FutureAir

Tag: Indoor Air Quality

Work Fatigue: Testing Indoor Air Quality at the Office

June 2019

Harvard Study shows a link between cognitive functioning and indoor air quality in office environments

The Harvard study “Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments” outlines the relationship between indoor air composition and cognitive function. Unlike various other biased studies done on indoor air quality, where test subjects were often told of the poor air quality before taking or participating in the experiment, Joseph G. Allen and his team designed their experiment to be as fair as possible, citing their goal to “objectively quantify the impact of indoor environment on higher order cognitive function.”

Allen and his team ran an experiment that isolated the effects of poor indoor air quality on office workers, using the Strategic Management Simulation (SMS) computer-based cognitive test, two identical office spaces, and different kinds of air pollutants. When introducing participants to the study, it was essential that Allen and his team not reveal the status of the indoor environment, as it might influence the subjects’ behavior. The participant pool was comprised of 24 professional-grade employees who were instructed to arrive at 9 a.m. on 3 specific days for two consecutive weeks. Participants were encouraged to perform their usual work until 3 p.m., when they would be given the SMS test. Behind the scenes, however, Allen and his team were artificially controlling the levels of outdoor air, CO2, and VOCs in the offices. Air movement throughout the office was kept constant at 40 cfm/person, but the amount of outdoor air flowing through the ventilation system, CO2, and VOCs were variable and manipulated throughout the test.

Allen and his team used different amounts of outdoor air, CO2, and VOCs for each of the days, experimenting with “Conventional” office levels, “Green” office levels, and optimal concentrations they called “Green+” office levels.

Since the SMS test could be objectively scored with a numeric value, Allen and his team were able to normalize the scores across the test sections into coherent charts. As shown in the graph, tests taken in the “Conventional” office environment were consistently the lowest in every category. The largest differences between the “Conventional” and the other, more optimal office settings can be seen in the categories, “Crisis Response,” “Information Seeking,” and “Strategy.” Allen and his team confirmed that the results of five of the nine total functions tested in the SMS were statistically significant.

The results, while not conclusive, do demonstrate a correlation between certain cognitive functions and the environment in which one works. Studies such as this one are useful because they help make lesser known issues like indoor air quality more mainstream in the scientific community, which increases the chance that future studies will come up with a solution that ends the problem.

Written by Ryo Shimada for FutureAir.

Healthy Materials

March 2019

Parson’s Healthy Materials Lab gave a talk entitled: The New Frontier of Materials: Human Health & Design that we at FutureAir believe is worth documenting.

Speakers outlined the dangers of the built environment. No one intends to pollute indoor air in building construction, but the chemical cocktail trapped inside poses an invisible threat—it is a silent epidemic.

The speakers presented a metaphor between the food we eat and the air we breathe. Just like the food we ingest, the air we breathe also becomes a part of our bodies and enters our system. So if we label the ingredients on food items should we not also label the ingredients in the air? Shouldn’t we identify where these air pollutants come from—which products, which materials? We have a right to know which items contribute to the composition of the poisonous indoor environments we spend more than 90%of our time in.

The goal of the Healthy Materials Lab is to bring awareness to the health threats posed by poor air in our indoor environments. They do this by producing and conducting case studies, and their website is pretty much an encyclopedia for all things chemical toxins in the home. Finally, they partner with companies in the construction field to incentivize healthy building material choices.

Ultimately, the chemicals of concern may never go away, but we can make and encourage better decisions that lead to healthier realities. An important point that was raised was that most members of the Healthy Materials Lab are designers in practice. They want to create beautiful environments that are also sustainable and healthy. With the current climate crisis, it seems we all have to double down and integrate a sustainable practice into our work and lives to build a world we can live and thrive in.

Written for FutureAir by Mollie Wodenshek

Image Credit: Builder Magazine

Air Purifier to Clear Wildfire Smoke

May 2018

Sadly, wildfires have become common for residents in states such as California and Oregon, prompting them to consider how best to deal with the smoke and ash that lingers afterwards for weeks or even months. Many residents have taken to air purifiers to help reduce the particulate pollution in their homes, and Tim Heffernan, a science writer and editor at Wirecutter, has offered some advice for those looking to purchase such a device.

At a minimum, Heffernan recommends HEPA certified air purifiers, which are rated to remove 99.97 percent of particles that are exactly 0.3 microns in diameter, though he also tested and found positive results with certified models that remove virtually all particles as small as 0.01 micron, one-thirtieth the HEPA standard.

“Most of us spend a lot of time indoors,” Mr. Heffernan said. “And indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. It kind of comes down to what we have in our homes: pets, rugs, furniture that traps dust. And many homes are not terribly well ventilated.”

