Indoor air quality is one of those things that you probably don’t give a lot of thought to, but it can have far-reaching impacts on your — and your family’s and pets’ — health. It’s no secret that indoor air in the home is many times dirtier than the air outside, and since most people spend around 90 percent of their time indoors, polluted air in the home can have serious risks to your health — especially for the very young, the elderly, immuno-compromised people, and your beloved pets.
Dirty indoor air can have immediate effects, such as nose, eyes, and throat irritation while using cleaning chemicals, or it can have ongoing effects, such as flare-ups or continually worsening symptoms of allergies, asthma, or COPD resulting from the run-of-the-mill allergens in your home’s air. The Environmental Protection Agency stresses that even if you don’t have symptoms related to poor air quality in your home, you should take steps to improve your air.
Improving your indoor air quality has an important impact on your health. It can help you reduce symptoms of allergies, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses, and it can help you sleep better. Clean indoor air means more energy and fewer headaches, and it can even improve your digestive health.
Most experts recommend a three-pronged approach to improve your indoor air quality. The first prong is source control, or keeping pollutants out of your home, or maintaining low levels of them. The second prong is ventilation, which removes polluted air from home and sends in fresh outdoor air. The third prong is cleaning the air with portable machines or in-duct air cleaners.
Here is the ultimate guide to cleaning the air in your home, prong by prong.
Two types of pollutants lurk in your air: gases and particles.
Gaseous pollutants (gases) result from combustion, and they’re present as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from adhesives, paints, cleaning products, pesticides, and even from upholstery, furniture, and building materials. Particulate matter (particles) includes dust, pollen, smoke, animal dander, mold, combustion particles, viruses, and bacteria.
The best way to improve the air quality in your home is to keep harmful gases and particles out in the first place but to do that effectively, you’d need to live in a bubble. So the second-best way is to keep air pollutants under control, so they occur at low levels.
These are the most common sources of indoor air pollution and what to do about them.
Household chemicals: Is it time to make the switch to natural?
The chemicals you use every day, or at least commonly, are some of the worst for your indoor air quality and your health.
Swap out conventional cleaners and body care products for natural. Conventional cleaning products and body care products contain many harmful chemicals, including toxic substances and known carcinogens. Natural cleaners that are plant-based get your home just as clean as the nasty stuff but without polluting your air. Make the swap to natural products for at least the very worst offenders, including laundry detergents, disinfectants, and air cleaners.Plant-based, natural body-care products are delightful and effective, and they’re free from harmful chemicals.
Avoid synthetic air fresheners. Synthetic air fresheners — including the spray, plug-in, or gel types — have numerous toxic chemicals in them that linger in your air. For “fresh,” scented air that’s safe and natural, opt for an essential oil diffuser, a natural room spray made with essential oils, or just open the windows to air out the room.
Avoid (or safely use) pesticides. If you need to use pesticides to get rid of critters like roaches or mice, follow the directions very carefully. Better yet, find natural ways to do away with household pests, or call in the professionals who will use the pesticides in the safest possible ways.
Air out new furniture and textiles. Pretty much any new piece of furniture or rug you bring into your home will off-gas VOCs, like formaldehyde, adhesive chemicals, and other toxic chemicals. Opt for natural fibers when you can, or let particularly stinky household goods sit outside for a few hours or days to clear the worst out before you bring them inside.
Biological contaminants: Controlling them helps reduce allergies and illness
Your air is filled with biological contaminants like bacteria and viruses, mold and mildew, pet dander and saliva, insect parts and droppings, and pollen and other allergens. To keep these under control:
Dust and vacuum weekly. Removing dust, dander, insect parts, pollen, and mold spores is largely a matter of sucking them up in your vacuum cleaner. Dust and vacuum at least once a week — more, if you have a large household, lots of pets, or live in a dusty area. Consider a robot vacuum cleaner that can remove contaminants from your home every day.
Take your shoes off at the door. The soles of your shoes carry all sorts of contaminants into your home, including herbicides, pesticides, gasoline, oil, and biological pollutants like mold and pollen. Instead of tracking these throughout your home, take off your shoes at the door, and slide on some house shoes that you only wear in the house.
Replace your HVAC filter. Every furnace and air conditioning system has a filter where the cold air return meets the indoor unit. This filter removes particles from the air that moves through. A dirty HVAC air filter won’t trap as many particles as a clean one, so check the filter each month, and when it’s clogged with dirt, replace it with a clean one. Choose the highest quality filter that your HVAC system will allow — check the manual, or ask your HVAC pro.
Use the kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. Turn on the kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans whenever you’re cooking or bathing to remove excess moisture, gases, and particles from cooking, bathing, and using body-care or cleaning products.
Keep your home’s humidity level between 30 and 50 percent. Mold, mildew, and dust mite populations love high humidity, and if your home is very humid, you may have more than your share of these pollutants. If your home is too humid, install portable humidifiers around the house, or opt for a whole-house humidifier that works with your HVAC system. A simple hygrometer from your local hardware store will tell you the percentage of humidity in your air.
Combustion pollution: Where there’s fire, there’s pollution
Any time you light a fire in the fireplace, turn on a space heater, cook on the stovetop, run your furnace, smoke a cigarette, or light a candle, you’re releasing combustion-related pollutants into your air, both gases and particles. Here’s how to reduce them for cleaner air.
Ventilate combustion appliances to the outdoors. Make sure all fuel-fired appliances, including stoves, furnaces, heaters, and clothes dryers, are vented to the outdoors. Any time you use the oven or stove to cook, turn on the exhaust fan. Never use a non-vented combustion appliance inside, which can produce dangerous gases like carbon monoxide.
Have your appliances inspected. Every year, before heating season, have your local HVAC professional inspect your furnace to make sure it’s safe to use for the duration of the heating season. Also, have your gas stove inspected and adjusted annually to ensure its emissions are within a safe range.
Have your chimney cleaned. Have your chimney inspected and cleaned each fall before you light the first fire and make sure the flue is open, and you follow safety protocol when you’re using the fireplace.
Don’t smoke inside. Cigarette smoke contains plenty of chemicals — many of them harmful. These chemicals lurk in your home’s air long after you put the cigarette or cigar out. Smoke outside, and don’t let anyone else smoke inside your home.
Choose naturally scented soy or beeswax candles. Conventional candles are made from paraffin, which is a waste product from petroleum processing and releases carcinogenic chemicals when it burns. Scented candles contain synthetic fragrances, which are made up of thousands of different chemicals, many of which are harmful. Instead, buy candles made from 100% beeswax or 100% vegetable-based waxes, such as soy wax. Choose candles that are scented with non-toxic, plant-based ingredients.
Adequate ventilation is central to good indoor air quality. Bringing outdoor air inside lowers the concentration of pollutants in your home’s air, and the best way to do this without a mechanical ventilation system is to open up those windows and doors whenever the weather permits and leave them open as long as you can.
Here are other ways to improve ventilation — and thus your air quality.
Use your exhaust vents. The exhaust vent in your bathroom removes air laden with moisture and body-care and cleaning chemicals, while the vent in your kitchen sends air rife with combustion and cooking fumes outdoors. Always turn these exhaust vents on while you’re bathing or cooking.
Install window fans. No matter what the climate is like where you live, you probably have at least several weeks throughout the year when you can keep the windows open both day and night, and possibly many more weeks when you can open the windows at night. To get the most out of open windows, install window fans with reversible blades. These can help you stay cool when it’s hot out, and they’ll suck out old air from your rooms when it’s cold.
Use the vent control on your window A/C. If you use a window air conditioner, keep the vent control open to increase outdoor ventilation.
Mechanical ventilation systems
Most residential heating and air conditioning systems don’t mechanically bring in air from outside but rather re-circulate the same air throughout your house. Mechanical ventilation systems bring outdoor air inside and/or send stale indoor air outside.
Supply ventilation systems continually draw in outside air and distribute it to many rooms through dedicated ductwork or the existing HVAC ducts. These systems work for hot or mixed climates but aren’t suitable for cold climates.
Exhaust ventilation systems continually exhaust indoor air outside, slightly depressurizing the home so it draws in outside air through cracks and holes in the home’s envelope.These systems work for cold climates, but aren’t suitable for hot, humid climates.
Balanced ventilation systems send outside air in and exhaust inside air out in equal amounts. The two most common balanced ventilation systems are heat recovery ventilation (HRV) and energy recovery ventilation (ERV).
HRVs reduce your heating and cooling loads by recovering the heat from the outgoing air in the winter to help heat the house, and exhausting the heat from the incoming air outside in the summer.
ERVs transfer both heat and moisture between outgoing and incoming air. In the winter, this helps prevent dryness inside, and in the summer, it prevents humidity from entering the home.
The third and final prong of good indoor air quality is to clean your air. Even if you follow all of the recommendations for source control and ventilation, you’ll still have pollutants in your home’s air. So removing as many lingering particles as possible means even better indoor air quality — and for people with allergies, asthma, COPD, or other respiratory conditions, the cleaner the air, the better.
Types of air cleaners
Air cleaners come in many types and sizes, ranging from small, inexpensive tabletop versions to pricey whole-house models with all the bells and whistles. Here are the main types of air cleaners, which can be installed in your HVAC system’s ducts or purchased as a portable, stand-alone air cleaner.
Mechanical air filters remove particles from the air by trapping them on filter materials. High energy particulate air (HEPA) filters are the highest quality air filters, able to trap the most, smallest particles of any filter.
Electronic air cleaners use electrostatic attraction to trap harmful particles in your air. Avoid electronic air cleaners that The two main types of electronic air cleaners are:
Electrostatic precipitators contain an ionization chamber inside the cleaner. As air flows through the chamber, particles in the air obtain an electrical charge, and they then accumulate on oppositely charged collector plates.
Negative ion generators send charged ions into the air, which attach to particles and give them a charge. There’s no collector, so the charged particles settle on nearby walls and other surfaces, where you dust them up by hand.
Gas-phase air filters contain a material called a sorbent, which absorbs some gases and odors from air that passes through. Activated carbon is the most commonly used sorbent, but no sorbent will absorb all gases — most remove one or a few different gases from the air, but won’t have an effect on gases like carbon monoxide or natural gas.
UVGI cleaners use ultraviolet radiation to kill biological particles like viruses, mold, bacteria, and allergens. However, they may not effectively kill certain molds and bacteria — and dead mold spores can still cause allergic reactions — so in most circumstances, this isn’t the best option for cleaning your home’s air.
What to look for in portable air cleaners
Portable air cleaners, which plug into an outlet and sit in your room, are far less expensive than whole-house cleaners that are built into your home’s HVAC system. To choose the right portable air cleaner for your space, consider the size of your room and the air cleaner’s CADR rating.
Size. Calculate the room’s area, and compare it to the maximum room size in the product details. If you have very high ceilings, use a cleaner sized for a larger area. You can use multiple air cleaners in a large, open floor plan.
CADR rating. The clean air delivery rate, or CADR, helps consumers choose an air cleaner based on the size of the area it’ll serve. The higher the CADR, the more particles it can remove from a larger space.
In-duct air cleaners: Worth it, or not?
Air cleaners that are installed in your HVAC ductwork are considerably more expensive to install and operate than portable cleaners. The jury is still out on whether these air-cleaners are worth the cost and whether they really have a major impact on indoor air quality.
Air filters installed inside your ductwork are good at capturing large particles, like pollen, dust, and animal dander, but they may not be as good at catching smaller ones. Whatever type of filter you choose for in-duct air cleaning, make sure it’s a high-efficiency filter with a MERV rating of 14 to 16, or a HEPA filter, which has the highest possible MERV values, at 17 to 20.
UVGI cleaners used in a home’s HVAC system aren’t great at killing mold and bacteria, and most viruses and bacteria require far higher UV exposure than you can get in a home unit.
We’ve gone through the best ways to improve the air quality in your home, but here are a few simple things you can do in each room — whether through source control, ventilation, or cleaning — to maximize the cleanliness of your home’s air in every room.
