Multiple studies show that retail shop air quality can affect the health of workers and patrons, highlighting the need for an effective air filtration strategy.
It’s no secret that outdoor air pollution has a negative effect on retail shop air quality, but in order to implement an effective strategy to eliminate contaminants, shop owners must first understand the factors that cause poor indoor air quality.
Commercial spaces that are enclosed are at a higher risk of trapping indoor pollutants, which can then circulate throughout a facility and lead to health issues.
In fact, according to a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, indoor air pollution is often much worse than outdoor pollution.
“From cooking residue to paints, varnishes and fungal spores, the air we breathe indoors is often more polluted than that outside,” stated Prashant Kumar of the University of Surrey, a co-author of the study.
The problem with bad indoor air quality is that most people spend a majority of their day inside some type of enclosure, whether it is a home, a mall, an office or another commercial facility.
If the air quality in those places is actually worse than the air quality outdoors, then people with health problems such as asthma may find that their ailment worsens when they are inside.
And with so many people in large urban areas frequenting retail shops, whether standalones or in a mall, retail space air filtration is a significant factor in the amount of pollutants people are inhaling every day.
Why Retail Space Commercial Air Filters Are Important
According to the latest statistics from the National Retail Federation, about 40 million Americans work in the more than three million retail shops throughout the country.
The revenue generated from these establishments is about $2.6 trillion in total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), so it’s clear that retail has a significant impact on the U.S. economy.
But with so many workers in these places, retail shop air quality is also vital to the overall health of these employees.
This is especially true in under-developed nations that have a thriving retail sector, because the adverse health effects caused by poor indoor air quality can lead to absenteeism, a decline in productivity and even health crises.
Common Pollutants Found In Retail Shops
The volume of research on retail shop air quality has found several common pollutants present in these establishments, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM 2.5), bacteria, fungi, radon, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VOCs are gases or vapors formed from liquids or solids that have been linked to poor respiratory health.
Worse yet, the EPA has reported that VOCs in commercial facilities such as a mall or retail store are 10 times higher indoors than they are outdoors.
Retail shops that store products such as paint, paint stripper, solvents, wood preservatives, cleansers, disinfectants, pesticides, copiers, printers, correction fluid, glues, adhesives and chemicals have been associated with poor indoor air quality.
But retail shops are also vulnerable to pollutants that are brought in by patrons, including pet allergens and smoke.
To combat this problem, some retail shop owners have adopted a “Close the Door” policy that keeps all doors in their stores closed during business hours.
Several studies have shown that a closed door policy may lower the amount of PM 2.5, soot and nitrogen dioxide inside a shop.
However, without marrying this policy to an effective ventilation and air filtration system, it is doubtful that simply closing the doors to a retail shop will pay off in the long term.
Camfil’s Air Filtration Solutions
That’s why Camfil has created an entire line of air filtration devices to improve retail shop air quality. Camfil’s products are designed not merely to provide clean air solutions, but to also improve energy efficiency at a retail shop.
Camfil offers air cleaners, ventilation systems and furnace filters that can help a retail shop owner implement a full air filtration strategy. Not only are Camfil devices affordable, they are also Green-friendly, in keeping with the company’s ethos that clean air should be a human right.
Lynne Laake
Camfil USA Air Filters
T: 888.599.6620,
E:Lynne.Laake@camfil.com
F: Friend Camfil USA on Facebook
T: Follow Camfil USA on Twitter
Y: Watch Camfil Videos on YouTube