In addition to the HEPA certification–which Heffernan states should be listed as “true HEPA”–individuals seeking an air purifier will want to make sure the device has a tight seal around the filter to get the full effect of the device. Some models may list a CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) rating, which will indicate how efficiently the model will work depending on the size of the room it’s placed in. Heffernan suggests a CADR of at least 200, which means the unit effectively delivers the equivalent of 200 cubic feet of pure air per minute.

For a more cost-effective solution, it’s also possible to upgrade an existing HVAC system to improve air quality with filters that trap smaller particles. In these instances, filters with a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating between 7 and 13 are likely to be nearly as effective as “true HEPA” filters.

Within the air purifier market, buyers should watch out for dubious additional features, such as models that produce ozone to destroy pathogens (ozone is actually a respiratory system irritant) and ones that claim to reduce VOCS (volatile organic compounds), as very few models truly have such a capability.

Regardless of model, Heffernan recommends checking an air purifier every six months for buildup on the filter. Furthermore, for those in smoke-afflicted areas, Heffernan suggests keeping windows closed when possible, washing sheets and pillowcases, and when able mopping instead of vacuuming to avoid kicking up any dust or smoke that’s settled. Lastly, for those wishing to purchase a face mask, they should seek masks with an N95 or P100 rating, as these are the necessary levels to provide adequate protection from smoke particles.

Click here to read the full article.

Shopping with Air Pollution

May 2018

Indoor air quality has become a major health issue throughout the world as rising levels of outdoor air pollution continue to make the air inside homes and facilities toxic. This indoor air quality epidemic even extends to malls, underscoring the importance for you to understand your mall’s air quality and how it can affect your overall health and well-being.

“The problem occurs when polluted outside air infiltrates the ventilation system of a mall,” stated Camfil’s Charlie Seyffer, Manager of Marketing & Technical Materials and 37-year ASHRAE member and active committee participant. “These are pollutants such as dust, smoke, and pollen, and they can cause a variety of respiratory problems if that mall is not equipped with commercial air filters that can eliminate these harmful particulates from the air.”

In addition to outdoor pollutants, there are also indoor air pollutants found in malls that can contribute to the problem, such as the chemicals and solvents used by dry cleaners, VOCs–or volatile organic compounds– present in the products sold at hardware and home furnishings stores, and the byproduct emissions caused by frying and broiling at fast food kiosks.

A study performed by Hong Kong researchers of nine malls across Hong Kong found significant concentrations of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, particulate matter (PM10), as well as various strains of bacteria inside all of the malls examined. The high concentration of PM10 is of special concern, as these pollutants–such as dust, pollen, and mold–can lodge in the lungs and lead to respiratory problems. People with a history of heart disease or lung problems are particularly vulnerable to PM10 as well as PM2.5, a similar pollutant that consists of even smaller particles and which was identified as a pollutant in the study. Both of these pollutants also pose a danger to children and the elderly, because these groups tend to have immune systems that are not fully developed or weak due to aging.

While there’s not much an individual can do to directly counter the pollutants found in malls, they can be more aware of their surroundings and keep an eye out for symptoms that might indicate exposure to high levels of pollutants, such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, tightness of the chest, shortness of breath, and coughing.

Click here to read the full article.

Coolant Chemicals in the Courts

August 2017

On August 8, ​the​ United States Court of ​Appeals​ ​ruled against restrictions to ​products​ ​that contain​ ​hydrofluorocarbons​ ​(HFCs)​​.​ ​HFCs​ ​are​ ​a​ ​harmful​ ​greenhouse​ ​gas​ ​that​ ​trap​ ​heat​ ​in​ ​the atmosphere.​ According​ ​to​ Inside​ ​Climate​ ​News, ​​the​ ​ruling​ ​was​ ​in​ ​favor​ ​of​ ​two​ ​foreign HFC​ ​manufacturers (Mexichem Fluor and Arkema),​ ​holding​ ​that​ ​the​ ​“EPA​ ​had​ ​no​ ​authority​ ​to​ ​regulate​ ​the​ ​gases​ ​under the​ ​Clean​ ​Air​ ​Act.” This was bad news for Honeywell International and Chemours, companies that have been manufacturing less harmful coolant chemicals called hydrofluoroolefins.