The bedroom
Dust mites are very common in the bedroom, and if your allergies are particularly bad at night when you’re in bed, it may be because of these microscopic critters and their highly allergenic droppings. To keep dust mite populations to a minimum, vacuum thoroughly at least weekly, and wash your bedding in hot water at least every two weeks. Clean your mattress every six months to a year. Let fresh air in whenever possible.
The bathroom
The bathroom is a humid room, which means mold and mildew may grow, reducing the air quality in that room. Additionally, many of the skin care, body care, and cosmetic products you use — the spritzes and sprays, creams, and oils — have ingredients that further reduce the healthfulness of the air. Swap to natural products as much as possible, and always turn on the exhaust fan when you’re showering or using products.
The living, family, and dining rooms
These three rooms see a lot of eating and snacking, which means crumbs, which may mean bugs, bacteria, and mold — especially if these rooms are carpeted. Your best bet for improving indoor air quality across the board is to remove all carpet in your home, which harbors food, moisture, dirt, allergens, mold, microscopic bugs, and every imaginable particle that comes in on your shoes and your pets’ paws.
The kitchen
Use the exhaust vent when you cook, and clean the filter in the vent regularly. Be careful not to burn food, which emits toxic particles and gases. Use natural cleaners in the kitchen, including a plant-based all-purpose cleaner that won’t poison your air. Avoid disinfectants as much as possible — opt instead for microfiber or just plain old soap and water.
The laundry room
Use unscented detergents and dryer sheets to keep the worst chemicals out of your air in the laundry room. If your laundry room gets very humid, ventilate it well, or install a portable dehumidifier. Clean your washing machine regularly to rid the room of mold and mildew.
The garage
Especially if your garage is attached to the house, you want to keep its air quality as high as possible. Don’t let your car run inside the garage, even with the door open. Instead, back it out of the garage to idle. Keep paints, cleaners, solvents, pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals tightly closed and safely stored when they’re not being used. Use these types of chemicals outside whenever possible.
Improving the quality of the air in your home isn’t hard — it’s simply a matter of keeping things clean, keeping harmful chemicals out, having your combustion appliances inspected regularly, and ventilating your home adequately. Every little change you make can add up to big benefits for your health, both in the short-term and long-term. Start today shoring up your indoor air quality, and after a few weeks, you may just find yourself feeling better than you ever have.
The Airius range of PureAir air and surface purification and odour control systems integrates the latest in Needlepoint BiPolar and Photohydroionisation technology to protect building occupants from indoor air pollution.
There are four models available to choose from – speak with an Airius representative to help you in selecting the best model for your application.
Please get in touch with us by calling 01202 554 200 or simply send an email to info@airius.co.uk and we’ll send you an electronic brochure.
Based in Dorset, Airius provides Purification Fans, Destratification Fans, LED Lighting Systems, and Electrical Engineering Services. We work with public sector organisations and businesses to improve environments for the staff and the public and to reduce energy expenditure. Our client roster includes British Airways, Harrods, Mercedes, Siemens, Morrisons and Waitrose.
Thermal stratification is a natural occurrence: hot air rises and cold air sinks. Your building’s HVAC systems are engineered to maintain a comfortable temperature on the floor and often overheat to compensate for stratification!
When your heater is running, heat rises and accumulates at the ceiling of your building, increasing the temperature and rate of heat transfer at the roof.
Conversely, cooled air from your air conditioner is heavier and will tend to sink to low points in a building or become trapped in difficult to circulate areas.
Airius fans are specifically designed to save you money and increase comfort. The fans continuously and gently mix the air, balancing temperatures (destratification) from ceiling to floor and wall to wall which helps the HVAC system maintain the desired temperature. No longer will you overheat or overcool a space, significantly reducing energy costs and dramatically increasing comfort.
For an effective destratification system, you must throw air the full distance from ceiling to floor where the people are and where your thermostat is located. Any fan that comes up short is not providing the needed circulation to maximize your comfort and energy savings.
Old style ceiling fans or a simple tube design generally will not offer adequate throw for destratification. Airius fans feature a unique nozzle design and patented stator system to ensure that a laminar non-turbulent column of air is delivered from ceiling to floor — where we live and work. With any axial fan, there exists a radial component to the air flow causing it to spread laterally and lose velocity when leaving the nozzle. Airius’ patented fixed blade stator sits below the fan to transfer this rotational energy into linear motion exiting the nozzle. Having the airflow energy in line with the fan axis promotes a tight air column and maximizes the throw. In addition to the stator, the slightly tapered nozzle increases the exit speed and allows for the air throw to be maximized even further.
The combination of housing shape, patented stator and energy efficient motors is what makes Airius fans unique in delivering air over long distances using minimal power. With various size models featuring these unique design aspects, Airius has a suitable model for ceilings as low as 8 ft. and as high as 125 ft.
As businesses, schools and medical facilities etc. face the challenge of how to reopen safely, indoor air quality is at the high on the agenda.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the quality of air inside buildings is of course of great concern, especially in the current climate.
Their research has shown that 50% of people are affected by indoor air pollution and even more significantly, 68% of all diseases have been found to be related to air pollution.
In all types of internal applications, indoor air quality is affected by airborne particles and pollutants, such as dust, mould, bacteria and viruses. Manufacturing and production process can also produce chemical by-products and other substances, which can be detrimental to internal air quality.
As governments around the world work hard to restart their economies and get people back to work, the advantages of purification systems systems have been gaining significant traction in the industry.
The CDC has published a regularly-updated list of guidance for businesses looking to reopen safely.
The advice includes:
The Airius PureAir system uses a fan to circulate cleansing agents to disinfect all the air and surfaces in a room at the same time.
Competing air purification systems that rely on using filters to trap pathogens and airborne particulates, do not offer the highest level of protection. This method takes many hours before it can pass all the air in a room through the filter located within the device. It also offers little protection against new contaminants, until they have also been circulated through the filter. When pathogens are caught in the filter they are not destroyed and can remain alive and dangerous, making the process of changing filters carry its own risks.
The Airius PureAir range of fan units have been proven to remove up to 99% of viruses, germs and bacteria in the air and on surfaces and has been already been used by customers throughout the world to combat Bird Flu, Norovirus, E. Coli, Listeria, Strep, and SARS.
Harmful contaminants surround us everywhere and can reach every corner of the spaces we occupy. They enter spaces through doors and windows, transmitted by people or even be produced by a process within the space. This makes maintaining a constantly clean environment extremely difficult.
Chemical sprays and disinfectants are one method of carrying out indoor disinfection, but this is complicated and expensive, creating major challenges.
The Airius PureAir series however, is one of the most efficient and effective air and surface purification systems available. It provides continuous cleaning neutralising up to 99% of all airborne particles and can be installed in a matter of hours, without causing any disruption to the space.
The next step to keeping indoor air clean and reducing the concentration of airborne viruses and pollutants is through regular air changes, replacing indoor air with outside air.
This short film, released by the Government, explains how Corona Virus can linger in a room and the importance of keeping interior spaces well ventilated.
Professor Catherine Noakes, an adviser for the film, said: “When a room does not have any fresh air, and where people are generating large amounts of aerosol through activities such as singing and loud speech, that is when transmission of coronavirus is most likely. Fresh air must come from outdoors – recirculating air just means the aerosols containing the virus move around the same room rather than being extracted outdoors.
“Ventilation units or any household systems that use outdoor air can be just as effective as opening windows or doors as long as they are limiting the recirculation of the same air.” An indoor ventilation system pushing air out in a stream could actually work as a vector for transmission if there’s infected air present, particularly if no new clean air is being introduced.
While it is likely to take a while for the economy to recover fully from the impact of COVID-19, the Airius PureAir System can help provide you, your business and your building with the protection it needs to return to normal operation as soon as possible.
The consulate were looking for a tested and cost efficient solution to minimise the threat of COVID19 in their facilities, especially after they were informed that a visitor to the Barcelona office had tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Their main priority became securing staff and visitors in their buildings against the transmission of COVID19 and other pathogens, as well improving overall IAQ.
The PureAir system was initially installed into the Barcelona Consulate, where no new COVID19Cases were reported a month after exposure. These impressive results and the drasticallyimproved air quality were the reason that Airius PureAir was immediately referred via diplomaticmail for installation to all 280 international diplomatic missions in Spain.
The PureAir system has now already been installed into the Embassy in Madrid and Valencia Consulate.
The effect of Airius PureAir Series may be invisible, but the results are unmissable:
How does the PureAir Series PHI Cell kill bacteria and viruses in the air and on surfaces?
The PureAir PhotoHydroIonisation (PHI) Cell is a kind of UV light that emits advanced oxidation plasma. Included as part of a fan system, the PHI cell distributes hydro-peroxides, superoxide ions and hydroxide ions throughout the space, neutralising 99% of micro-organisms in the air and on surfaces.
PHI cells produce a group of oxidants known as hydroperoxides. Far from new to our world, hydroperoxides have been around for 3.5 billion years – and today they are commonly used in food processing environments, where they offer an anti-microbial treatment without leaving chemical residues.
Choosing an Airius PureAir PHI Series system is a simple, cost effective way to reduce bacteria, viruses and odours in your facility.
Multiple studies have been conducted on Airius PureAir Series PHI Cell technology and they are widely approved for use to control airborne and surface-based bacteria, viruses, smoke and odours.
Testing carried out by:
Airius fans are commonly used to purify air and balance temperatures for both heating and cooling applications in a wide variety of environments – from homes to warehouses.
Adding an Airius PureAir PHI Series destratification fan is a simple way to continually clean yourair,creating a safer and healthier environment for your residents, colleagues and visitors.
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The protection of staff during the COVID19 pandemic has been a key area of research and investment for Smurfit Kappa since the emergence of Coronavirus in 2020. In response to this management teams at manufacturing facilities in both Brno and Olomouc in the Czech Republic sought to install air purification systems to minimise the chances of transmission and keep staff safe.
Following a survey of both facilities, PureAir units were specified for installation in their changing rooms and canteen areas. This provided protection at the point of entry to the main manufacturing space, neutralisingcontainments whilst staff changed in to their work uniforms, as well as providing protection in the canteen where people would congregate in the highest numbers.
You may not be able to see the many benefits of the PureAir system, but the results speak for themselves:
Following installation of the PureAir system staff at both facilities are now able to work in confidence, reassured that they are provided with an extra level of protection from COVID19, as well as 99% of all communicable illnesses. This not only ensures the safety of staff but also reduces sickness and absenteeism. The improved airflow and recirculation of high level heat also reduces energy costs.
Choosing an Airius PureAir PHI Series destratification fan with its integrated PHI Cell is a simple way to reduce bacteria, viruses and odours in your environment.
Adding an Airius PureAir Series air purification, infection and odour control ventilation fan is a simple way to continually clean the air, creating a safer and healthier environment for your facility.
Adjusting to the ‘new normal’ to protect ourselves against the Coronavirus threat along with the wearing of face masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing felt like alien concepts a year ago, but for many these things have begun to feel routine.
Nonetheless, the approval of 3 vaccines with more to come have brought a shinning light to people anticipating an end to these measures in the immediate future.
However, scientists say that additional preventative measures are still key in the fight against COVID-19, air and surface purification systems being one of them.
For mass vaccination to achieve herd immunity (indirect immunity caused by the majority of the population being immune thanks either to vaccination or having been infected) more than 70% of the population needs to have been vaccinated.
In fact, leading infectious disease scientist Dr Anthony Fauci has said: “If you really want true herd immunity, where you get a blanket of protection over the country … you want about 75 to 85 percent of the country to get vaccinated.”
There are two main challenges to achieving a fast vaccine rollout across the world:
Other challenges are to do with our understanding of the novel coronavirus – we do not yet know whether the mRNA vaccines are able to limit transmission of the virus, or how long an individual will remain immune to COVID-19 after being vaccinated.
Handwashing, social distancing and wearing masks still remain the routine measures that we all need to continue in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. Below is a little more information about how some of these work.
However, there are additional measures that can be taken to provide protection against virus transmission, such as air and surface purification systems.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) now recommend wearing cloth masks over the mouth and nose when in public spaces to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Research supports this.
