How can you ensure a healthier, decontaminated and sanitised air for you and those who work with you?
Are you struggling to focus and your ideas don’t turn out as bright and immediate as you would like? Does your head ever feel clogged up, you feel that your energy levels are low, with unjustified tiredness at work (maybe you have even slept well and it hasn’t been half the day yet)? Besides viruses, seasonal ailments or your personal problems that could affect this, answer two questions:
- Did you drink enough? Or was the last time you drank during lunch or breakfast?
- Are you breathing properly? Is the room you are in ventilated? Is the room well ventilated, is the temperature adequate?
Water and air: two vital but often overlooked elements, especially at work. The first one is easily manageable: keep a water bottle or glass water bottle close at hand and make sure you drink at least 1.5 litres while at work. There are also desktop or smartphone apps that remind you to drink in fun ways. And no, the same amount of coffee is not the same thing!
As for air, it can be more complex, because there are factors that don’t have anything to do with what you want, such as an installed ventilation system.
Do you know the Sick Building Syndrome?
Keep in mind that air quality is also a fundamental part in the quality of work you can guarantee and the quality of your life even outside office hours: airborne contaminants in closed work environments (under Legislative Decree 81 / 2008 and subsequent amendments) have long been associated with the onset of Sick Building Syndrome. It is a set of symptoms and illnesses such as headache and asthenia, a chronically irritated respiratory tract, fatigue and irritation to the eyes and even skin, related to having been in a certain building for a long time. These ailments can become chronic and become relevant in being associated with legionellosis 1, aspergillosis, bronchial asthma and allergic alveolitis.
Not to mention all those viruses and bacteria present in peak periods, colds and fevers due to the presence of a lot of people in poorly ventilated environments. In the air of workplace rooms there are also volatile pollutants, the so-called VOCs, emitted by non-certified building materials (dyes, paints, adhesives, etc.), by furniture and furnishings, products for cleaning and deodorising air and work tools (printers, glues, etc.), from the remains of plant and animal origin (pigeons, mice, insects) or from moulds and bacteria that can contaminate water and surfaces inside ventilation systems not properly maintained.
How do you change out the air?
To change out the air you do not have to change job! First of all, especially if you work in a medium-sized office, you can start practising some good habits:
- keep useful plants (here are some tips on the best ones to clean the air)
- keep the temperature at about 19-20 degrees C (66-68 degrees F)
- if possible, check the quality of tools and cleaning products,
- do not use air fresheners
- keep your workstation clean, the same thing goes for your tools (for example PCs)
- check the maintenance schedules for the ventilation system
These are the first fundamental steps to start breathing a different kind of air, but they are not enough: to be sure that you are eliminating all airborne pollutants, viruses and bacteria included, it is important to use an appropriate tool. With room ionising Jonix devices , it is possible to reduce contaminants and odours and make the air cleaner and healthier, thanks to its cold plasma technology (Non-Thermal Plasma – NTP), considered by the scientific world to be the safest and most effective. NTP technology is a physical phenomenon generated at room temperature that transforms air into an ionised gas consisting of various electrically charged particles. These electrons, ions, atoms and molecules colliding with each other produce oxidising species capable of breaking down, disrupting and eliminating viruses, bacteria, volatile organic compounds, microorganisms and odours (find out how ionisation works).