Caymanian Influencer Interviews Canadian Air Quality Expert Berni Baier
In this interview, host Patrick (Coffee with Q) talks with Berni Baier, a senior air‑filtration specialist at Camfil Canada, about indoor air quality, especially for the Cayman Islands. Baier explains that while the islands benefit from ocean breezes, invisible particulate pollution (PM2.5 and the more harmful PM1) still infiltrates homes. He defines HEPA filters (99.97% efficiency at 0.3 µm), discusses their pressure‑drop limitations, and contrasts North American single‑stage rooftop filters with Europe’s common two‑stage residential systems. The conversation covers MERV ratings, the importance of the MERV‑A test (efficiency after electrostatic loss), and the choice between single‑stage and dual‑stage filtration in urban settings. Baier details how gases and VOCs require carbon or potassium permanganate media, and how Camfil blends particle‑capture and gas‑removal layers. Sustainability is addressed through energy (low average pressure drop, variable‑frequency fans, occupancy‑based airflow) and waste (long‑life filters, single‑stage designs, recycling programs). He describes Camfil’s extensive R&D infrastructure—Swedish labs, a New Jersey ASHRAE test duct, 24/7 rooftop‑unit test rigs, and lifecycle‑cost (LCC) software—ensuring every HEPA filter is individually tested and ISO‑certified. Practical advice for Cayman residents includes pressurizing buildings, reducing indoor particle generation, improving infiltration control, and ensuring adequate circulation. Specific product recommendations for schools and other institutions are given: Dual‑9 two‑stage MERV 9 filters, High‑Flow ES3 bag filters (single‑stage, 2–3 year life), Durafil (3–5 year life), and CityPleat/CityFlo carbon‑impregnated filters for odor control. Finally, Baier explains Camfil’s strategy to stay ahead: rigorous competitor testing, independent media validation, and custom media blends rather than relying on manufacturers’ claims. The interview blends technical detail with practical, sustainability‑focused guidance for improving air quality in the Cayman Islands.
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Welcome to the Coffee with Q Show, your daily dose of knowledge from experts from around the world. I'm Patrick, your host and news reporter at Coffee with Q. Today I have the privilege of having Bernie Beer, an infiltration expert from Canada. And works with Camfil, the global leader in providing clean air solutions that improve indoor air quality, save energy, and protect people and the environment. Camfil Canada is committed to help create healthier indoor environments by providing high-quality air filtration solutions. So, Barney, thank you so much for being here, and I look forward to hearing your insights on air filtration. So, before we dive in, I'm a little bit curious because I live on a small island, the Cayman Islands, and I would love to know what is it like, the air quality, for those living in busier cities?
Well, first of all, we have to start with When you're living on the Cayman Islands, you're probably thinking that you have lovely clean air, which isn't the case. A lot of people don't realize that what you're breathing in, 95 to 99% of it is not visible. So all those particulates that are around you, you don't even know that you're breathing them in. The question is, how much of it are you breathing in and how much is around you? So the Cayman Islands are definitely cleaner than others because they have prevailing winds off the ocean and there's not much contaminant the ocean other than maybe fish smells and seaweed. But other than that, you are getting contaminated from what you have on the island and also from other countries that are nearby depending on which way the wind's blowing. So yes, the main thing around the world that people were concerned about before was with particles that were called PM2.5, which were particles that were below 2.5 micron, which also aren't visible.
Yeah.
Yeah. And those particles, you know, they're the ones that they thought were causing problems. Now around the world, they're looking at what's called PM1. So PM1 are particles that are below 1 micron. And the reason those are an issue is they actually end up in the bloodstream and in your tissue and they will never leave.
Oh, wow.
Yeah. So what you— so in cities now, because of combustion, The main push is to try and get rid of these PM1 particles because your body is not designed to do that.
Yeah.
So to do that, you know, there's lots of ways that we can get into, but the biggest concerns are those fine particles that your body cannot handle.
Yeah. Yeah. And Bernie, living in the Cayman Islands, I'll kind of touch on a point as well with like sustainability. So I see that with microplastics, right? So that gets into everything and it's so hard to now get rid of. So I can definitely relate to that.
Yep. Yeah, exactly.
