Fabric Air Dispersion Solutions Improve Indoor Air Quality

We usually don’t talk about foodborne illnesses in the HVAC industry. After all, what does food contamination have to do with commercial HVAC? The CDC estimates that every year in the United States, 48 million people get sick, 128,000 people are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses. With numbers like that, it’s worth taking a look at potential ways we can test and/or revise our HVAC systems to uncover and resolve potential issues.

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food Modernization Act, enacted in 2011, has shifted focus from responding to foodborne illness to preventing it. That’s where the HVAC industry comes in. The overriding goal we can focus on is to help the consumables industry prevent mold, bacteria, and contamination. HVAC regulations and best practices from organizations like ASHRAE can help us better understand how our systems can help reduce foodborne illnesses across the supply chain.

One way to help improve indoor air quality is to utilize fabric air dispersion solutions over traditional metal ducts.  These fabric ducts can not only improve overall indoor air quality, but can also improve environmental control and provide a less expensive cleaning experience over metal ducts.

Fabric material runs in fabric air dispersion solutions can be customized to meet airflow requirements in any space. Additionally, our manufacturing partner, Ductsox, offers a special fabric called OptiX that controls the growth of bacteria, fungi, and mold in consumable environments. Other ways that Ductsox is helping to prevent contamination in the supply chain include:

• A stainless-steel food grade suspension system
• Fabric can be removed quickly and easily for cleaning during planned system maintenance
• Spare fabric ducts can be purchased to minimize downtime during cleaning
• Targeted air dispersion options prevent condensation build-up throughout the facility
• A variety of installation options including straight lines, elevation changes and curved options

Overall, fabric air dispersion solutions can be a viable way to adhere to best practices and prevent foodborne illnesses. Whether you are designing a new commercial HVAC system or planning improvements to your existing HVAC system, consider including fabric ducts to improve overall indoor air quality to protect both workers and consumables.

Watch the video below to find out more about Ductsox fabric air dispersion solutions. Contact your local manufacturer’s rep for more information or to discuss other ways to improve indoor air quality in your commercial buildings.