Dunhill Green Energy Caribbean Inc.
Dunhill Green Energy Caribbean Inc.
What is a Cleanroom?
What is a Cleanroom?
ISO 14644-1
'A room in which the concentration of airborne particles is controlled, and which is constructed and used in a manner to minimize the introduction, generation, and retention of particles & microbes inside the room and in which other relevant parameters, e.g. temperature, humidity, and pressure, are controlled as necessary.'
Do Air Purifiers Actually Work?
Air purifiers are on the rise, partly as a response to concerns over air quality. While your home is designed to provide you shelter, many of us are spending much more time indoors than generations past. So, you may be exposed to more indoor particles and pollutants that can induce or aggravate lung-related diseases. They are a reliable solution to get rid of indoor pollutants.
Air purifiers work by sanitizing the air, which may include pollutants, allergens, and toxins. The exact particles removed via an air purifier depend on the type you choose. Ultrafine particulate can be inhaled into the respiratory tract and travel deep into lung tissue. This can contribute to health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
According to the New York State Department of Health, poor air quality is shown to increase the risk of;
•shortness of breath
•coughing
•sneezing
•runny nose
•throat, eye, or nose irritation
•asthma
• bronchitis
• dyspnea
•cardiac and pulmonary conditions
Allergens
Allergens are substances that can create adverse immune responses in the form of allergies or asthma. Bacteria, viruses, other pathogens, volatile organic compounds(VOCs), pollen, pet dander, and dust mites are among the most common airborne particles. An air purifier work in conjunction with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, the latter of which is best known to trap airborne allergens.
Mold
Like allergens, indoor mold particles can become especially dangerous for people with asthma and other lung conditions, An air purifier with a HEPA filter would work best, along with reducing humidity levels in your home.
Smoke
Filter-equipped air purifiers may also remove smoke in the air, including smoke from landscape fires and tobacco smoke.
Indoor toxins
Not only may your home be a source of airborne allergens and mold, but it may also be a source of indoor toxins and volatile organic compounds from cleaning products, personal care products and many more. When these particles live in the air, they can become harmful to your body. Air purifiers may also trap indoor toxins, but the best way to get rid of toxins in your home is to reduce their usage in the first place.
Air purifier benefits
While medications for allergies and asthma can help alleviate symptoms and prevent reactions, air purifiers may help remove the source of your symptoms to begin with. After continued use, there is a chance that you might experience fewer allergic reactions and asthma symptoms. However, this is not a replacement for your medications, and it is still important to prevent the aggravating particles from getting into your home in the first place. Always talk to your doctor before reducing or stopping any medications.
Are they effective?
The short answer is yes.
The bottom line
Research shows that filtering the air can indeed help to remove harmful particles from indoor spaces, particularly allergens, smoke, and mold. Still, air purifiers work best in conjunction with proper filtration and home cleaning techniques. If you have any underlying health issues, such as asthma and allergies, talk to your doctor about ways you can improve your indoor air quality to manage your symptoms. Never stop taking any medications without talking to your physician first.
What the research says
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refers to several studies that link the use of air purifiers to allergies and asthma symptom relief. A 2018 study found that using a HEPA air purifier in the bedroom improved people’s allergic rhinitis symptoms by reducing the concentration of particulate matter and house dust mites in the air. Another 2018 study following 46 people using air purifiers with HEPA filters found that their allergy symptoms decreased significantly over 4 weeks.
The takeaway
The conclusion is that air purifiers were a promising therapeutic option for people with asthma triggered by dust mites etc. If you are experiencing allergy or asthma symptoms inside your house, an air purifier may help reduce your symptoms by cleaning the air. There are many different brands and models of air purifiers. Determine the size of your room and your specific filtration needs before purchasing an air purifier.
Do Air Purifiers Actually Work?
Air purifiers are on the rise, partly as a response to concerns over air quality. While your home is designed to provide you shelter, many of us are spending much more time indoors than generations past. So, you may be exposed to more indoor particles and pollutants that can induce or aggravate lung-related diseases. They are a reliable solution to get rid of indoor pollutants.
Air purifiers work by sanitizing the air, which may include pollutants, allergens, and toxins. The exact particles removed via an air purifier depend on the type you choose. Ultrafine particulate can be inhaled into the respiratory tract and travel deep into lung tissue. This can contribute to health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
According to the New York State Department of Health, poor air quality is shown to increase the risk of;
•shortness of breath
•coughing
•sneezing
•runny nose
•throat, eye, or nose irritation
•asthma
• bronchitis
• dyspnea
•cardiac and pulmonary conditions
Allergens
Allergens are substances that can create adverse immune responses in the form of allergies or asthma. Bacteria, viruses, other pathogens, volatile organic compounds(VOCs), pollen, pet dander, and dust mites are among the most common airborne particles. An air purifier work in conjunction with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, the latter of which is best known to trap airborne allergens.
