We can read newspaper articles and independent reports, we can look at apps and measuring devices telling us that pollution levels are ‘very high’, we can see if we live in air quality management areas, we can see government schemes to reduce pollution, we can read the endless reports that air pollution is killing us slowly and that its taking more lives every year, we can compare ourselves to other countries - yes, we can talk about this topic until the cows come home - it’s serious, really really serious, but do we actually have any idea how bad that ‘very high’ reading really is, because we simply can’t SEE the air and what’s in it.
The closest we can get is seeing the smog or smoke settling in the atmosphere and exhaust fumes from cars, but if we could see something more tangible, would we be quicker to do something about it??? How about the air we are breathing in our homes, at the office, at the school where our kids spend most of the week - ultimately the places we spend over 90% of our time – living, breathing and sleeping (and we breathe 10,000 litres of air everyday which is a lot)
Well here it is - see the picture above.
This is what air quality looks like from inside homes around the city. This picture is of a supply air filter from a heat recovery ventilation systems installed in a home in London. It was once white like the image on the left - in fact it was white 6 short months ago.
These systems have been installed as a requirement of the Building Regulations for the provision of ventilation in new homes. Ventilation is in place to protect people from hazardous pollutants and airborne particles inside homes. Airflow rates based on floor area, no of bedrooms, occupancy and insulation levels are set and number of methodologies are outlined including single point and central systems, some extract only, some extract and supply.
A heat recovery system works 24 hours a day. It draws air in from outside which passes through a filter (different grades available) before it is delivered to living rooms and bedrooms.At the same time, it’s also extracting stale, moisture and pollutant ladden air from inside the property and passes it through a filter (to protect the unit) before it’s expelled to outsideIt also does something clever with heat recovery and exchange, but for the purpose of this blog it's not relevant.
This type of sophisticated system is being installed in new build homes, but in older, existing homes, it isn't the norm - yes they might be 'leakier' but the air around the property which is probably entering through windows and doors is still the same.
So, what do you think?
There is so much thick black muck and dust that we don't see with the naked eye that we are potentially breathing in - actually ,we are definitely breathing it in!!! It obviously varies from outside to inside and there are different types of pollutants and airborne particles, but when you actually see it, it does make you think.
In many homes you can 'feel' the impact of poor indoor air quality that has negative impact on occupants health. Here you can see it. You can see exactly what's outside coming into our homes every single day.
There seems to be considerable research and discussion going on, and the enormity of the situation means that it's a long term plan. Air Quality is not yet an important driver in the construction of new homes, it's about energy performance and reducing carbon emissions - the same in existing homes - so we have to be in charge of our own indoor air quality by considering ventilation, air purification, humidification - the things that will help improve the indoor environment AND look at the products and materials that we are using everyday and how much pollution we are consciously bringing into our homes too!
Can you actually believe the state of the air that we are breathing everyday?