Now, while the exact mechanism is not explained (and hence gives the naysayers ammo) I don’t think it’s important.  The bottom line is this – carrying around negative emotions will have just as much effect on your health as all the quantifiable things out there, like diet, exercise, supplements, etc…

It’s my view that we’ve gone a little too reductionist in terms of what makes up our health.  Science has to identify and isolate factors that influence processes, and that’s how we find out about things like vitamin c, creatine, and collagen, to name a few.  But to believe that we are nothing more than an aggregated mass of molecules is a little ignorant.  Especially phrased that way.

To put it in cliché terms, the whole is more than the sum of its’ parts.

That is why you have to be conscious of your ambient emotion state.  Stress and anger seem to be the places most people spend most of their time in, but remember, how you feel about/towards something is a choice.  Do what you can to change what you can, and don’t worry about the rest, to paraphrase the Alcoholics Anonymous prayer.

Anyway, just a thought for today.

First, they must have a filter…a filter that must be replaced periodically.  A big selling feature of some purifiers is that they don’t have filters, and hence have nothing that needs to be replaced.  But the fact is that dust, skin cells, mites, spores, etc…are constantly being produced.  So if nothing is taking them away, where do they go?  Nowhere.  They build up and stay in your home, to be stirred up and inhaled from time to time.  And by the way, those filter-less purifiers rely on ozone.  Read to previous post to get caught up about that.

They filter must have different components as well.  Here are the ones you are looking for;

1. A pre-filter. This is pretty standard.  It is usually a dark plastic mesh, and can be found on most air conditioners, purifiers, and some dehumidifiers.  If you’ve ever cleaned a filter off one of these, you know what I’m talking about.  The pre-filter is reusable.
2. A HEPA filter.  This gets the stuff out that gets through the pre-filter.  Please read the rating for your filter as well – you want it to remove 99% of particles down to 0.3 microns at 500 cubic feet per minute (cfm). This rating is very critical, as different grades of HEPA filter may not be as effective.  Remember that PM 2.5 (particulate matter that is smaller than 2.5 microns) is a very serious threat to your health, so a HEPA filter is a must.  Also, note the flow rate of the machine. I saw one about 6 months ago that had a HEPA with 99% efficiency rating to 0.3 microns at 500 cfm, but the minimum flow rate of the unit was 1200 cfm.  That’s 2.5 times the maximum flow rate for the HEPA to be efficient.
3. Activated carbon.  This is charcoal, a very established absorber of VOCs (volatile organic compounds).  Not all pollution in your home is particles – many are molecules, and need the pass through carbon to be removed.  Like the HEPA, there is a point where the carbon will become saturated and will need to be replaced.
4. A photocatalyst.  This is simply a compound that reacts in the presence of light to produced highly reactive molecules.  Huh?  Ok, remember those VOCs from above, well, because they are molecules of gas, some make it through the charcoal filter, and have to be dealt with another way. A photocatalyst, when hit with light, produces a compound called superoxide, which breaks apart chemical bonds.  So the evil VOCs, should they escape the charcoal, get broken into pieces by the photocatalyst.  And for the record, the preferred photocatalyst is titanium dioxide.
5. A UV light source.  Remember, the photocatalyst can’t work unless it is hit with light.  And UV light has the most energy making the photocatalyst more effective.  Also, due to its’ high energy, the UV light can break apart molecules itself by supplying the needed energy directly.  So those nasty VOCs have to run a 3 step gauntlet, and there is no escaping light.

Of course, the explanations can get a lot more technical, but that’s the gist of it. You need those components for your air to truly be clean.  I hope it’s obvious that things must be physically removed from your air, and ease of maintenance should not be a deciding factor when purchasing.

Also, please note the square footage requirements.  Even if rated up to 3000 square feet, I’d say to be safe you probably want one every 1000 square feet or so. To put it another way, if the purifier is on the main floor, how much of the master bedrooms’ air do you think it circulates?

I hope this helps you find in your search for air purifiers.

Anyway, Happy Holidays and see you in 2010!

