Our manmade environment should be a safe haven, be it a home, office, shopping mall or hotel. However, if the indoor air quality within the manmade environment causes health issues, it is time to sit up and address the problem before it is too late and we are forced to face the consequences.

Regular use of HVAC systems can cause an accumulation of dust and dirt inside the system ducts, while factors like pets, occupants with allergies or asthma, cigarette smoke, damage due to water, renovation work of the building can also adversely affect the air duct system.

The ill effects of poor Indoor Air Quality

The possible health concerns related to poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) are important when considering airborne viruses which cause Swine Flu, Avian Flu and SARS, all of which can develop into global pandemics. Airborne epidemics are becoming an increasing part of modern life, a trend which will continue into the future.

A US Government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report states that IAQ can be as much as 100 times worse than outdoor air and a World Health Organisation (WHO) release notes that Gulf residents suffer from high rates of asthma and breathing-related illnesses due to the fact that they spend most of their time indoors due to the hot and humid weather conditions, relying heavily on air conditioning systems.

The EPA has stated that “If too little outdoor air enters a home, pollutants can accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems.”

This is exactly what happens in the Gulf region. The problem stems from poor HVAC design, over-sizing of cooling loads and a lack of sufficient treated fresh air into the areas. It has become quite normal to minimise the amount of outdoor air that is allowed to enter buildings due to the additional load on the air conditioning system.

The air we breathe passes through a vast, enclosed HVAC system and is artificially cooled before it reaches us. This creates many additional opportunities for the air to become contaminated. HVAC ducts, particularly in large multi-storey buildings, are a breeding ground for mould, fungus, and other micro-biological organisms.

Mould and fungus, more specifically their airborne spores, can cause multiple health problems such as asthma and simple allergies such as rhinitis and sinusitis, to serious illnesses such as cancers, Lupus, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Municipality standards for Indoor Air Quality

Dubai Municipality has introduced a 70-point e-services system to check building safety in a single inspection this also includes air and water quality. Engineer Sultan Eisa Al Suwaidi, Head of the Public Safety Section, said: “With regard to air quality, we have to ensure that the components of the air inside the building comply with our standards. We check for pollutants, fresh air units and their proximity to potential pollution sources, regular maintenance of ventilation and air-conditioning systems and ducts.”

Air samples will be taken and analysed for physical and chemical pollutants such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, sulphur oxides, organic components and microbiological content. Under the 70-point system, each violation incurs certain fines according to Local Order No 11 for 2003.

Indoor Air Quality violations listed by Dubai Municipality include the following: indoor air pollutants in concentrations higher than acceptable limits; improper ventilation; IAQ requirements which have not been implemented; unsuitable, dirty or missing filters; dirty ducts and air duct insulation feeding micro organism growth; unsuitable locations of fresh air inlets (should be at least 25 feet away from potential pollution sources); occupancy rates higher than that recommended to keep good indoor air quality; poor maintenance of A/Cs; smoking rooms without separate air conditioning/ ventilation systems.

Epsco’s pioneering achievement towards health and safety

George Thomas and Colin Winning, Epsco Envirotech vice presidents and Royesten Gomes, the company’s Group Sales Manager welcome any moves or initiatives which will tighten the IAQ regulations. EPSCO pioneered the IAQ and restoration business in the Middle East, being founded by Kelvin Bruce in 1995 at a time when the concept of IAQ was very much an unknown subject in the Middle East. The company achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 in 1998.

The company offers a wide range of specialised cleaning and consultancy services which include: indoor air quality testing; air condition system cleaning; indoor air purification; mould remediation, Fire and Flood damage restoration, kitchen exhaust and laundry duct cleaning; water storage tank cleaning as well as other general cleaning services.

Epsco is a regional training centre providing training and consultancy services for indoor air quality, asbestos management, and selected safety aspects.

Epsco is the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) accredited training centre for the Middle East and Indian Sub-continent. NADCA sets the internationally accepted standards for HVAC System cleaning.

Epsco is the first NADCA member in the region and presently with the highest number of NADCA certified Air System Cleaning Specialists (ASCS) in the world.
George Thomas confirms the rising importance of duct cleaning in the UAE, as more organizations and building owners are seen to place it among their set of priorities. “The UAE is taking a big step in prioritizing duct cleaning in all commercial kitchens, hotels and commercial developments like malls. We receive many enquiries from facilities visited by Dubai Municipality inspectors who in return contact us to have the air ducts cleaned.”

