Air Filters for Healthcare Facilities

The health and health care sectors are two sides of the same coin. For an individual, health is a crucial factor in staying fit and leading a quality life for the rest of his life span. Human health is also one of the most important factors that influences the economic development of any country.

Health care facilities are the premises, where healthcare practitioners (doctors/ nurses) will treat/ cure the illness/ diseases.

Disease treatment methods may be classified as Chemotherapy [Chemotherapy involves usage of chemical/ medicines (prescribed/ over the counter (OTC) medicines)] procedures, application of plaster of paris materials or even by treatment using sophisticated equipment [magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, X-Ray (uses specific radiations)], and laboratory equipment.

The healthcare segment comprises hospitals, medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, health insurance and medical equipment.

In all these premises we will find common types of general facilities.

List of general facilities observed in the Hospitals:

• Lobby
• Hallway
• Outpatient Department (OPD)
• Paediatrics
• Ambulance Services
• Accident & Emergency
• Anesthesia & Intensive Care
• Laboratory services
• Blood Bank
• Pharmacy
• Food court
• Autopsy
• Waste management division

Healthcare facilities, as complex constructions, are more prone to originators of infections and poor indoor air quality (IAQ). Poor iaq in the facility, referring to the air breathed by the building’s occupants, contaminants, volatile organic compounds (VOC), aerosol released from the facility furniture, cleaning products, paintings, fragrance materials are the primary determinants.

The healthcare facility is always occupied and engaged with patients, visitors, and workers. Therefore, it is their responsibility to keep them away from contagious hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).

Poor IAQ ranks as one of the top five environmental risks to public health. This is due to the following reasons.

The Air Inside Healthcare Facilities Can Contain:

• Molds, spores, pollens
• Ammonia, Mercury, polyvinyl chloride, carbon monoxide, radon, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (VOCs from surgical spirit/ anaesthesia/ laboratory reagents/ surface cleaning agents etc)
• Bacteria, viruses, and byproducts
• Vehicle engine/kitchen room exhaust, exhaust from diesel machines
• Asbestos, clays, elemental particles, and man-made fibers

It is well known that concentrations of pollutants in outdoor air are lower than in indoor one because internal sources, including HVAC systems, building materials, hospital staff, medical and human activities, etc., can influence air performance.

There are certain instances where hospital occupants will also be exposed to a wide range of chemical compounds emitted from various products, such as disinfectants (ethylene oxide, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, alcohols, etc.), anaesthetic gases, products for laboratories, or pharmacies.

Hospital wards are the facilities that are the centres for influential pathogen sources. These are the places where you will find infectious patients and medical procedures; in fact, most of the patients spend most of their time in beds, while medical staff in a ward depend on the daily activities that they must conduct.

In case of design mistakes, it becomes strategic to ensure proper management of the facilities, with the HVAC system with constant air change, choosing furniture and building material with low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, regular and conscious maintenance, medical activities, and cleaning procedures (avoiding the use of sprays and other cleaning materials that generate VOCs, etc.) that take place inside the healing spaces.

The need to control viable and non-viable particles is crucial for protecting people, processes, equipment, and environments. At American Air Filter (India & ME), our experts provide total filtration solutions to minimize risk and maximize the system economy of your entire hospital or healthcare facility. American Air Filter (India & ME) offers filtration solutions for critical healthcare environments.

A thorough air filter audit of your HVAC Systems is the first step that AAF takes, in order to provide you professional guidance and analysis for cost savings and liability reduction. By conducting this audit, we strive to understand your current state and your complete air filtration needs, applications, and goals for total air quality. This customized air filtration survey costs you nothing and could give you significant benefits by helping you save money, reduce risk, and save time.

Contact your American Air Filter (India & ME) representative to schedule an audit and to find out how the insights from intelligent data tools, including TCO Diagnostic® and Sensor360® can improve operational outcomes and save you time and money.