A study for Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science found that cloth face coverings are effective in reducing source virus transmission (protecting others from an infected person) as well as protecting the wearer.
An experiment that used high-speed video recordings was able to conclude that, whilst saying a simple phrase generated hundreds of droplets when the mouth was uncovered, almost all these droplets were blocked when the mouth was covered by a washcloth.
Meanwhile, a US study compairing COVID-19 growth rate before and after mask mandates in 15 States found that mask-wearing led to an immediate slowdown in daily COVID-19 infections. This trend also became more evident over time.
Everyone knows the importance of washing their hands, but evidence shows that this is also a major factor in the fight against cold and flu viruses.
Elizabeth Scott, PhD, Co-director at the Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community at Simmons University in Boston explains: “You can’t necessarily control what you touch. You can’t control who else touched it. But you can look after your own hands.”
Washing your hands with soap and water is a simple action that works as a powerful tool against germs and diseases in two ways.
Scott says: “The first thing that’s happening is that you’re physically removing things from your hands. At the same time, for certain agents, the soap will actually be busting open that agent, breaking it apart.”
Firstly, coronaviruses are coated in a layer of fat (known as a lipid envelope) that makes them resistant to just water.
Soap works to break the fat apart and attack the virus cell directly in the same way that washing up liquid works on a greasy pan.
Second, the manual action of rubbing your hands together works to physically scrape and remove the cells from your skin.
If you can’t wash your hands then hand sanitiser is a good secondary option.
Most hand sanitisers have high alcohol content (in fact, you should only use a hand sanitiser if it is a minimum of 62% alcohol) which works in the same way as soap to destroy the lipid membrane.
Research has proven that air cleaning systems can be a useful tool, although filter based passive systems take many hours to be effective, require filters that need to be changed, offer little protection against new contaminants and have low coverage areas.
But the Airius PureAir system with its active natural cleaning agents sterilises the whole space at the same time, effectively improving indoor air quality by removing viruses, dust, mould, bacteria and other airborne pollutants, not just in the air, but also on surfaces.
But can an air purifier stop you getting COVID?
The Airius PureAir range has been tested and shown to be up to 99.9% effective at neutralising the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
As such, the Airius PureAir system is a worthwhile investment for those looking to reopen their buildings as soon as possible amidst the current pandemic, as well as for longer term solutions to the day-to-day challenges of maintaining clean indoor spaces in the fight against illness and allergies.
As an added bonus, the PureAir system also reduces CO2 emissions by 20-50%, recycles the heat produced from machinery and lighting and potentially reduces heating and cooling costs by up to 50%.
Excuse the pun, but environmental issues including global warming are ‘hot topics’ at the moment, particularly with regards to cooling energy consumption. Open any newspaper or switch on the news and you’ll likely find a story about the environmental impact of increased energy usage. Campaign groups including Extinction Rebellion have turned climate change into a political issue, meaning there is increased scrutiny on how much – and what type of – energy we use in our everyday lives.
For businesses, this means facing increasingly stringent energy legislation imposed by the government. ‘Going green’ has never been more relevant. But, instead of viewing energy compliance as a burden on your business, embrace the many benefits that go along with cleaning up your act when it comes to energy usage.
With the country aiming to be carbon free by 2050, now is the perfect time to review your energy spend. We also all have a responsibility to do our bit for the environment and reducing your company’s cooling costs can have a significant impact on your bottom line.
For businesses in the UK and across the globe, hitting environmental targets can offer a number of measurable benefits including slashing your costs by reducing wasted energy, providing efficiency savings, providing a more comfortable working environment and being seen as a leader in your sector when it comes to energy compliance.
According to historical records, the concept of architecture developed as far back as 10,000 BC – yes, over 12,000 years ago! – but it’s only relatively recently that energy efficiency has been taken into consideration when it comes to the design of a building.
Because of this, many older premises are ill-equipped to deal with modern levels of energy consumption. And, with the science behind cooling and heating systems having only been fully understood until the 21st century, reducing your energy costs and emissions, and providing a more comfortable working environment should be considered a priority, especially if your property is not of a modern design.
Modern workspaces are able to take advantage of a wide range of active and passive methods of temperature regulation, but if your business is based in an older building it’s likely that your premises could benefit from a modern technology such as an destratification system to distribute hot and cooled air more efficiently.
Did you know that more air conditioning units actually use as much energy to cool a building as a heating system uses to warm it? In many cases more so, especially in those countries with warmer climates than the UK. Although, with global temperatures warming and summer months getting hotter each year, energy use for cooling in the UK is forecast to increase significantly. Thankfully, our cooling systems provide an effective solution for redistributing cooled or warm air without consuming large amounts of energy. Combined with other forms of energy reducing materials such as thermal insulation, nowadays it’s easy to ‘go green’ whatever the age of your building.
There are a variety of ways in which you can cut your energy spending and lower your carbon emissions, but the best method by far is to make sure the HVAC systems in your workspace are performing at peak efficiency levels.
With many UK businesses using outdated and inefficient air conditioning and HVAC systems, it’s no surprise that this is where up to 70% of a business’s energy budget is typically spent. And, with profit margins increasingly stretched, it’s essential to make changes to your energy systems sooner rather than later.
At Airius, our market-leading destratification fan units provide cost-effective cooling solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes, helping to lower carbon emissions, general running costs and energy usage. Our fully guaranteed energy systems provide energy efficiency savings of up to 40% and work seamlessly alongside all existing HVAC air conditioning and cooling systems.
As well as slashing your energy bills and creating a more productive working environment, by installing an Airius destratification system, you’re essentially future-proofing your business from increasingly stringent energy efficiency legislation.
Destratification and airflow circulation cooling is the process by which air is continuously circulated within a space to balance temperatures. By keeping air continuously moving, spaces benefit from a gentle breeze effect which increases the level of evaporative cooling for occupants. Destratification and airflow circulation cooling systems are also specifically designed using installation height and/or variable speed controls to allow for a heat sink in the ceiling space, so only the cooler air below is circulated.
Airius destratification cooling systems work alongside a wide variety of existing equipment and boost the performance of pre-existing energy systems including air conditioning and HVAC units. By optimising the cool and warm air in your workplace, our units provide stable environmental temperatures, cutting carbon emissions, pollution and energy waste by an average of 35%.
Our cooling and destratification systems are the perfect solution for cutting carbon emissions and pollution. If your workspace has a ceiling height between 2.5 and 38 metres, your premises will benefit from our affordable, industry-leading fan units.
Our destratification systems are quick and simple to install and work in an all shapes and sizes of buildings, from offices to aircraft hangars, to supermarkets and shopping centres. As well as cutting damaging emissions, our cooling systems provide a fresher-feeling and more comfortable environment for both staff and customers.
Buildings without any current air conditioning and HVAC systems can also benefit from the controlled environment produced by a destratification system. By improving air flow circulation, our fans are designed to produce a natural cooling effect of moving air, as well as recycling heat wastage from lighting and other appliances during the heating season.
By re-circulating the air used in your business premises, you can make big savings to your energy expenditure whilst doing your bit for the environment.
Our market leading and fully guaranteed destratification and cooling systems work seamlessly alongside your existing air conditioning and HVAC equipment to reduce C02 emissions and reduce energy costs in your building by an average of 35%.
The many benefits of installing an Airius cooling system, include:
All Airius destratification units require very little ongoing maintenance. They are quick and easy to install and extremely affordable to operate, resulting in a 40% reduction in cooling costs for UK businesses.
Whether you run a small independent business or manage a chain of large stores, an Airius cooling system can benefit your business. Our team of expert fitters will work with you to provide a bespoke installation tailored to your specific wants and needs.
Making a positive environmental impact by maximising your energy efficiency needn’t be as difficult as you may think. Our destratification and cooling systems are designed to make reducing energy wastage in your business as painless as possible.
Whether your business is old or new, improve your bottom line and your green credentials at the same time by installing an Airius destratification and cooling system in your business.
Why not call us now on 01202 554200 to see how we can help you save an average of 35% on your energy expenditure.
In 21st century Britain, we are spending more and more of our time in the home. As technology progresses and working from home becomes more commonplace, it’s increasingly important that our homes are healthy spaces.
One way to ensure this is to look into installing a Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) system into your home.
A Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) system is an advanced domestic appliance that improves the quality of air and reduces levels of contaminants around the home. The technology works by circulating fresh air throughout the home, ensuring there is no build up of damp or contamination that can cause harm to the building and those that live in it.
Condensation is a big issue for Britain’s homeowners, with more than half of British properties experiencing its damaging consequences. Condensation is caused by a build-up of excess moisture in the air which forms damp patches when it hits cool surfaces. This can create damp patches around the home or streaming of water down windows indoors.
This is a common sight in homes particularly throughout the winter months when temperatures tend to drop outside. Even everyday activities in the home such as washing, cooking and drying clothes indoors can add to these moisture levels and create visible markers of condensation throughout the property.
If left untreated, areas of black mould will eventually develop dangerous spores which are released into the air. These can cause a range of health problems for people who breathe them in, such as coughs and sore throats. They can also exacerbate existing respiratory conditions such as asthma and hay fever. A humid environment is also a breeding ground for dust mites, which tend to multiply quickly in these conditions.
Ensuring adequate ventilation is the key to eradicating condensation. By introducing fresh air into the home, the moisture laden stale air within is forced out and the problem is resolved very quickly. But while homes both new and old normally have some level of ventilation such as extractor fans in the bathrooms and kitchens and trickle vents in the windows, many properties still suffer from condensation. A PIV system can help eliminate condensation and stop these nasty effects from occurring.
As well as moisture, there are a range of biological and chemical contaminants which are commonly found in residential properties. Viruses, bacteria, and fungal spores are omni present in badly ventilated homes, as are volatile organic compounds which are given of from cosmetics, perfumes and cleaning products, which can lead to health issues if inhaled.
Radon gas is a contaminant found in the home which can be particularly damaging. The World Health Organisation have even reported that the gas – which naturally occurs in rocks and soil – is a cause of certain types of cancer.
As these substances build-up in the home, it’s important to think about ventilation and maintaining a decent throughput of clean air. This is where a ventilation solution such as a PIV appliance can help, by stopping the accumulation of harmful particulates and pathogens in the home before they become a risk to health.
In the post Covid-19 era, our wellbeing at work and in commercial environments is firmly under the spotlight. Employee safety is at the top of the agenda and businesses are having to look carefully at how healthy their workplaces really are.
Indoor commercial spaces such as open-plan offices, business units and factories have long been breeding grounds for office germs and bugs. Once the infection is introduced into the building it is all too common that is spreads like wild fire and causes misery to those afflicted, as well as significant disruption to the employer.
Now that home working has become the norm for millions up and down the country these same problems need addressing more than ever before. Due to people living and working in their homes the conditions for moisture and contamination levels to rise to previously unprecedented levels are rife. Finding solutions to these issues are essential for us to maintain a healthy and productive living environment, particularly now.
It is an invisible problem but one that has a very visible impact. It can create poor productivity, increase workplace stress and affect the wellbeing of the workforce at what is already an unsettling time.
A Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) system is one easy to install and cost effective solution to the problem of indoor contamination. By ensuring that the stale air inside is replaced by fresh air outside, contamination issues simply do not arise.
The Airius PureAir PIV system draws in air from the outdoors and passes it through a fan, usually located in the loft, into the main household space. Because the air is pressurised through through the fan and pumped into the home, contaminated air is forced out through the natural leakage points and fresh air is maintained throughout the property.
Just one fan will provide adequate ventilation for an entire property for a very modest cost and because the systems are located in the loft of the property, installation is simple and has very few requirements.
The Airius PureAir PIV system also incorporates patented PHI Cell technology from one of the worlds leading air, water and food purification specialists – RGF Environmental, to fully eliminate condensation around the home, reduce allergens, pollutants and radon gas levels, as well as eliminating up to 99%+ of all known viruese, germs and bacteria, including COVID19. It is also an energy efficient product which costs pennies per day to operate. It can be installed in a matter of hours and is proven to save money in the long run. Although the initial cost of a PIV system can be higher than individual extractor fans, the running expenses over time are far lower – and who can put a price on health.