Mold
Like allergens, indoor mold particles can become especially dangerous for people with asthma and other lung conditions, An air purifier with a HEPA filter would work best, along with reducing humidity levels in your home.
Smoke
Filter-equipped air purifiers may also remove smoke in the air, including smoke from landscape fires and tobacco smoke.
Indoor toxins
Not only may your home be a source of airborne allergens and mold, but it may also be a source of indoor toxins and volatile organic compounds from cleaning products, personal care products and many more. When these particles live in the air, they can become harmful to your body. Air purifiers may also trap indoor toxins, but the best way to get rid of toxins in your home is to reduce their usage in the first place.
Air purifier benefits
While medications for allergies and asthma can help alleviate symptoms and prevent reactions, air purifiers may help remove the source of your symptoms to begin with. After continued use, there is a chance that you might experience fewer allergic reactions and asthma symptoms. However, this is not a replacement for your medications, and it is still important to prevent the aggravating particles from getting into your home in the first place. Always talk to your doctor before reducing or stopping any medications.
Are they effective?
The short answer is yes.
The bottom line
Research shows that filtering the air can indeed help to remove harmful particles from indoor spaces, particularly allergens, smoke, and mold. Still, air purifiers work best in conjunction with proper filtration and home cleaning techniques. If you have any underlying health issues, such as asthma and allergies, talk to your doctor about ways you can improve your indoor air quality to manage your symptoms. Never stop taking any medications without talking to your physician first.
What the research says
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refers to several studies that link the use of air purifiers to allergies and asthma symptom relief. A 2018 study found that using a HEPA air purifier in the bedroom improved people’s allergic rhinitis symptoms by reducing the concentration of particulate matter and house dust mites in the air. Another 2018 study following 46 people using air purifiers with HEPA filters found that their allergy symptoms decreased significantly over 4 weeks.
The takeaway
The conclusion is that air purifiers were a promising therapeutic option for people with asthma triggered by dust mites etc. If you are experiencing allergy or asthma symptoms inside your house, an air purifier may help reduce your symptoms by cleaning the air. There are many different brands and models of air purifiers. Determine the size of your room and your specific filtration needs before purchasing an air purifier.
UV Light Air Purification
UV Light Air Purification
The Basics and Benefits
When you think of an air purifier, HEPA air filters come to mind. This is probably because HEPA filters are widely known for quality as far as air purification is concerned. However, other technologies can equally clean the air. UV light is one of them.
UV light
If properly utilized, UV light air purifiers can kill airborne germs including mold, mildew, bacteria, and viruses. In this article, we will go over everything about UV light air purifiers. Also, you’ll get to know how they work and the possible health benefits of UV light technology.
What is a UV Light Air Purifier?
Like any other air purifier, a UV light air purifier’s primary goal is to improve the air quality. However, it differs from others in purification technology. Instead of using filters, a UV light air purifier uses UV-C light to deactivate airborne germs and microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and mold. This technology is also known as UV germinal irradiation. As air passes through the device, it is exposed to the UV light, which attempts to clean it through germinal irradiation.
UV light air purifiers are sold as stand-alone devices or as systems in existing HVAC. However, it is rare to find a stand-alone device. Besides, UV-C air purifiers mostly come with other additional filtration technologies such as HEPA filters for effective purification. According to EPA, a UVC air purifier is not as effective as a stand-alone device because it cannot trap contaminants.
What is UV Light?
To understand how UV light air purifiers work, you first need to understand what UV light is.
First things first: what does UV stand for? UV stands for Ultraviolet. On the other hand, UV light is electromagnetic radiation that can’t be seen by the naked eye but can be felt. UV light is a product of the sun. Prolonged exposure to UV light destroys body cells leading to sunburns. It is this cell-killing ability that makes it effective in destroying pollutants. No! The UV light in air purifiers is not from the sun. It is artificially created. Also, UV light is divided into three subcategories. UVA, UVB, and UVC. You might have heard of UVA and UVB in sunscreen lotions television commercials. These two are the forces behind sunburns and, worse, skin cancer. UV-C, on the other hand, is unique radiation that is harmless to people but a threat to microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria.
How Does UV-C in UV Light Purifiers Work?
Unlike other air filtration technologies that trap dander and other particles, UV light works by keeping the microorganisms from reproducing. The UV light damages the DNA of the organisms, making it difficult for them to reproduce. This prevents the disease-causing germs from multiplying and wreaking havoc in your body. The UV light purification technology is most effective with prolonged contact. The longer the microorganisms are bathed in UV light, the greater the DNA damage. When UV light combines with other purification technologies as HEPA filters or Ionizers, you’ll be sure that the air quality is perfect.
