Tag Archives: flu season

At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, the focus was on the “Internet of Things:” the interconnectivity of devices with lifestyles and constant feedback via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. So, you now have refrigerators that can alert you when you’re running low on milk, or home security systems that also change lighting to fit your mood.

One company, Plume Labs, introduced a wearable air quality monitor for the general public at CES. Called Flow, the device is meant to crowdsource data on air quality and monitor pollution as a person goes about their workday and evening. The thinking: With more data, consumers can make informed decisions about pollution solutions.

The monitor resembles a perforated tube with a leather-like strap that allows you to affix it to your backpack, clothing, a stroller, your bike…you name it. By taking it with you, and syncing it to an app—naturally—you’d get a readout of particulate matter and dust levels, nitrogen oxide from car emissions, ozone and volatile organic compound levels, as well as outside temperature and humidity.

Because other people around your area will also have continuous readings from their Flow devices, the app will aggregate crowd-sourced data to provide maps of problem areas, as well as places with better air.

Flow could become a good way to see what’s happening in the air around you, which is a perfect transition to actually combatting bad air, like installing AeraMax® Professional air purifiers in workplaces.

Flow will be launched nationwide later this year; pricing is yet to be determined.

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THE PROBLEM

Diapers. Lots and lots of diapers.

Because the Jean Steckle Childcare Centre in Kitchener, Ontario caters to infants and toddlers, staff at the YWCA center were either changing diapers, disposing of them, or checking the children to see if a change was needed. And a change was needed.

That’s because diaper stations were placed in an open area—an area that was, well, ripe for lingering odors. But, Elaine Bridgewater, manager at the centre, didn’t just want to mask these odors. Instead, she wanted to eliminate them outright. And that’s where the change came in.

THE SOLUTION

So, she installed an AeraMax Professional AM III in the common area. Because it features a four-stage filtration system that removes both odors and 99.97% of airborne contaminants like viruses, germs and allergens from indoor air, Bridgewater was assured that the solution would address both smells and infection control. “Young children have quite immature immune systems, so we were looking for something to help in our fight against infections and viruses, (because) infection control is always very difficult,” she said.

ODOR-FREE AIR

The AeraMax Professional AM III fit the bill. “We have definitely seen a reduction in odors,” Bridgewater said. “We found that when you walk into the room, you can’t actually say ‘oh, someone needs a diaper change.’ We know that all the children have been changed and the smell is quite good.”

Best yet, teachers immediately noticed a change in the indoor environment—an absence of odors as well as a fresher atmosphere. Bridgewater also mentioned a positive contribution to morale. “(The teachers) feel a better sense of security, knowing that we are doing something above and beyond what’s required by having this unit—to keep them safe and healthy,” she said.

“I’d recommend (Aeramax Professional) to anyone who would like to improve the quality of their air—and to anyone who wants that extra edge in infection control.”

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It’s on its way—and we don’t mean Santa’s sleigh. No, we’re talking about another cold and flu season, because once the weather gets colder, all those doors and windows get shut tight. And that means indoor spaces and recirculated air will be rife with trapped germs and viruses. Given the majority of people spends upwards of nine hours per day in shared spaces with others, it’s inevitable that you’ll come into contact with those dreaded bugs.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?

While it’s difficult to predict the severity of the coming flu season—estimated to last until April of 2017—one thing is certain: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) assume several new strains will crop up during the time period. So, it will be increasingly difficult for people to stave off the virus without help.

GET THE FLU SHOT

The CDC recommends everyone over the age of six months get a general flu shot. And, it recommends that anyone over the age of 50 gets what’s called a high dose vaccine. The general flu vaccine protects against three of four of the most common strains, and may take up to two weeks to be fully effective. So, getting a flu shot early in the season is a must.

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One note: in recent years, a nasal flu spray vaccine became popular with folks who didn’t like needles. However, the spray wasn’t effective against flu strains that cropped up in the early spring of 2015, so medical professionals are recommending sticking (no pun intended) to the tried and true inoculation this year.

CLEANING AREAS IS VITAL

In addition to getting a flu shot, cleaning areas is vital, as the virus is passed along by aerosolized droplets spread through sneezing and coughing, as well as by touching surfaces infected with the droplets, which can travel in the air up to six feet from their point of origin.

To that end, using hand sanitizer is also a good bet; and it’s important to ensure that people who are sick stay home until they recover. People with the flu are usually contagious for a week after symptoms arise.

CLEAN THE AIR

Of course, an ideal way to combat colds and flu is by eliminating germs and viruses from the very indoor air we breathe. AeraMax® Professional’s complete line of commercial grade air purifiers remove up to 99.97 percent of indoor air contaminants like bacteria, germs, viruses, odors and volatile organic compounds from air, continuously and effectively. With its patented EnviroSmart™ Technology, each unit senses when indoor air needs to be cleaned, powering up automatically to quickly remove particles as small as .03 microns from the environs. And that could make for a very manageable cold and flu season this year.
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When Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School principal Scarlett Dunne, Ph.D., noticed that students were frequently sick, she knew she had to do something to reverse absenteeism.

“We’ve had concerns with allergens in our building, as well as mold and mildew,” she said. We also have quite a few children in our building who have asthma—that’s what prompted us to look at air quality and begin to have a conversation with our plant services department.”

Ted Gilbert, associate superintendent for district services for the Clarke County School District, where Oglethorpe resides, understood there was a correlation between student illness and indoor air quality.

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“How do we help and not hinder what’s going on in the classroom?” he said. “(Air quality) is one serious component. How do we bring a really fine environment to students in the classroom? When we do that, we know we enhance attendance, student achievement and the overall classroom experience. Indoor air quality is very, very important…I think anything we can do to remove particulates from the air and give our students and staff cleaner, fresher air is the best.”

To that end, Kimberly Thomas, executive director for plant services and custodial operations for the Clarke County School District spearheaded a pilot program with AeraMax Professional after completing a comprehensive air quality assessment.

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In a pilot program, the school district installed AeraMax® Professional commercial air purifiers in selected classrooms at Oglethorpe. Since AeraMax Professional air purifiers remove up to 99.97 percent of airborne contaminants like germs, allergens, odors and viruses from indoor air, the facility team was confident that air quality would be quickly improved…and it did.

“Within the first week of installation, we could tell a difference in the rooms,” Dunne said. “There was a noticeable change. It smelled much fresher and we could see a difference in (the amount of) coughing and sneezing.”Teachers also noticed a difference, saying that students seemed more energized throughout the day.

An added benefit: “Not only did the parents and teachers recognize an immediate difference in fresher smelling air, but it also made it easier for our staff to clean those areas,” Thomas said. “We didn’t see the same level of dust.”

The installation of the AeraMax Professional units was part of a larger green cleaning initiative undertaken by the school district. And, the facility management industry took notice, resulting in the Grand Award in the Healthy Schools Campaign’s 2015 Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities.casestudy_clarkeschools

 

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