To discuss how the Airius solution can work for you then please call us on 01202 554 200 to find out more.
Most people are familiar with the soothing glow of Himalayan salt lamps, or the refreshing benefits of air purifiers, but research suggests that it is more than the pleasant light or clean air that provides the health benefits these are famous for.
In fact, scientific studies are beginning to find a strong link between the negative ions released by salt lamps and air ionisers, and the mood lifting effects of the devices, which boost serotonin levels, ease anxiety and make you more alert.
Ions are mobile molecules, made up of differing numbers of protons and electrons. An ion can be positively charged (more protons than electrons), or negatively charged (more electrons than protons).
The moving water phenomenon is also found within the home, as the simple act of taking a shower can charge the air in your home with negative ions.
Himalayan salt lamps are also a rich source of negative ions, counteracting the positive ions caused by the electronic devices around your home. Beeswax candles have a similar effect, releasing ions that clean the air and boost the negative ions in the room when burned.
For those looking to maximise the negative ions in their home, an ionic air purifier is a great way to purify the air and boost negative ions. An air purifier like the Airius PureAir Plus has the added benefit of efficiently filtering and reducing airborne contaminants in your home.
Much research has been conducted into the benefits of air ionisation in the home, and scientists can agree on several of the main benefits to your health. These include:
A 2012 study looked at patients with SAD, treating them with different concentrations of negative ions and comparing this with the already well-established bright-light therapy. The study was able to conclude that a high concentration of negative ions were able to reduce the depressive effects of the disorder.
British researchers at the Sports and Exercise Centre in Liverpool tested the effect of negative ions on men in a range of different physiological states. The researchers measured a range of responses, including heart rate, body temperature and respiration, both during exercise and at rest.
The research concluded that negative ions significantly improve all physiological states, particularly during rest, allowing coronary expansion and increased coronary blood flow, improving the function of the heart and markedly improving recovery time.
Another study suggests that negative ion exposure increases cilial activity in the trachea of humans and monkeys, in contrast with positive ion exposure which inhibits it.
The trachea is the passage that takes air to our lungs when we breathe, whilst cilia are tiny, hair-like organelles which work to keep particles from entering the lungs. Uninhibited cilial activity is crucial to keeping contaminants out of the body, meaning that negative ions are able to significantly improve the respiratory health of those exposed to them.
Ionising air purifiers work incredibly well to remove airborne pollutants from an environment. When produced in a room, they attract an array of particles including mould spores, bacteria, dust, pollen, pet dander and even smoke, magnetically attaching themselves to these molecules and making them heavy, so that they drop out of the air and onto the ground or surfaces.
Another factor that makes them ideal for protecting the indoor environment is their ability to alter the molecules that they attract to on a cellular level, effectively rendering dangerous pollutants harmless.
According to research, the Airius PureAir series is able to eliminate up to 99% of all airborne contaminants in just 30 minutes.
Whilst plasma air purifiers have long been installed in medical settings, as the technology improves and the air purifiers get smaller and cheaper to run, it is now possible to enjoy these benefits in all environments.
Where previous iterations of the technology took advantage of the best in cold plasma technology and UV light, the PureAir Plus introduces Bi-Polar Ionisation to create an air purifier that works just as effectively to decrease airborne pollutants, and also doesn’t produce ozone (an issue with some other air purifiers)
Reduces pollutants in the home. Not only does the PureAir Series offer up to 99% protection against airborne contaminants, it has also been proven to provide surface protection. A circulation fan in the unit continuously emits ions into the space, where they attach to and alter harmful germs and bacteria, rendering them inert and safe.
Controls odours. Ions neutralises odours within minutes, providing fresh, clean air 24/7. Refreshes indoor air. The PureAir system pulls fresh air in, purifying it and then replacing the stale indoor air with fresh, filtered outside air.
For more information call us on 01202 554 200 where a member of our team would be pleased to offer further information.
Campaigners across the globe have helped make climate issues not just an environmental issue but also a political one. Because of this, the government is increasingly finding ways to reward businesses who ‘go green’ by reducing their cooling costs.
For any UK business, engaging with environmental issues provides many benefits including building a better brand image, being compliant with ever-tighter energy regulations, becoming more energy efficient and ultimately saving money on energy bills. With the government aiming for the UK to be completely carbon free by 2050, now is the time to get your energy in order and boost your bottom line at the same time.
Up to 70% of a business’s energy budget is typically spent on cooling and heating. By installing an Airius airflow circulation cooling and destratification system, you’re future-proofing your business and reducing potential legislative headaches further down the line.
It won’t come as a surprise that many cooling and heating systems in UK workspaces are inefficient, leading to increased energy bills and uncomfortable working environments. And, with profit margins tighter than ever, it’s important to make changes sooner rather than later.
Destratification is the process of recycling air temperatures within spaces through continuous airflow circulation, to produce more efficient and economical temperature distribution throughout a building.
Maximising the performance of existing cooling and heating systems, airflow circulation cooling and destratification systems are designed to be installed alongside a wide variety of workplace equipment to optimise the distribution of cool or warm air produced, providing stable temperatures and creating a comfortable working environment whatever the season.
At Airius, our expertly engineered systems provide cost-effective cooling solutions for businesses of any shape and size, helping to significantly reduce carbon emissions, running costs and energy consumption. Our fully guaranteed fans provide energy efficiency savings of up to 40% or more (See Bowlplex Testimonial where they made savings of over 70% on their cooling costs) and work seamlessly alongside any existing air conditioning and cooling systems.
Airius airflow cooling and destratification systems are quick and easy to install. On top of this they require very little maintenance and they are extremely affordable to run, providing on average a 40% reduction in cooling costs for your business.
Although simple to set up, our team of energy experts will be happy to work with you on your installation, to help maximise efficiency and savings for your premises.
Whatever industry you’re working in and whatever the type of premises you operate from – whether it’s a factory or warehouse, serviced office block or showroom – we will work with you on a bespoke installation that takes the size, floor plan and type of activity in your business into account. We will also ensure our cooling systems work seamlessly alongside your existing HVAC system.
Despite common preconceptions, destratification systems are not solely designed for optimising heating in large buildings. If your home or office space has a ceiling height ranging from as low as 2.5 metres right up to 38 metres, you will benefit from an Airius airflow circulation cooling and destratification system. So, whether you work from a converted shed or an aircraft hangar, you can take advantage of our market-leading cooling products.
What’s more, despite ‘destratification’ being a somewhat complicated, technical term, our destratification and airflow cooling fans are very simple to install and installation can be carried out by any local electrician.
Even those buildings without existing cooling systems will benefit from a fresher-feeling environment and the natural Evaporative Cooling effect of circulating air during those hot and sticky summer months. So much so that in some cases customers have fully decommissioned Air Conditioning systems, resulting in a 100% saving on their cooling costs (See Tiso Testimonial).
Any successful business knows that reducing costs is one of the most important factors when it comes to maximising revenue. By recycling the air used in your premises, you can easily achieve this by improving your energy efficiency and helping stave off soaring energy prices.
Airius airflow circulation cooling and destratification systems offer the perfect solution for helping to achieve this. Our range of market-leading and fully guaranteed fans re-circulate the cool or warm air generated by your existing air-conditioning, cooling or heating systems, making sure temperatures are evenly distributed throughout your building.
Some of the many benefits of installing an Airius airflow circulation cooling system include:
Destratification and airflow cooling systems can help make your business more energy efficient as well as significantly reducing costs. On top of this, they can also help reduce your carbon footprint and make for a more comfortable working environment.
Airius provide efficient and effective destratification and airflow circulation cooling systems for a wide range of customers both big and small, including leading high streets brands such as Morrisons and LUSH cosmetics.
Why not call us now on 01202 554200 to see how we can help you save between 20-50% on your energy expenditure.
Plasma is often called “the fourth state of matter”, alongside solid, liquid and gas. It is referred to in this way thanks to its unique properties, mirroring the way that other states are able to change form from one to the other.
For example, a solid, when heated, can melt into a liquid, and a liquid brought to a boil changes into a gas. When a gas is heated it will form a plasma, which is made up of positively and negatively charged particles known as ions.
Because it is made up of charged ions, plasma is an electrically conductive matter, that responds well to magnetic and electric fields – although it has no overall charge of its own. Some plasmas can be generated to have an overall charge (positive or negative), and these will be made up of pure electron, ion, positron or antiproton plasmas.
Although not always the case, most plasmas will be created by heating a gas to intense temperatures. Scientists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider set a record in 2012, creating a plasma that reached 5.5 trillion degrees Celsius (9.9 trillion degrees Fahrenheit). For context, the temperature at the centre of the Sun is thought to be around 9 billion degrees Celsius.
This heat-generated plasma can be found in everyday life in a range of places including:
However, not every plasma is hot.
Cold plasma is made up of the same elements, but the temperature of the individual parts are different from each other. Electrons are always at an extremely high temperature, but the neutral atoms remain at room temperature in this case. With cold plasma, the amount of electrons in the plasma is far lower than the density of the neutral atoms, leaving the overall temperature low.
To illustrate, a fluorescent bulb (made up of standard plasma) contains electrons that are very hot (around 20,000 kelvins). However, the lamp is not hot to the touch because the number of electrons in the lamp are far less than the volume of the air at room temperature. This principle is how cold plasma works..
As briefly mentioned before, heat-generated plasma is used in neon signs and fluorescent lights, as well as in televisions.
Cold plasma has a wide variety of applications, in a range of different fields. It is used in air and water purification, as well as in food production and packing within the food industry.
Biomedicine utilises plasma for the treatment of teeth and skin, as well as to sterilise medical instruments and devices. Cold plasma requires only a very low heat capacity, ensuring its continued preference in various industries and applications.
Air purification is one of the most popular and effective uses of cold plasma. It works by separating ions into negative and positive, energising them to attract their opposite due to the laws of polarity.
Sent out into any space, these ions will latch onto airborne contaminants as they snap back together, changing them at a cellular level so that they are no longer dangerous.
This process is extremely effective, neutralising up to 99% of all indoor allergens, bacteria, viruses and VOCs, without the harmful generation of ozone.
It is common knowledge that it is difficult to clean indoor air effectively, and that spaces without adequate ventilation tend to be a hotbed of airborne pollutants that can be damaging to the health and wellbeing of inhabitants.
Large buildings full of people (such as schools, offices, hospitals and retail stores), often have hefty air conditioning systems to control the climate and keep people comfortable. But these systems just compound the problem, circulating the air around from room to room, and effectively spreading these contaminants around.
Whilst HEPA filters can be added to these systems to reduce the number of pollutants in the air, it is not very effective. The filter catches and holds bacteria, viruses and VOCs, making removal of filters difficult, and the air has to pass through the filter first before it can be cleaned.
This means that people coughing, talking or otherwise bringing contaminants in from outside are able to spread these through the room before the filter can take care of them.
Cold plasma is an active way of purifying the air, as when the ions leave the device and circulate in the air, they neutralise contaminants on contact and ensure a safe living space for everyone in the vicinity.
Cold plasma is also safe for uninterrupted use in any environment. Where UV air purifiers are notorious for producing dangerous ozone and formaldehyde as by-products of the process, cold plasma ion generators do not.
The Airius PureAir+ NPBI is the ideal air purifier for large buildings, combining Bi-Polar Ionization (BPI), a targeted form of cold plasma purification, with a highly efficient fan to quickly disperse ions throughout the room, ensuring far more effective cleaning of the air.
Airius has a wellbeing-focused approach to air purification, creating a process that uses cold plasma methods to recreate the way that nature cleans the air. Negative ions are found in nature in places like mountains and by the ocean, and it is this clean, refreshing air that the Airius PureAir+ NPBI series is designed to produce in any environment.
The active process means that the air is cleaned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on a continuous basis, and research trials found that not only can the purifier keep the air clean, but virus particles from a sneeze could be stopped within three feet.
For any business, home or retail environment, the Airius PureAir+ NPBI is the ideal choice to manage the health and wellness of customers, staff and family.