Factors That Affect the Effectiveness Of UV-C Light in Air Purifiers
UV-C light can destroy harmful microorganisms, alright. But can it do so within a portable air purifying unit? The answer is yes, but it depends on various factors.
Exposure Time
The pathogen inactivation depends on the length of exposure to the UV-C light. The longer it is exposed, the higher the chances of being destroyed.
Air purifiers with longer UV-C lamps have longer exposure and thus more effective.
Proximity to the UV-C Light
The germs must come into close contact with the UV-C light to allow inactivation.
The Intensity and Wavelength of the UV-C Light
The standard UV-C wavelength to effectively destroy pathogens as they move through the air purifier is 254 nanometres. Anything less than that is not as effective.
Air changes per hour (ACH)
The more the times the unit exchanges the air within the room in an hour, the longer the exposure to the UV-C light.
Does UV-C Light Kill Bacteria and Viruses?
According to research, narrow-spectrum UVC light can kill bacteria and viruses. It does this by destroying the DNA, thus inhibiting the ability to reproduce and multiply. Interestingly, the far UV light is not harmful to human beings. It cannot penetrate the human skin nor the eye. Viruses are smaller than human cells; UVC light can easily reach their DNA and destroy them. Additionally, bacteria have only one cell and rely on DNA to live. If the DNA is sufficiently damaged, it automatically triggers a self-destruct mechanism.
Health Benefits of UV Light
Some of the benefits of using a UV light air purifier include;
•Reduced allergic and asthma symptoms and attacks
•Improved air quality
•Reduced exposure to illnesses causing germs including flu and colds
•Reduced household odors
Take Away
As discussed above, UV light technology performs a unique function that no other technology does- killing airborne disease-causing pathogens. For this reason, you may want to consider a unit that features a UV light when shopping for an air purifier.
Mold, Mold Spores and Indoor Air Quality
Mold, Mold Spores and Indoor Air Quality
Mold and mold spores adversely affect indoor air quality. Health-conscious people or those suffering from the presence of mold in their homes need a certain level of knowledge and a lot of effort to clean and keep their environment healthy. Different types of molds - black mold, toxic mold, allergenic mold - are present all the time around us and in the air we breathe. Molds and mold spores can affect people; especially people with allergies, asthma, respiratory conditions, suppressed immune system and other diseases. Germicidal UV light (UVC) has been successfully utilized in hospitals and public buildings to inhibit microbial growth, spreading of infections and to increase the indoor air quality. UVC can also help against mold problems by rendering airborne mold particles and mold spores non-viable and even sterilizing surface mold colonies if they are directly irradiated with germicidal UV (UVC) light. Even the dead mold spores and mold particles can be allergenic or toxic, so it is strongly recommended to always use germicidal UV light in conjunction with a good HEPA filtration system.
Mycotoxins: A Primer for Homeowners
You can find a lot of information on molds but trying to understand it may be difficult to those who did not take biology and chemistry. As an aid to the homeowner, this overview is intended to explain a few bad products of mold in a less scientific manner. The people who study mold (mycologists) have identified and described over 100,000 species and many believe that this is only a partial listing (estimates of 1.5 million species have been suggested. Most people have associated mold with allergies and these reactions are certainly prevalent with most all species found indoors. In addition to causing an allergic response, molds can be irritating, infectious and even toxic to humans. Understanding the general behavior of mold provides insight into the adverse components produced by mold.
The Organism
Fungi can be considered nature’s garbage disposal. Without them, the term “biodegradable” would not be so significant to our planet, and we would have mountains of leaves, dead trees, and other organic materials sitting around…all deposited since the beginning of time. For the moment, think of mold as a weed. This weed has a root system, a vegetative stalk, and a seed pod. For mold, the root system is made up of hyphae (high-fee). As hyphae grows into a mass during the vegetative state, it becomes a mycelium (my-sill-ee-um). The spores, designed for reproduction, are similar to seeds. Like a weed, mold needs food and water to survive. For mold, the food of preference is organic matter (things that once were living). Indoors, those things are wood, paper, organic dust and dirt, leather, skin flakes, body oils, etc. When mold spores that are floating around in the air land on a food source, they sit there patiently waiting for water. If the item they land on should contain sufficient moisture, or water comes from another source (leaks, etc.), the spore germinates, and hyphae grows. The hyphae branch out, secrete enzymes to breakdown the food, form the mycelium, and absorb nutrients to grow. As long as the food and water hold out, colonies will continue to grow. Note that individual hyphae and spores are exceedingly small and few can see them without a microscope. When you see visible mold, you are generally seeing that mass of mycelium. As the organism matures, it develops spores intended for reproduction. Spores vary in size, shape, weight and methods of distribution. Some are light and buoyant, so they float easily through the air. Others are wet and sticky and may cling to insects, rodents, etc. as a mode of travel.
