Why indoor air quality is important in the workplace

Improving employee productivity is a key goal for companies of any size. Having a healthy workplace is one of the concerns of companies. In fact, indoor air quality greatly influences the health of staff by influencing their well-being and creating productive and healthy work environments.

company that does not take care of its employees does not inspire trust and can lose everything: customers, turnover, talent drain, etc. Therefore, the quality of the air breathed at work is a very important factor influencing the health of workers. Employers, therefore, have every interest in ensuring that their teams breathe good quality air. Good indoor air quality improves working conditions. In fact, the exposure to diseases increases by sharing closed spaces where the air circulates little and is hardly renewed. Not in vain, the indoor air is twice as polluted compared to the outside air. For several decades, this issue has fortunately been taken very seriously and the evolution of technology facilitates awareness of the subject. In addition, the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a review of indoor air quality standards.  

Indoor air is on average 5 to 7 times more polluted than outdoor air, whereas we spend 80 to 90% of our time there, mainly in our workplace. In question, many factors and pollutants can have an impact on health. To mention just one, CO2, which is one of these factors, is very present in buildings.

It is measured in ppm (part per million) or µg/m3. Indoor CO2 levels are generally higher than outdoors, due to CO2 exhaled by occupants. It should be noted that there can be harmful consequences when the concentrations are higher than approximately 1000 ppm such as health risks and a reduction in efficiency at work.  If the threshold is exceeded, the air is considered polluted and it is recommended not to temporarily occupy the room.

Most important, to minimize the risk of virus transmission through the air is keeping CO2 levels as low as possible in all indoor spaces

How to improve indoor air quality and CO2 impact

The following steps can be taken :

  • Ventilate the rooms: it is recommended to open the windows as well as the doors on a regular basis to ventilate the premises and reduce the effects of confinement.
  • Have good ventilation: an effective ventilation system is recommended to ensure good air renewal.
  • Control sources of pollution: there are many sources of indoor pollution and it is important to limit them. 
  • Take measurements using air quality sensors: these sensors make it possible to measure the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the room but also other indoor pollutants (volatile organic compounds (VOC) etc.. in order to be able to make the right decisions and apply appropriate corrective measures.

For this, there are devices for measuring air quality which will allow knowing more about the air currently breathed. HibouAir is receommended in this regard. HibouAir is an affordable air quality monitoring device with a simple setup that provides all indoor environmental data for observations of CO2, VOC, PM, pressure, temperature, and humidity for a healthy environment. It is suitable for offices and other indoor places with a wide range of applications. This device comes with a cloud dashboard which allows accessing historical data remotely along with mobile and desktop applications. There are several solutions provided by HibouAir for indoor air quality monitoring.


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Why is indoor air quality monitoring important, especially for children?

The air quality at home can affect both adults and the child. However, children are extra sensitive to air pollution.

Clean air has been linked to children’s health and well-being. Children are particularly susceptible to air pollution because their bodies and lungs are still developing. For example, you get asthma much easier as a child than as an adult. Then children are also a little more active, so they breathe more in comparison with body weight. This makes them absorb air pollutants much more easily than adults.

As a parent, the safety of children is a top priority. Most parents, on the other hand, do not realize the danger that risks their children’s health every day because they don’t have access to visible air quality data. Children come into contact with environmental pollutants in their rooms every day. Toys and other items make the child’s bedroom a fun, safe space to play, learn and sleep. These items are likely to release toxic air pollutants into the room.

Indoor air pollution can be up to five times more severe than outdoors. They are there even though we can not always see or smell them. 

Air pollution in the home can have many different health effects on children, including childhood asthma, allergies, poorer learning ability and a higher risk of early cancer and cardiovascular disease later in life. This is especially serious because studies show that high exposure to air pollutants early in life can have lifelong consequences for children’s physical and mental development. Installing an air quality monitoring device at home will make sure that children are breathing in the best air.