So Bernie, can you please tell us about yourself and what it's been like working with Navfil? We really want to get to know you.
Oh no, you don't. No, no. So I've actually been with the company for 33 years. So yes, I'm a senior. Senior. So yes, you need to listen to me. No, no. I've worked in all departments with this company. I've been in customer service. I've been mainly in sales. But the biggest training session I got in the company was I did R&D for about 3 years for Canada and the US. And for that, I actually got to go to different plants with all our testing equipment and actually see what our filters do and what competitor filters do and How they work in the environment. And it was truly an eye-opener. And this is things that people don't see on a regular basis. You know, I saw filters that were totally clogged up. And when you tested them, they were still brand new. But then I saw other ones that were perfectly clean but were fully loaded because they collected a lacquer and you couldn't see it and it blocked the filters.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, so, you know, when a lot of people always say, oh, look at the filters, how dirty they are, that's not a good way of checking filters. So that was a definite eye-opener for 2 or 3 years. And also I'm on various committees, BOMA, CSA in Canada for the hospital designs to help them regarding the filtration.
Wow, nice. So you really got to kind of deep dive, you know, during your career about like the sustainability and improving air quality, which I think is really interesting. You know, even in the Cayman Islands, we do have that bit of air pollution, so using a company like Camfil would be, you know, it would help us in the long run.
Definitely.
Yeah. So can you give us some information on what HEPA filters are and why they are important? And what business environment could use these HEPA filters?
Yeah, so HEPA filters are an interesting animal in the filtration market, if you want to call it that. First of all, the definition of a HEPA filter is any filter that tests at 99.97% at 0.3 micron. Okay, some people say, you know, better than 99.9 or, you know, near— no, it has to be tested at 99.97%. And the reason I specify that is most HVAC filters do a better job collecting larger particles naturally of the way it collects and not as good a job on finer particles. HEPA filters, as long as it's tested at 99.97.3, it could actually have a lower efficiency on bigger particles.
Yeah.
Which is confusing. So, but that's why, you know, that's all you specify is 99.97. So they are the only filter that will collect submicron particles, or shall we say enough submicron particles that you can use them in healthcare systems, in pharmaceutical applications, this type of thing. The only problem is a lot of people do want to use them in homes and everything else saying, I want the best filters. They'd have an extremely high pressure drop. So most residential systems cannot handle that pressure drop. So it's a give and take.
Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much for that insight. So I want to dive into Camfil, exactly what it takes for the company to have that successful air filtration. So how does Camfil approach the specific air filtration needs of urban environments? So like I said, busy cities, Where the population levels can be a lot.
Okay. Yeah. So first of all, to, to preface that is, as I mentioned before, the, the human body is only designed to get rid of natural particles. Now, when you live in a city, okay, this is now how Camfil can help you with your air quality. Okay. The first thing we have to analyze is your air handling system, what it can handle. Like I said, HEPA filters, Wouldn't work in most applications. Okay. The norm now for cities ever since COVID was a MERV 13 filter. That's the efficiency. Okay. And MERV is a rating from 1 to 16. And naturally the higher the MERV rating, the better the filter is.
Yeah.
So the other caveat on that is there is a secondary test done on filters, which gives you a MERV A rating. And a MERV A rating is the efficiency of the filter after it loses any electrical Electrostatic charge.
Okay.
Some filters do lose efficiency. So, first of all, if you're living in a city environment, the first thing you have to work on is what is the MERV and MERV-A rating that you want to achieve?
Right.
And how much of that do you want to remove? And then, that's where you decide now, do I want a MERV 13, a 14, 15, et cetera? Then, you have to decide in a city environment, whether you can have single-stage or dual-stage filtration.
Yeah.
So some systems can have one filter, others can't. And that is where we have a lot of problems with, as Camfil, with the cities, is Europe is way ahead of us. Europe actually has in residential homes 2-stage filters.
Oh, wow.
Yeah. So they're built like an office building. They actually have a pre-filter and they have a secondary filter in a lot of homes.
Oh, that's interesting.
