Retail Outlets
With allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities at record high levels among the Canadian population, an increasing number of consumers are choosing not to shop at retail stores that continue to ignore the presence of fragrances, odours, dust and airborne chemicals within their place of business. These airborne irritants may not only result in lost revenues for you as an owner, but in poor indoor air quality that can reduce employee productivity, increase absenteeism and in some cases, contribute to long-term health issues.
Even if you are fastidious in keeping your store clean, you may still be exposing yourself, employees and customers to indoor air pollutants from sources such as:
- Scented products (can trigger severe allergic reactions in some people)
- Computers, printers, photocopiers and other electrical equipment (can produce harmful ozone)
- Carpets, furniture and paint (may generate toxic gases such as formaldehyde)
- Fluorescent lighting (may produce photochemical smog)
- Plastic items and flooring (can contain unsafe phthalates)
- Packing materials (may release dust particles and other irritants)
- Employee lunch rooms and washroom facilities (can produce unpleasant odours)
- Excessive dust (can trigger allergies and lead to respiratory problems)
- Wet or damp areas, including carpets (may produce mould spores)
- Poorly filtered air handling systems (may pour out allergens and other irritants)
And the worst offender of all…
- Store cleaning products, which may contain the following dangerous volatile organic compounds:
- Diethyl glycol, found in window cleaning products (depresses the nervous system)
- Petroleum solvents, found in floor cleaning products (damages mucous membranes)
- Phenols, found in disinfectants (toxic to respiratory and circulatory systems)
- Perchloroethylene, found in spot removers (causes liver and kidney damage)
- Chlorinated phenols, found in toilet bowl cleaners (toxic to respiratory and circulatory systems)
- Formaldehyde, found in spray deodorizers (a respiratory irritant and suspected carcinogen)
- Butyl cellosolve, common in all-purpose, window and other types of cleaning products (damages bone marrow, the nervous system, kidneys and the liver).
For some customers and workers, poor indoor air quality can be the cause of mild discomfort, eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, lethargy and breathing difficulties. For employees, long-term exposure can lead to liver and kidney damage, effects on the immune, cardiovascular, reproductive and nervous systems, and even chronic illnesses such as obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer.
Whatever kind of retail business you operate, using an air purifier from Modern Alchemy Air Purifiers can help to provide a cleaner and healthier working environment for your staff and a more pleasant shopping experience for your customers.
