Clean Air

Airborne illness can spread quickly within a hospital. A medical facility requires the proper ventilation systems to maintain the correct pressure and remove airborne infectious agents to promote health and wellness for everyone that walks through its’ doors.

According to ExpressHealthcare, bacterial and viral infections and molds can infect a hospital’s air supply. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Legionella pneumophila are highly infectious and can be transported within the air and water combinations. Droplets of less than five micron or less can remain within the air indefinitely. Viral infections such as Varicella (chicken pox), Rubella (German measles) and Rubeola (regular measles) are regularly transported in the air.

To prevent the spread of disease, a hospital can invest in IQAir HealthPro Plus HEPA Air Purifiers. The air purifier can improve indoor air conditions by reducing the presence of dust, dirt, chemicals, bacteria, mold, viruses and other toxins. A sophisticated air purifier system should be designed to meet the needs of a medical facility and protect the people who need to enter

A new project being developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) could revolutionize the way air quality is tracked. According to the Miami Herald, NASA is working to develop a space-borne instrument to measure the nation's air quality in five-square-mile grids every hour.

The project began development last year with a series of low flights conducted over the Washington, D.C. area to measure air pollution, James Crawford, an atmospheric chemist at NASA Langley Research Center, told the media. While the instrument is currently in the planning stages, it could be a beneficial information provider. The indications of area air quality could help prepare homeowners by letting them know the days they should limiting time spent outside and determine whether they need to invest in a home air purifier.

Air quality has been linked to developmental problems in fetuses, aggravation of respiratory conditions, increasing a child's likelihood of asthma and potential illness. Homes and public buildings identified as featuring unhealthy levels of toxins could be outfitted with the IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier to improve air quality.

According to CNN, studies have estimated that a third of U.S. schools have mold, dust and other indoor air problems at high enough volumes to cause or exacerbate respiratory issues such as asthma in students and teachers.

This is a decrease from a 1995 federal government report that estimated that 50 percent of the nation's schools have problems linked to poor air quality, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Indoor air pollutants can cause students and faculty discomfort, decrease productivity, increase absenteeism and lead to short- and long-term health effects. School administrators searching for a potential cost-effective solution to improve indoor air quality should consider the IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier. It is a medical-grade air purifier able to remove ultrafine particles that may be present in an older educational facility.

Mold, mildew and dust present in schools can negatively impact the health of students and faculty. By investing in an air purifier, a school can drastically reduce respiratory tract infections, disease, allergic reactions, headaches, nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing, headaches and asthma attacks - all prime conditions that increase absenteeism amongst students and teachers.

Schools and students suffer when children are not present in the classroom. An increase in indoor air quality could assist in decreasing absenteeism caused by illness.

Air pollution officials claim air quality surrounding Bakersfield, California, is reaching historically bad levels. The unusually warm weather is working to keep the atmosphere from mixing and allowing poor air to remain low. Additionally, the lack of rain or wind is also allowing air to remain stagnant. 

Medical-grade air purifiers may be a necessary investment for those wishing to improve indoor air quality if conditions continue much longer. Poor air quality poses a health risk to humans, especially the elderly, children and those diagnosed with respiratory problems. 

"Now, in the winter, we are dealing with particulate matter with all those fine particles in the air," Brenda Turner of the Turner of the Valley Air District told ABC channel 23.

The weather has led to the development of historically poor air quality. As of January 11, 2011, the county has passed a wood burning ban for the 25th straight day. The Air District is working to remind people to refrain from using their fireplaces until an announcement has been made regarding a situational change.

Already, the number of citations for violations this winter has increased 320 percent compared to the same time last year. Poor air quality is a serious matter and officials are recommending that the public limit outdoor activity.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted the State of Texas' request to delay implementing the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule on December 30.

The EPA regulation is aimed to cut sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by posing new rules that will affect power companies in 27 states. For homes concerned about air quality until the new regulations are met, medical-grade air purifiers can assist in removing hazardous air toxins.    

"The court’s decision to issue a stay of the EPA's legally flawed cross-state air pollution rule is a prudent one that now gives the court time to review the regulation and its burdensome effects on Texas," said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

Abbott argues that the new regulations will jeopardize the reliability of Texas' electrical grid, threaten jobs and increase energy prices. Claims have been made against the EPA suggesting that the agency failed to comply with state laws, which require Federal Agencies to include all affected parties in any rule-making process. The case should be heard this spring.