The​ ​court​ ​ruling​ ​“​shows​ ​that​ ​at​ ​least​ ​some​ ​judges​ ​think​ ​the Environmental Protection​ ​Agency​ ​needs​ ​more​ ​specific​ ​authority​ ​from​ ​Congress​ ​to​ ​act​ ​on​ ​HFCs.”​ ​The legal​ ​loophole​ ​in​ ​a​ ​nutshell:​ ​the​ ​EPA​ ​has​ ​authority​ ​to​ ​regulate​ ​ozone-depleting​ ​gases,​ ​but not​ ​other​ ​harmful​ ​substances.​ ​HFCs​ ​were​ ​the​ ​alternative​ ​to​ ​the​ ​older​ ​chemicals​ ​that​ ​were harmful​ ​to​ ​the​ ​ozone​ ​layer.​ ​And​ ​though​ ​HFCs​ ​don’t​ ​deplete​ ​the​ ​ozone,​ ​they​ ​are​ ​still considered​ ​greenhouse​ ​gases​ ​that​ ​are​ ​incredibly​ ​impactful​ ​on​ ​climate​ ​change.​​ ​“Congress has​ ​not​ ​yet​ ​enacted​ ​general​ ​climate​ ​change​ ​legislation,”​ ​Judge​ ​Brett​ ​Kavanaugh​ ​wrote.​ ​In response,​ ​“Judge​ ​Robert​ ​Wilkins,​ ​an​ ​Obama​ ​appointee,​ ​dissented,​ ​saying​ ​that​ ​the​ ​EPA was​ ​due​ ​deference​ ​for​ ​what​ ​he​ ​said​ ​was​ ​a​ ​reasonable​ ​interpretation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​statute.”​ ​

Chemical and Engineering News states that “the EPA rule would have banned the use of HFC-134a as an air conditioner refrigerant in most cars and trucks sold in the U.S. starting with model-year 2021.” All avenues​ ​for​ ​appeals​ ​to​ ​this​ ​ruling​ ​are​ ​being​ ​explored.

The​ ​original​ ​Obama-era​ ​ruling​ ​was​ ​an​ ​important​ ​piece​ ​of​ ​the​ ​puzzle​ ​to​ ​meeting the​ ​Paris​ ​Climate​ ​Accord​ ​goals,​ ​and​ ​would​ ​have​ ​significantly​ ​cut​ ​our​ ​carbon​ ​emissions. This​ ​commitment​ ​to​ ​phasing​ ​out​ ​HFCs​ ​was​ ​furthered​ ​by​ ​meetings​ ​in​ ​Kigali​ ​in​ ​2016, when​ ​the​ ​Montreal​ ​Protocol​ ​was​ ​updated.​ ​The​ ​Montreal​ ​Protocol​ ​was​ ​a​ ​treaty​ ​signed​ ​in 1987​ ​that​ ​successfully​ ​phased​ ​out​ ​an​ ​older​ ​generation​ ​of​ ​refrigerant​ ​gases​ ​that​ ​are harmful​ ​to​ ​the​ ​ozone​ ​layer.

As​ ​the Inside Climate News ​article​ ​states,​ ​“the​ ​Trump​ ​administration​ ​has​ ​given​ ​no​ ​indication​ ​of whether​ ​it​ ​intends​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​the​ ​Kigali​ ​amendment​ ​before​ ​the​ ​Senate​ ​for​ ​ratification.”​ ​But there​ ​was,​ ​and​ ​still​ ​could​ ​be,​ ​hope​ ​to​ ​maintain​ ​the​ ​Obama-era​ ​rulings​ ​during​ ​the​ ​Trump administration.​ ​Chemical​ ​manufacturers​ ​that​ ​have​ ​worked​ ​with​ ​Trump​ ​are​ ​investing​ ​in more​ ​climate-friendly​ ​alternatives​ ​to​ ​HFCs.​ ​Climate​ ​change​ ​ingenuity​ ​and​ ​the​ ​bottom​ ​line are​ ​by​ ​no​ ​means​ ​mutually​ ​exclusive.​ ​The​ ​way​ ​we​ ​cool​ ​ourselves​ ​could​ ​be​ ​a​ ​bipartisan issue.​ ​American​ ​companies​ ​have​ ​the​ ​potential​ ​to​ ​act​ ​as​ ​leaders​ ​in coolant technology.​

Lovegrove and the Future of Air

April 2017

Design “Intraspective” at the Pompidou Center in Paris from April 12 – July 3, 2017, is a must see, while work continues on Lovegrove’s next venture: Re-imagining indoor air.

FutureAir, established in New York in 2014 by Simone Rothman and Ross Lovegrove, along with a team of scientists from Harvard, MIT and Columbia, sets out to provide increased awareness, highly innovative, smart-control applications and actionable products to monitor and deliver comfort and purity as well as energy efficiency for indoor air.

As the go-to platform for 21st century air-conditioning, FutureAir brings new awareness to the critical issue of indoor air pollution and its effect on health, comfort, productivity and general wellbeing. Sophisticated and affordable sensor technology developed by FutureAir, identifies harmful gas emissions and dust particulates, while monitoring room temperature and humidity to provide optimal thermal or “real-feel” indoor air comfort for home, school and office as well as in hotels and hospitals. Additionally FutureAir products, enabled with IoT device-to-device communication, regulate excessive energy output and “cooling waste” to reduce overconsumption and greenhouse gases emissions into our atmosphere.

