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Why AIR Matters

AIR Is the Part of Sanitation that You Can't Wipe Down

Air quality has not been overlooked because animal care professionals are careless. It has been overlooked because air is difficult to see, difficult to understand, and, until recently, difficult to measure continuously in practical ways.

A facility can appear clean while still experiencing elevated airborne particulate levels

The Relationship Between Air and Surfaces

Traditional sanitation programs have focused primarily on environmental surfaces. That focus remains both appropriate and essential. However, environmental contamination is not solely a surface phenomenon. Particles continually move throughout occupied spaces. Dust, dander, microbial aerosols, and environmental contaminants become airborne and eventually settle back onto surfaces, where they contribute to the biological burden that sanitation programs are designed to control. The relationship between air and surfaces is therefore continuous and dynamic. Air influences surfaces. Surfaces influence air. Neither can be fully understood in isolation. AAEHM views indoor air quality and surface sanitation as complementary disciplines working toward the same objective.

Dust, dander, microbial aerosols, and environmental contaminants become airborne and eventually settle back onto surfaces

The Air Quality Connection

Improved air quality
may contribute to

Healthier indoor environments
Reduced airborne burden
Improved odor control
Enhanced sanitation outcomes
Greater staff comfort
Improved customer perception
Earlier identification of environmental concerns

Poor air quality
may contribute to

Respiratory irritation
Odor accumulation
Airborne particulate exposure
Increased environmental biological burden
Reduced employee comfort
Increased sanitation pressure
Increased risk for susceptible animals

Air Quality Is the Gateway to Environmental Health

Environmental health is a broad discipline. It encompasses the full range of environmental conditions that influence the health and well-being of animals and the people who care for them — indoor air quality, ventilation effectiveness, filtration performance, humidity control, temperature control, odor management, environmental hygiene, surface sanitation support, water quality, occupancy density, facility design, environmental biological burden, and monitoring and corrective-action systems

Get Started with a Facility Assessment

Air quality is not merely a matter of comfort. It is a biological, operational, and environmental concern