Air purifiers are a form of risk reduction.  Using them decreases the likelihood of suffering from one of the increasingly common lung disorders out there.  With asthma as widespread as it is, and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder – basically emphysema and bronchitis) rising, it is imperative to protect the health we have today, instead of trying to fix it once it goes.  Breathing clean air is a big part of that.

As an example, I cleaned my purifier yesterday.  A large part of the dust on the pre-filter was this stuff that resembled chalk dust.  That was human skin – the #1 component of dust.  It’s also the #1 food source for dust mites, which in turn are the #1 source of respiratory irritants.  In other words, the filter was taking away the food that feeds the things that irritate my lungs the most.  Less food means fewer mites, which means less irritation.

And if you’re wondering if you can notice a difference, ask any severe asthma sufferers how they felt after buying a top shelf air purifier.  They’ll tell you how wonderful it was to finally breathe clean air.

Another perception out there is that all air purifiers are equal – and if you want to save a bunch of money just get an ionic one on the furnace.

Things have changed.  Ionic purifiers are now banned in most places as they produce ozone – a powerful cleaning agent no doubt, but it is also stable.  That means it can hang around long enough for you to breathe it in, and it instantly degrades any tissue it comes into contact with.  Meaning it’ll break your lungs down if you have enough of it in your air.  And that is why they have been banned.

Anyway, it all comes down to keeping yourself in top shape.  If you take vitamins, wear your seatbelt, and work out you most likely care about keeping your health.  Why not also take care of your lungs?

Houseplants Help Indoor Air

1. Get a few indoor plants.  As mentioned in the last post, plants do a lot for people.  This is especially true in winter.  Because of less air circulation there is a buildup of potentially harmful gasses, including carbon dioxide.  Plants filter out a lot of the harmful gases, plus they take out carbon dioxide and add oxygen.  Nothing else in your home will increase your oxygen levels.  That’s an important point, as there are many things out there that will take things out of the air, but only plants put something back in.  Unless you have an oxygen machine or oxygen canisters….but somehow I doubt it.

A humidifer keeps the air moist.

2. Use a humidifier. Air can be really dry during the winter, and a lack of moisture can really irritate mucous membranes.  This can lead to a whole range of symptoms, from bloody noses to coughing.  It’s important to keep enough moisture in the air so that it is comfortable.

If you can, get one of those ultrasonic misters.  They’re absolutely great.

Woodstoves decrease indoor air quality.

3. Easy on the woodstove action.  Any combustion, either from a woodstove, gas stove, or pellets has a few side effects.  First, all combustion uses oxygen, so you’re lowering the amount of 02 with every fire. Also, there is no such thing as complete combustion so there are a whole range of end products from burning – some are molecules, some are particles.  Neither is good to be breathing.  Not to mention that fires make the air drier.

I know they add a nice touch of ambiance, but try to use them sparingly.  In fact, they’re so bad for air pollution that there is a fire ban on right now in the Puget Sound area – they were affecting outdoor air quality.

So stay healthy this winter by taking care of your indoor air.

Clearly, there are many benefits received from having plants.

The sad part is that most people treat plants like furniture.  Though they don’t move, they are a living creature and do require care.  So here are some tips to keep your plants in tip top condition.

1. During summer put you plants outside. I have many monstrous houseplants, and they all ooze vitality.  There is deep green foliage everywhere, without any barren limbs.  People ask me all the time how I get them so lush, and the secret is to put them outside in the summer.

But there is a little more to it than that.  Like humans, plants that aren’t used to the full sun will burn easily after a winter indoors.  So you have to acclimatize them when you first put them out. Different plants have different sun needs, but even a full sun plant should see no more than 1 hour of sun a day in the beginning.  They will get used to it quickly, and after a couple of weeks will be ready.  Just make sure you know what their sun requirements are.  Full shade plants will burn to a crisp quite easily.

Also note that as long as they don’t freeze, they are fine outside.  Even a plant that is found on the equator can handle 2 degrees Celcius overnight.  Please note that while they can handle almost freezing, many plants will die quickly even in a light frost.  So if there is a risk of frost, take them in.

