Tag Archives: AAFA

It’s that time of year again: that sneezin’ wheezin’ season where airborne pollen takes wing and allergies bloom in full force.

That’s the bad news. The worse news? According to the World Wildlife Federation, global warming will worsen allergies for more than 25 million Americans. That’s because ragweed—a primary allergen-producing plant—grows faster, has more allergenic content and is more unchecked with higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Overall, a warmer climate means longer growing seasons, which produce more pollen, making allergy sufferers more miserable. In fact, the United States has also seen a shift in USDA Plant Hardiness growing zones, with colder zones decreasing over the years. To wit: across the country, spring is arriving up to 14 days earlier than it did 20 years ago, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. That means longer and stronger allergy seasons—and some areas might be in perpetual bloom.

This year, Jackson MS has the dubious distinction of being number one on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s (AAFA) “Most Challenging Places to Live with Spring Allergies” listing, followed in the top five by Memphis, TN, Syracuse, NY, Louisville, KY, and McAllen, TX.

The remaining top 25 cities are:

  1. Wichita, KS
  2. Oklahoma City, OK
  3. Providence, RI
  4. Knoxville, TN
  5. Buffalo, NY
  6. Dayton, OH
  7. Little Rock, AR
  8. Columbia, SC
  9. Richmond, VA
  10. Baton Rouge, LA
  11. Tulsa, OK
  12. New Orleans, LA
  13. Toledo, OH
  14. Winston-Salem, NC
  15. Springfield, MA
  16. Philadelphia, PA
  17. San Antonio, TX
  18. Chattanooga, TN
  19. Tucson, AZ
  20. Akron, OH

To get a better sense of daily risks, allergy sufferers can log onto the National Allergy Bureau website (www.aaaai.org/nab) to track pollen counts by area. Then, they can take steps to minimize exposure.

One great way to minimize exposure is to eliminate allergens from the air altogether. While that may seem like a pipedream to some, AeraMax Professional’s line of air purifiers actually reduce 99.9% of allergens from indoor air, using HEPA filtration and cleaning the air in four stages. And that’s nothing to sneeze at.

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Allergy and asthma triggers don’t disappear when you enter a workplace or school. In fact, outdoor air is a major component of what we breathe when we’re inside, which is compounded by indoor triggers such as dust and pet dander that are all around us.

To fight asthma and allergies indoors, you need an air purifier that’s up to the task.

So, facility managers and executives can confidently make common areas more suitable for the 1 in 4 Americans with asthma or allergies, increasing productivity and cutting down on missed days of work or school. What’s more, with AeraMax Professional, facility managers can remove infectious flu particles from the air simultaneously, making AeraMax Professional a turnkey solution to multiple air quality problems.

Allergies, asthma and the cost of absenteeism

Allergies are estimated to cause more than 11 million missed days of work annually, according to the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that asthma was responsible for an additional 14.2 million missed work days and 10.5 million missed school days in 2008 alone.

Asthma costs the U.S. economy about $56 billion each year and allergies take an additional toll. These chronic conditions are only becoming more common and worsening as the air becomes more polluted.

Astoundingly, indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. With proper ventilation, reductions in toxic building products and cleaners and regular air filtration this problem can be reduced.

AeraMax Professional line of commercial grade air purifiers effectively captures 99.9 percent of contaminants from the air, including dust, pollen, and mold spores, all of which are known to trigger asthma and allergies.

Better air quality creates more suitable environments for the millions of Americans with these chronic conditions.

 

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