Friday, April 7, 2017

Air Sickness: Common Air Pollution Ailments You Need To Know

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

Learn Common Ailments Caused By Poor Air Quality

You probably don’t think about the quality of the air you breathe unless the pollution is so bad that it makes you take notice. But throughout the world there are a number of air pollution ailments that are becoming worse as air quality continues to trend downward.

“The notion of clean air as a human right isn’t something that people think about very often, but there are so many countries in which the air quality is so poor that it can become a big health care issue. That is why people must be aware of the common types of ailments that are triggered by air pollution so that they can take the precautions necessary to ensure good health.”

An article on the World Health Organization (WHO) site, echoes this assessment as one part of the piece read (1):

“Air pollution is a major environment-related health threat to children and a risk factor for both acute and chronic respiratory disease. While second-hand tobacco smoke and certain outdoor pollutants are known risk factors for respiratory infections, indoor air pollution from solid fuels is one of the major contributors to the global burden of disease. In poorly ventilated dwellings, indoor smoke can be 100 times higher than acceptable levels for small particles.”

In fact, the WHO believes that women and children are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution because they spend so much more time indoors.

Air Pollution Ailments

According to Merck Manual, the “major components of air pollution in developed countries are nitrogen dioxide, ozone and airborne solids and liquid particles.”

These particulates are often microscopic, but they can easily be swallowed or inhaled, leading to common types of ailments such as:

  • Eye/Nose/Throat Irritation – These are often short-term ailments in which you experience irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. Symptoms often mimic that of the common cold, including a runny nose, reddened eyes and a cough. Left untreated, air particulates could damage your respiratory tract and cause more serious health problems.
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) – According to an article published by the Physicians for Social Responsibility, (2) “COPD is caused by exposure to pollutants that produce inflammation, and immunological response. Exposure to air pollutants plays an important role in the development of COPD and the origin and development of acute exacerbations.”  In patients with COPD, the airways grow narrow with time, and unfortunately that condition is not reversible.
  • Asthma – While air pollution does not directly cause asthma, it can make asthma symptoms far worse. Air particulates such as dust, smoke and pollen can trigger asthma attacks because they irritate the lining of the lungs and throat. Asthma affects more than 20 million people in the U.S., a third of which are children. In some developing countries where healthcare is not as advanced as it is in the U.S., asthma sufferers can die if they don’t obtain the proper treatment.
  • Heart Disease – According to a piece on the American Heart Association website, a 2010 study that updated a 2004 study found that (3) exposure to air pollution contributes to cardiovascular illness and mortality…medical researchers are particularly concerned about pollution particles smaller than 2.5 microns.” These particles have been linked to irritation of the lungs as well as irritation of the blood vessels surrounding the heart, which leads to hardened arteries.

Worse Times Ahead

And the reason all this matters is that air pollution is not improving throughout the world.

In fact, according to an article by Anmar Frangoul on CNBC.com, (4) “air pollution is the leading environmental cause of death on the planet and 92 percent of the global population is living in areas where the air is unhealthy.”

Those figures were taken from a report titled “The State of Global Air 2017,” published by the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease Project.

More troubling, the report also found that people who were exposed to particulate matter for a long period of time were more likely to have shorter life spans. In 2015, that translated to four million premature fatalities linked directly to low air quality.

As in years past, countries such as India and China are being hit especially hard, and in 2015, both countries had more than one million premature deaths linked to air pollution.

But the UK is also seeing its share of early deaths, as a recent report found that 40,000 people died at an earlier age than expected because of poor air quality.

Staying Vigilant

For more than 50 years, Camfil has designed affordable and energy-efficient air filtration products for commercial facilities. We believe that clean air is a human right, and we know that air filtration is the key to eliminating the harmful particulates that can compromise long-term health. Please visit our site to learn more about our clean air solutions.

 

SOURCES

  1. http://bit.ly/2o7fzHN
  1. http://bit.ly/2nnKYZp
  1. http://bit.ly/2o762Au
  1. http://cnb.cx/2nnxj4J

 

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

T: 888.599.6620,

E:Lynne.Laake@camfil.com

F: Friend  Camfil USA on Facebook

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SOURCE Camfil.us

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Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Food and Beverage Contamination: Are You Eating and Drinking Harmful Particulates?

