Tag Archives: VOCs

Even though Bob Savage was doing the best he could—outfitting employees with masks, installing suction systems near equipment and the like—there was one reoccurring environmental problem at Drake Precision Dental Laboratories. Dust.

Bob Savage explains the difference Aeramax Professional made in Drake Dental Laboratories

The dust problem

“Dental labs, by their very nature, are dusty environments,” Savage, VP and CFO of the Charlotte, NC laboratory, said. “We use a lot of different materials that create dust and particulate matter that enters the air. Since I joined the company 20 years ago, it’s been a concern for us.”

So, the lab, which creates fixed and removeable dental prosthetics for clients in 40 states, took aggressive steps. Knowing that surface cleaning would just kick up more dust, Savage decided instead to clean the very air inside the facility, which host more than 100 employees.

Busy dental laboratories like Drake Precision Dental Lab are hotbeds of find particles creating a real dust problem.

After research, the company selected AeraMax Professional commercial-grade air purifiers. AeraMax Professional machines use a unique four-stage filtration system to effectively and efficiently remove up to 99.97 percent of airborne pollutants, like dust, allergens, bacteria, viruses, odors and volatile organic compounds, from indoor air.

Drake Precision Dental Laboratories also chose units featuring optional PureView™ technology. PureView features a visual display of the PM2.5 particle counts entering the units and the clean air coming out. The wall-mounted units also employ patented EnviroSmart™ Technology that senses sound, motion and odors in a room, automatically adjusting to optimize performance.

And the previous dust problem?

“Once we found (AeraMax Professional) and installed a number of units needed for the square footage, it became easier to control,” Savage said. “And the air quality is leaps and bounds from where it (previously) was.”

“The air quality is leaps and bounds from where it (previously) was.”

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According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the dental profession is one of the most dangerous. And one reason? Something very, very small. Dust.

Given that there’s an aging population, there’s more demand for dental appliances, like bridges and denture sets. That means dental labs are running at full tilt—and dust from sandblasting and grinding appliances and molds enter more indoor air. These particles are often smaller than five microns, stay suspended in the air a long time and are easily breathed into the lungs. What’s more, the grinding dust on surfaces is easily kicked up from the simple movements of people in the lab environment, creating more suspension.

 

Danger lurking in the dark

 

So how do you combat it?

Unfortunately, typical heating and ventilation systems do a great job of recirculating air, not cleaning it. So, dust and other particulate just gets moved around—or worse, keeps getting suspended in the air, making it even easier to breathe in.

Wearing a surgical mask doesn’t help either. According to a statement from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, surgical masks don’t filter out submicron particles and don’t account for leakage around the edges of the mask.

Clearly, the best way to eliminate the threat of dust floating throughout a dental lab is by cleaning the air itself. The complete line of AeraMax Professional air purifiers does just that—getting at the root of the dust problem by removing it—along with other harmful particulate, chemicals, pathogens, bacteria and volatile organic compounds—from indoor air, using an advanced True HEPA filtration system that effectively and efficiently traps tiny particles. Given that the AeraMax Professional air purifier continually scans the environment—working when it senses pollutants in the air—you’re assured you can eliminate the danger lurking in the lab.

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AeraMax Professional had a great chance to spread the Gospel of Clean Air when it was invited to shed light on air purity challenges in the dental lab industry during a two-part interview featured on the Voices from the Bench podcast recently. Voices from the Bench, hosted by industry professionals Elvis Dahl and Barbara Warner Wojdan, explores a variety of dental lab topics, ranging from emerging technologies to industry news.

AeraMax Professional sheds light on air purity challenges in the dental lab industry.