Yeah, here in Canada, well, in North America, you know, rooftop units only have room for a 1-inch pleated filter, and that's it. Now in that, you can only use a MERV 13 maximum filter. The problem with those is because of the size of it and the type of material that's in it, it does lose its efficiency. Yeah, and it will go down to a MERV 9, a MERV 8. So Camfil has developed filters that don't lose as much of the efficiency, but because of the market out there, we've never found a supplier yet that can make a pleated filter that doesn't lose its efficiency. Hopefully one day somebody will. So that's the first thing in a city environment is what type of efficiency do you want? How many filters can you put in it?
Mm-hmm.
And if you can actually achieve that efficiency, The other big concern in the city is VOCs, gases, right?
Yes.
Okay.
Yeah.
So gases are in the submicron range that filters, particle filters can't collect. Now you have to get into carbon filters, right? Okay. And there's 2 types of carbon basically, or there's carbon itself and there's potassium permanganate.
Mm-hmm.
There are filters that have blends of particle removal and gas removal. Those are normally the best for For people that have concerns.
Okay.
Okay. Yeah. So you can actually get a 1-inch or a 2-inch filter that will remove about MERV 13 efficiency and has a layer of carbon on it.
Yeah.
Okay. Carbon itself does not increase in pressure drop. So once it's used up, it doesn't change the airflow in the system. But normally we suggest leaving those in for about 3 to 6 months. And now you've got a pretty good application of removing the 2 sources of contaminants.
Yeah.
Yeah. So that's normally what Canfield would suggest for, for city environments.
Yeah.
As much as you can. Yep.
Yeah. I like how you, um, spoke on the comparison between, um, like Europe and America and Canada as well, but how the different air filter, um, the systems that you're using for air quality. It's funny how Europe, you're using the 2 and then you're only using one. I thought that that was very interesting. Thank you for highlighting that.
No problem.
So what role does air filtration play in promoting sustainability in schools and colleges?
So filters have a huge impact on sustainability. We actually have a salesperson in our company that sort of correlated office building filters used to the size of the CN Tower. So one year of filters would actually pile up as high as the CN Tower, which Hopefully people know what that is. It used to, used to be the highest tower.
Yeah.
So we can definitely help with sustainability goals. There are a few things that you need to decide first. Anytime you're looking at sustainability, the first thing again is you decide on what efficiency do you want to achieve.
Yeah.
And now that sets your bar, your guideline. Now, after you've done that, you analyze the 2 sustainability factors, which is energy and waste.
Right.
Okay. So the first one on energy, what you need to do is find the, what we call the lowest average pressure drop. What a lot of companies do is they will promote their initial pressure drop. So they'll put a filter in a test bank and say, oh, ours starts at 0.2 inches. The competitor starts at 0.3. Ours is better. That's not the case. If you put a filter in there that starts at a low pressure drop, it only lasts 2 months. And, and blocks the air. That's not a good thing. So what you can analyze, as long as you have a gauge, is, is, you know, from beginning to end. And then you take that average pressure.
Right.
And, and that's what you compare to the filters. So never compare initial pressure. Never, ever. Okay. The other thing is for sustainability is Camfil does have a lot of products that can be used single stage. So you don't need a pre-filter. Uh, in most applications you need a pre-filter in front to save the more expensive filter to collect the larger contaminant. Camfil has a what we call a High Flow ES3, which is guaranteed to last a year and doesn't need any pre-filtration on it.
Whoa, okay.
And because you're only using— so every time you add a filter into an HVAC system, you're increasing The resistance of the air coming through it. And every time you increase resistance, it's costing you money.
Yeah.
So as long as you can go with a single-stage application and running what we call a VFD fan, which is a variable frequency fan, you can definitely save energy. Okay.
Yeah.
And the other thing is not so much related to the filters, but also helps in the applications is when you have a VFD fan, Is you change the airflow based on the occupancy if you can. Okay. But there are a few little caveats. I'll quickly get into those. Let's say, for example, it's a school.
Yeah.
You know that there's a class coming in at 11 o'clock. Okay. From first thing in the morning till about 10 o'clock, you don't need much air in there because there's no people in the room.
Right.
So with a VFD, you can actually ramp it down and only bring in, let's say, 10% of the air just to keep it climatized a little bit. So that now saves you the energy. And but some people, what they do is they will turn it on right when students get in.