Large HVAC systems present challenges to engineers, building maintenance technicians and occupants alike, and only fully trained and experienced technicians should inspect the condition of central air-conditioning systems. It is difficult for the residents to carry out thorough inspections of their A/C systems, perhaps only noting that the grills looks dirty, which they may be able to wipe or vacuum clean, but this does nothing for the overall condition of the actual system in the building.

NADCA recommends thorough cleaning of the HVAC system, based on the results of inspections, which it recommends to be carried out once in a year. If there is visible dust, dirt or debris, the ducts should becleaned immediately. All of the components of the system: air ducts, coils, drain pans, registers, grills, air plenums, blower motors, heat exchangers and air filters should be cleaned. The failure to clean all components of the HVAC system can result in re-contamination of the entire system, thus minimizing the benefits of cleaning.

The build-up of the bacteria and fungi that inhabit air filters and ductwork within air conditioning systems are a major source of indoor air pollution. These microorganisms break down into minute organic fragments known as Macromolecular Organic Dust (MOD), which compromises building air quality.

When called in by customers, Epsco analyses the building indoor air quality using IAQ and air monitoring instruments, carrying out plate counts and air sampling as and when required. “We believe in finding out the cause and providing a solution to the allergies and health discomfort and we have procedures in place that allows us to measure the quality of the air people breathe,” says Royesten Gomes

The indoor air sample readings are sent on line to a laboratory in Canada for analysis and reporting. “The tests we do are for our own understanding, helping us take any necessary remedial actions. In cases where the clients request a laboratory analysis report, we act as facilitators and use a local laboratory approved by the Dubai Municipality.”

According to Royesten Gomes, “Visual inspection is key for mould remediation and in those cases where it is difficult to identify the source, thermographic imaging cameras are used. The growth of mould takes place due to the presence of moisture in the internal environment and fluctuations in the level of moisture. Epsco has set procedures in place that identify the source of moisture, be it a faulty air-conditioning unit, water seepage in the walls, or a structural fault in the building, etc”.

Gomes stresses the importance of being able to find a permanent solution for moulds. “It is equally important to educate the client and make them aware of the problem, its source and the remedies.”

Research suggests that duct cleaning, regular filter maintenance and air cleaning are essential to achieve good IAQ. In the GCC, on a practical level, the transient nature of the work force and lack of skilled and trained labour have an impact on the standards of HVAC systems, even in the finest buildings. Epsco has been able to create a niche market for itself with its procedural best practices and quality systems in place. Its success is based on a brand equity which is created around the belief that the customer should remain satisfied always. George Thomas states: “We are in a very specialized industry where cleaning is required for health and safety reasons and not for cosmetic purposes.”

Best practices in HVAC System cleaning

Best practices in air duct cleaning require that the entire air duct system be thoroughly cleaned. Royesten says: “There are companies who clean half the air duct system and declare a job as complete.” A video recording of ‘before’ and ‘after’ cleaning photographs of the cleaning process and a certificate given by the service provider will assure the client that the cleaning has been done to the correct standard.

Where access permits, Epsco uses its powerful Monster Vac for air duct cleaning. Monster Vac is a high powered-vacuum, truck-mounted, duct cleaning system with 21,000 CFM capacity. The Monster Vac is used to clean the ducts systems in villas and commercial establishments.

Monster Vac power gets to the heart of the cooling system. Skilled Epsco technicians, trained to the NADCA standard, attach the 10-inch vacuum hoseLittle thought is given at the design stage of buildings to care and ease of access to the ducts and other extraction systems.
Free of the havoc that a dirty duct system can cause to indoor air qualityFebruary-directly to the air ducts, at the core of the heating/cooling network. All the power is concentrated on each duct and the branch ducts are cleaned individually. Power tools are inserted into each duct, to loosen dirt and lift debris into the vacuum stream for removal.

In smaller locations , or where access in limited, Epsco uses mobile duct cleaning systems of 3-4,000 CFM capacity to clean the individual units of central air-conditioning systems.
Robotic video cameras are used mainly for inspections, though they can in certain circumstances, be fitted with rotating brushes and used for cleaning. Robots are also used to clean very small ducts where access is very difficult.

Many large buildings have ducts systems that are concealed and difficult to access safely and even more difficult to clean and maintain. The problems are be increased by poor or thoughtless design and construction defects. According to the EPA, “poorly maintained, designed or operated ventilation systems are one of the major reasons for poor IAQ, along with indoor pollution sources”.

Little thought is given at the design stage of buildings to the care and ease of access to the ducts and other extraction systems. The solutions seem to be simple: good design, proper installation, decent construction.

Research has shown that improved IAQ results in improved productivity in the work environment and similar benefits apply to schools and universities, where students showed up to 35% improvement in mental arithmetic and reading comprehension.