2.  Keep them clean. Many houseplants literally suffocate in dust.  While this won’t be much of a problem if they are outside every summer (and are rained on) they may need a mid-season cleaning.  There are products out there for this, but you have to attend to each leaf individually, plus I think most of us are aware enough to realize that spraying more chemicals on anything is never a good idea. No matter how innocuous the manufacturer claims they might be.

If your plants have dusty leaves simply put them in the shower and then hose them down.  Leave them in there for a while to dry off, then shake them off a bit get rid of excess water.

3. Note how much water they need. Plants are most frequently killer by either too much or too little water.  Note the kind of plant it is.  Ferns, lilies, spider plants, etc… can stand more water than most, but even they should have dry periods.  Tropicals are used to a wet and dry season – in fact, after taking mine in I don’t water them for a couple of months.

Succulents are different.  They store water in their leaves or body, and as such require less water than you might think.  For example, I have a massive jade plant.  It needs watering only when the leaves become soft.  If the leaves are firm, it is topped up and can go without water for some months.  Besides, not watering them triggers their flowering.

So I hope you get some houseplants and take proper care of them, as they will also take care of you.

The Airborne Threats Inside Your Home

There is an oft quoted statistic that indoor air is 40-100 times more polluted than outdoor sir in a non smoking house and up 400 times more polluted in a smoking house.  There are also a bunch of disease stats that show how prevalent lung conditions are and how they are increasing.

The point of all this is that your air sucks.  And you should do something about it.

But do you even know what it is that you should be concerned with? What is it exactly that makes indoor air so bad?

First, you have biological contaminants.

Your house is warm, wet enough and has food for a whole bunch of things.  But there are 2 in particular that warrant special mention, and they are responsible for the majority of respiratory conditions.

The first things are dust mites.  These little critters are all over the place, and they feed on the #1 component of household dust – flaked off skin cells.  While they have decent populations on pretty much every surface in the home, they are especially prevalent on soft, upholstered surfaces and things covered in fabric. The number one place being in your bed.

While the mites themselves are bad, it’s actually their feces that cause the problem.  They cause a host of reactions in people, and are the second leading cause of allergies (the first being genetic predisposition). So you have to keep the mite feces out of your air.

More on dust mites – http://healthandenergy.com/dust_mites.htm

Second is mold.

This is nasty stuff, and it gets a foothold when your air is too humid.  Once established it releases microscopic spores into the air, and if you breathe enough of them you can get an exotic fungal infection in your lungs.

That is bad…very, very, bad.  Mold is such a threat that if there is enough of it in your home you are not allowed to remove it on your own – specialists with gear have to be called in.  It’s not something to take lightly.

More on mold – http://www.mouldfacts.ca/

Next, we move on to chemicals.

Even if you don’t smoke there are a bunch of things slowly off gassing a host of potent carcinogens into your homes’ air.

There are a ton of these, so I’ll only go over a couple of the most common.

Formaldehyde is probably the most common. This is embalming fluid, and it is used as a preservative.  With many goods facing long delays between the time they are manufactured and the time they end up in the consumer’s house they have to maintain their “newness” for quite some time.  Enter formaldehyde.  Not only does it preserve a good in its’ freshly made condition, it is a huge deterrent to pests which might otherwise snack on it.

It makes you wonder when even insects are smart enough to steer clear of something.

More on formaldehyde – http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/formaldehyde.htm

The second are flame retardants.  These are known as PBDEs and are extremely toxic.  If you’ve ever been in a department store and all of a sudden felt nauseous it was due to these.

Now, they are in there for a reason.  I don’t think anyone would choose to have flammable over non flammable goods in their home.  But those flame retardants are slowly wafting throughout your home and into your lungs – and they eventually end up in your body fat.  These are also extremely carcinogenic.

There are many, many others.  But I think you get the point.  There are very high concentrations of chemicals in your home.