Yeah.
And that's not the good thing because what you have is you need to actually— all HVAC systems are designed to create a flow in the room, right? If you don't create that flow, it has a hard time cleaning the air. So what you should do is turn it on about half an hour before occupancy.
Yeah.
Now you get the flow through the room and then the students come in.
Yeah.
Okay. So that's, that's the first one on energy. On waste, waste is a little, little more difficult. So waste, there are very few filters that you can recycle.
Yeah.
Okay. So normally what you need to do is try and find the longest lasting filter you can get that maintains its efficiency at the lowest average pressure drop. Those are the 3 factors. Once again, single stage would have less waste than 2 stages because now you're only throwing 1 filter instead of 2 filters.
Okay.
And the last thing that I just want to clarify is a lot of people and a lot of companies now are promoting washable filters.
Oh, wow. Okay.
Yeah. To try and be— so the washable, there are no washable filters that we have tested that have high efficiency.
Right, right.
So if you really, really want to use a washable filter, realize that you're not going to get the capture efficiency that you would with a proper filter.
Right, right.
Okay, um, and the other thing is recycling. A lot of people are trying to recycle filters. Camfil actually has a recycling program.
Oh nice.
We do in Canada, uh, and we're trying to get other countries to see how we do it and everything else. But believe me, it's not a difficult— it's not an easy process. Um, the filters are glued together so that they last.
Yeah.
And there's only so much you can throw out. But we actually— if you do want to get into recycling, yeah, just make sure that the company that's doing it sends you complete documentation of how much they threw out, what percentage was recycled, etc.
Yeah, no, I agree with you. Um, and again, recycling is something that we do in the Cayman Islands, but Of course, you know, because we're such a small island, we do tend to have to ship things to get them properly recycled. So that's why a lot of people here are going into sustainability, you know, companies or having that sustainable lifestyle so that they can stop, you know, the waste. There's a lot of plastic pollution. And now because we have such a large population, We're having that air pollution as well.
Right.
Definitely.
It's a global issue. It's definitely global no matter where you live, even in Antarctica. So.
It is. So Bernie, how does Camfil ensure its products are both effective and sustainable in their design and use?
That is, that is where we differ from a lot of companies. Camfil invests a fortune in research and development.
Right.
Our office in Sweden and our head office in Sweden built an entire complex to test every type of filter, whether it's HVAC filters, dust collector filters, molecular and carbon filters. We have full labs that inject gases into the carbon filters. From what I know, we're the only company that has that many labs. Other companies do have smaller labs, But not comparable to this. Yeah. Then also in our office in Riverdale, New Jersey, we have an ASHRAE test duct, which is how we would test the efficiency of the filters. But the other thing that we have is we actually have 4 rooftop units that are running 24/7.
Okay.
So what we actually do is we will take competitor filters, we will take our prototype filters, and we will put them in there and just let them run.
Nice.
I like it. Yeah. So that we can actually see what happens in real life. The, the, the, the one of the issues with air filtration and testing is when you test the filter, you use what's called ASHRAE dust.
Yes.
And it is a fake dust, I guess, if you want to call it that, that's supposed to simulate what's outside.
Right.
But it's, you know, no matter where you live, the particles are going to be different.
Absolutely.
And an ASHRAE test is to give you a comparison of this filter versus this filter in its, in a life. An in-situ test will actually show you this is how it's going to survive outside. So yes, the Riverdale has those 4 machines running 24/7. And what we do is we analyze all those filters and we actually have an LCC software, a lifecycle cost software.
Okay.
That is based on those real-life tests.
Yeah, yeah.
Where we can say, hey, if you put a filter in there, this is what's going to happen. And we actually guarantee that LCC analysis.
Yeah.
Within, I believe it's 10%. So, um, and then a few other things that Camfil does is we always test media batches from our suppliers. So we actually have the test rigs where when they'll take a little swatch, just make sure it's that efficiency, the thickness, everything else. All our HEPA filters are individually tested as they come off the line. There's not one filter that is not tested, not one HEPA filter that isn't tested. Camfil follows— all our locations are ISO certified. Okay. And all our premium products are guaranteed to be the longest life. So if you order a premium product, it has been tested in all those units to make sure that it is better than anything else you can get out there.
