WHY HUMIDIFY GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS?

With over 16 million state and local government employees and thousands of citizens visiting government facilities on any given day, using a non-pharmaceutical intervention like humidity is highly recommended to create a healthy indoor environment for staff and visitors.

Shared workspace, frequent face-to-face interactions, and the constant flow of visitors make government facilities an ideal environment for viruses to spread. Staff and visitors in these facilities are exposed to health and wellness issues caused by overly dry air such as respiratory problems, skin irritations, dry nasal passages, dry eyes, and sore throats. Studies have shown keeping relative humidity (RH) levels within a range of 40 to 60 percent is necessary to maintain a healthy indoor environment and reduce the spread of airborne viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

In addition, the natural defense system of our bodies becomes less effective in dry air, making it harder to fight off infection very effectively. It has been proven that viruses that cause influenza and other flu-like illnesses survive best in low RH environments. Installation of a humidification system allows precise control over the RH in an indoor space to render viruses inactive and less infectious, helping to protect staff, visitors, and the surrounding community.