Meet AirZones - The trustpilot of indoor air quality

• Air quality survey then leads to rating award for premises
• Air quality standards ensure good health and bring competitive advantage
• The United Nations and the World Health Organisation regard air pollution as the greatest environmental threat to humanity

Dubai: AirZones is the first fully-independent star rated standard for indoor air quality, launched in Dubai in 2021 and aligned to the Dubai 2040 master plan. Using high technology air quality sensors and monitors to analyse indoor air quality at a specific venue or ‘zone’, the company’s experienced scientists and engineers then suggest simple improvements, such as changing products used in the space, to improve indoor air quality and the health of the building.

For commercial premises – like hospitality, F&B, education or offices,  AirZones then awards its unique Indoor Air Quality Star Rating, from 1 to 5 stars.  Customers, guests or clients can then make informed decisions about the venues they visit and where they choose to spend time and money.

Air quality is another elephant in the room – especially in the Middle East, where old or unclean air conditioning systems can give rise to a host of health issues. In fact, the United Nations (UN) (1) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2) regard air pollution as the greatest environmental threat to humanity, citing it as being responsible for more than 7 million global deaths a year.

AirZones wants to sort out indoor air quality in the region, with a simple, cost-effective solution, now available to all.

Spokesman and company co-founder, Chris Leighton says: “Think of AirZones as the Trustpilot of indoor air quality. If you could choose to go somewhere that you know has good, clean, healthy air, compared to somewhere with ‘dirtier/more polluted’ air, where would you choose to go? We are helping businesses deliver healthier air in order to attract more customers, however it also means less staff downtime, better concentration and better moods – literally, a better atmosphere!

“Air quality could well become a new competitive business differentiator, with people voting with their lungs. Our impartial, independent ratings are a step towards proper, honest environmental stewardship. We need AC to live comfortably in this region – but why risk suffering with health issues because of poor air quality?”

Before AirZones, it was difficult for a company to understand how to monitor air quality, and the complexity and cost of such activity put many off investigating. Especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, confidence in the safety and cleanliness of venues is the top priority for customers (3). Polluted indoor air is the number one factor in venue safety and cleanliness. An AirZones assessment ensures your premises has safe, clean and healthy air – which is provable to customers.

Why is air quality important?

Think for a minute about how careful you are about what you drink. You would never drink ‘dirty’ water, right? Yet, the air we breathe, some 11,000 litres a day (that’s roughly 10,997 litres more than the volume of water we drink each day), is circulated through every major organ in our body within seconds of passing our lips – and we mostly ignore it! It’s invisible pollutants in the air that are responsible for far more than lung disease, with the latest research showing head-to-toe harm, including heart disease, diabetes, dementia, liver problems, bladder cancer and brittle bones(4). Fertility, the development of foetuses, miscarriages as well as children’s brain development have all been shown to be affected by common airborne pollutants (5) – pollutants found every day in homes, restaurants, hotels, offices - in fact, everywhere we live, work and play in our built environment.

Recent research by the University of Chicago showed polluted air is a greater killer than smoking or even car crashes, in fact, more than war, terrorism, malaria, road related injuries, unsafe water and sanitation as well as alcohol and narcotics, combined (6)!

Chris and business partner Thomas Day are both energetic entrepreneurs with a career history in hi-tech innovation and manufacturing sectors. The idea for AirZones was born after the British businessmen felt frustrated by how slowly industry was adopting all the new technology and solutions that are coming to market that make a real difference to air quality.

Chris explains: “It wasn’t until we were discussing where to meet for an evening meal with our children that the solution dawned. Understanding the importance of clean air, we had no idea where to book a table in Dubai, which restaurants were healthy and which weren’t. We could easily see customer satisfaction ratings, prices, menus and pictures of the venues, but nothing about the health, cleanliness or air quality. We knew if we could see information about air quality, it would significantly influence our buying decision.

AirZones ties these two pain points together. The intention is that AirZones technology motivates the market to adjust to the new demands for better air quality.  Commercial premises will be motivated and driven to invest in clean air technology. As Chris adds: “We simply want a world where everyone can start breathing cleaner, healthier air.”

