Is Your Indoor Air Safe?

The three important things that we take for granted are: the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.

Poor indoor air quality

There is much debate about improving our environment, but what about the quality of the indoor air that we breathe? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first reported the fact that people spend 90% of their time indoors; at home, at schools, in cars, in public transit, or at the office. The EPA ranked indoor air pollution among the top five most significant environmental dangers to the American public. The EPA’s finding was confirmed in May 1999 by a national survey conducted by the American Lung Association. Indoor air can be 2 to 10 times more polluted than the outside air. According to the American College of Allergists, 50% of all illnesses are either caused by or aggravated by polluted indoor air.

What are some of the sources of these contaminants?
In order to conserve fuel, people have over-insulated their homes to keep the heat in during the winter, and to keep it out during the summer. Unfortunately in so doing, the outdoor fresh air circulation has been drastically reduced: as little as 5-10% of the air gets re-circulated. The undesirable consequences of this are that contaminants cannot escape to the outside, and nature’s air-cleansing agents (oxygen radicals) cannot enter the indoor environment. This is why we almost never have that “fresh air” smell in our homes unless we open wide all the windows. When we do open them occasionally, we do it when we have the urge to breathe fresh air because the room feels “stuffy”.

According to a December, 1998, article in The Wall Street Journal,
“Carpeting, poorly ventilated fireplaces, mold, bacterial toxins, dust mites…an almost endless collection of highly allergenic products has invaded our homes and we have sealed them in with deadly precision.”

There is a growing body of scientific evidence indicating that the air in our homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than is the outdoor air. Tobacco smoke, room air fresheners and bathroom deodorants, pollen, pesticides, pet dander, dust mites, microfibers, and germs such as bacteria, viruses and mold cause many of the contaminants trapped indoors. Off gassing of formaldehyde from new furniture, drapes, and broadloom is a common cause for hypersensitivity related symptoms.

Poor indoor air quality has been shown to cause or exacerbate the common cold, asthma, many allergies and some chronic respiratory diseases. It is a major contributor to people suffering form Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Sick Building Syndrome. In larger commercial buildings, it is also a major contributor to the spread of airborne infectious diseases such as the common cold, influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and tuberculosis (TB). It has been well documented that TB is a bacterial infection transferred primarily in indoor environments via airborne droplets from coughing and sneezing. It is transmitted from person to person, typically in crowded and/or confined spaces; instances have been well documented, such as within the confines of commercial aircraft (New England Journal of Medicine April 11, 1996), and most recently on a coach bus while on route from Toronto to Detroit (National Post, October 3, August 31, 2008).

1) Eliminate the source of indoor air contaminants.
* quit smoking
* maintain furnace regularly
* Clean air ducts regularly
* Clean carpeting and drapery often.
* Reduce the use of chemicals, such as household cleaners, air
fresheners and deodorizers, laundry products, personal care
products, and pesticides.

2) Improve ventilation in order to dilute/exchange polluted air with fresh air.
* Opening windows and allow air to circulate; increasing the
percentage of fresh air intake with HVAC systems
* Using fans, ducts and air diffusers
3) Filter the air and thereby trap pollutants.
4) Purify the air by using an ionic air purifier.
* An ionic air purifier emits negatively or positively charges which then
attach to the undesirable particulates and pollutants. The charged
particles are then attracted to and become attached to the nearby
“grounded” surfaces such as furniture and walls; they thus are ambient
removed from the air and from one’s breathing zone.

It is imperative that one take care of one’s own breathable space. There is no time to delay; do not wait for others to do it for you. Protect your personal space. Using some or all of the above listed strategies, eliminate the sources of indoor contaminants and then utilize air purification methods to deal with the residual contaminants that might still pose significant challenges and threats to your health. We may say that an individual does not always have the ability to do these interventions in public spaces. But what if there was a device that is portable, even wearable, that could be taken with oneself to help mitigate the hazards of the ambient air; wherever we go? What is in the air in the crowded public transit, the theatre, the mall? A wearable ionic air purifier can protect one’s breathing zone; remove the contaminants and prevent them from being inhaled.

Clean air relieves allergies

Recurrent respiratory illnesses and allergies motivated Mr. Stanley Weinberg, an inventor, to develop a personal, wearable air purifier that significantly reduces the large variety of airborne pollutants, irritants, toxins, allergens, dust, and ultra fine particles in one’s breathing zone. This small pendant-size unit can then be worn in the movies, on buses, trains, or planes, and in shopping malls where one is surrounded by people, many of them coughing, sneezing, and aerosolizing an assortment of potentially harmful germs. In certain seasons the air might also be full of pollen and other allergens. Fine dust could be abundant, as can be seen when sunlight shines through a window pane.
These devices have undergone rigorous testing in laboratories at UCLA and the University of Cincinnati and test results of their respective efficiencies have been reported in reputable peer-reviewed environmental scientific journals such as Atmospheric Environment and Journal of Aerosol Science.

The miniature air purifier (the Mini-mate) is a small battery-powered ionic air purifier that can be worn around the neck like a pendant or clipped to the front pocket of a shirt or jacket. As many testimonials assert, the Mini-mate greatly improves the mobility and functionality of asthma and allergy sufferers, as well as of people suffering from multiple chemical sensitivities. This product has also been viewed on Oprah, the Good Housekeeping Institute and Dateline NBC, and articles have been written in newspapers and magazines such as the National Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine and Canadian Living.

There is no maintenance required as there is no fan, no moving parts, and no filter to change. This personal/wearable air purifier weighs only 1.5 oz and fits in the palm of the hand! The Mini-mate is a must have for anyone who wants to inhale clean air.

Other products in the AirSupply® line are the Vortex room purifier that is 95% effective in a room up to 800 sq. ft. It measures only 8”x 6”x 3”, and can be placed on any flat surface. The Sani-mate bathroom/kitchen purifier is a small device that plugs into the wall outlet and helps purify and deodorize the air in small, enclosed spaces; and the Auto-mate purifier plugs into the car dash’s power outlet. This is ideal for seasonal allergy sufferers as it cleanses the cabin air of pollen and other allergens.
A study published in Web MD Medical News (April 12, 2004) showed that prolonged exposure to “dirty” air inside vehicles could be especially hazardous to people with health problems and could trigger potentially dangerous changes in heart function.

We all deserve to breathe fresh uncontaminated air. It is our basic and most essential right. Do take control of your personal environment and return to breathing cleaner healthier air.

MAYA GORESHNIK has been teaching children for 20 years. She has a certificate in Special Education and has been working with learning disabled children and teenagers for many years. The connection between food and behaviour has always been of interest and therefore she has completed a course in Nutritional Symptomology. Currently Ms. Goreshnik is helping parents and kids manoeuvre through the vast amount of information available by giving practical, possible and manageable advice.