IAQ Tips Commercial Buildings

Locations and Causes of Indoor Air Pollution? Common Chemicals Found in Buildings in PDF Format Ozone, I’m confused - is it a good thing or a bad thing? I have a pigeon problem, just how bad is this for my IAQ? Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Defined How do I control the Dust Trails on my ceiling tile? We have sewer odors coming in from our HVAC, how can we remove these odors? Will a filter perform in your HVAC system the same way it performed in a test laboratory? New study: Diesel Fumes Damage Your Brain. Do you have any information on filter by-pass? I have a particle chart, do oyu have a list of products and what the sizes are? Do you have a question?  Email us and we will try to answer.

Before we try to remove the fog of confusion let’s define Ozone. “Ozone is a gas that occurs both in the Earth’s upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for your health and the environment depending upon its location in the atmosphere” as defined be the EPA.

• Good Ozone is the protective layer of ozone in the stratosphere that has received much attention recently 
• Bad ozone is ozone found at ground-level. Ground-level ozone is a harmful pollutant and can cause a variety of health issues.

According to the EPA “Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion. It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. ‘Bad’ ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue.” These adverse effects of ozone have prompted many governmental agencies and trade organizations to oppose the use of air purification equipment that generates ozone in occupies spaces.

An interesting study performed by Jeffery Siegel, Richard Corsi and Ping Zhao of the University of Texas at Austin documented that filters loaded with particulate (dirty filters) are able to remove ozone. This phenomenon is caused by the reaction of the ozone with the contaminate in the air filter. This chemical reaction can create harmful byproducts depending upon the composition of the particulate. Byproducts such as formaldehyde and ultra-fine particulate have been documented and are of particular concern.

Send me more information on how I can protect my building from ozone.

Question: Does your sewer vent filter create a vacuum in the pipe and cause the water traps to drain?