To find out more, or if you have any questions, please call us on 01202 554 200 or visit us at www.airius.co.uk.
Ions in the air are understood to play a big part in how clean and refreshing the air around us feels, but not many people are aware of their positive health benefits.
Before we talk about this, what exactly is an ion? An ion is an electrically-charged molecule in the air, formed when a gaseous atom receives enough energy to eject one of its electrons. Positive ions are those that lose an electron, whilst negative ions gain one.
This process conducts a small amount of electricity, that leads to a ‘charged’ feeling in the atmosphere.
As a measurable example of this, the proportion of ions in the air is the highest around areas of moving water such as waterfalls, rivers and by the sea, in high altitudes like the mountains, and during thunderstorms.
Compare this with the places with the lowest proportion of ions – in windowless rooms and airtight moving vehicles – and it is probably easy to understand, if not verbalise, how the presence of ions affects the air.
High concentrations of ions are associated with feeling energized, productive and refreshed, whilst concentrations below 100 ions/cm3 are understood to cause headaches, fatigue and lack of motivation.
It is useful to think about thunderstorms when attempting to understand the benefits of ions. Prior to a thunderstorm, people will often comment that the air feels ‘heavy’. This is due to a variety or factors such as air pressure and humidity, but also the amount of ozone in the air which is itself related to the concentration of ions in the atmosphere.
A thunderstorm releases huge electrical discharges that release high concentrations of ions and it is these ions that are responsible for the clean, fresh air that you are aware of after a storm.
This “sense” of cleanliness is not just a feeling, it is also a scientific fact. Ions do actually cleanse the air and make it safer for us to breathe it by removing all sort of nasty pathogens and contaminants.
There are many different technologies on the market that attempt to produce ions in order to naturally clean and purify the air inside buildings. Three of the most successful are Bi-Polar Ionization (BPI), Photohydroionisation (PHI) and cold plasma purification.
These charged ions are created and emitted into the space where the devices are located and attach themselves to biological and chemical contaminants, chemically altering the molecular structure of each atom to form new, harmless molecules.
This treated air is free to circulate in the room, and since any dangerous particles or pathogens have been altered by the generated ions, they are no longer dangerous, and the air is clean and healthy to breathe continuously.
Bi-Polar ion generators work by applying a very high voltage to a specially engineered metallic needle. This results in the generation of huge amounts of ions which circulate out into the surrounding space, and which attach to any dangerous particles and chemically neutralise them.
Another ‘active‘ technology that ensures continuous cleaning of the atmosphere, PHI uses broad spectrum HE/UV light which is projected onto a catalyst and results in the formation of hydroperoxides, a particular type of ion that cleanses the air in exactly the same way as the other technologies mentioned here.
Basically another term for BPI, cold plasma is known as the ‘fourth state of matter’ and has been used for air purification since the 1930s.
One of the benefits of cold plasma bi-polar ionization is the fact that it does not produce any ozone, making it safe for continuous air purification in any populated building.
Since the global outbreak of COVID-19, scientists and researchers have been working hard to find ways to limit the spread of the virus. Studies seem to indicate that human coronaviruses including SARS and COVID-19 are able to live on surfaces for much longer than first thought – up to nine days – without disinfection measures.
What is understood, though, is that the virus can be deactivated using certain surface disinfection compounds. The most effective are those containing 62-71% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite, which effectively neutralise the virus within just 1 minute.
Increasing the concentration of ions in the air, using one of the technologies listed in this blog, results in the same benefits of the disinfection methods listed above, but in safe concentrations that destroy these dangerous pathogens, whilst still remaining safe for humans to breathe in 24 hours a day.
Other forms of air purifiers rely on UV-C light, filters that merely trap the virus, or produce an unacceptable amount of ozone, making these methods unsuitable for a safe and clean living or working environment.
In a presentation from Better Air Indoors, it is explained how a sneeze test was able to prove the unique capabilities of PHI technology in destroying airborne contaminants.
In the study, it was found that 99% of all germs emitted from the test subject, travelling at 100mph, were killed before they had travelled 3 feet.
This ability is unique to this type of technology as it is so efficiently circulated via the fan system present in devices like the Airius PureAir. It is easy to visualise why an effective air purification device needs not only needs to effectively generate ions, but also ensure they are distributed evenly throughout the living space. Without a fan assisting the circulation process, the ions merely spread slowly through diffusion, resulting in inefficient and uneven cleansing of the surrounding air.
Researchers agreed that there is no passive technology capable of killing viruses and bacteria this effectively.
The Airius PureAir series is already a favourite amongst businesses and those running large workspaces, thanks to its ability to generate 24/7 air purification. The PureAir Plus is the next step forward in this technology, using cold plasma BPI to ensure that there is also no ozone generated by the process, creating an entirely healthy and safe way to purify the air.
Whilst chemical disinfectants do work to neutralise pollutants on surfaces and in the air, people are more aware than ever of the dangers of allowing unnatural chemicals and cleaners onto and into their bodies.
Using technology in place of chemicals as a way to ensure a clean environment and fresh, pure air offers businesses a way to protect staff and customers, keep food preparation areas sanitary and even boost workplace productivity!
That’s why we suggest the PureAir Plus as the natural choice for any growing business in the wake of the global pandemic.
TrustFord, the world’s largest, dedicated Ford dealer group, is installing Airius Destratification Fan Systems as part of its new car showroom build initiative. The installation also comes as part of a major refit programme which involves replacing old A/C units. Most car showrooms have a common design of high ceilings and glass walls which are notoriously costly to heat, in turn creating poor internal environmental conditions for both staff and customers.
TrustFord has invested in Airius fans, which solve these issues by balancing temperatures within the showrooms and constantly maintaining the required temperature at floor level, as well as reducing heating costs.
If you would like to start saving with Airius then simply click here to get in touch and a member of our team would be happy to discuss your application.
Businesses have long understood the benefit of a clean and healthy workspace in encouraging productivity and discouraging absence, but with the outbreak of COVID-19 this year, health and safety measures are tighter than ever before.
Alongside extra measures including hand sanitizing stations, social distancing and thorough cleaning regimens, one of the ways in which companies are looking out for the health of their employees is in improving the quality of the air in the building.
Bi-Polar Ionisation (BPI) is one of the technologies that is experiencing a huge upsurge in popularity, as concerns rise about the dangers of stale air in workspaces.
But this concept is anything but new.
It was Albert Einstein that first recognised the potential benefits of BPI, after his sister fell ill with tuberculosis. On taking her to a hospital in the Swiss Alps, Einstein noted that the improved climate high in the Alps seemed to have a marked effect on her recovery.
After his sister fully recovered, Einstein investigated further, theorising that it was the conductivity in the air that created such a beneficial environment. Working with his friend Conrad Habicht, Einstein’s theory was combined with Habicht’s engineering skill to invent a device that was able to mimic the natural conductivity of the air in the Alps.
The product of this is negative ions, and this ionised air is responsible for the clean and crisp feeling of the air in the mountains, as well as in places where two bodies of water collide – such as a waterfall.
When thinking about the idea of suppressing viruses and bacteria, it is important to understand how viruses are transmitted in the first place.
When a person is infected with a virus, that virus is present in the tiny droplets that they emit when they sneeze, cough or even talk. Larger droplets can be propelled up to two metres by a cough or sneeze, and if this lands on an uninfected person’s face, hands or mouth, they could easily contract the virus too.
Smaller droplets called aerosols are also emitted during a cough or sneeze, and these fine particles form a spray that can remain airborne for hours. Anyone walking through the resulting ‘cloud’ could easily contract the virus.
BPI works by creating positive (H+) and negative (O2-) ions. These ions are able to attract virus molecules, surrounding the surface proteins and altering them.
This works on two levels. First, it makes the atoms too heavy to remain in the air, helping them to drop to the ground or surfaces. Second, by changing the structure of each virus particle on a molecular level, even if the particles do then enter the body of an uninfected person, the virus is no longer active and able to infect them.
Whilst there are other methods of capturing and containing coronavirus particles, many of these methods are passive technologies, such as HEPA filters, that simply catch the dangerous virus in the device and require the air to be passed through it to be effective.
BPI is far more effective because it is an active technology, that essentially “seeks out” and destroys the particles where they are.
Speaking to Business Insider, Philip Tierno, a clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at the NYU School of Medicine, said: “The ions produce a chemical reaction on the cell membrane surface that inactivates the virus. It can reduce 99.9% of microbes in a matter of minutes.”
So confident is Tierno in the BPI technology that he installed Bi-Polar Ionisation in his own home, citing the efficiency of the process as his reasoning.
“It’s continuous disinfection that does not involve your direct intervention. In other words, something that’s passive. I do nothing” he said.
He also believes that the process is essential in the fight against the coronavirus. Where standard air filtration systems have filters that are able to trap almost 100% of the damaging particles in the air: “So, the air coming out will be cleaner air — but as other people are there around you, they’re still spewing out virus. The difference between that and bipolar ionisation is that [BPI] is continuous — It’s already in the air.”
As mentioned before, Bi-Polar Ionisation is nothing new. Used for many decades throughout Europe, it was found to be effective during 2004’s SARS outbreak, and has been used across Europe and the US to ensure the safety of food processing and manufacturing plants since the 1970s.
Now, as scientists theorise that it is likely that the coronavirus is airborne, making it crucial to use an active form of air purification to eradicate it even in populated environments, the need for this type of air purification cannot be overstated.
As Tierno explains: “The possibility of aerosolized spread of COVID-19 and the ability of particles to hang in the air for extended periods of time would make the consideration of an active air-cleaning strategy even more prudent,”
So why isn’t BPI more widely used already?
Some ionizers are understood to generate ozone, which can be harmful to humans in certain quantities. Since the discovery of BPI and the development of air purification devices, scientists and engineers have been working hard to combine ozone-free BPI with existing air purification systems to ensure the safety of the technology for constant use.
The Airius PureAir series has long been championing Photohydroionisation technology, using their renowned PHI Cell in air purification systems to achieve the fantastic levels of air cleaning and odour control that consumers expect from the brand.
The Airius PureAir Plus is the latest upgrade of this technology, which brings in BPI to ensure a new level of efficiency and effectiveness to the system, with a focus on removing ozone production entirely.
Whilst low levels of ozone are thought to be harmless, BPI technology cuts the risk altogether, creating a healthy environment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in any building.
Whilst any device from the PureAir system is beneficial for clean air production, this newest version is an exciting development in the fight against COVID-19.
For more information, please visit www.airius.co.uk or call us on 01202 554 200 where a member of our team would be pleased to offer further information.
How can you protect a care home community from the threat of bacterial and viral infections?
Even the most diligent cleaning and disinfection routines cannot completely remove microorganisms from the air and surfaces – which are continually being replaced by coughs, sneezes and contaminated hands.
At the Tandara Lodge care home community, managers were keen to find ways to reduce the annual occurrence of influenza outbreaks and protect their residents from seasonal diseases.
Airius fans are typically used for destratification & circulation, but can also be factory-fitted with the latest in purification PHI cell technology from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification systems.. This technology charges the air with particles that neutralise bacteria, viruses and volatile organic compounds in the air and surfaces. Because Airius systems are designed to run 24/7, the benefits of the PureAir Series is profound.
With PureAir, the air is continually replenished with cleansing particles. This reduces the volume of pathogens that can exist in the air and on surfaces by up to 99%.
The PureAir PhotoHydroIonisation (PHI) Cell manufactured by RGF Environmental, is a kind of UV light that emits advanced oxidation plasma. Included as part of a fan system, the PHI cell distributes hydro-peroxides, superoxide ions and hydroxide ions throughout the space, neutralising 99% of micro-organisms in the air and on surfaces.
Choosing an Airius PureAir Series destratification fan is a simple way to reduce bacteria, viruses and odours in your environment.
Multiple studies have been conducted on RGF PHI Cell technology and they are widely approved for use to control airborne and surface-based bacteria, viruses, smoke and odours.
Airius fans are commonly used to balance temperatures in a wide variety of environments – from care homes to warehouses.
