EPIDEMIC The coronavirus has served as a wake-up call regarding an issue that has long been well-documented: indoor air quality in workplaces
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated companies’ awareness of the risks associated with indoor air pollution in the workplace, a concern that was previously kept under wraps.
“The pandemic has raised awareness about the invisible,” says Thierry Ricci, founder of NatéoSanté, a manufacturer of air purifiers established in 2009. “Until now, we had no idea just how much indoor air quality could affect our health,” he adds.
"Benchmark values"
“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 coronavirus has served to highlight an issue that has, in fact, been well-documented for a long time. Since 2001, France has had an Observatory for Indoor Air Quality, and since 2004, ANSES has been developing “indoor air quality guideline values” (VGAI).
About fifteen VGAIs—air concentration thresholds 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 “incomplete,” points out Alban Gomet, CEO of Condair France, the French subsidiary of a Swiss group specializing in hygrometry and air humidity management. “In practical terms, when the government says ‘we should measure’ (pollutant concentration levels), it’s saying ‘it would be nice,’” without any binding requirement, he adds. French companies have also taken a later interest in workplace air quality 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,” argues 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, “a massive catch-up” is underway in this area, says Thierry Ricci. The stakes are commensurate with the health consequences caused by poor indoor air quality. Asthma, respiratory allergies, irritation of the nose and respiratory tract: the list of conditions listed on the Ministry of Health’s website is sobering. Certain 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, 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 growth before COVID, but to be honest, it was slow despite the effort we put in,” admits Thierry Ricci. “Since March 2020, we no longer need to explain. Today, the term ‘air purifier’ is a household name,” he points out.
As a selling point, manufacturers highlight that these devices eliminate more than 99% of coronaviruses in the air. “But in France today, we’re not quite ready to pay for air yet,” Boris Bravard notes. Occupational health services also note that when companies contact them regarding workplace health, it is often to inquire about the actual effectiveness of these devices. 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. “But they cannot under any circumstances replace the supply of outdoor air required by the Labor Code (…) and should therefore only be used as a supplement to ventilation systems,” warned the INRS.