 

For a two-part interview (episodes 25 and 26, available here) ), the pair created a roundtable with Tad Friess of Rockert Dental Labs, Mike Booth, AeraMax’s Senior Global Market Manager—Air Treatment, and Blake Bobosky, AeraMax’s VP/GM of Air Treatment Sales, North America. The group discusses the challenges facing dental lab owners and employees who work in dust- and odor-filled environments. Friess also recounted the work done by staff at AeraMax Professional to identify previous poor air quality issues at his lab, as well as the solutions provided through the installation of AeraMax Professional air purification units, stating that the installation completely eradicated the dust and air quality issues.

LISTEN HERE:

Part 1

Part 2

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It seems like every news cycle is dominated by talk of air pollution and poor indoor air quality. There are ways, however, to influence the quality of indoor environments.

Here are four quick changes that facility managers can make to improve indoor air quality.

1. Boost ventilation.

One simple way of helping alleviate air issues is by boosting the flow of air throughout a facility by opening windows. Oftentimes, facility managers try to improve air by putting additional filters in place by cranking up the HVAC, but that drags down airflow (there’s a better solution at Number Four on our list!). Also, note that bacteria and spores grow in warm, wet environments, so consider getting dehumidifiers for problem areas, like areas of water leaks and damage.

2. Remove problems.

Certain types of carpeting and office furniture give off vapors that are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which in turn affect respiration and exacerbate asthma symptoms. That’s why many companies opt for wood or tile flooring. Look to replace things like toxic wall paint to with non-toxic alternatives, too.

3. Go green.


“Cleaning for Health” is a huge trend these days and focusing on green cleaning techniques can improve overall indoor air quality. Get started by downloading our whitepaper.

4. Get AeraMax® Professional.

Quite simply, the most effective way to positively impact indoor air quality is by installing AeraMax Professional commercial grade air purifiers. These units remove 99.97 percent of indoor contaminants like germs, bacteria, allergens and VOCs, making indoor air livable and breathable again. Each also is effective at removing odors from indoor spaces, making them ideal for high traffic areas. The air purifiers come in wall mount and stand units in a variety of sizes to suit most indoor spaces, and offer an easy way to get ahead of indoor air quality issues.

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Billionaire philanthropist and tech pioneer Bill Gates recently visited Geneva, Switzerland on a mission: to find the worst smell he could inhale and still remain standing. Sounds like a more of a wacky fraternity stunt than a fact-finding mission from one of the richest men in the world, but there was method to his madness.

Why?

In many parts of the developing world, disease runs rampant from the creation of makeshift bathrooms and outhouses; oftentimes the use of open pit latrines is bypassed by people because of the overpowering smells. In those cases, people then “create” their own facilities, going anywhere and everywhere out in public. This results in a massive sanitation issue with the spread of more germs and disease, and increases the instances of rats carrying and passing along these diseases at a rapid rate. In fact, 800,000 children die annually from sanitation-related illnesses.

The Thinking

And so, Gates found himself at a renowned perfume and scent laboratory, sniffing from decanters of foul-smelling liquids developed specifically for him. By identifying the most rancid smell, researchers at the lab think they can reverse-engineer a fragrance to combat that smell, by breaking down the liquid to a molecular level and counteracting the molecules. Then, the fragrance could be used to mask smells in open air latrines in developing countries, blocking receptors in the nose that identify bad smells. The thinking: If the smell was mitigated, more people would use the latrines, which eliminates the spread of fecal matter in open areas and reduce disease.

The researchers have a long way to go, but with Gates’ commitment to the project, a light has been shone on the need to eliminate odors. What’s more, odors aren’t just a problem in the developing world. In developed countries, bathroom odors can adversely affect a company’s perception among employees and guests. But unlike the developing world, odors needn’t be masked in “first world” countries.

The Power of Aeramax PRO

For example, AeraMax® Professional commercial-grade air purifiers not only remove germs, allergens and bacteria from indoor spaces like bathrooms, but they also use unique carbon filters to capture bathroom odors from indoor air. So, instead of masking odors with heavy perfumes, AeraMax Professional air purifiers truly scrub the air, offering facility managers an effective and efficient way of solving an age-old problem.

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