Adding an Airius PureAir Series destratification fan is a simple way to continually clean the air, creating a safer and healthier environment for your residents, colleagues and visitors..
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) has long been a significant occupational hazard, especially in commercial environments such as offices and factories. The syndrome comprises of a number of non-specific symptoms of ill health that affect the frequent occupants of the building.
SBS is typically suspected when people who occupy a particular building, or space in a building, become unwell again and again. They may suffer from acute or chronic symptoms that appear to be linked directly to time spent in the building in question. Usually, most of the individuals suspected of suffering with SBS report a relief in their symptoms soon after leaving the premises.
Our wellbeing at work and the health of commercial environments is under scrutiny like never before due to the Covid 19 crises. For many businesses, employee safety has been catapulted to the top of the agenda and companies are having to look carefully at how healthy their workplaces really are.
The Covid-19 crisis is a good opportunity for commercial property owners to look at the impact their buildings are having on their staff. After all, a healthy workforce means a healthy business.
Sick Building Syndrome was first identified in the 1970s and it is thought to occur due to chemical and biological contaminants that are present impacting the health of those on the premises. Even though it has a definition, it has no single defined cause apart from the occupants of the building being subject to symptoms that develop when they are present but go away when they leave.
Much like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) – it is a condition that is primary diagnosed by the presence of a range of symptoms rather than the presence of a causative pathogen or chemical. As such its existence as a defined medical condition is somewhat controversial.
Regardless of the arguments that exist around the classification of the condition itself, the suffering these symptoms cause is very real as is the impact on businesses of the working days lost to it.
While many business owners have heard of Sick Building Syndrome, they may not have considered the impact the condition can have on the productivity of staff and ultimately profits.
Research shows that maintaining a healthy environment is a major factor in terms of maintaining wellbeing in the office and studies have proven that high rates of Sick Building Syndrome reduce business productivity and efficiency.
This is due to the physical symptoms that the syndrome causes, including drowsiness, high levels of fatigue and lack of concentration. It’s no surprise that workers are less productive in these environments and are also more likely to require time off work due to ill health.
As well as the impact on workforce, Sick Building Syndrome can also have huge financial consequences on a businesses’ profit margins. Recent research suggests that Sick Building Syndrome is already costing US businesses up to $58bn a year in illness-related absenteeism, and that a $200bn a year is being lost in profits as a direct result of poor air quality.
There’s also evidence to suggest a drive for clean air is a smart investment for businesses. The financial benefits to be had from making ventilation improvements is up to 17 times greater than the initial investment in the technology, according to research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
There isn’t one singular cause of Sick Building Syndrome. Rather, there are a range of factors internal and external to a commercial property that could increase the risk of Sick Building Syndrome – from common pollutants such as carbon monoxide entering from outside, or from internal contamination due to mould or asbestos, or the presence of volatile organic compounds that are released from cleaning products or other chemicals used in the day to day working of the business.
More often than not, Sick Building Syndrome is down to a combination of various different factors. For many business spaces these will include poorly maintained air conditioning systems and humidifiers, dust and fabric fibres circulating through the air, and the increase in hot-desking and open plan working. In some buildings even the paints, furniture and carpet fibres can emit volatile organic compounds and other unhealthy chemicals.
As well at the indoor hazards, some airborne contaminants might also originate from the outdoors – for example, from vehicle exhaust fumes or plumbing vents which enter the property through windows and other openings. Commercial spaces in urban areas and cities also tend to be impacted by pollutants from busy roads and nearby buildings.
In addition to these causes, biological contaminants such as pollen, viruses and spores can also pose health risks and lead to Sick Building Syndrome.
Although Sick Building Syndrome may appear to be an invisible problem, it has a very visible impact. Its symptoms are hugely varied and include headaches, eye and throat irritation, dizziness, nausea dry and itchy skin, rashes or even breathing problems, asthma attacks and personality changes. They can also vary from person to person, with some people being more susceptible than others.
In many cases, Sick Building Syndrome can be tricky to identify as people will often mistake their symptoms for a cold or flu as the symptoms are so similar. In environments where people are exposed to contaminants for extended periods, Sick Building Syndrome can also lead to more serious health issues.
One of the best ways to lower the risk of Sick Building Syndrome in commercial spaces Is to improve ventilation and reduce the sources of the contaminants. Opening the windows and letting in fresh air is an obvious way to improve natural circulation from the outdoors.
However, many commercial buildings often don’t have windows that open, and are also based in busy urban environments where the air outside is also badly polluted.
To reduce the levels of humidity circulating in the air, it is important to regularly clean up any wet or damp areas as these can become potential breeding grounds for mould and mildew. Identifying and repairing leaks or areas of standing water can also reduce the risk of biological particles and harmful spores getting into the air.
Although these steps are useful short-term fixes, a more long-term solution is to invest in technology to quickly and constantly remove all contaminants from the building. These systems pump out fresh air and circulate it around the building and in doing so remove harmful substances such as mould, bacteria, and viruses.
One of the best and convenient products on the market to reduce the risk of Sick Building Syndrome is the Airius PureAir series of PHI destratification fans. These fans offer the very latest in advanced active PHI air purification technology, manufactured by RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification and can reduce viruses, bacteria and gases by up to 99%, as well as mould and odours by over 90%.
RGF’s patented PHI cell technology creates and emits hydroperoxides, also known as ‘mother Nature’s Cleaning Agent’, into the internal air space. These invisible particles oxidise all manner of biological and chemical contaminants, rendering them instantly harmless to anyone occupying the building. Not only do they destroy these invisible threats in the air itself, they also eliminate them on any surfaces on which they are present.
The Airius PureAir series is also a cost-effective solution for many commercial spaces. The product is already installed in thousands of commercial spaces across the UK, from open-plan offices to care homes and dental surgeries – and in these locations the instances of Sick Building Syndrome have been significantly reduced.
Following the recent launch of Airius Electrical, our own in-house Electrical Contracting Team offering customers a full destratification system purchase and installation service, as well as the full range of electrical contracting services, we would like to share some customer feedback from a recently completed project for Rolls Royce at their Filton facility.
Rolls Royce were aiming to reduce their heating costs and improve comfort for occupants within the building and contacted Airius following multiple successes with the Airius system at other facilities within the Group. The system required installation of 76 model 45 Airius units, which were installed by the Airius in-house Installations Team, working alongside global Facilities Management Company MITIE.
“Once the project date had been agreed Airius/Mitie Project Team (Paul/Jason) were excellent throughout and worked alongside MTM to deliver ON TIME” commented Rolls Royce Manufacturing Services Leader at Filton Tracy Moore.
“Their attention to detail throughout the installation was of a very high standard and communication was regular and precise which enabled Man Services team to cascade effectively and clearly. WELL DONE TO ALL INVOLVED.”
Airius Electrical are dedicated to delivering the highest possible standard with all our projects and we are very happy to have such feedback from an organisation so synonymous with excellence.
If you have any Electrical Contracting requirements and would like a quote for your next project contact Airius Electrical now on electrical@airius.co.uk or call on 01202 554200.
There is nothing more essential than the air we breathe in keeping us alive and healthy. But as well as life giving oxygen, air is the medium through which we are exposed to millions of bacteria and viruses every day, as well as dangerous fumes from all manner of chemical hazards.
In today’s post-Covid19 world, people are spending more time indoors than ever before. The pandemic means that more of us are working and entertaining at home, often in houses and apartments that are stuffy and badly ventilated. This poor air quality can then create a breeding ground for bugs to flourish and harmful vapours to accumulate to dangerous levels. After a time this can result in a condition known as Sick Building Syndrome.
Sick Building Syndrome was first identified in the 1970s and has developed into a complex health issue which can affect people of all ages. It occurs when chemical and biological contaminants circulating through buildings are inhaled by humans and subsequently manifest into a range of illnesses and conditions, from the common cold to more severe breathing problems.
In the past, Sick Building Syndrome has been typically associated with open plan office spaces where hundreds of co-workers would be breathing recycled air circulated through old-fashioned ventilation units. But more recent research shows that Sick Building Syndrome also be caused by contaminated air in residential properties.
The causes behind this can be wide and varied, from poor drainage systems in modern city centre apartments to the circulation of fungal spores in traditional period properties, but the syndrome is almost always exacerbated by poor ventilation which allow contamination to build up over time. And because this adulterated air has a tendency to circulate quickly, from room to room or even building to building, it is often tricky to treat.
There isn’t one singular cause of Sick Building Syndrome. Rather, there are a range of activities inside and outside a residential property that could spark a case of Sick Building Syndrome in the home – from microwave radiation to smoke from a wood-burning stove. The most common causes, however, do tend to be the spread of chemical contaminants within the building.
These might originate from the outdoors – such as from vehicle exhaust fumes and plumbing vents which enter the property through windows and other openings. Properties in urban areas can be particularly impacted by pollutants from other busy roads, nearby buildings, and industrial businesses.
Alternatively, these chemical contaminants might originate from indoor sources – even from the use of everyday substances in the home such as cleaning products, adhesives, and upholstery disinfectants. These products can sometimes emit volatile organic compounds which can cause serious health conditions if they are consumed at high levels.
The current fashion for wood-burning stoves, scented candles, oil burning diffusers and incense is also increasing the risk of potentially harmful emissions in the home. Even home scents such as air fresheners and perfumes have been proven to contain volatile organic compounds – meaning that masking an unwelcome scent can actually make the problem worse.
In addition to these causes, biological contaminants such as pollen, viruses and spores can also pose health risks. Without adequate ventilation and sanitation these bugs tend to cause reoccurring infections, making it difficult to ensure a healthy living space and often leading to a case of permanent Sick Building Syndrome.
The symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome are hugely varied and include headaches, eye and throat irritation, dizziness, nausea, dry and itchy skin, rashes or even breathing problems and asthma attacks. They can develop as new symptoms, or even worsen pre-existing conditions such as asthma and hayfever. As the symptoms tend to become more serious the longer the person is in the building, it is important to take steps to reduce the risk factors to stay fit and healthy.
One of the best ways to lower the risk of Sick Building Syndrome in the home is to keep indoor air quality to as fresh and clean as possible. This might involve opening windows regularly to improve ventilation or going outside to take in some fresh air at regular intervals.
By allowing fresh air to circulate throughout the home, the air quality will dramatically improve. At the same time, it’s also wise to reduce the use of cigarettes, candles and incense in the house and maintain a high level of cleanliness of regular sanitising of all surfaces and upholstery.
Of course, sometimes opening the windows and going for walks isn’t always a practical option. There might be external pollutants which could enter the home from outdoors, or heat loss during winter might be too much of an issue.
In many cases, a more convenient and long-term approach to keeping the air clean is to invest in an air purification system which quickly and constantly removes all contaminants – such as mould, bacteria, and viruses – from the air. These types of fans use specialist technology to improve air quality and provide indoor home environments with odour-free and breathable air.
One of the best and most convenient products on the market to reduce the risk of Sick Building Syndrome is the Airius PureAir purification system with its integrated PHI Cell technology from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification. This offers the very latest in advanced active air purification technology and reduces viruses, bacteria, and harmful gases by up to 99%+, as well as mould and odours by over 90%, creating clean, healthy, and odour-free indoor spaces.
The Airius PureAir fan is perfect for residential homes as it continuously purifies the air and also regulates airflow circulation, reducing or eliminating damp and mould problems. It is an ideal solution for people who are looking for extra protection in their homes and wanting to keep their household clean and free of bugs, damp and mould.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put health at the top of the agenda and with people spending more time at home than ever before, the Airius PureAir PIV Series can provide the peace of mind that everyone is safe and breathing air that is pure and healthy.
To discuss how the Airius PureAir system can keep your house a healthy and happy home then please call us on 01202 554 200 to find out more.
Many people will name beaches, mountains or waterfalls as the natural habitats where they feel most at peace. It is easy to chalk this up to beautiful surroundings, but scientists think they’ve found another answer – negative ions.
