Poor indoor air quality may mean 80% more asthma sufferers by 2050

The number of asthma sufferers in the UK could rise by 80 per cent unless indoor air quality (IAQ) legislation is tightened, a new report has found.

The study, by The Future of Indoor Air Quality in UK Homes and its Impact on Health, revealed that building regulations are not robust enough to combat the effect of indoor air pollution on the health of building occupants. According to the report, if trends continue then Britain could see an 80 per cent increase in asthma sufferers by the year 2050.

While this study focuses on homes, poor IAQ should be a serious concern for non-residential building managers, as it is known to contribute to health problems, sickness-related absenteeism and low productivity in building occupants.

People in shared spaces are exposed to contaminants such as bacteria, mould and viruses, known collectively as biofilm, which forms on the cooling coil surface of an air handling unit (AHU) and is circulated via the airstream.

In partnership with BioZone Scientific International, Gibbons Ultraviolet Solutions has introduced CoilCare®, a revolutionary disinfection system that applies the sterilising power of ultraviolet C (UVC) light to an AHU cooling coil. This treatment destroys contaminants and prevents their regrowth, improving the health and wellbeing of building occupants while increasing AHU efficiency and service life.

The treatment can be applied to AHUs in schools, hospitals, offices, restaurants and other buildings and can be installed by our skilled engineers in just a few hours.

For more information on Gibbons Ultraviolet Solutions and the CoilCare® system, call Colin Hardman on 07940 544206 or email colin@gibbonsgroup.co.uk. indoor