Results of a comprehensive online database entitled "
Indoor Health and Productivity Project" indicate a direct correlation between health and increased productivity with good indoor air quality.
The IHP database, developed and managed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in partnership with the National Research Council, the University of California, Carnegie Mellon University and Harvard School of Public Health, contains over 900 papers from more than 100 journals and conferences.
One of the most authoritative and most quoted studies to date on quantifying potential health and productivity benefits from providing good indoor environmental conditions (IAQ, thermal and lighting) was conducted by William Fisk, head of the Indoor Environment Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and his colleagues. Their findings reflect an analysis of a large number of earlier studies (see Table 1 for a summary of their findings).
Fisk et al concluded: "
Improving air quality would not only lead to significant reductions in illness but would have a direct positive impact on worker productivity…The potential direct increase in office workers' performance was estimated to range between 0.5 percent and 5 percent."
Table 1. Potential Annual Healthcare Savings and Productivity Gains From Improving Indoor Environments*
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Source of Productivity Gain
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Potential Annual Health Benefits in US
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Potential US Annual Savings on Productivity Gain (1996 $US)
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Reduced respiratory disease
|
16 to 37 million avoided illnesses
|
$6 to $14 billion
$23 to $54 per person
|
Reduced allergies and asthma
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8% to 25% decrease in symptoms in 53 million people with allergies and 16 million people with asthma
|
$1 to $4 billion
$20 to $80 per person (with allergies)
|
Reduced sick building syndrome symptoms
|
20% to 50% reduction in symptoms experienced frequently by 15 million workers
|
$10 to $30 billion
~ $300 per office worker
|
Improved worker performance from changes in thermal environment and lighting
|
Not applicable
|
$20 to $160 billion
|
* Fisk and Rosenfeld 1997.8 Reported in 1997 US dollars.
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They also estimated the annual economic costs of common respiratory illnesses (reported in 1996 US dollars):
·
180 million lost workdays·
120 million additional days of restricted activity·
~$36 Billion ($140 per person.) in health care costs·
~$70 Billion ($270 per person) total cost For additional information, contact:
Pure Air Control Services
800-422-7873, ext. 802