Negative ions are invisible molecules that have been charged with electricity, and they can be found in large amounts in the air in certain environments. They are completely imperceptible to humans, but when inhaled, they produce a biochemical reaction in the bloodstream that some researchers believe have a number of positive effects.
This explains why people feel a wave of relaxation, or even euphoria, in these locations. The air circulating near waterfalls, in the mountains, or on the beach, is charged with tens of thousands of these negative ions. Meanwhile, indoor environments such as your home or office have far less – in some cases none at all.
In nature, negative ions are created in several ways, such as:
Whilst advocates of negative ionisation believe that an ionised atmosphere can do everything from curing depression to lowering blood pressure, there is still not enough research available to substantiate all of these claims.
Research to date has, however, unequivocally been able to prove that exposure to negative ions:
It is posited, but still not incontrovertibly proven that negative ions are responsible for:
A 2013 study of scientific literature on negative ionization was not able to ascertain a link between ionisation and mental health in general – but was able to note a consistent effect on people suffering from depression.
This study showed that high levels of exposure to negative ions (exposure over a period of several hours) caused people with depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) to record significantly better scores on their depression symptoms surveys.
The study also found that just a short amount of time exposed to negative ions was enough to positively affect people diagnosed with SAD.
A later study of ionisation literature, catalogued in 2018 and taking into account 100 years of studies, was able to better understand how negative ions work across the entire breadth of human health.
This study concluded that negative ionisation was able to:
Whilst all of this sounds positive, why would people go to the trouble of buying and installing an ioniser in their home or office, as opposed to just, say, opening a window or buying some plants?
Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research and director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C, believes that increased negative ions can help human beings to function better, in the environments where they spend the most time. “Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy,” he says.
“They also may protect against germs in the air, resulting in decreased irritation due to inhaling various particles that make you sneeze, cough, or have a throat irritation.”
Whilst not everyone is susceptible to the effects of negative ions, at least one in three of us is, and for these people the lift in mood and energy can be hugely beneficial.
Mr Howard, speaking to WebMD, explains how you can tell if you are sensitive to ions, and why an office ioniser is a better choice than an air conditioner.
“You may be [affected by ions] if you feel sleepy when you are around an air-conditioner, but feel immediately refreshed and invigorated when you step outside or roll down the car window,” he said.
Howard added: “Air conditioning depletes the atmosphere of negative ions, but an ion generator re-releases the ions that air conditioners remove.”
As mentioned above, an ioniser is useful for boosting the mood, mental health and even sleep patterns of some people. However this is not the only reason that the Airius PureAir incorporates ionisation in order to purify the air.
Ionisers are able to purify both air and surfaces of harmful pollutants such as bacteria, viruses, dust, pet dander, pollen and mould, amongst others. Using the latest in Photohydroionisation (PHI) Cell technology from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, the PureAir efficiently neutralises up to 99% of all harmful airborne contaminants.
Most air ionisers use electricity to create negative ions, releasing them into the air so that they can attach to positively charged particles such as bacteria, mould, dust and allergens. These positive ions bond firmly with the negative ions (in the same way that a magnet works), forming much more dense particles that are then too heavy to hang in the air. These heavier particles fall to the ground or onto surfaces where they can be removed by dusting, vacuuming and mopping.
The Airius PureAir takes this process a step further, emitting ‘Ionised Hydroperoxides’ from the integrated PHI Cell. These effectively bond with the positive molecules and destroy the bacteria at the same time, meaning that there is no harmful element left on surfaces or the ground when taken from the air.
For those worried about specific viruses, bacterias and mould spores, this creates more confidence in your home or office environment. Not only this, but the PureAir System works 24/7 to circulate this clean air throughout the environment, so the air is cleaner, healthier, and more beneficial to the human beings residing there.
Why not get in touch with us by calling 01202 554 200 or sending us an email at info@airius.co.uk to find out about our range of PHI fans could help you.
Our last post covered why thermal comfort is important in the workplace, this post goes into more detail about the six basic factors of thermal comfort.
Firstly lets start with some interesting facts.
Fact: Thermal discomfort caused by air conditioning is the UK Building Research Establishment’s biggest climate control complaint.Fact: 74% of British workers argue with colleagues over air conditioning.Fact: 72% of British workers feel their office never gets the temperature right, making them feel uncomfortable, cold and unproductive.
The HSE states thermal comfort should be measured in ‘six basic factors’ which can either be independent of each other, or combine to create thermal discomfort. They are broken down into environmental factors and personal factors.
Environmental factors: Simply put, environmental factors are things that affect the indoor environment you are in. They include the following:
Air temperature – The temperature of the air surrounding your body.
Radiant temperature – Thermal radiation is the heat that radiates from a warm object; radiators, electric fires, furnaces, ovens, cookers, dryers, machinery, the sun, etc.
Air velocity -One of the most important factors in relation to thermal comfort because people are sensitive to air movement patterns. Air velocity is the speed at which air moves across a person e.g. cooler air moving at a faster rate may cool a worker down, while still, heated air may make people feel stuffy. Equally important is the fact that air causes draughts – if the air temperature is less than skin temperature, it will increase heat loss through the skin, even when the system is in heat mode.
Humidity – Relative humidity is the ratio between the actual amount of water vapour in the air and the maximum amount of water vapour that the air can hold at that air temperature. The more relative humidity in the air (i.e. the higher the ratio), the harder it is to sweat as humidity prevents the evaporation of sweat from the skin.
Personal factors: These are factors which are individual to you:
Clothing insulation –Thermal comfort is directly affected by the clothes you wear. Clothing interferes with our ability to lose heat to the environment. Wearing too much clothing or PPE will make you too hot, wearing clothing with inadequate insulation in colder temperatures will make you too cold. Therefore clothing can both cause and control thermal comfort.
Work rate/metabolic heat – The more physical work you do, the more heat you produce – those in physical jobs may be more likely to experience heat stress than those who have sedentary, office based roles. In addition, factors such as your weight, size, age, fitness level and sex can all have an impact on how hot or cold you personally feel.
Adapting to avoid thermal discomfort
Where possible, employees should be allowed to adapt their situation to the thermal environment:
However, this may not always be possible – invariably people will work in an environment which is a product of their job e.g. the receptionist will work in an environment where the door constantly opens and closes leaving them exposed to the outside elements. The GP will work in a reasonably small room, mostly static at their desk, with room temperatures higher than you would expect in an office environment (they also have to deal with airborne viruses and bacteria). Office layout will also affect people’s abilities to move to hotter or colder areas of the building, or move away from draughts.
So what can you do about it? Contact Airius and a member of the team will be happy to discuss your thermal comfort with you in more detail.
Airius are air circulation experts specialising in destratification. Having over 10 years experience and an impressive client base helping SME’s to Blue Chip companies such as; John Lewis, Jaguar, Boots, Morrisons and Marks and Spencers, make real reductions in their energy usage and carbon emissions.
The use of air ionisers in the home has become more prevalent in recent years thanks to their ability to purify the air and provide a healthier and more refreshing living environment.
However, air ionisers are not only useful in home environments. Offices, server rooms and high tech settings can benefit greatly from the use of air ionisation, as ionisers work to eliminate the static build-up that is prevalent in these settings. As technology advances, electronic components are becoming more static electricity-sensitive. This static electricity builds up on computer equipment, products, and surfaces, and can cause problems if not tackled.
Static is a particular problem in server rooms and other high tech settings as a discharge that affected a critical component could quickly cause a cascade of issues that may result in site wide disruption that could be catastrophic if not resolved quickly.
Static, or electrostatic discharge (ESD), is caused by friction. Any object rubbing against another object can cause static, and it can also be generated by the simple action of one surface touching another, and then separating.
Insulating mediums such as plastic are more likely to cause static than conductive materials, but it can be generated by any material under the right circumstances.
The most efficient way to eliminate static is to ground the object that is emitting the static charge. Grounding is usually done by using a conductor (typically a cable) that provides a direct path to the Earth for the charge, directing it away from the object.
In some settings, particularly those involving sensitive electronic equipment, grounding to earth cannot be used as the discharge to earth could itself damage these components. In these cases air ionisers are used which allows for the gradual and controlled neutralisation of any static charge that is present.
Ionisers are useful for removing static charge from a variety of different materials, and in a wide range of industries, including:
Air ionisers produce negative ions, which are essentially charged molecules that attach themselves to ions of the opposite polarity, when they come into contact with a charged surface. This neutralises the charge on those ions, releasing the static electricity quickly and effectively.
This depends on the type of ioniser chosen – some need airflow in order to work properly whilst others don’t. This allows users to choose an ioniser that best suits their working environment.
Electrical ionisers generate ions through a process known as corona discharge, wherein a high voltage is applied to a sharp point (or a number of sharp points), creating the charged ion particles. An airflow can then be introduced in order to distribute these ions evenly throughout an environment.
There are also non-electric ionisers, which employ nuclear elements to create ions. These are less commonly used and are most common in environments where flammable or explosive materials are used.
Humidity is a factor in how certain insulating materials hold static charge. These materials tend to be the highest in conductivity when the humidity is high (more than 50%).
For this reason, it seems logical that adding to the moisture content of the air would be a useful measure in reducing static. However, research has found that even in conditions of high humidity, static charge can be generated and maintained for a significant amount of time.
Not only this, but humidity can also cause issues with electronics and in manufacturing, making it an ineffective and unreliable method of reducing static in any working environment.
Left unchecked, ESD in a manufacturing environment can impact productivity and the quality of finished products. In server rooms and other environments with sensitive electronic equipment, static attracts dust and can cause performance issues or even permanent damage to equipment.
The damage caused by static discharges falls into three categories:
Whilst not all air ionisers will be able to protect against all three of these types of damage, the type of device your business or environment requires will depend on what needs to be accomplished by the ionisation of the atmosphere.
To choose the right ioniser for your purposes, you will need to ask several questions regarding what you need to achieve, rather than how you want to achieve it.
The PureAir series from Airius is a combination air purification and airflow circulation system, which uses the latest in Photohydroionisation (PHI) Cell technology from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, to neutralise everything from static to airborne germs, viruses and bacteria from any internal environment.
Using fans to continuously circulate the atmosphere, the integrated RGF PHI Cell emits ‘Ionised Hydroperoxides’, a naturally occurring cleaning agent that is also responsible for the ‘clean air’ smell we enjoy after thunderstorms. Installed in any environment, the PureAir System works 24 hours a day to ensure that any environment remains clean, healthy and without damaging static charge.
Research into PHI Cell purification has noted significant benefits in workplace environments, with findings indicating:
For server rooms and other high tech environments, PHI technology offers a productive and safe way to remove static, clean the air and boost employee productivity all in one.
To find out about our range of PHI fans and how they can help you then please get in touch with us by calling on 01202 554 200 or sending us an email to info@airius.co.uk
As the coronavirus pandemic continues on across the globe, and with no vaccine yet available, businesses are having to consider new ways to make their buildings COVID-secure so that they can ensure a safe and healthy environment for customers and employees.
One of the safety measures that is beginning to gain more traction in recent months is the inclusion of Bi-Polar Ionization (BPI) in HVAC systems.
Whilst Bi-Polar Ionization is not new – it has been used in large public buildings and businesses all over Europe since the 1970s – larger companies in the US and beyond (including Google Headquarters) have now embraced the technology.
Bi-Polar Ionization is a process that involves splitting molecules in the air into positive and negatively charged ions.
These ions are attracted to pollutants in the air like a magnet, and on contact chemically disrupt them and instantly render them harmless. These pollutants include viruses, bacteria, mould, allergens and VOCs, and the process is able to gather up to 99% of these in order to clean the air.
Once an ion comes into contact with one of these contaminants, the following process occurs:
Extensive testing has been carried out all over the world into the efficacy of BPI in preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Whilst it is already understood that clean air is important in protecting us against illnesses, allergies and bacteria, these tests look deeper into how the virus is transmitted, and thus how BPI can be effective in the fight against the spread.
It is known that COVID-19 is primarily spread via respiratory droplets, meaning the tiny droplets that are emitted when an infected person coughs, sneezes or even talks. But there is mounting evidence that the virus may be just as easily spread via aerosols and surface contact.
