AbstractAirborne pollutants can cause failures in switching and computing equipment. This paper focuses on a subset of such pollutants ‐ airborne fine panicles (<2.5 μm diameter). It begins by examining the extent to which different improvements in heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems reduce indoor concentrations of fine particles. For each modification, the consequent reduction in soiling rate is derived. The concomitant increase in operating costs is also calculated. These costs are then compared with the costs of failures in telephone switching offices, leading to estimates of failure rate reductions that would make improvements cost‐effective. Finally, the reduction in failures required to offset the costs of the improvements are compared with documented differences in failure rates between unimproved and improved environments. This study suggests that, in many telephone switching offices, the added operating costs associated with more efficient building filters and continuous fan operation are more than offset by reductions in failure r