The sleek Ross Lovegrove biomimetic designs for FutureAir products create a new standard for an industry sorely lacking in aesthetics. His late-career emphasis on Convergent Design, which combines emerging technology with new materials, is particularly evident in Lovegrove’s new designs for FutureAir. His organic, earth-centric works are inspired by the logic and beauty of nature mixed with social and environmental consciousness. “This idea of Convergence”, Lovegrove explains, “is an inevitability in this day and age, when we are looking for a new model of industrialization”. “Design will become more bespoke as we make only what we need and design’s beauty and logic creep in as ecology and as evolutionary. More and more designers will be asked to do something useful, to do something relevant.”

The future of quality air and the optimal indoor environment has found its designer. Ross Lovegrove…now partnering with science to evolve the way we breathe and live.

Photo credit: Andrew Bordwin

Air Pollution Brings Down The Stock Market

April 2017

“Every time air quality decreased by one standard deviation, we saw a 12% reduction in stock returns.”

Comparing daily data from the S&P 500 index with daily air-quality data from an EPA sensor close to Wall Street, Professor Anthony Heyes and his colleagues from the University of Ottawa found a connection between higher pollution and lower stock performance concluding that air pollution brings down the stock market.

Apparently being exposed to bad air can make you feel depressed which in turn can reduce your cognitive capability. Bad moods and lower cognitive capabilities tend to reduce the appetite for risk, associated with lower returns.

For the complete article, click here

Interview by Scott Berinato

RMI Redefines Thermal Comfort

May 2016

In December 2015, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) made news when they unveiled their new Innovation Center in Basalt, Colorado. As a sustainability and energy efficiency non-profit, RMI sought to inspire and drive the industry by constructing a deep green building that achieves net zero energy and has no central heating and cooling system.

The RMI Innovation Center redefines thermal comfort through passive and integrative design. They outline 5 steps they used to achieve thermal comfort through design and science:

  1. Target all six variables in the thermal comfort formula known as the predicted mean vote (PMV): temperature, humidity, activity, clothing, air velocity, mean radiant temperature (the average of all surface temperatures in the room).
  2. Focus first on reducing loads with passive design such as higher insulated windows
  3. Target personal comfort solutions since each individual will be affected by many variables
  4. Build an integrated project team with clear, consistent documentation
  5. Openly discuss and manage risks and contingency plans

“The Innovation Center is not about technology, but about design. This building achieves beyond net-zero energy because we have gotten better at choosing and combining technologies to maximize building performance.” –Amory Lovins (Chairman/Chief Scientist, RMI)

To read the RMI blog in more detail, see: http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2016_05_10_top_5_steps_to_redefining_thermal_comfort

Resources:

http://www.rmi.org/innovationcenter

http://www.aspentimes.com/news/20040641-113/rmis-future-is-now-with-innovation-center-in

Sensor Spotlight: FutureAir at Atelier Ten

May 2016

Earlier this month, FutureAir partnered with Atelier Ten, an international environmental design consultant and engineering firm, to install one of our pilot air quality sensing platforms into their New York office. Atelier Ten is highly committed to sustainable design in the built environment and as a result see the value in increasing indoor thermal comfort and air quality, making them an ideal pilot location.

FutureAir’s lab setup at Atelier Ten involves measuring temperature, humidity, particulate matter, and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). By analyzing the data behind trends we see in the environment, we can develop meaningful and actionable insight. In addition to placing our sensing platform at Atelier Ten to collect data, we are also connected to the ceiling fans and will eventually connect to their Nest device. This will provide the control system needed to regulate the environment based on readings from the sensor, creating a full feedback loop for optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality.

Improving Indoor Air Health & Comfort

May 2016

From May 12-13, our co-founder and chief engineer Michael Wang will be joining the world’s leading innovators at the RE•WORK Connected Home Summit in Boston. The event will discuss creating the next generation of the smart connected home, by applying IoT and machine learning to create smarter, more efficient buildings.

The connected home growth rate is estimated to reach $490 billion in 2019. The Connected Home Summit will showcase the opportunities of emerging trends in the sector. Industry leading speakers, including CTOs, CEOs, founders, designers and engineers are experts in low-cost sensors, connected devices, automated systems, virtual assistants, security systems, energy meters, household appliances and wireless connectivity.

During his talk at 9:35 am on Friday, May 13 Michael Wang will cover improving indoor health and comfort, the intersection of design and technology, and FutureAir’s mission and hardware sensing platform.

If you are in the Boston area, this is a don’t miss event.

More details can be found here: https://re-work.co/events/connected-home-boston-2016