THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD AIR QUALITY IN GYMS AND FITNESS STUDIOS
The purpose of frequenting a gym or fitness studio is to improve your mental and physical well-being; a place to better your overall health. Although owners of these businesses put their best foot forward to clean, disinfect, even sanitize equipment and change rooms, have you ever asked what they are doing to keep the air clean?
Many of us overlook this important issue, because we cannot see it! We take great measures and spend copious amounts of money to eat healthy, and drink clean, filtered water to take better care of our bodies, but how many of us have stopped to consider how heathy or clean the air is that we are breathing in every second of every day?
It is indisputable that fitness is good for your health. Exercise helps keep our bodies in shape and that increases our immune system and releases serotonin which helps our mental health so we can live a more positive lifestyle. But, when we go to the gym, depending on the time of day and the number of people in the facility, the air is filled with carbon dioxide, which is a common air pollutant.
Carbon dioxide levels rise when there are more people in a room, when they exercise harder and when there isn’t enough ventilation. The more people, the worse the quality of air in that space.
Some symptoms of too much carbon dioxide are: dizziness, drowsiness, excessive fatigue, headaches, disorientation, shortness of breath, only to mention a few.
Besides increased levels of carbon dioxide, you will also find these common air pollutants that love to inhabit these types of facilities: carbon monoxide, dust, dander, VOC’s, bacteria, viruses, industrial pollutants from nearby traffic and transportation and many more. Levels of airborne dust have been found to be high in gyms because of high human traffic and constant movement of people and equipment.
As our breathing rate increases during exercise, air pollution/allergens are deposited faster and deeper into our lungs.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF THE GYM’S AIR QUALITY/VENTILATION IS NOT ATTENDED TO?
One result of not addressing air quality in a fitness studio/gym is an increase in indoor mold growth. When moisture begins to increase (sweat, showers, swimming pools, hot tubs, steam rooms…) in confined spaces, it will lead to the development of potential adverse health effects.
Another serious concern is the intake of VOC’s that can easily be removed with air purification. Levels of VOC’s are higher in gyms with newer equipment and in newly renovated spaces. Chemicals from the off-gases of equipment, mats, carpets, fresh paint and cleaning agents can make us seriously ill.
Gyms and fitness facilities need a lot of maintenance to keep them running optimally. Maintaining proper temperatures and air flow, keeping up with the cleanliness of the environment and even upkeeping damaged equipment. But paying attention to the quality of the air that their patrons are breathing in, should be at the top of their list.
Truthfully, this is such a simple fix. Installation of air purification in this type of facility is all it takes.
If your HVAC is not functioning properly, your space can suffer with high humidity, uncontrollable temperatures and unpleasant odors. Having the HVAC maintained regularly is important and air purification go hand in hand.
WHAT CAN AIR PURIFICATION DO?
Air purification is critical in spaces like gym facilities. We should not just expect our HVAC system to take care of all the issues with the air quality. HVAC is important to maintain so that air flows properly, efficiently and consistently throughout our spaces, but air purification CLEANS the impurities in that air.
When we take the time to attend a gym to take care of our health, we expect to be doing something good for ourselves. Air purifier reduces the pollutants in the air. They target and remove many allergens like mold, mildew, viruses, bacteria, odor, VOC’s dust, dust mites, pollen and dander…just to name a few, because they clean the air. But how do they do so?
Air purifiers must have a proper filtration system. Ideally, the unit should have, at a minimum, a prefilter, a HEPA filter and a carbon final filter. Ideally, it is best to have UV lights and a Photocatalytic Oxidation filter too. (When shopping for an air purifier, five stages of filtration is always better than three).
Gyms would benefit best with having a five stage filtration unit.
The prefilter is necessary to capture large particles from the air.
The HEPA filter removes particles as small as 0.3 microns , including dust and other harmful particles such as pollen, dander.
The UV lights play a very important role too, as they kill germs, mold, mildew and even bacteria and viruses.
The Photocatalytic Oxidation filter (together with the UV lights) decomposes and breaks down any contaminants and reduces odors and VOC’s.
The Carbon Potassium Permanganate Final Filter further reduces VOC’s and light gases.
Finally, you should not feel uncomfortable, in times like these, to ask the manager/owner at your gym about their practices to ensure a safe and clean environment for patrons. If air purification is not in place, suggest that they look into the options that are best suited for their space to keep everyone, including their staff, safe and healthy.
…after all, isn’t that why you go there in the first place?
To learn more contact the experts at PUR Distribution
If you are interested in knowing more about air purification , feel free to contact us at PUR Distribution or visit our website at www.purdistribution.com .
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