What should be measured?
Indoor air quality means the quality of the air found in closed rooms, calculated according to certain parameters. The main parameters that are taken into consideration to determine the quality of the air in the yachts are ventilation, percentage of humidity in the air and concentration of two of the main pollutants: carbon dioxide (CO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOC).
The latter two are fundamental parameters to be kept under control. Carbon dioxide or CO2, normally produced by human activities, must not exceed certain concentrations in order not to have negative effects on our health.
In the same way, VOCs, the volatile organic compounds that are released into the indoor air from furniture, glues, solvents must be monitored.
It must also be remembered that even the outside air is polluted due to smog, fine dust and pollen entering the yacht.
The factors that influence indoor air quality are therefore many, including many that are overlooked as their effect on the indoor environment is not known.
Daily activities that take place on a boat are enough to produce pollutants that are potentially harmful to our health: taking a shower produces humidity, cooking and even normal breathing generates carbon dioxide and humidity. This fact, if higher than 40-60% is not ideal and can proliferate bacteria, mites and viruses increasing the risk of various pathologies and diseases.
There are many harmful substances that are created on the yacht every day such as the aforementioned carbon dioxide, also produced by our breath. In our yachts there are also fine dust, bacteria, viruses, mites, heavy metals and much more, here is a sort of classification of the main pollutants of domestic air.
The volatile organic compounds, called VOCs: these are chemicals such as solvents and emitted substantially by the paints used for the finish of furniture and furnishings. Not only that, these pollutants also come from detergents used for daily cleaning and some also contain petrol, or derivatives from it. The best known, and harmful, VOC substance is formaldehyde, an irritating but silent odor gas, often present in adhesives and paints, capable of continuously dispersing in the air even after many years, without the owner of the yacht noticing.
Excessive humidity and unsuitable temperatures: Like chemical pollutants, these elements also influence indoor health. As mentioned, the humidity levels of the house must not exceed 40-60% and the temperature must never be too high, on average not higher than 20-22 ° C as needed. High temperatures and humidity can favor the proliferation of moulds, bacteria and fungi that are harmful to health and often not visible to the naked eye.
Carbon dioxide, CO2: already mentioned several times, it is produced not only by man.
Fine dusts: even in yachts there are fine dusts, the same ones that determine city air pollution. We will therefore find the PM10 and the smaller PM2.5, particulates composed of microscopic and invisible particles with the naked eye. These can easily penetrate our nose, larynx, bronchi and lungs, causing more or less serious health problems in the long run.