Being ill is a nuisance for those affected: it always interferes with both our daily lives and our leisure activities. Moreover, it is not particularly beneficial for the economy either. The annual costs of absenteeism from work amount to several hundred billion euros across Europe, with small and medium-sized enterprises suffering significantly. The top three reasons for employee absences are impairments of the musculoskeletal system, mental health disorders, and respiratory diseases.
In the fight against respiratory diseases, not enough is being done. One critical factor is usually completely ignored: the humidity of the indoor air. If it is too low, viruses have a better chance of surviving in the air; conversely, when humidity is too high, the mucous membranes in the nose and throat dry out, impairing their innate protective function against precisely these viruses.
A relative humidity of 40% to 60% is optimal for human health. In reality, however, this is rarely achieved. In the winter especially, when the air is cold, absorbs less moisture and is, therefore, much drier, we also turn up the heating, drying the air even more. As a result, conditions indoors during the colder seasons as far as humidity is concerned are often desert-like. Furthermore, this is where we spend about 90% of our time: indoors, where transmission and infections occur.
It is time to remove this blind spot in health management. The Swiss company Condair has been working on exactly this for several decades. The humidifiers they have developed now ensure healthy respiratory tracts and reduce the viability and transmission of airborne viruses – from hospitals to opera houses, and even on an arctic research station.
As the market leader in providing humidity control solutions to the most diverse industries, Condair has developed a deep understanding of this issue. It has been working closely with scientists and various medical institutes and its advisory network includes illustrious names such as Yale University, Harvard Medical School and University of Zürich. This well of knowledge forms the basis for the conception and development of Condair devices. The company's website also displays several medical studies that provide information on the critical importance of air humidity for health.
A holistic approach to the built environment, combining scientific evidence with the latest in building technology, can improve indoor air conditions and place them at the center of disease control. This is possible only when the people using and inhabiting the buildings are brought into focus; because buildings should not only offer shelter and be energy efficient, but provide optimum conditions for health, so that people can thrive.
Whether in office spaces or public buildings, hospitals, or schools, a crucial factor in enhancing health, well-being, and ultimately economic viability is the humidity in the air people breathe – one of the most natural and powerful defenses to human health.
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