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The Indoor Air Hygiene Institute has launched The Inside Advantage, the first actively managed indoor air certification that reduces health risks and promotes productivity and well-being by ensuring hygienic air.

The average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors. The air we breathe can have negative health implications, with approximately 50 percent of all illnesses caused or exacerbated by poor indoor air quality. Conversely, hygienic indoor air significantly reduces airborne illnesses, improves cognitive functioning, and is linked to increased energy and productivity.

In addition to negative health outcomes that occur as a result of poor indoor air quality, a 2019 workplace wellness study revealed that half of participants said that poor air quality makes them sleepier at work, with more than one-third of respondents admitting that they lost more than 60 minutes of work per day due to physical and environmental factors.

“Hygienic indoor air leads to better health, performance, productivity, and ultimately better business,” says Nils Gustavsson, President, Indoor Air Hygiene Institute.  “Ensuring organizations have hygienic air that continually supports the well-being of people where they work, meet, learn, take breaks, and congregate is core to our mission. Organizations typically focus on improving energy efficiency over improved health and well-being; we don’t think you should compromise either.  By focusing on human activity within a given space, we can continuously provide hygienic indoor air in the workplace, providing a significant inside advantage; a healthier, safer, and more productive environment.”

The Indoor Air Hygiene Institute’s rigorous standards for certification provide building owners and tenants with peace of mind that they are breathing hygienic air. The Inside Advantage certification allows Institute customers to actively manage indoor air quality 24/7 and equips organizations with on-site sensors that provide ongoing monitoring, empowering facility managers to course correct potential issues in real-time.

The certification process begins with hygienists from the Indoor Air Hygiene Institute assessing existing air quality throughout the facility. During this assessment, hygienists will review workplace patterns and blueprints to pinpoint where people commonly congregate, times at which the office is at highest capacity, areas most susceptible to contaminants, etc. Following this assessment, customers receive a detailed report outlining current gaps in their air quality measures along with tailored recommendations to achieve and maintain optimal indoor air.

The Indoor Air Hygiene Institute team also trains and certifies on-site facility managers, providing them with the knowledge and tools necessary to continuously manage hygienic levels of air quality.

“Poor indoor air quality costs the US economy more than $10 billion a year and has a profound impact on our physical and mental health,” says Todd DeMonte, Chief Innovation Officer, Indoor Air Hygiene Institute. “Our mission is to empower key stakeholders with the education and tools they need, to provide the preferred level of indoor air quality to protect the health and well-being of building occupants.”