Each and every day we fill our lungs more than twenty thousand times. That seems like a staggering figure, almost too big to be true. But consider that taking just fourteen breaths a minute translates to 840 breaths an hour. With 24 hours in a day…yep, the math checks out.
Here are some more facts to consider about our most important daily activity, breathing. At rest, we draw in 7.5 liters of air each and every minute. With light activity, like walking or bending or lifting, we inhale 15-20 liters of air per minute. Finally, when we exert ourselves physically, we consume 35 liters of air per minute.
Now that we understand exactly how much we breath, let’s take a moment to consider exactly what we breath. We all know about outdoor air pollution and by this time most of us have become aware that the air we consume inside is also polluted to one degree or another. It helps to know more about the specific indoor air pollutants, the harm they do and how to remove them from the home and office.
There are three pollutant categories that must be considered when looking at indoor air purification: Particles, VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) and bio-aerosols. Particle pollutants include dust, dander, pollen, spores and other common allergens. VOC’s are gases and odors from walls, draperies, carpets, chemicals, etc. Bio-Aerosols include molds, viruses, bacteria, fungi and other living micro-organisms.
Most people are concerned about mold spores (which cause asthma symptoms), bacteria (which cause infections like MRSA, the most toxic of the Staph infections, and which are rampant in high school gyms and old age homes) and viruses (like influenza, or the flu). Colds, the flu and pneumonia are all be spread thru the air ducts and vents thru forced air ventilation (A/C and heating units).
With so many harmful ingredients mixing into our indoor air these days, it is no surprise that air purification has become big business. But not all air purifiers are the same. Here are some of the basic facts of air purification to allow you to make a more educated decision in your search for cleaner indoor air.
Air filters generally capture organisms without killing them. We are not referring to the standard air conditioning filters that are available for a few dollars at every grocery store. Air purification filters are specially designed to capture living organisms (like bacteria and viruses), so they are not circulated throughout our homes and offices via central air conditioning. However, if the organisms are not killed, and are merely captured by the filter, the filter becomes a breeding ground for the organisms to reproduce and thus, the filter becomes part of the problem instead of the solution.
Ultraviolet (UV) light is a popular way of killing these organisms. UV light penetrates the cell wall of a virus germ, damages the organism’s DNA and renders it incapable of reproducing- like an immune system for the home. UV light filtration, however, just kills the bio-aerosols and does not capture particles or VOC’s.
Another aspect of the filter to consider is the size of the particles captured. Ideally, the air cleaner system will capture particles which are 0.3 microns and bigger. Particles smaller than this bond together and pass thru the filter as 0.3 microns or bigger.
But perhaps the surest way to eliminate the living organisms is to zap them with electricity as they pass through the filter. Mark Valenziano, the President of Healthy Indoor Air, LLC, based in Minneapolis, MN, distributes a line of HealthWay purifier products which filter out 99.99% of all particles 0.3 microns or bigger, and kills all mold spores and air-borne bacteria and viruses with 18,000 volts of electricity. They also manufacture the BreatheCLEAN whole home air purifier, which uses the UV light to kill organisms and prevent the growth of mold and bacteria around the AC unit, drip pan and ducts. Valenziano is passionate about clean indoor air and his purifiers are held up to very high standards.
“I don’t see how the air can get any cleaner,” Valenziano says of the air filtered by his products. “The HealthWay Advanced Air Purification System is a Class 2 medical device, with strict guidelines from the FDA, on how the unit must perform. It must not emit ozone and the air coming out must not be turbulent, it must be laminar [air flow with even volume and with uniform direction and velocity]. Home owners like it for this reason, because there is not draft.”
The HealthWay products go above and beyond the basic industry standards. The HealthWay advanced air cleaner system captures four times the particles as similar sized High Eefficiency Particulate Accumulator (HEPA) filtration systems. HEPA products typically just capture bio-aerosols, whereas HealthWay products capture and kill any and all bio-aerosols passing through the system.
The price makes sense too. The wattage for the 18,000 volt electrical filter is the same as a household light bulb. To purchase and operate the HealthWay and BreatheCLEAN units for a one story 2000 square foot home costs around $1,200.00 per year, or $150.00 to $200.00 a month.
“Cleaning the air we breathe is the easiest and most affordable thing we can do to improve our health,” says Valenziano, “Maybe the most important thing to know as a consumer is that things in the air do cause a lot of symptoms and illnesses and that cleaning the air we breathe takes no will power, like it does to eat right, exercise or quit smoking.
“Everyone’s looking to improve quality of life. Even the very healthy person can be helped. By breathing cleaner air, the immune systems remain stronger when they are not fighting off household airborne pollutants. Once we are breathing in clean air, we will improve the quality of our life. We will sleep better, enjoy much less congestion and sneeze and cough alot less. Then we can start making other little adjustments, like eating a little less, smoking a little less or not at all. Improved air quality can lead to all of this.”
For more information on these and other air purification products, please visit www.healthyindoorairllc.com or call (866) 332-7247.
