We take a deep breath – and grasp clear thoughts, become creative.
Air is our most important nutrition. Even more important than water and food. Without water we can theoretically live a few days, without air not five minutes. Therefore, we take 12 to 18 breaths a minute. When we are physically active, the frequency sometimes increases to twice that.
It is therefore all the more important that the air we breathe is clean. Otherwise, it can lead to reduced performance, headaches or even respiratory diseases. The WHO speaks of several million deaths and years of life lost due to air pollution1. The difficulty, however, is that we ourselves cannot decide what air we breathe. Good, or bad. We have to live with the air that is around us at the moment.
The finer the dust, the more likely it is to enter our bodies.
Air is often called bad when it has a high concentration of fine dust. This is mainly caused by traffic and industry in the city, and by fertilizers, pollen or bulk materials from agriculture in the countryside. And as the name suggests, particulate matter is not visible to us. This is because particulate matter is defined as particles that are up to 10 μm (PM10 / PM = particulate matter) in size, i.e. 0.01 mm. That is significantly smaller than our thinnest hair.
This results in the size fraction PM10. In addition, there are the classes PM2.5 with particles up to 2.5 μm in diameter and PM1 for a maximum of 1 μm.
These classes are enormously important for our health, since particles with a size of 3 to 10 μm (i.e. PM10) are mainly deposited in the nasal and pharyngeal cavities. They are therefore already filtered when inhaled. Particles smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) are respirable, and particles smaller than 1 μm (PM1) can even enter the bloodstream via the alveoli2.
Custom-fit air filters for every building
Filtration solutions for ventilation and air-conditioning systems - air filters for short - come into play to ensure an activating working and feel-good climate, especially indoors. These clean the polluted outside air and ensure a healthy and pleasant indoor climate. The standard values for "good" air depend on the use of the room. Do I have a warehouse without long human occupancy times, an office building with many people, a hospital with a special focus on health, or even a food production facility? The requirements for air quality are very different.
PM10: Nasal particles; PM2,5: Respirable particles; NOx: Nitrogen oxides; SOx: Sulfur oxides
In order to select the right filter, the quality of the available outdoor air (ODA) and the desired supply air quality (SUP) must be precisely determined for the respective building, its architecture and its use. Depending on the ODA and SUP class, the necessary filter class can be read off in a table. This must always be set higher than the result actually requires, since the "fresh" supply air is always mixed with the polluted indoor air.
We want to promote the well-being of all people with our products. And we do so primarily with a focus on two core aspects: Energy efficiency and sustainability.
Peter Wink
Group Vice President Filtration for Industry and Environment
Air filtration: Top products with Hengst expertise
Hengst Filtration offers a comprehensive range of filters with thousands of standard and special filters for commercial, industrial and residential applications. Due to the large number of possible variations, our customers all over the world find a tailor-made solution for every project.
Industries Buildings Electronic Devices Automotive
Our solutions filter fine dusts, finest emulsion mists, toxic vapors and material ablations just as reliably as odors, bacteria, fungal spores or viruses. In addition, our air filters support economic and sustainable aspects. They noticeably reduce consumption costs for electricity, heat and water and reliably meet legal requirements.
For more information about air filtration and Hengst products, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Otherwise, let's take another deep breath - and then exhale slowly. Perfect. Now we can think clearly again.
Do you have questions about air filtration? Our experts will be happy to help you!
Sources
The Lancet Planetary Health. Pollution and health: a progress update, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00090-0/fulltext, 2022
WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, 2021