More on flame retardants – http://www.cleanandhealthyme.org/BodyofEvidenceReport/TheChemicals/PDBEsToxicFlameRetardants/tabid/97/Default.aspx

The last thing is particles smaller than 2.5 microns.

These could be made up of almost anything – drywall dust, household dust, particles from incomplete combustion, etc… They are dangerous because they have the ability to penetrate deep into the lungs, lodge in there and cause extensive scarring and other problems.

Interestingly, it doesn’t really matter what the particle is made up of – only that it initiates an immune response in the lungs.  Some, like asbestos, are hard to degrade and lead to big problems down the road.  But none of these particles are good for you.

The reaction is similar to have a splinter –redness and swelling, etc…but you can pull these guys out.  So it’s best to avoid them in the first place.

So those are three things that you should watch out for in your indoor air.  It’s time to make sure you are breathing the cleanest air possible.  Because the time to protect your health is when you have it. I’ll resist the urge to spout off a bunch of cliches.

Announcing…

The Christmas Air Purifier Blowout Sale

Until Christmas, you can get our apartment sized air purifier on sale for only $499. Make sure the air in your home is safe for your family to breathe. There are a lot of air purifiers out there, but as with most things there is a huge variety of price quality, and features. At Merola, we only carry the best, most advanced air purifiers there are.

The most advanced air purifier on the market the XS04 protects your health in 6 ways –

• A pre-filter to trap larger particles
• A HEPA filter that will catch 99% of particles down to 0.3 microns (a human hair at it’s thinnest is about 40 microns)
• Activated carbon to absorb volatile organic compounds (the chemicals that are wafting throughout your home)
• A UV light that destroys organic compounds (a chemical/bacteria/virus killer)
• A photocatalyst that also destroys organic compounds (another virus/chemical/bacteria killer)
• A source of negative ions to make you feel better and make your air smell fresher

So hurry up and get one while you can.  Call us at 737-4242 or stop by at 570 Bryne Drive in Barrie, Ontario to take advantage of this great deal!

Let’s take a look…

Background

How cyclodextrin captures odour in Febreze. (click for video)

A molecule of cyclodextrin

Febreze uses cyclodextrins to contain odours.  These are essentially cyclic sugar molecules that look somewhat like donuts.  They have some special properties too;  the outside of the ring is hydrophilic (meaning it loves water) and that makes it soluble in water.  However, the inside is lipophilic (fat loving, the opposite of water loving in terms of solubility) and that means it attracts molecules that won’t dissolve in water.

Cyclodextrins are very widely used to:

• Remove cholesterol form food
• Chelate (trap) environmental toxins
• Chelate fat in diet products
• Control the release of fragrance (dryer sheets, furniture spraying)
• Used for controlled drug release

Plus more.  These are very widely used, stable compounds.

The Skinny on Febreze

For a short term cover up, this is actually fine.  For example, if you’re showing your house tomorrow, you might want a quick spray over questionable areas.  Other than that, it’s probably best to stay away.  Here’s why.

The trapping effect of the cyclodextrins only lasts so long.  Sooner or later the bond breaks down (sun, heat, or another energy source) and the offending molecule is released.  It was only bound up for a while.  And the releasing process usually breaks the cyclodextrin down, so it can’t trap another molecule.

Also, that pleasant smell from Febreze will run out.  Sooner or later all the fragrance will be used up, and then whatever you were trying to mask will reappear.   So you have to keep applying it for it to keep working.  This is perfect for Proctor and Gamble, but less than ideal for consumers, because there are chemicals in the mix as well. Cyclodextrins on their own are OK, but I think most would agree that willfully adding to you chemical exposure week in and week out is not a wise idea.

So What Can You Do?

First, keep your humidity down.  Maybe not nose bleed dry, but below 50% relative humidity.  If you have a point source of odour, clean it, repair it, or do whatever you must to get rid of it.

Also, get an air purifier.  These break down chemicals in a safe manner, and make your home smell better to boot.

It may be a little more elbow grease than the odd Febreze spraying, but so much more worth it.