Choose the best air quality monitoring device for kids

HibouAir is an affordable air quality monitoring device with a simple setup that helps you accurately measure indoor environmental data for observations and studies to preserve a healthy air quality environment. HibouAir comes with two different variations; particule and CO2 sensors. 

There are several indoor air quality monitoring solutions provided by HibouAir:

Users can choose the best solution that meets their requirements.

HibouAir mobile and desktop applications work for any solution which provides real-time air quality data of nearby devices over Bluetooth. HibouAir Dashboard account is available for cloud solutions, which provides real-time data with various maps, charts and graphs for analysis. It can also generate alert notifications and periodically reports upon request.

With HibouAir, parents can feel calm in the knowledge that children can play happily, sleep well and stay healthy. 


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Importance of historical air quality data for indoor environment

Many people think, that instead of installing a long term air quality monitoring device if they use the environmental data detector and read the value several times, it will help them understand the air quality of the environment. This article will discuss the importance of historical air quality data for the indoor environment.

Generally speaking, people do not actively care about indoor air quality. Only when there are peculiar smells, physical discomfort, mucous membrane irritation in the room etc. Of course, some people don’t care about air quality because they don’t have access to visible data. The real-time data released by indoor air quality monitoring will gradually develop people’s habit of caring about the air quality of their environment. With such a habit and the basis of environmental data, people will take the initiative to find ways to control indoor air quality, thereby improving the health of the environment in which they live.

Air pollution has many characteristics, but there are two related to the need for air quality monitoring: dynamic change and invisibility. Many reasons affect indoor air pollution, such as building interior surface materials, decoration materials, all kinds of furniture, children’s toys, copiers, printers, use of pesticides, use of cleaning agents, outdoor haze/air pollution entering indoors, etc. The main parameters involved are also quite extensive, such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, inhalable particulate matter, carbon dioxide, etc., which can be described as quite complex. And because of another characteristic of air: invisibility, people do not know what pollution sources and air pollution problems need to be solved after any adjustments have been made, or no adjustments have been made at all. This makes real-time and long-term air monitoring of great significance. The real-time data can give an early warning of the polluted environment, and the historical data can show the length of time people are exposed to the polluted environment and analyze the degree of damage that may be caused to human health.

Air quality monitoring data

Air quality monitoring equipment is usually equipped with an air monitoring system platform and cooperates with mobile phones, computers and other electronic screens to release and display real-time or historical data. Reading these values can help understand the causes and sources of indoor air pollution and make necessary adjustments for living in a healthy environment.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-holding-a-report-paper-7876387/

Recently, more people are paying attention to indoor air quality while building smart and healthy places. Introducing air quality monitoring device that can store data over time and gives the access to it can be one of the important options for comprehensive consideration and assessment of the health level of the indoor space.

In this regard, Smart Sensor Devices has developed an air quality monitor device called HibouAir. HibouAir is an affordable wireless device with a simple setup that helps you accurately measure indoor environmental data for observations and study to preserve a healthy air quality environment. There are several indoor air quality monitoring solutions provided by HibouAir:

The device connects automatically to your HibouAir Dashboard account, which provides real-time data with various maps, charts and graphs for analysis. It can also generate alert notifications and periodically reports upon request. HibouAir mobile app provides real-time air quality data of nearby devices over Bluetooth.


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How do I know if the air in my home is good?

How do we know if the air we breathe is clean and healthy? To some extent, we can trust our senses. When the sun shines in through the windows, for example, we can sometimes see large particulate pollutants in the air with the naked eye.

The nose is also great at detecting a variety of pollutants at very low levels. Contaminated air is often experienced as trapped. Some of these contaminants are filtered out in the nose and upper respiratory tract. But far from everything. The rest goes down into the lungs. Some particles are so small that they penetrate the lung tissue and are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.

Asthma and poor air quality in homes

A healthy and good indoor climate is important for us to function optimally in everyday life. If the indoor climate is bad, we risk developing dangerous respiratory diseases and other health problems, which in the long run reduce the quality of life. Many people have respiratory illnesses that are often caused by bad indoor air. People with asthma can quickly get worsening symptoms if they stay in buildings with poor air quality. Of course, many of the symptoms can also be caused by things other than bad air, but studies show that the symptoms occur more often in buildings with poor air quality.