Clean air laws have always been a battle between those who believe that healthy air is the most important direction we can take, and those who worry that the costs of implementing these changes would be more than the economy and taxpayers could handle.

Clean air advocates have had cause to celebrate in recent months, as the Environmental Protection Agency's improved emission standards won them a significant victory in the fight against air pollution. The new guidelines, which are supposed to significantly improve the air and the quality of life throughout the country, focus largely on the few remaining factories that have been running unrestricted for decades, spewing toxins into the air with no filters.

Still, the battle for clean air is still being fought, as this victory has managed to distract the heavy loss from earlier in the year when new smog control laws for heavily polluted areas were rejected.

As the government plays back and forth on which pollutants to limit and which to allow to continue, you can keep your home safe from the danger these toxins may cause by investing in a medical-grade air purifier.

 

The new update to the Clean Air Act by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce mercury and 70 other chemical emissions is estimated to prevent an estimated 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks.

Mercury exposure is extremely damaging to developing brains of fetuses and children. Typically, people become exposed to it by eating contaminated fish. However, the hazardous pollutants do negatively affect air quality. Assist in cutting down exposure by investing in air purifiers for the home.

The EPA estimates that for each dollar spent reducing mercury and other air pollutant emissions under the new rule, there is a projected savings of up to $9 in health benefits. These savings come from the prevention of various medical issues that arise due to exposure, such as heart attacks, premature death, asthma and bronchitis.

The new limits may prevent 130,000 cases of asthma and 6,300 cases of acute bronchitis each year, according to EPA projections. Asthma has become increasingly common in children, so to assist in preventing an attack, health professionals will sometimes recommend air purifiers to improve air quality.

Much of the coverage concerning air pollution in America these past few weeks has focused on the controversial new EPA regulations concerning coal-burning power plants, but there have been more local efforts to clean the air as well.

Updated in 2010, the new emission-reducing regulations required by the California Air Resources Board are slated to go into effect on January 1st, 2012. These restrictions, which are aimed at diesel-producing trucking companies, are being attacked with renewed vigor as the deadline approaches.

Due to pressure from worried business owners, who cite the expense of such a change as a concern, the CARB has allowed for some leeway in the rule, causing mixed responses from the public. California is notoriously poor when it comes to air pollution, and proponents of these restrictions may see this backing off as a sign that nothing has changed.

Still, the diesel particle emissions can be something of a health hazard, regardless of tightening restrictions. Consider investing in a medical-grade air purifier to help keep the air in your home healthy and clean.

The Environmental Protection Agency's new changes to the Clean Air Act are likely to have the extra effect of causing some older coal-burning power plants to shut down. These plants, nearly all of which are over 50 years old, have been kept running due to loopholes in the Clean Air Act that allowed plants built before a certain time to continue running without restrictions.

This loophole was intended to allow plants on the verge of closing a few final years before shutting down, but many of them still run, without any air filters or environmental restrictions. The EPA's new restrictions will affect many of those plants, however, and cause the majority of them to shut down.

Opponents of the changes argue that the loss of jobs and energy this shutdown will cause is inexcusable, while those supporting the revisions tout statistics about how much cleaner the air would be without these high-pollution locations.

Either way, the shut downs will likely not go into effect until 2014, meaning that, for the time being, pollution will continue to to accumulate. If you want to keep these airborne toxins from your home, consider investing in a medical-grade air purifier. The powerful filtering technology will keep the air in your home safe for you and your family.

The Clean Air Act is a piece of legislation that is designed to improve the health of every American citizen through regulation of pollution and strict attention to air quality. Pelican Refining Company LLC, a Texas-based oil company operating in Louisiana, was found to be in violation of the Act and received its sentencing this month - a fine of $12 million for purposely causing the violations and attempting to cover up its wrongdoing.

The cost, a $10 million fine for criminal wrongdoing and an additional $2 million to be spent on community service-based environmental improvements, is the largest of its kind in Louisiana and is a good reminder that though much progress has been made in keeping the air clean and healthy, there is always room for improvement.

While the majority of companies take steps to comply with regulations, the upcoming tightening restrictions on the Clean Air Act may reveal that companies that value profits over public safety will do everything they can to avoid reducing their emissions at the expense of their bottom line.

Rather than waiting for those corporations to fall in line, protect your family from harmful pollutants now by investing in a medical-grade air purifier to keep the air in your home fresh and healthy.