Tag Archives: air purification

Recent news on COVID-19 airborne threat

Until now, there have been conflicting messages related to the risk of the airborne transmission of COVID-19. A group of 239 scientists in 32 countries have published their open letter to global health community to present the evidence.

In their letter, the highly qualified group state:

  • Multiple studies “have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that viruses are released during exhalation, talking, and coughing in microdoplets small enough to remain aloft in the air”.
  • These microdroplets “pose a risk of exposure at distances beyond [3 to 6 feet] from an infected individual”.
  • “we are advocating for the use of preventive measures to mitigate this route of airborne transmission.”

Read the full text of the letter: It is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of COVID-19

What we know about COVID-19

As discussed above, the highly qualified group of 239 scientists highlight in their open letter that multiple studies:

“have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that viruses are released during exhalation, talking, and coughing in microdoplets small enough to remain aloft in the air”

Surfaces and COVID-19

While it’s believed that COVID-19 spreads from person-to-person contact, officials haven’t ruled out surface contact as a potential source of contagion. It’s just too early to tell.

In fact, recent tests on the coronavirus COVID-19 showed it can stay active on various surfaces. Researchers found viable coronavirus samples could live for up to:

  • 24 hours on cardboard
  • four hours on copper surfaces
  • two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

During tests, the researchers also found the coronavirus could be detected in the air up to three hours after emission, making it vital that people clean the air.

The importance of cleaning

While the majority of COVID-19 cases are derived from person-to-person contact, we can’t overemphasize the importance of proper room cleaning.

So, while many people have stressing surface and hand cleaning, the addition of cleaning the air will undoubtedly help manage enclosed spaces. AeraMax Professional’s four-stage system, with True HEPA filtration, can effectively and efficiently build on the hand and surface cleaning routines.

Where AeraMax Professional can help

We do know that AeraMax Professional air purifiers can mitigate additional pathogens in the air where people are infected, removing pollutants from air and reducing risks for people already infected.

AeraMax Professional air purifiers:

  • are certified to be effective in reducing airborne concentrations of influenza A (H1N1) aerosol in a test chamber, reaching 99.9% airborne virus reduction within the first 35 minutes of operation.
  • are certified to capture 99.97% of pollutants at 0.3 microns
  • can capture more than 97.8% of pollutants at 0.1-0.15 microns, via IBR Laboratories test data.

What’s more, an AeraMax Professional III with PureView Technology can sense when airborne contamination is present in a room, automatically adjusting cleaning to remove the offending particles from the air. This is ideal for places like assisted living facilities, where residents already have compromised immune and respiratory systems.

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FACT: No air purifier can stop the COVID-19 coronavirus. 

While AeraMax Professional air purifiers are highly effective at removing various viruses and airborne pollutants from enclosed spaces, NO AIR PURIFIER CAN CURRENTLY CLAIM TO CAPTURE AND ELIMINATE COVID-19—it is simply too early to know. Still, AeraMax Professional air purifiers should be considered as part of a broader proactive hygiene strategy.

What we know about COVID-19

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

“It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”

It’s primarily believed the majority of cases are contracted by person-to-person spread. That means a person who is infected can infect another person in close contact (about 6 feet or less) by sneezing or coughing. Respiratory droplets can then land on the mouths and/or noses of uninfected people close by.

Surfaces and COVID-19

While it’s believed that COVID-19 spreads from person-to-person contact, officials haven’t ruled out surface contact as a potential source of contagion. It’s just too early to tell.

In fact, recent tests on the coronavirus COVID-19 showed it can stay active on various surfaces. Researchers found viable coronavirus samples could live for up to:

  • 24 hours on cardboard
  • four hours on copper surfaces
  • two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

During tests, the researchers also found the coronavirus could be detected in the air up to three hours after emission, making it vital that people clean the air.

Similarities to other viruses

Some researchers in South Korea have found genetic similarities between COVID-19 and the SARS virus; This offers hope that AeraMax Professional air purifiers can be deployed in the battle to stop the spread of COVID-19, as AeraMax Professional is able to capture the SARS virus using its four-stage filtration system. However, we don’t currently know the size of COVID-19 particles, so this is, at this time, speculation.  

The importance of cleaning

While the majority of COVID-19 cases are derived from person-to-person contact, we can’t overemphasize the importance of proper room cleaning.

So, while many people have stressing surface and hand cleaning, the addition of cleaning the air will undoubtedly help manage enclosed spaces. AeraMax Professional’s four-stage system, with True HEPA filtration, can effectively and efficiently build on the hand and surface cleaning routines.

Where AeraMax Professional can help

We do know that AeraMax Professional air purifiers can mitigate additional pathogens in the air where people are infected, removing pollutants from air and reducing risks for people already infected.