Carbon dioxide in homes!

Many dangerous substances in our homes and the indoor air do not smell or give any clear symptoms. Therefore good ventilation is very important for healthy living.

With simple measuring equipment for household use, we can measure the air temperature and humidity. But to find out if the air we breathe is really clean and healthy, we need air quality monitoring devices.

Improve the indoor air for asthmatics and allergy sufferers by monitoring air quality

In this regard, Smart Sensor Devices has developed an air quality monitor device called HibouAir. HibouAir is an affordable wireless device with a simple setup that helps you accurately measure indoor environmental data for observations and study to preserve a healthy air quality environment. There are several indoor air quality monitoring solutions provided by HibouAir:

Using HibouAir Mobile and Desktop application, users can easily access real-time air quality data of the surrounding environment. The cloud solution allows the device to connect to the users HibouAir Dashboard account, which provides real-time data with various maps, charts and graphs for analysis. It can also generate alert notifications and periodically reports upon request.


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Monitoring indoor air quality: why is it important?

Indoor air quality is a very relevant indicator when it comes to maintaining the comfort and health of a closed space, whether it is intended for housing or any other use. To maintain proper standards, you need the tools and regulations to monitor indoor air quality.

The quality of the air inside is essential for healthy living, especially when we spend around 90% of the time in closed spaces, as pointed out by The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS).

The Swedish legislation has established guidelines that must be met to ensure the highest quality of the air in enclosed spaces.

Therefore we will discuss why it is important to monitor air quality for our health.

Importance of monitoring indoor air quality

Several diseases and conditions can be derived from poor indoor air quality. From mild symptoms such as eye stinging or itching, to much more serious diseases such as lung cancer.

The circumstances that can lead to poor indoor air quality are varied, and all must be controlled and supervised through the assistance of professionals. From simple dampness or mould to inadequate smoke extraction facilities can be the cause of these ills.

Unlike outside air, indoor air can be trapped and accumulate pollutants. And here we are dealing with a major problem, given that the WHO estimates that 3.8 million people die each year from air pollution in homes.

The International Well Building Institute cites the following parameters to ensure conditions or standards of indoor air quality:

  • Particulate matter: 10 microns or less in diameter: 50 ug / m³; 2.5 microns or less in diameter: 15 ug / m³.
  • Carbon monoxide: Less than 9 ppm.
  • Volatile organic compounds: Less than 500 ug / m³.
  • Formaldehyde: Less than 27 ppb.
  • Carbon dioxide: Approximately 700 ppm above outdoor air levels (generally around 1,000 to 1,200 ppm).
  • Humidity: Below 60%, ideally between 30% and 50%.
  • Temperature: from 20 ° C to 23 ° C (winter); from 25 ° C to 27 ° C.

How can we monitor indoor air quality?

It is obvious that there is a need to monitor and evaluate the indoor air quality of spaces. To control and monitor this air quality, there are sensors designed to detect a specific contribution (some particular pollutant) and convert that information into a quantifiable signal to transmit it electronically. The rise of the IoT (“Internet of Things”) and the digitization of home automation have led to smart and connected sensors for measuring air quality.

Sensors can measure different types of contaminants depending on their function. They are usually intended to detect carbon dioxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, no2 etc.

In this regard, Smart Sensor Devices has developed an air quality monitor device called HibouAir. HibouAir is an affordable wireless device with a simple setup that helps you accurately measure indoor environmental data for observations and study to preserve a healthy air quality environment. There are three models:

The device connects automatically to your HibouAir Dashboard account, which provides real-time data with various maps, charts and graphs for analysis. It can also generate alert notifications and periodically reports upon request. HibouAir mobile app provides real-time air quality data of nearby devices over Bluetooth.


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Photo by Poppy Lin on Unsplash

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