Volatile Organic Compounds
As mold “consumes” its food, the chemical reactions produce carbon dioxide, water, and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Because these items are a result of actions essential to the growth of the organism, they are classified as primary metabolites. They are called volatile in that they evaporate easily at room temperature and pressure. Fortunately, this volatility aids in dilution with fresh air to minimize concentrated build-up of these chemicals. When you smell a “musty-moldy” odor, it is generally the VOC you are noticing. VOC are often considered irritants to mucus membranes, however, are also capable of both short-term and long-term adverse health effects. If you do smell these odors, it is a sure sign the mold is consuming and growing and you need to take action. Note that VOC may also be derived from non-mold sources including natural materials used in cleaning agents.
Toxins
Many molds are capable of producing compounds called mycotoxins which are toxic to other organisms, including people. These toxins are produced as protection against competing organisms and therefore, humans are simply caught in the crossfire of this fight for survival. Scientists have identified over 400 mycotoxins and unlike VOC, these compounds are usually non-volatile (do not evaporate easily at room temperature and pressure). One strain of mold may produce multiple toxins and one type of toxin may be produced by multiple strains of mold. Some of these toxic substances are considered extremely hazardous to people. Lab and field studies have shown these compounds to produce severe toxic effects in both animals and humans and therefore, the general recommendation is to minimize exposure to potentially toxigenic mold. Symptoms from toxic exposure range from flu-like symptoms, skin rashes and lesions, bleeding, fatigue, difficulty breathing, depression, etc. to longer-term nerve and organ problems, altered immunity, and cancer.
The following resources offer detailed information on mold and mold remediation at home or in public buildings for achieving better indoor air quality:
https://www.americanairandwater.com/Sporicidin-application.htm
The Health Risks of Spending More Time Inside.
The Health Risks of Spending More Time Inside.
Every morning, the routine looks the same: Wake up, brew coffee, drive to the office, and spend the day tapping away in a cubicle while intermittently checking some kind of smart device for updates from the “outside world. While modern amenities have undoubtedly made life easier on many accounts, there is a key element of the above scenario that is a major departure from human behavior throughout any other point in history: Over the course of the past 200 years, workers have migrated from workplaces like fields and farms to factories and offices. In addition, modern society prioritizes high-pressure careers, and an always-on attitude when it comes to work and social life — which disturbs natural biological rhythms even further. When examined collectively, all these factors may be taking a toll on our health and happiness.
We spend 90% of our time inside—why don’t we care that indoor air is so polluted?
To put this 90% figure in perspective, it is useful to think of what it means in terms of our own lives. By the time we hit 40, most of us have spent 36 years indoors. Try it for yourself: take your age and multiply it by 0.9. That is your indoor age. If we are lucky enough to live to 80, most of us will have spent 72 years inside! When we look at it this way, in terms of years, it becomes obvious and intuitive that our indoor environment would have a disproportionate impact on our health.
The US National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): A Resource for Assessing Exposure to Environmental Pollutants, a survey that was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the following;
Perception versus reality
People do not fully comprehend the sheer amount of time they are spending inside. It is easy to see how this fact slips our attention: It does not register that it has been 46 hours since you stepped foot out of your house when you’re eyeballs-deep in a weekend binge-watching session or swamped with high-pressure deadlines during the week. There is a pronounced disparity between how much time people think they are spending inside versus the reality of how many hours a day are actually spent indoors. In fact, over the course of an average day, an employee working in a typical modern desk job may spend as little as 15 minutes outdoors during the daytime.
“Wellness” is a word that is thrown around a lot today. With wellness being such a focus for so many, it is surprising that people are not paying more attention to the basics — such as the primal need for sunlight and fresh air. In a tech-driven society, it seems that many people’s priorities are less about the pursuit of health and happiness and more about the pursuit of a really great food-delivery app. This detachment from the natural world — and natural sunlight, specifically — can have negative impacts, and can even have deleterious effects as serious as respiratory problems. An average adult breathes in almost 4,000 gallons of air every day — and indoor air can be up to five times as polluted as outdoor air. The health benefits of improving our indoor environment are scientifically proven; however, we still have a long journey to go in terms of making people understand that these changes are not just a ‘nice to have.’ Without action, we can put our health at risk.