Right. No, I really like that. I think that it's so important that you put so much time and research and testing into these products because ultimately you have so many companies and even people that will be using these type of filters, and you want to make sure that you're giving the best quality out there. So I thought that it was incredible to see the amount of testing that you guys go through. You can really see that it is that Quality there and not just quantity.
Exactly. Yep.
So we're going to do some questions relating to the Cayman Islands. So Bernie, what measures can individuals and institutions in the Cayman Islands take to maintain clean air quality?
How much time do we have? Um, there's—
I'll sit here all day if you need.
Oh, okay. No, the, um, in order to get proper filtration, there's, there's about 4 factors to have. What we'll do is we'll start with the perfect scenario and then start decreasing it to what people can actually do. So, okay, so to have the perfect scenario, there's, there's— you have pressurization, You have generation of particles, you have infiltration of particles, and circulation. If you can pressurize a building, if you can stop full generation within a building, if you can stop full infiltration and have 100% circulation with a HEPA filter, you are now living in a clean room. You are, you're going to live till 200 years old because you have nothing in that room. Okay. If we could do that for everybody, Camfil would be extremely happy because we'd be selling a lot of filters, but we can't do that. So, how do we, how do we get it to a level that the everyday person can achieve as, as what they need? Okay. So, we'll sort of take each one. First of all, pressurization. There are units out there that you can pressurize your home. They're heat exchangers, they're called, and they actually have HEPA filters. They're not full HEPA filters, but a HEPA filter. So, what happens is you bring air into the room, And it takes the exhausted air and, and tempers the air coming in so you don't have to heat it as much or cool it as much. And then so now what you've done is pressurized your house so particles don't come in.
Right.
Okay. If you have severe allergies, if you have health issues, this type of thing, it is something to look at. Okay.
Yeah.
If you— yeah. If you don't have any health issues or anything else, some people do use them. But not imperative. Okay, so that's number one. Generation then. So how can you stop generation? Everything within your home generates particles and gases. So you have carpets, curtains, people themselves. You do not want to see what sheds off your body under a microscope. It's not the nicest thing. And all these things are floating in the air.
Yeah.
Okay. So the question is, how much airflow can you generate in the home so that it gets to the duct or the return duct and gets to the filter?
Right.
If it doesn't get to the filter, it's not going to be cleaned. Okay. So a problem in the homes are that they have very low airflow and the fans cycle on and off. They don't run 24/7. So anything being generated in the home, uh, normally starts compounding.
Yeah.
So a few things you can do to that is you can change what you have in the home. If you have carpets, go to hardwood floors, this type of thing. If you have curtains, you go to blinds. Um, and the other thing which people don't realize is VOCs are a major concern. The gases, uh, anything like a tabletop that I'm sitting at right now and stuff gives off formaldehyde, gives off gases that You know, so you could put a filter in your air handling system that has carbon impregnation to help with that.
Yeah.
And but that's what you would do with, with the generation aspect.
Right.
Okay. Now infiltration, that's the question. There's a few factors with you living in the Cayman Islands. You're not going to have too much bad air coming, coming in.
Yeah.
Okay. And actually, just a little side note, that's sort of the ironic thing that in the committees I'm on, we used to say fresh air. Yeah. It's not called fresh air anymore. It's called outdoor air. So, and yep.
I like that. I like that. Yeah.
So all the standards now that are out there, they call it outdoor air, not fresh air, because they know it's not always fresh.
It's not always fresh. No, I do like that. That's actually really funny.
So, yeah.
Bernie, I know that you touched a little bit on our schools in the Cayman Islands, but I really wanted to find out, Camfil products, is there certain types of products that we could use in our schools in the Cayman Islands to improve air quality?
Oh, there's, there's a, there's a lot of products you can use. Uh, as, as I mentioned, there's, um, there's filters that decrease in efficiency. So the first thing you always have to make sure is the filter has a MERV-A test and that you actually ask for the test. Companies are not gonna come up to you and say, here, look at our bad MERV-A test. Uh, so, uh, but they should have it tested based on that standard. Uh, and most companies do, but they don't promote it.
Yeah.
