Fine dust in the office, how harmful is it to employees?

Research has shown that an average of 2000 ultrafine particles are swirling around per cm3 in every clean office. Every employee of a company has to deal with it: fine dust in the office. Should employees be concerned about this? Unfortunately yes. Fine dust in the workplace is bad for your health. People also get sick from long term exposure to high concentrations of fine dust. It’s therefore no surprise that fine dust contributes to 4 percent of the entire burden of disease in the Netherlands. It’s time that entrepreneurs started to take these harmful substances seriously in the office.

Fine dust sources in the office

It’s useful to know where fine dust is formed in the office, so we can tackle the problem at the source. Machines, in general, are the biggest culprits in a workplace. Think of printers and computers. Printers in particular contribute a lot to the poor air quality at work. Is your office located next to a busy road or in a big city? There is a good chance that, without knowing it, you are working in an environment with a lot of (ultra) fine dust.

Health complaints due to fine dust at work

People who work in an environment full of fine dust often have to deal with the following symptoms: respiratory complaints, skin complaints, skin irritations and headaches. Fine dust in the office is also a known cause of allergic reactions. Such as, for example, skin complaints and asthma attacks. So people with allergies and respiratory diseases.. Be warned! Especially when working in a big city or on a busy road.

Measuring air quality at the workplace

Do you lack insight into the air quality in the office? In that case a professional measurement will offer a solution. Measuring fine dust in the office is a good indicator of general air quality. Fine dust can be measured in two ways: by an external party or by a measuring device. We recommend a fine dust meter. This price-friendly device accurately indicates the amount of fine dust in a room. The device is also portable so that it can be taken anywhere and used.

Remove fine dust from the office

Fortunately, fine dust in an office space can be prevented in a quick and easy way. With a good air purifier you filter and remove all harmful dust particles from the air, including ultra-fine dust. Our air purifiers work with a patented AIH filter technology. With this technique, the filter effectiveness is 99.98%. The EA30 air purifier is ideal for offices. This model is super quiet, has a low energy consumption and a high filter capacity.

Benefits of clean air in the workplace

Using a good air purifier keeps your office clean and fresh. This has a positive effect on productivity, image and absenteeism. In addition, it reduces concentration problems, fatigue and nose complaints. A healthy workplace not only ensures that your workplace is clean, but also that your employees perform their daily tasks in a fit and satisfied way.

Fine dust at home, is it dangerous and how do you get rid of it?

A high concentration of fine dust in the house can often be prevented and it can also be taken out of the air when it is already there. How can you reduce the level of fine dust in your home? And from what concentration is it harmful? We are happy to tell you more about it.

In the Netherlands, 1 in 7 houses suffer from a fine dust concentration that is too high. This has emerged from research by the Dutch Lung Fund (Longfonds). Fine dust may not be visible to the naked eye, but it‘s harmful. Protecting your home against these dust particles is therefore very important.

Where does fine dust come from?

‘Almost 80% of the amount of fine dust in the air is the result of human actions.’ is what the RIVM says. The presence of fine dust in the house is mainly due to combustion processes. Think of heating a wood stove, fireplace or pallet stove. The air that arises during cooking and frying is also an important source of fine dust. Especially when roasting meat and stir-frying vegetables. Finally, smoking cigarettes and burning candles at home also causes fine dust problems.

How much fine dust at home is harmful to your health?

The more fine dust is present in the air, the worse the health problems are. In the Netherlands, fine dust is responsible for about 4 percent of the entire burden of disease in the Netherlands. Well-known health complaints caused by fine dust include a reduction in lung condition, worsening of lung complaints (wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath) and inflammation in the lungs. People who are particularly at risk of these symptoms are:

• People with asthma or other lung diseases (read more about air purifiers for asthma)
• People with cardiovascular disease
• Elderly
• Children

Is it possible to prevent fine dust at home?

The fine dust in your house is created automatically in many daily tasks, for example, by roasting a tasty piece of meat. This is why you can never completely remove fine dust in your home. What you can do is limit the sources of fine dust as much as possible. For example, by making your home smoke-free. Do you have a fireplace, pellet stove or wood stove? Then it is wise not to use it that often. Finally, always turn on the extractor hood when you cook or invest in a good extractor hood. This way you can be sure that you limit the fine dust emissions during cooking.

How do you get fine dust out of your house?

You naturally want to reduce fine dust if you find it in your house. An air purifier offers a solution. This unit has the task of extracting polluted air from the air present. An air purifier has the ability to remove fine dust in a quick and effective way from your home. The air purifier EA15, for example, has a fine dust filter effectiveness of 99.98%. In short, an air purifier is an excellent investment if you want to remove fine dust from your home.

How can the air quality next to the highway be so bad?

Road traffic is the main cause of fine dust around highways. The hazardous dust particles are released into the air by car and truck exhaust fumes. Because there is a lot of traffic on the highway, a significant amount of air pollution is also released. That is why it’s not advised to live next to a highway or busy road due to fine dust.

From what distance do you live near a highway?

According to the Dutch Asthma Fund, there must be at least 300 meters between a school and a highway. The same distance applies to residences. People who live less than 300 meters from a highway are therefore unprotected against fine dust coming from the highway.

The number of people who fall into this category is large. Large cities such as Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam are surrounded by highways. The residents of these cities are therefore at risk from the fine dust car emissions.

Living next to a busy road or highway, what are the particulate matter risks?

EPA experts have said, that people who live next to a highway have an increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

According tothe CDC, it can also cause asthma attacks, shortness of breath and coughing-fits. Patients with asthma and other lung diseases are extra vulnerable to the small dust particles. According to lung doctors, fine dust shortens the lives of the Dutch by more than 1 year. It’s therefore very important to protect yourself well against fine dust coming from the highway.

Fine dust coming from the highway, how do local residents protect themselves?

Many people live next to or close by a busy road or highway, with lots of health risks as a result. The question is, how can these people protect themselves against fine dust emissions from road traffic? Since moving is expensive and not very practical, it’s not really a solution.

What does offer a solution is installing an air purifier! The EA30 air purifier, for example, has a patented technology that filters out 99.98% of the fine dust in a room. This super effective air purifier is specially made to keep your home free of fine dust. Do you live in an area with a lot of road traffic? Then we advise you to place such a device in your house.