How it works

AirZones monitors air quality for around a month, using unobtrusive sensors and monitors. Around two million data points are gathered, analysed and assessed, using a combination of environmental science, mechanical engineering and chemistry.

Where low air quality is discovered, there are two options. Firstly, reduce pollutants being emitted into the air – by simply using AirZones’ impartial advice and recommendations on how to identify sources of pollutants and remove or reduce them.  Secondly, removal of pollutants from the air – by adopting air purification equipment or practices. AirZones is resolutely vendor-agnostic and does not sell any equipment. It only offers monitoring and assessment services, advice and the star rating.

AirZones’ unique Indoor Air Quality Star Rating is based on guidance from Dubai Government, the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and, in certain cases, references other well documented standards, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency or the European Union. 

After receiving a star rating, the AirZones team remains in contact with clients, offering continual support and product advice to help them maintain healthy air and further promote their healthy business premises.

The AirZones Business website was recently launched (www.airzones.com) and the company understands it cannot solve world indoor air quality alone. Chris and Thomas are keen to talk to potential partners in the space, with Chris concluding: “We’re always looking for opportunities to collaborate or partner with other organisations to get the message out. We’d love to hear from anyone else on this or a similar mission, or anyone who believes they can support the drive to make clean indoor air a reality for all.”

For any businesses interested in being one of the first to demonstrate their commitment to clean, healthy, and safe indoor spaces with an AirZones Air Quality Star Rating, please get in touch directly with chris@airzones.com 

-Ends- 

About AirZones

AirZones is a state-of-the-art, technology-driven solution to the problem of low air quality.

The quality of the air we breathe affects our health, concentration and enjoyment of life. Air pollution kills over 7 million of us every year, and causes a number of diseases from asthma to cancer and heart disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and The United Nations (UN) state air pollution is the single largest cause of disease from the environment. More than 90% of us are exposed to pollution levels above WHO air quality guidelines!

Using air quality monitoring systems, we analyse the quality of air in your workplace, hospitality venue or home, and then, based on the outcome of analysing more than two million data points, gathered over a month, we tell you exactly what the quality of your air is.

If it’s not up to scratch, we can advise several ways to improve it. When it meets international standards, the award of an AirZones Indoor Air Quality Star Rating is a competitive differentiator and proof that you care about your environment and your staff and customer’s health.

AirZones is the world’s first Indoor Air Quality Star Rating™ standard. We make it simple for everyone to understand which venues have clean, safe air to breathe.

Without knowing what’s in your air, improvements are guesswork – so is the return on investment. The effects of purifiers and filters can be invisible – so how do you prove the benefits to customers? Without clarity of financial returns, investment is often withheld, and air remains polluted.

AirZones makes clean air commercially viable. By independently proving your air is safe, you attract more customers – and we all breathe healthier air.

References:

• Air pollution is now considered to be the world’s largest environmental health threat, accounting for 7 million deaths around the world every year.

https://unece.org/air-pollution-and-health#:~:text=Air%20pollution%20is%20now%20considered,pulmonary%20illnesses%20and%20heart%20disease 

• The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about seven million premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1 

• A recent study* from Tripadvisor found that for consumers thinking about future travel:

More than 9 out of 10 (92%) said cleanliness is the most important factor in selecting accommodations.

More than 8 in 10 (84%) said cleanliness or sanitization certificates are important when booking a travel experience.

Nearly 8 in 10 (79%) said it's important to publicly display compliance to government safety standards.

https://ir.tripadvisor.com/news-releases/news-release-details/tripadvisor-launches-travel-safe-tools-making-it-easy-travelers 

• Although air pollution is well known to be harmful to the lung and airways, it can also damage most other organ systems of the body

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30419237/ 

• short-term exposure to elevated levels of air pollutants was associated with higher risk for spontaneous pregnancy loss.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001502821832154X 

• Particulate air pollution shortens lives globally, even more than cigarettes. There is no greater current risk to human health.

https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/pollution-facts/ 

Media contact:
Ananda Shakespeare
Shakespeare Communications
00 971 50 296 0503
ananda@shakespearecomms.com
www.shakespearecomms.com 

© Press Release 2021