Report Shows How Green Technology Can Improve Indoor Air Quality

Most modern offices contain a large inventory of computer hardware and associated equipment. Monitors, printers, scanners, copiers, and storage are all necessary, yet without proper ventilation all that equipment can present a danger to people working in the same environment.

 

Poorly structured buildings can be vulnerable to air pollutants emitted from the computer hardware. Manufacturers of electronic products are now beginning to design products that “green” requirements, including indoor air quality.

 

A new research report from AQS, Meeting Green: The Office Equipment Industry's Guide to Managing Product Emissions, serves as a manufacturer's user guide for understanding the types of indoor contaminants emitted from electronic office equipment and the health impacts associated with chemical and particulate emissions.

 

The report also examines third-party certifications for eco (News - Alert)-elated criteria —including technology and testing protocols for measuring chemical and particulate emissions and for establishing the health risks associated with these emissions.

 

AQS helps manufacturers understand the sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other contaminants emitted from products and recommends methods for altering processes or materials to achieve acceptable emissions levels.

 

"Manufacturers are finding that creating products that meet specific eco-criteria can be an important differentiator in the marketplace, " said Marilyn Black, chief scientist at AQS, in a statement. “Some manufacturers are going a step further and demonstrating compliance by earning third-party certification from GREENGUARD or Blue Angel. Results from AQS studies examining product emissions not only help manufacturers create safer products but also greatly assist them in achieving certification."

 

Air pollutants and the particulates can cause cough, headaches, flu-like illness, cancer and respiratory disorders. Manufacturers are keen on reducing these pollutants as low as possible and are relying on more effective, safer products that appeal to growing green markets, as well as reducing product liability.