Study Finds Troublesome Link Between Cleaning Products and Indoor Air Pollution

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Harmful impact on indoor air quality increases need for better product labeling – and better air filtration

A study by a Canadian environmental action organization found that commonly used cleaning products dramatically raised the level of harmful contaminants in indoor air – increasing risks for asthma and other respiratory illnesses. While the rise in indoor air pollution was higher for conventional cleaning products than for certified ‘green’ products, both elevated the level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have previously been linked to long-term health problems, especially in children.

The study, released on June 17 by Toronto-based Environmental Defence, tested the air in 14 homes that were cleaned with either conventional cleaning products, certified green products, or products with unverifiable green claims. The air was tested before and during the cleaning. In eight of the households, air quality went from decent to poor during the cleaning – and by the end of the cleaning, 12 of the 14 households exceeded the German standard for indoor VOC levels (there is currently no Canadian standard).

In homes where conventional cleaners were used, VOC levels increased by an average of 120 percent. Homes cleaned with ‘unverifiable’ green products saw an average VOC rise of 100 percent. But even those households that used certifiable green products saw a troubling increase in VOC levels – on average, a 35 percent jump.

In announcing the study’s findings, Environmental Defence called on the Canadian government to require full ingredient disclosure on the labels of cleaning products and to promulgate new regulations for VOC concentration limits. These are sound steps, but there are also steps that individuals and businesses can take to reduce the harmful particles in their indoor environment – and mitigate the risks of VOCs and indoor air pollution. Chief among them: proper air filtration.

Such solutions are readily available, and cost effective, thanks to the efforts of companies like Camfil – the world’s leading provider of clean air solutions. Camfil, for instance, operates a half dozen global research centers to create a new generation of air filters that last longer, use less energy, and do a better job removing harmful particles and chemicals from indoor air than more conventionally designed filters. This enables Camfil customers – which include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, hospitals and health care facilities, educational institutions, and manufacturing companies – to realize both better savings and better performance.

Indoor air pollution is growing problem – one that we are still learning about new and often troubling things. But it is also a problem that can be tackled, and beaten back. With today’s cutting edge air filters, we can all breathe a sigh of relief – and cleaner, healthier air.

The world leader in air filtration systems, Camfil provides various types of air filters for hospitals, hotels, office buildings, educational institutions, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies. We provide the tools to achieve sustainability, maintain high air quality, and reduce airborne infections — all while lowering total cost of ownership. Camfil customers go green without ever sacrificing performance. For more information, visit us online at www.camfil.us or call us toll-free at 888.599.6620.

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Health Effects of Poor IAQ

Clean Air Solution by Camfil USA. Leader in Air Filters for Commercial and Industrial applications.
Dirty air can have a devastating effect on people that already have conditions that make them susceptible to increased levels of polluted air. Some of the more common ailments include asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
People with asthma are susceptible to common dusts, dust mite and cockroach droppings, mold, and even some airborne chemicals known commonly as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Symptoms can be debilitating and include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.
Emphysema is a disease in which the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs become damaged and is caused by smoking, air pollution and manufacturing fumes. People that have emphysema experience alveoli that turn into large, irregular pockets with holes in them. The surface area of the lungs is reduced over time, resulting in less oxygen transferring from the lungs into the bloodstream. Small fibers that hold open the small airways leading to the alveoli also become less elastic so that when the patient exhales they collapse making it more difficult to breathe.
Emphysema is one form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. Chronic bronchitis is another. Symptoms include having a hard time catching your breath, chest tightness, wheezing, and/or a chronic cough that may produce a lot of mucus. Common COPD causes include smoking, second hand smoke, and air pollution. There is no cure for COPD, only treatment.
When considering the health effects of poor air quality we should also consider children under 14 as they are in development stage that actually requires higher lung function, pregnant women whose systems are already challenged as they are breathing for two and the elderly who are susceptible because of the decreased lung effectiveness.

A MERV 13 air filter, commonly used in office buildings to protect the environment for employees and visitors. Photo courtesy of Camfil, USA.

The above health problems can be controlled through the use of effective air filtration to reduce airborne contaminants in the indoor environments where these individuals live or work. A MERV 8 filter, classified as a medium efficiency air filter, can provide a cleaner indoor environment by significantly reducing the quantity of particles that produce the symptoms associated with asthma. Higher efficiencies such as MERV 13, commonly used in office environments, can further reduce the prevalence of all the aforementioned lung-related associated with all above the problems noted above. Some filters may lose efficiency over time, so when selecting an air filter to address these health related problems seek air filters that have a MERV-A equivalent to their MERV. MERV is an acronym for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value when a filter is tested using a Standard as published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers. The higher the MERV, the higher the filter efficiency.
For more information on Camfil and HVAC replacement filters for homes (as well as anywhere else where optimal indoor air quality is imperative).
The world leader in air filtration systems, Camfil provides tools to achieve sustainability, maintain high air quality, and reduce airborne infections — all while lowering total cost of ownership. For more information, visit us online at www.camfil.us, or call us toll-free at 888.599.6620.

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Air Quality on Airplanes 4th of July Air Travel Update

Clean Air Solution by Camfil USA. Leader in Air Filters for Commercial and Industrial applications.

You travel on a flight and when you get home you always seem to have a cold or other health related annoyance — is the airliner the cause? Possibly, but the total answer may be a little more complicated. Major airliner manufacturers install components in the airliner to protect the health of passengers and although their methodology varies somewhat be assured that your comfort and health are a high consideration.

Air supplied through these vents is filtered through HEPA filters to remove harmful contaminants.

Typically the air supplied to the cabin is a 50-50 mix of recirculated air and outside air. The outside air is introduced through a sealed area adjacent to the engine compartment so the introduced air can be heated to an appropriate temperature level. The air temperature at 25,000 feet can be thirty degrees below zero. The outside air is then mixed with recirculated air from the cabin and introduced back into the cabin through vents, including those little air vent controls that are found above each seat. In most designs the air is removed near the cabin floor after which some air is exhausted and the remainder is recirculated.

HEPA filters used in airliners can have various forms. Photo: Camfil USA.

The recirculated air is passed through industrial grade HEPA filters that are capable of removing particles that are hundreds of times smaller than the eye can see. Airliner manufacturer’s say that between 94 and 99.9 percent of airborne microbes are captured, and that there is a total changeover of all of the cabin air every two or three minutes.

Clearly these manufacturers have considered the health of passengers in airliner design as this design is way in advance of what you would find in offices, schools, assembly areas or other common places of human gathering.

The germs that a compromised individual can introduce through sneezing, coughing and even talking can still be a problem primarily because of the close proximity of passengers in a confined space. There is still a period where those germs may be local to your breathing zone or they can land on a surface where they may remain viable anywhere from seconds to hours depending upon the germ.

To reduce your probability of breathing in these contaminants turn the air vent above your seat on and aim the clean air current slightly in front of your face so that germs from infectious passengers that are nearby will be redirected away from you. It is also prudent to avoid touching surfaces that may be adjacent to infected passengers. Although protection systems are in place, they are not perfect. The use of common sense germ avoidance hygiene can go a long way in protecting your health.

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