French companies are looking to make a change: the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated awareness of the risks associated with indoor air pollution in the workplace, a concern that was previously kept under wraps.
“The pandemic has brought this awareness of the invisible to the forefront,” says Thierry Ricci.
“Until now, we had no idea just how much indoor air quality could affect our health,” adds the founder of NatéoSanté, a manufacturer of air purifiers founded in 2009.
“Among our member companies, we’ve been seeing a lot of issues related to workplace air quality” since 2020, confirms Jean-Mickaël Dupuy, an occupational risk prevention specialist at SEST (Business Services for Occupational Health).
The pandemic has served to highlight an issue that has, in fact, been well-documented for a long time.
In fact, an Indoor Air Quality Observatory has been in operation in France since 2001, and since 2004, ANSES has been developing “indoor air quality guideline values” (VGAI).
About 15 VGAIs—air concentration limits that must not be exceeded—have thus been established for substances as diverse as ammonia, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
Over the past decade, the High Council for Public Health has also issued several “guideline values” for a range of indoor air pollutants.
– Late payment interest –
But these measures are “partial,” notes Alban Gomet, managing director of Condair France, the French subsidiary of a Swiss group specializing in hygrometry and air humidity control.
“In practical terms, when the government says ‘we should measure’ (the concentration levels of pollutants, Ed.), it’s saying ‘it would be nice,’” he adds, “without any intention of making it mandatory.”
French companies, in fact, have taken an interest in workplace air quality later than their Nordic counterparts.
“In Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands, we see that people are much more at the center of companies’ concerns, and as a result, they place much greater emphasis on indoor air quality,” says Alban Gomet.
"Globally, the leading markets are the United States and China," adds Boris Bravard, a sales engineer at Antibactéries, a manufacturer of air purifiers.
But in France, “significant progress” is being made in this area, according to Thierry Ricci.
The stakes are commensurate with the health risks posed by poor indoor air quality.
Asthma, respiratory allergies, irritation of the nose and airways: the list of conditions listed on the Ministry of Health’s website is eye-opening.
Some substances may even have a carcinogenic effect.
– “Paying for air” –
“Before founding NatéoSanté, ‘I suffered from asthma and fairly severe allergies, and I had to take medication every day,’” says Thierry Ricci.
By his own admission, all of these symptoms have virtually disappeared since he started using air purifiers.
While coronaviruses are just one source of air pollution among many others, COVID-19 has made these products popular with the general public.
“We were seeing progress before the pandemic, but to be honest, it was slow despite all the effort we put in,” admits Mr. Ricci.
“Since March 2020, there’s been no need to explain. Today, the term ‘air purifier’ is a common noun,” he points out.
As a selling point, manufacturers highlight that their products eliminate more than 99% of airborne coronaviruses.
“But in France today, we’re not quite ready to pay for air yet,” Boris Bravard cautions.
Occupational health services also note that when companies contact them regarding occupational health, it is often to inquire about the actual effectiveness of these measures.
"Air purifiers 'can reduce the concentration of viruses that may be present in the air,'" the National Institute for Research and Safety acknowledged in November 2020.
“However, they cannot under any circumstances replace the supply of outside air required by the Labor Code (…) and should therefore be used only as a supplement to ventilation systems,” warned the INRS.