AeraMax Professional air purifiers:

  • are certified to be effective in reducing airborne concentrations of influenza A (H1N1) aerosol in a test chamber, reaching 99.9% airborne virus reduction within the first 35 minutes of operation.
  • are certified to capture 99.97% of pollutants at 0.3 microns
  • can capture more than 97.8% of pollutants at 0.1-0.15 microns, via IBR Laboratories test data.

What’s more, an AeraMax Professional III with PureView Technology can sense when airborne contamination is present in a room, automatically adjusting cleaning to remove the offending particles from the air. This is ideal for places like assisted living facilities, where residents already have compromised immune and respiratory systems.

Moving forward

The situation regarding COVID-19 is fluid, with new information reshaping the landscape almost daily. As more information becomes available, we will include it so you are armed with decision-making power.

For more information visit:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/transmission.html

Compiled with publicly available information as of March 11, 2020. 

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It didn’t look like a study in air pollution. It only took a few minutes, year after year after year. Once a year, select students in schools across southern California, were taken out of class, marched down to a gym or empty classroom and were met by a researcher. There, they were asked to blow into a spirometer, which measured lung capacity, and were asked a series of mundane questions about their living environment. Then they got their height and weight checked before heading back to class.

Little did they know the data collected from all those children—12,000 kids in all—created the framework for the most extensive study into the effects of air pollution.

Air Pollution effects growing lungs

The USC Children’s Health Study found that children living in the towns most effected by air pollution were five times as likely to have weakened lung capacity—20 percent weaker—than kids living in towns and cities where air pollution was less prevalent. That diminished lung capacity meant long-term health problems.

Air pollution affects growing bodies more than we may have realized.

What’s more, researchers found their original hypothesis was incorrect.

At the start of the study, they thought ozone, a component of the air pollution and thick smog that blankets southern California, would be a prime cause of stunted lung development in the children. However, they found there were a combination of tiny airborne pollutants—small as PM2.5—and nitrogen dioxide from car exhausts to blame also.

 

Long term implications & treatments

The study has had far-reaching implications on air pollution and has affected everything from manufacturing regulations to environmental policy. It also has created significant awareness regarding outdoor and indoor air quality. In fact, given that indoor air has been proven to be between two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, one might argue that concerns about indoor air quality should be even greater.

Luckily, there is a way to significantly decrease those concerns. The complete line of AeraMax Professional commercial-grade air purifiers can effectively and efficiently remove PM2.5 airborne pollutants—like germs, allergens, bacteria, viruses and volatile organic compounds—from enclosed spaces, drastically improving indoor air quality. The purifiers use a unique four-stage filtration system that traps these particles, removing 99.97 percent of pollutants from indoor air.

The AeraMax Professional purifiers employ patented EnviroSmart™ Technology that senses sound, motion and odors in a room, automatically adjusting to optimize performance. So, the units work only when required, conserving energy and maximizing operations while working in the background to improve the lives and health of occupants.

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When business owners hear that indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air—which is already heavily polluted—they think the solution lies in focusing on the building’s HVAC system. But that may not solve the problem of poor air quality.
Here’s why:

 

HVAC systems recirculate

HVAC systems work because they recirculate air. But they don’t do a thing about cleaning the air. Filters can trap very large particles, but things like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), germs, bacteria and allergens pass right through typical HVAC filters. That doesn’t alleviate the problem of poor air quality inside buildings.

Business owners and facility managers may think installing HEPA filters in existing HVAC systems will do the trick. It won’t. That’s because HEPA filters designed specifically for HVAC systems are bulky, and while they do a better job of trapping germs in the direct area near the intake, these thick filters drag down HVAC efficiency, significantly reducing airflow. So, HVAC will work harder, break down more often and still not solve the poor air quality problem. Additionally, these modifications to existing HVAC systems do nothing for areas that aren’t near the intakes.

HVAC systems spread germs farther and faster through recirculation.

Perhaps most importantly, HVAC systems spread germs farther and faster through recirculation. In essence, HVAC systems are air movers, not air improvers. There just isn’t enough efficiency in HVAC systems, because they are designed first and foremost to push air throughout buildings. Also, HVAC systems focus on the entirety of buildings, pushing air at the same rate throughout. That means indoor air quality problem areas will be ignored.

 

For improvement in IAQ, focus on cleaning instead of moving the air

Instead of recirculating poor air, building managers and business owners need to focus on removing it. In our opinion, the best way to do that is by installing AeraMax Professional air purifiers. These commercial-grade systems use hospital-type True HEPA filtration to effectively, quickly and efficiently remove 99.97 percent of airborne contaminants, like germs, bacteria, smoke, odors, allergens and VOCs, from indoor air. The four-stage filtration systems work automatically, because the units sense when poor air is present, adjusting to remove the bad air.

And, AeraMax Professional offers an array of different units to accommodate a variety of room sizes—and even have portable units so specific areas can be targeted on the fly, by moving the purifier into offending areas.

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