So the first thing you do is make sure you ask for a test report which has the MERV A. Secondly is, like I said, depending on the application, if it's a rooftop unit that you can't put high-efficiency filters in, you have sort of 2 choices. One is the standard in the industry is still MERV 8, MERV 9, which is what they use on rooftop units. MERV 9 would be better.
Yeah.
But Camfil actually developed a 2-stage MERV 9 filter years ago that we guarantee the life on. So, and because schools don't run 24/7, we've seen these last 2 years in a system.
Yeah.
And the standard for schools is normally changing it every 3 months to 6 months. So now we can help the schools with the waste factor because now you have a filter that you only change out every 1 or 2 years.
Right.
Okay, and then the maintenance. I mean, schools can't afford a whole bunch of maintenance staff all the time, and you don't want them going up on a roof constantly changing out filters. They have more important things to do. Yeah, so that would be what we call the Dual 9. The— that's a pre-filter. Second thing is we have what's called a Hi-Flow ES that I mentioned before, and that's a bag filter that doesn't need a pre-filter. So If you use a high-flow ES3 in the system, now you'll probably be changing that in a standard application every 2 to 3 years.
Oh, wow. Okay.
Yeah. So there's, there is a concept out there for some reason. Well, I mean, I've been in the industry long enough where pre-filters are always 3 months, final filters 1 year. Yeah. That's, that's not the case anymore. So So a high flow, yes, definitely they can use in the schools, the bag filter. We actually have also a Durafil, which could last anywhere from 3 to 5 years.
Wow.
Yeah. So the waste and the energy savings that Camfil can help with is phenomenal with these type of filters. These are our premium products. And then the last one that you could use is what we call a CityPleat. So if you do have the odor concerns, we have the CityFlo and the CityPleat, which have that carbon impregnation. So you don't have to retrofit anything. You just put these filters in and it'll help with any of the odor concerns.
Oh, nice. Like, QMI could really use some Camfil products.
Oh, definitely. I mean, and the thing is, people don't realize how much it will affect attention spans and everything else of students in schools. There's so many surveys out there that talk about better air quality for better education.
Most definitely. I remember being in school and we did have those kind of old air conditions, old air filters. And you're right, when you don't have that quality of air, it's almost hard to concentrate. So I think that once you have that kind of clean, fresh air, right, I think that you'll get that You know, the students will be so much more efficient in their work and they're able to focus. So air quality really does matter.
Definitely, definitely. There's, you know, we can help with so many factors. Can we make it 100%? No, I wish we could. But as long as you're doing the best that you can, that's the main thing.
Right. Yes. And I totally agree with you on that one. So Bernie, I have one last question before we go. How does Camfil stay ahead in terms of technological advancements and trends in air filtration?
Well, as I mentioned, with all the R&D development that we do in the company, we are constantly testing competitor filters and we're constantly Talking to media manufacturers, you know, they— all filter companies don't manufacture their own medias. We buy from manufacturers globally. The big difference though is if we find a product that we think would be good to use, we don't just take the manufacturer's word for it. Other companies— well, I shouldn't say that. Some companies— I have to be careful how I phrase this. Some companies will just say, oh yeah, we'll start using this, and, and that's good enough. They take the, the word of the manufacturer. We don't take the word of the manufacturer. We will work with them, we'll test the medias ourselves, we'll make sure it does what they say.
Right.
And the biggest difference is, uh, media manufacturers will use media for other things. Like, filter media can be used for cushions in a chair, so they might not test it Once it's installed in a filter, we will then take that media. We'll actually make a sample filter. We'll put it in the test duct. We'll make sure that it works properly as a filtration media.
Right.
Not as a pillow cushion. So, but that's the biggest thing. And we will work with the manufacturers to come up with a proper blend as opposed to them just coming to us saying, use this, it's great.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. Thank you, Bernie. Um, I got so much insight on air filtration and even how we could possibly use that in the Cayman Islands. Um, thank you so much for being on Coffee with Q and just letting us know more about what you do, the most amazing products that Camfil can offer. And now it's something to think about. us as Caymanians, how do we improve our air quality? So thank you so much for that, Bernie.
Oh, thanks for the time. I appreciate it.