Many thanks to the cyclodextrin definition on Wikipedia for the image,  and to Science in the Box for the cyclodextrin video.

1. There is a quote in the interview where he says we are treating our air like “…an open sewer”.  We’ve been beating this drum for some time.  Because pollutants in the air are invisible people tend not to think about them. But they are there.  He of course was referring to the air outside, but air indoors is much worse. It’s a closed, humid system unexposed to environmental cleansing mechanisms, and hence is far, far dirtier than outdoor air even in the cleanest house.  Who do you think should be responsible for making sure the air in your home is ok?  Clearly it is you – just look at the bang up job the government has done with outdoor air.  And do it as soon as possible because…
2. By the time people realize there’s a problem, it’s usually too late. There was a section in the interview where Katie muses about how as a society we have come to expect instant gratification.  It was then pointed out that when we act only thinking of the short term it is often to the detriment of the long term.  The banking mess is a perfect example.  Regulations to prevent the kind of collapse that happened last year were first proposed in 1998, yet only now are they being seriously considered.  Now think about that in terms of health.  By the time you realize that there’s a problem your window to correct it has usually passed. Preventative action is the way to go, as there is no real time mitigation for actions not taken long ago.

Maybe this is our destiny.  Pollution continues, and by the time we realize there’s a problem almost no amount of effort will get things back to the way they were.

Anyway, pay attention next week as we have some big news coming out and you’ll want to get in on the deal!

But are these really good alternatives to get better air?

Let’s look at air fresheners first.  Almost all are made up of varying concentrations of four basic ingredients: formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, p- dichlorobenzene, and aerosol propellants.  Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and is used as a preservative, in fact, it is embalming fluid.  It is in most manufactured goods these days and is one of the bigger threats to your health, as it can reach significant concentrations in the home from the off-gassing of consumer products.   And that begs the questions: why would anyone knowingly add more?

Next come petroleum distillates.  There are a variety of these found in most air fresheners and are used for a variety of reasons. Some are used for fragrance, others to destroy odours.  But the fact of the matter is that if you wouldn’t recommend people go around sniffing gas (which is a petroleum distillate) you probably shouldn’t use air freshener.  Now, the degree of toxicity will vary per compound, but I think it’s say to say you should avoid breathing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), no matter what they are.

P-dichlorobenzene gets special mention due to its’ ubiquitous use.  It is used to control odour, and while it officially hasn’t been classed as a known carcinogen…it is.  It has been banned in many public workplaces in the states, as it should be, being the bastard offspring off mustard gas and benzene (that’s not how you make it, but if you added those two together, theoretically, you’d get dichlorobenzene). But hey, it controls mold and mildew…not by being extremely toxic though, by talking gently to them and making them see the error of their ways. Seriously though, if it kills those things, what do you think it does to you?

Propellants are basically pressurized gases that force the fragrances out once you release them.  This seems innocuous enough, except that they are usually things like propane, butane, dimethyl ether, and other organic compounds that are carcinogens.  Though they may not be officially recognized as such just yet.

If you know a bit about chemistry you may have noticed some common traits among the chemicals listed.  If not, I’ll point them out here:

• They are all organic compounds (meaning carbon based)
• They are all fairly volatile (they vapourize easily)
• They are all carcinogenic (they all cause cancer)
• They are lipophilic (they are soluble in fat, not water, and hence are very difficult to excrete)

The last point needs a bit more explanation. Many people are familiar with the term “bio-accumulation,” which means that certain chemicals, once trapped in a living body, simply move up the food chain as one organism eats the one below it.  This is because any particular animal in the chain can’t get rid of it, and hence just stores it in its’ fat. That means these chemicals are lipophilic.  Continuing on, all that air freshener you’ve smelled over the years is stored somewhere in you.

Now that we’ve gone over this, would you use one in your home?

If your home has odour problems, you have to find out the root cause and address it.  While this may be considerably more expensive upfront, it will be dwarfed by medical costs and decreased quality of life later on. There truly are no quick fix magic bullets.