Water & Air – Filter Systems News

If you suffer from asthma and allergies, you may be more sensitive to the irritation caused by Christmas trees and holiday decorations this year. Trees have been known to trigger allergies for several reasons. Some people are allergic to a substance in evergreen sap that is released when the branches or trunk are cut. Trees may also carry mold or pollen on their branches. Moreover, artificial trees will collect dust in the time leading up to Christmas, unless stored in airtight containers.

One article suggests several ways to ensure your holiday is allergy-free. Make sure all holiday decorations are cleaned outside before bringing them into indoor living areas, as air quality is often worse indoors. In addition, cleaning regularly can help you avoid breathing in air contaminants. Consider a HEPA vacuum filter, as these are most efficient, and make sure to change your air filters after your decorations go up!

Christmas is only a week away, and you don’t want to be coughing, wheezing, and sneezing when it’s time to open up your gifts.

Speaking of gifts, check out our top picks for unique Christmas gift ideas that you can buy online. If someone in your household is suffering from bad indoor air, FiltersFast.com just might be your one-stop shopping place this holiday season!

Halloween isn’t the only thing to celebrate this month. October is National Indoor Air Quality Month, and several states, including North Dakota, Michigan and Montana are celebrating by spreading the word about the dangers of harmful indoor (and outdoor) air contaminants.

Seasonal changes often result in higher incidences of allergy problems and illnesses. Pollen is prevalent in the spring and fall opens the door to ragweed. Asthma, often caused by air pollution, is a growing epidemic among children and adults, resulting in missed school and work days, along with emergency room visits, and in extreme cases, even death. Indoor air pollution deserves way more attention than it currently receives. Though many people are aware of air contaminants such as mold, tobacco smoke and carbon monoxide, they may not be fully aware of just how dangerous these allergens can be. It is important to raise awareness and educate others on how they can avoid the problems caused by air pollution.

Here are some tips to help you improve the indoor air quality in your home:

1. Take our Indoor Air Quality Quiz to find out how dangerous your home environment is.

2. Quit smoking and avoid secondhand tobacco smoke.

3. Regularly change the A/C filters and microwave and hood range filters in your home.  Air filters with a higher MERV rating are more efficient at removing microscopic particles. You may also want to purchase an air purifier.

4. Use a HEPA vacuum cleaner and change the HEPA filter regularly.

5. Clean furniture regularly (more if you have pets in your home). Use non-toxic household cleaning products. Use hypoallergenic bedding.

Like any other national holiday, the  month of October is a time for recognition and remembrance – specifically the recognition of the importance of clean air. Join the observance and celebrate by spreading the word and sharing this post.

Without the proper precaution, schools can be a breeding ground for illness among the millions of children that attend each year.  It is perhaps with this in mind that Greenguard Environmental Institute recently launched an interactive school indoor air quality tour on its website. The tour takes place inside a graphic representation of a school with cartoon-esque teacher and student figures. There are three discussion topics: “IAQ Impacts Health”; “Maximize Fresh Air”; and “Create a Healthier School”. Clicking on each topic takes you to a screen with plus-sign markers located on different areas of the school room shown. Each marker provides a unique fact about school indoor air quality, as it relates to that particular topic. According to the information provided in the tour, indoor air pollution  affects the health of students in various ways: it leads to higher rates of asthma and health problems which increases absenteeism and productivity and lowers teacher retention.

Higher indoor air quality standards must be in place to ensure the success of students and teachers. The tour suggests several ways to minimize indoor air pollutants in schools, including opening windows to increase ventilation and natural light (both of which increase productivity), using air filters with the highest MERV rating available for the school’s HVAC system, and maintaining proper humidity levels. In addition to several discussion topics, the tour also features a quiz on minimizing pollutants.

Children spend the majority of their days in school, but home indoor air quality is equally important. Take our Home IAQ quiz to further ensure the safety of your indoor environment.

Oreo - the first certified Mold Dog in the Northeast

Dogs have been trained for years to sniff out dangerous things like drugs and bombs. Now, they’re trained to sniff out mold (which is almost as dangerous).

Mold not only produces unpleasant odors; it also gives off gases containing carcinogens such as benzene and other chemicals that cause an array of health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. By the time the odors are detected by the human nose, the problems have escalated beyond repair.

Moisture causes mold growth which is often hidden and difficult to detect, especially in modern construction. Air sampling is the traditional method for detecting mold, but this method is flawed for several reasons. Even if the test detects a high mold spore count, another inspection is often needed to locate the source, and this can be invasive and require cutting holes into walls. Some mold spores do not become airborne or stay aloft easily, which can lead to inaccurate test results. Though spores can’t penetrate walls, the gases they give off can, and are easily detected by dogs that have been specially trained to sniff them out.

1-800-GOT-MOLD offers a mold detection service using specially-trained, mold-sniffing dogs. Once they find out where the mold is hiding, they see to it that a remediation contractor removes the problem.

Mold exists everywhere. Though not all homes have serious mold problems, it is safe to say that some mold probably exists somewhere inside – under the kitchen sink, behind the bathtub, or anywhere where moisture is contained. When surfaces containing mold spores are disturbed, the spores can get into the air and cause mild allergies or respiratory problems. To help prevent the development of a larger problem that would require the use of dogs to detect, it is a good idea to regularly change the air filters in your home. Like the folks at 1-800-GOT-MOLD say: “It just makes scents.”

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.  For some of you this is an understatement.  You may be thinking, “Well, of course it is.  I was well aware of asthma and allergies when I walked outside this morning, saw what I thought was my car covered in a thick yellow mist, and began sneezing fifteen times in a row.”

It’s easy to be aware of something when the majority of the United States population is suffering because of it.  Many people attribute this suffering to pollen, but pollen doesn’t deserve all of the credit.  Automobile emissions and coal-fired power plants are among some of the largest contributors to particle and ozone pollution.  The State of the Air 2010, recently published by the American Lung Association, found that despite great progress, over half of U.S. residents live in cities where the air is unsafe to breathe.

The ALA’s State of the Air 2010 ranks cities in three categories for 2006, 2007 and 2008: ozone air pollution, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution.  Among the most polluted cities in all three categories are Bakersfield and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.  Fargo, N.D. and Lincoln, Neb. ranked among the cleanest cities in all three categories.  Use the “Report Card” on the left hand side of the State of the Air website to determine your area’s ranking.

Environmental air pollution causes many health problems, and long term exposure can significantly decrease life expectancy, not to mention, quality of life, as many of us have witnessed in the midst of countless sneezing fits.  According to the ALA, people who work or exercise outside are at a greater risk.  However, indoor air pollution is also a threat to your health, as you may recall from one of our older posts.  The ALA lists several things you can do to reduce air pollution outdoors, but don’t forget to take steps to improve the indoor air quality of your home and office buildings, as well, with a high quality air filter.