Relative humidity (RH) is the ratio of amount of water vapour present in air, to the greatest amount possible at a given temperature. A RH of 30% indicates that at the current temperature, the air is only holding 30% of the moisture it could. Failing to maintain ideal levels of RH can cause health problems, employee discomfort and productions losses.
Symptoms of low relative humidity in:
Human health and comfort: Bloody noses, chapped and cracked lips, dry, itchy skin and eyes, itchy throat, cold and flu symptoms. It has been proven that relative humidity levels between 30% to 60% reduce the proliferation of virus (like COVID-19), bacteria and mold.
Risks of being out of recommended relative humidity levels in different industries:
Not complying within recommended parameters for humidity in industry risks to production losses. Below is listed some common production quality issues when humidity is not controlled.
| Abrasives | Low RH can cause the abrasives products become brittle and loss of production. |
| Cleanrooms, Laboratory. | Not compliant with the good manufacturing practices standard, low quality product. |
| Facilities with volatile fumes/dust. | Accumulation of static electricity that could ignite volatile fumes or dust. |
| Hatcheries | Low or high RH affect hatching times. Also, maintaining an optimum RH level will benefit the first days of the chicks. |
| Plastic | Existence of static electricity may lead to machinery breakdown. |
| Printing | Dry paper and packaging leading to loss of raw material and low-quality end product. |
| Automotive (Quality laboratory). | Reduced accuracy of the measuring equipment (CMM). |
| Textile | Accumulation of static electricity may lead to fragile material and constant stop of production. |
| Woodworking | Problems in gluing, cracked finishes, uneven surfaces and sunken joints. |
