognitive impairment and “sick building syndrome.” And here’s the problem: according to experts, these air quality standards are far below those needed to stop the spread of COVID.
Of course, such measures alone can’t not prevent all pathogens or other pollutants from entering the air, which is why other steps are needed.A building’s ventilation level refers to how much fresh outdoor air is being brought in. This fresh air dilutes the concentration of virus-laden particles in the air.
Experts say this can become a major equity issue. People of color, for example, are more likely to live and work in places where they are exposed toAside from windows, another source of indoor ventilation is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, system. Most of these systems allow a building manager to vary the amount of fresh air intake. It should generally be set to maximum, experts say—provided the outdoor air quality is safe.
A best practice is to upgrade filters to at least MERV 13 for most indoor settings. Many HVAC systems can be upgraded to this standard—but some very old ones may have trouble with higher-efficiency filters, and this could cause air to leak around the filters.
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