Articles

VOCs and Indoor Air Quality

February 24th, 2012  
VOCs are volatile organic compounds. This simply means they are chemicals that will evaporate into the air at room temperature. Depending on the concentration, their presence may be noticeable, as when you smell gasoline, or they may be scentless or at a low enough concentration to escape notice. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),  In the factory, several commercial, custom air cleaner solutions exist. Manufacturers are required to remove toxic substances with a fume extractor or air extractor to prevent or minimize release into the environment. This doesn’t help with volatile chemicals that may be trapped in the product when it is sold to the public. What is outgassing? The classic example of outgassing is what we call the “new car smell.” Although clever auto Read more [...]

Best Smoke Air Purifier

February 24th, 2012  
Best Smoke Air Purifier for Smokers Anyone who lives with a smoker knows the downside when it comes to air quality. Both the smell of stale cigarette smoke and the residues that smoking leaves are bothersome and may be an irritant as well. Besides the staining, the same tarry coating that discolors everything from computer screens to light fixtures is also risking health because of second hand smoke. Removing smoke from the air isn’t just for hygienic reasons, but also for basic health concerns.  There are specific air cleaners for smokers, but the right design must be selected. Constituents of smoke According to the National Cancer Institute, there are more than 250 harmful substances in cigarette smoke. A few of the known or suspected carcinogenic agents are: Arsenic – a poisonous Read more [...]

Office Chemicals

February 24th, 2012  
We tend to think of the office environment as neat, tidy and clean. With regular janitorial services, to the eye it certainly appears so. However, there are often undetected chemicals in the office environment, but that do have health effects. In fact, it is enough of a concern for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (a department of the CDC) to devote an entire section of their website to the problem. And, unfortunately, it isn’t enough for building management to use air duct cleaning or normal air filter systems to fix all the problems. Air filter systems installed as part of the air handling equipment for a building will help reduce dust accumulation, as will regular air duct cleaning. What these procedures will not do is remove most chemical contaminants from the Read more [...]

Industrial Fumes

February 24th, 2012  
In the US, the agency responsible for worker health and safety is OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They set levels for worker exposure to fumes and the safety equipment needed. Once these fumes escape the facility, they become the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency. An air purifier system may be mandated, depending on the regulations in place. Commonly, the EPA will require a fume extractor to keep volatile chemicals out of the environment. Industrial fumes are those products of manufacturing which make it into the air, either inside the plant or outside. Some are generated by the manufacturing process itself, while others are a consequence of using highly concentrated chemicals during production. In industrial applications, chemicals are often Read more [...]

Animal Dander

February 24th, 2012  
Dander is the fine, dry, shed skin particles of animals. Shedding dead skin cells is a normal process mammals use to remove bacteria and other contaminants from the skin. Humans produce dander as well, most noticeable in the scalp as dandruff. The reason dander is a concern is not just because of the particles themselves, which can be small enough to breathe in, but also because they become the vehicle for allergy causing materials that otherwise wouldn’t float around in the air. Dander and allergies According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, one in five Americans suffer from one or more allergies. What’s worse, the rate is increasing. The situation is worse for children with allergy being the third most common chronic medical condition in those under 18. While we usually Read more [...]

Formaldehyde Exposure

February 24th, 2012  
Formaldehyde is a very small molecule, about the size of a single molecule of water. However, even though it is extremely tiny, it packs a big punch. It’s probably best known to the public for its preservative properties – solutions containing formaldehyde have been used to preserve biological specimens and even in embalming. The reason it is so effective at stopping bacterial growth is the same reason we don’t want it in our air; it is extremely poisonous. The cells in our bodies can be killed by formaldehyde as easily as bacterial or fungal cells are. Of particular importance is the concentration of formaldehyde in the air. Measurements are given in parts per billion (ppb). One ppb means one molecule of formaldehyde in a billion molecules of air. The section below on formaldehyde Read more [...]

Nursing Home Air Quality

February 16th, 2012  
The environment in a nursing home is a combination of the hospital setting and a communal living situation. This makes it uniquely qualified for air purifiers, and especially those with cHEPA/HEPAfast filters. The reasons concern the type of person living there, the number of people coming and going, and the state of overall hygiene in the facility. Respiratory system diseases Although there are younger patients confined to nursing homes, most residents are elderly. Seniors typically suffer from reduced lung function from a variety of causes and pneumonias are a tragic, but common illness in this population. Two studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in February 2012 highlight other risks the elderly face when air quality is poor. The first, out of Brown University, showed Read more [...]

New Home Chemicals

February 16th, 2012  
In 2001, a phenomenon hit the news that had been largely hidden until that time. Drywall, imported from China and used in new home construction, was releasing sulfur compounds into the air. The toxic gasses – carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide and carbonyl sulfide – were generated by the drywall itself. The high sulfur content of the gypsum was reacting with moist air and releasing these chemicals. The Consumer Product Safety Commission got involved, and finally, in early 2012, a settlement has been reached. However, this example was just the visible tip of a huge iceberg, a gourmet menu of problems with new home construction and the materials used. And homeowners were under the mistaken impression that a high quality furnace air filter would help – it doesn’t. Only a carbon air Read more [...]

Indoor Air Quality

February 16th, 2012  
Our modern lifestyles bring us some amazing gifts. Among these are the high tech homes that are sealed against weather and temperature changes. With insulation, high tech thermal windows, gaskets on our doors and a host of other tricks, we’ve turned our drafty, energy wasting homes into comfortable and efficient environmental forts. The downside of this boon is that air flow between the inside and outside is very restricted. It has to be so that expensive heat (or, in the summer, cold) isn’t lost. Which brings us to the root problem... The quality of the air we breathe The US Environmental Protection Agency is not tasked with regulating indoor air quality for homes. Still, the topic is enough of a concern that they published two different guides (1st and 2nd edition) to help citizens Read more [...]

Asbestos

February 16th, 2012  
Asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally. It is composed of silicon in glass-like threads. The properties that make it dangerous are also the properties that made it useful in construction and manufacturing. Primarily, asbestos fibers are inert. They will not naturally degrade from chemicals, sunlight or even high heat. This is also why they are so dangerous when inhaled. Because the human body cannot break down the fibers, they can accumulate in the lungs, causing irritation and eventual damage. Asbestosis and mesothelioma are two of the serious consequences of chronic exposure to asbestos. Asbestosis is a progressive lung disease caused by the physical damage and scarring that the sharp fibers can cause. Mesothelioma is a type of cancerous tumor that is triggered by exposure to asbestos. Read more [...]