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

Without effective air filtration, food and beverages can become contaminated due to poor air quality

Most people understand that air pollution and poor air quality are issues that are important, but it often remains an abstract concept until it affects them directly. But food and beverage contamination grabs people’s attention, because eating and drinking is a vital and necessary part of everyone’s day. Understanding how airborne particulates can compromise the quality of food and drink is the first step in understanding how air filtration systems can provide a solution.

“The food and beverage industry has a big challenge when it comes to protecting their employees and their processes from harmful air pollutants,” stated Mark Davidson, Food and Beverage Segment Manager. Unlike other industries, an E. coli outbreak or a Salmonella outbreak from one shipment of food can cause havoc for months and years. It can destroy a company’s reputation, and worse yet, it can permanently dent the trust that consumers place in that company’s ability to deliver food that is not tainted. For those reasons, effective air filtration systems are essential to the survival of food and beverage companies.”

How Contamination Occurs

Food and beverage contamination can occur in several different ways during processes such as packaging, sampling, production, storage and transport.

However, per an article in Nutritional Outlook magazine, there are three main types of contamination that typically affect the food and beverage industry: Cross-contamination, particle contamination and microbial contamination.

During the production process, cross-contamination occurs when more than one type of food is produced at a facility, and equipment used to process that food is not properly cleaned. As a result, contamination from one type of food is transferred to another type of food due to the improperly cleaned equipment.

For the purposes of air filtration, however, particle contamination and microbial contamination are far more relevant to the issue at hand.

Particle contamination occurs when tiny airborne particles settle into food and open beverage containers during the production process, or during the packaging process.

This type of contamination is nearly always due to a lack of effective air filtration system that can eliminate many of the particulates before they land and mix into the food. But in addition to air filters, food and beverage facilities must also understand how the construction and design of their facilities may hinder or help the incubation of harmful particulates.

The third type of contamination – microbial contamination – refers to the growth of bacteria and mold.

Microbial contamination can occur due to improper sanitation procedures by employees, or through moisture in the facility from leaks that can worsen over time and lead to mold. Many bacteria and mold can become airborne and if not removed by effective air filtration can become a liability.

The Importance of Filtration and Facility Design

Combating food and beverage contamination at these facilities typically comes down to implementing an air filtration strategy as well as optimizing the design of a facility.

High efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) air filters are rated to eliminate 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter, which is about 300 times smaller than strand of human hair, and far smaller than the human eye can perceive.

HEPA filters are so effective that even the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities recommend their use to trap microbial spores in patient rooms.

This makes them ideal for eliminating microbial contamination in food and beverage facilities. However, even the best air filtration system cannot be fully effective without an adequate ventilation system, which considers humidity and temperature, and the amount of fresh air circulating through the facility.

Camfil’s Clean Air Solutions

At Camfil, we understand the challenges facing the food and beverage industry, which is why we have designed our air filters to be ultra-efficient and affordable.

Our air filters have three key characteristics that are vital to eliminating harmful particulates from your food and beverage facilities:

  • Efficiency – Camfil filters do not include an electrostatic charge that can quickly lose its filtering capability. Camfil filters are built with fine fibers that maintain efficiency for the life of the filter and continuously reduce airborne pathogens and particulates.
  • Low Resistance – Camfil filters provide greater and more continuous airflow three times longer than other air filters on the market. This means that your HVAC system won’t have to work as hard to move clean air through your facility, which saves energy.
  • High Capacity – Camfil filters can hold twice as much dirt as the leading air filters in the industry, while maintaining rated efficiency and airflow. This helps extend the working life of the air filter and means fewer change outs, which also saves you money on replacement filters and the labor costs of frequent installations.

For more than 50 years, Camfil has offered clean air solutions to combat food and beverage contamination. We are committed to offering the best products in the air filtration industry, as well as providing information about important issues affecting air quality. Visit our site for more information.

 

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

T: 888.599.6620,

E:Lynne.Laake@camfil.com

F: Friend  Camfil USA on Facebook

T: Follow Camfil USA on Twitter

Y: Watch Camfil Videos on YouTube

L: Follow our LinkedIn Page

 

SOURCE Camfil.us

The post Food and Beverage Contamination: Are You Eating and Drinking Harmful Particulates? appeared first on Air Filters for Clean Air .



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