Aerosols are tiny particles expelled during coughs and sneezes, that are small enough to hang in the air after expulsion, effectively making the virus airborne. Meanwhile, viral particles on surfaces can lead to transmission when someone touches them and then touches their face.
Testing carried out by Tayra in Spain, backed by the Spanish Ministry of Defence Biological Laboratory, has concluded that plasma air ionization is effective in the reduction of MS2 Bacteriophage, a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), in indoor environments.
The testing was conducted in a Madrid hotel, in simulated ICU hospital rooms, and focused on testing the effectiveness of the technology against aerosolised virus particles. There was also a laboratory analysis carried out in a nearby operations centre of the Ministry of Defence from May 4th to May 14th.
A Bi-Polar plasma ionizer was installed within the air supply unit, at the entrance of the test space, after which Bacteriophage MS2 was nebulised into the rooms.
In the two stages of the test, the air supply was ionized using the BPI device for the first phase, and the air was left untreated for the second.
Manikins (a kind of specialised medical mannequin) were placed in the room and equipped with filters to measure the amount of Bacteriophage that would be breathed in with and without ionization, whilst swabs were taken from the walls and surfaces for further analysis.
Results concluded that there was a 99% reduction in the volume of bacteria in the air within just 10 minutes when the air ionizer was in use. Swabs and tests of the manikins showed a reduction of 0.70-0.85 log pfu/cm2, equivalent to an 80% reduction in surface MS2 Bacteriophage after 10 minutes between the test with and without ionization.
Whilst Airius has not yet completed coronavirus testing with regards to their PureAir series, extensive testing has been completed on the company’s famous Photohydroionisation (PHI) technology.
In independent testing from Kansas State University, the PHI Cell was found to efficiently remove 99% of the following from the air:
Discussing the technology with regards to the coronavirus, Dr. Marsden of Kansas State University commented: “This virus apparently is similar to other viruses that we previously tested. There is every reason to believe that the Airius PureAir technology would be effective in reduction of COVID-19.”
As mentioned above, Bi-Polar Ionization has long been used in Europe in large buildings and businesses such as medical facilities, schools and restaurants.
As testing has begun to prove the efficacy of BPI in rending COVID-19 harmless, businesses around the world are beginning to latch onto this technology as a way to make their environments safe and healthy.
It is also not only dangerous pollutants that these units are able to neutralise either.
Ions produced during Bi-Polar Ionization have also proven to work against things like mould, allergens such as pollen and even odours.
The Airius PureAir Plus combines this technology with an efficient fan that quickly disperses the cleansing ions throughout the surrounding space, ensuring fast and complete protection against all airborne contaminants.
The Airius PureAir Plus can be used to protect 24/7 without the dangerous ozone or formaldehyde by-products that are commonly found in other forms of air purification, particularly those which use high levels of UV radiation.
For those trying to ensure the safety of their workplaces throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, this purifier offers the next level in air purification. Please visit www.airius.co.uk or call us on 01202 554 200 to find out more.
Most people are aware that employers have a duty of care towards their employees, but how many people realise this extends to creating a comfortable indoor environment, without draughts and hot or cold spots? BS EN 7730 and the Workplace Regulations both emphasise the importance of keeping staff comfortable; in this article we explore what this means in relation to your working environment.
Firstly we need to deal with the rather dry subject of regulations. Don’t worry I’ll keep this brief as there are two key points you need to keep in mind:
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Approved Code of Practice (ACOP), point 50:
• Workers should not be exposed to uncomfortable draughts.
• In the case of mechanical ventilation systems, it may be necessary to control the direction or velocity of air flow.
• Workstations should be re-sited or screened if necessary.
BS EN 7730:
• Thermal comfort is defined in British Standard BS EN ISO 7730 as:‘That condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment.’
• Thermal comfort is not about measuring room temperature, although it does relate to whether a person feels hot or cold. Thermal comfort takes in a range of environmental and personal aspects and is worked out by the number of employees complaining of being uncomfortably hot or cold.
Why is BS EN 7730 the ACOP so important?
If you are in a draught, you are cold, you are unproductive and you are unhappy. In a nutshell, thermal comfort keeps people happy. It keeps workers comfortable and most importantly for business, it keeps staff productive. It also keeps workplaces safe.The HSE website states:
As an employer you should be aware of these risks and make sure the underlying reasons for these behaviours are understood and taken into account. Addressing the underlying reasons for these behaviours is also likely to improve morale and productivity as well as improving health and safety.
Although the above safety aspects may seemingly apply in the construction industry or a more industrial environment, a walk around most offices in the UK will reveal that thermal comfort makes a big difference to productivity: Thermal comfort with traditional heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems is hard to achieve. The staff member sitting underneath the air conditioning unit in summer will invariably have the layers piled on, while shivering in the cold blast of icy air, while those on the periphery of the air con unit sweat in the heat. In winter, have a count up of the number of desk heaters in use where staff are complaining of cold feet, or staff members wearing scarves while sitting at their desks.
The HSE states 80% of occupants is a reasonable limit for the minimum number of people who should be thermally comfortable in an environment. However this means that 20% of the workforce is in discomfort and not working to their full ability. Remember then that most buildings won’t even hit this 80% comfort level.
So now you know why thermal comfort is important, what can you do about it? Contact Airius to find out the award winning solution they provide and how it could benefit you and a member of the team would be pleased to discuss your application.
Avian influenza, also known as bird flu or avian flu, is an infectious virus that spreads quickly amongst otherwise healthy birds and can be transmitted to humans in certain cases. There are many different strains of the avian flu virus and most do not infect humans, but in recent years, 4 strains have been identified that spread to people and can cause serious harm if left untreated.
The 4 strains that have raised concern around the world are H5N1, H7N9, H5N6, and H5N8. These have only been identified in the past 20 years or earlier, and only a handful of people have died as a result of being infected but as there is no vaccine available it’s important to be mindful of the symptoms and how it can be spread.
Although it is primarily found in birds, the first transmission to humans was reported in 1996 in China. Since 2003, over 700 cases of H5N1 infections in humans have been reported to the World Health Organisation.
They are predominantly in Asia but over 60 countries have been affected, and in the past decade, cases of H5N8 avian flu have been reported in wild birds in the UK. Outbreaks of bird flu are often as a result of manmade ecosystems such as indoor commercial poultry facilities and live poultry markets.
Usually, symptoms occur 3 to 5 days after being infected but they can appear very suddenly. They include a very high temperature, feeling hot and shivery, aching muscles, a cough, and a headache.
Other symptoms that maybe experienced are diarrhoea, stomach pain or cramps, chest pains, conjunctivitis or bleeding from the nose or gums.
Avian influenza can cause more serious conditions such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome within days of being infected, so it’s very important to get treatment quickly to avoid further complications.
If you think you may have been infected, a doctor will swab your nose and throat to test for the virus. If it is positive, you will be treated using antiviral medication such as zanamivir (Relenza) or oseltamivir (Tamiflu). These can reduce the severity of the illness in your body so help you fight the virus and improve your chances of survival.
As bird flu can be spread through human contact, if you have the virus you will need to isolate from other people and be vigilant with hygiene in order to prevent passing it on. Sometimes, doctors may prescribe treatment for people you have been in contact with even if they aren’t showing the symptoms.
Avian flu is predominantly spread between infected and healthy birds via airborne transmission or through faecal contamination present on footwear, feed or bedding material. The virus travels quickly, and whole flocks have known to be destroyed within as little as 28 hours.
Humans can catch avian influenza from contact with an infected bird – either dead or alive – or its secretions. For example, touching an infected bird, visiting a market where infected birds are sold, killing or preparing infected poultry or touching infected droppings or bedding. It cannot be transmitted through eating fully cooked poultry or eggs.
If you come into contact with a sick or dead bird that you suspect may have the virus, you should avoid touching it or picking it up.
If you are travelling abroad to a country that has had a recent outbreak, you should wash your hands regularly with soap, use different utensils for cooked and raw meat, make sure you cook meat thoroughly and avoid contact with live birds and poultry.
There are other methods of prevention we can take to make sure we maintain a clean and healthy environment with minimal risk of catching avian influenza, for example using an air purification system in buildings to kill harmful viruses that may be in the air.
PHI (Photohydroionisation) Advanced Oxidation Technology was developed over 20 years ago by one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification – RGF Environmental – and Airius have integrated the latest version of this technology into their PureAir series of fan systems. A special catalyst and UV light source are contained within a “cell” in each unit and harness the PHI effect to release ‘Ionised Hydroperoxides’ – which are molecules that can eliminate or neutralise up to 99%+ of harmful viruses, germs, bacteria and mould spores that are harmful to humans.
In a test performed by Kansas State University the RGF PHI system was shown to kill 99%+ of all bird and swine flu viruses within 24 hours. In a similar test it was shown to remove 99%+ of viruses and bacteria that were present on infected surfaces.
The ability to disinfect the surfaces within indoor environments as well as the air within those areas is a feature only available with PHI based indoor fans.
PHI technology is now used all over the world by governments, hospitals and military facilities to ensure public and private buildings maintain a high level of air hygiene and the system has been approved for use by the American and Chinese governments amongst many other similar bodies worldwide.
By choosing to install a PureAir system in your building or facility, you are choosing to protect the welfare of those who are inside it. PureAir provides a constant flow of virtually virus-free, neutralised air in an environmentally friendly, sustainable and technologically advanced way.
For more information, please email info@airius.co.uk or call us on 01202 554200 where a member of our team would be pleased to assist you in any way you require.
Did you know that 38 million school days are lost annually worldwide due to the flu? On average, a child misses 4.5 days of school a year due to illnesses that are commonly transmitted within the school facility.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, how schools operate is under constant scrutiny and change, and keeping schools safe and clean is now of upmost importance.
Schools are a breeding ground for viruses, germs and bacteria and poor hygiene can directly lead to absences for students and staff. Keeping on top of basic cleaning as well as introducing new measures is likely to be the way forward in combatting the transmission of coronavirus as well as preventing more common illnesses like colds and flu.
With UK schools planning to reopen fully in September, there are going to be strict policies in place to help prevent a second spread of COVID-19. These are going to include:
Schools need to be aware of the changes they need to make in order to keep their staff, students and surrounding individuals healthy and protected. A foundational element for a safe school is a clean school, so as to minimise the spread of harmful diseases.
Educational facilities are well-known hotspots for pathogens and germs. A cafeteria tray may contain 33,800 bacteria per square inch, a computer keyboard 3,300 per square inch and a water fountain spigot 2,700,000 per square inch, so it’s clear to see how easy viruses can be spread.
A successful school cleaning program is organised, recorded and regular. It is beneficial to section off the school into areas such as classrooms, staffrooms, toilets, changing facilities and hallways. Depending on the nature of the environment, more or less cleaning may be required, for example rooms that are used every day will need consistent cleaning whereas activity rooms that are only used once or twice a week would only require deep cleaning after each use.
Sectioning off the school for a cleaning rota will also allow you to budget for time and costs. Depending on if you are hiring extra staff for the process or if you need more supplies, this can be addressed and accounted for as necessary.
The fight against coronavirus requires vigilant disinfection as it is such a contagious virus – for every individual who contracts it, they are likely to infect at least 2 others. To minimise the R0 number of transmissions, regular and consistent disinfection of surfaces is vital.
Teachers, staff and students should all take responsibility for regularly disinfecting surfaces and objects in their classrooms. Things like doorknobs, chairs, desks, toys, taps, light switches and computers are all hotspots for virus transmission and ideally should be disinfected after each use. Each classroom should have a box of cleaning supplies that contains anti-bacterial cleanser, disposable cloths, hand gel and other disinfectants for cleaning that can also help with dealing with accidents such as spills.
Even if you hire a professional cleaning company to maintain the school environment, it’s crucial that you educate your staff and students on the importance of strict hygiene measures. Every individual should take responsibility for keeping the school clean and safe, and it’s the repetition of good hygiene habits that will break the chain of any virus transmission.
Students should be taught to clean up after themselves, regularly wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and try to avoid close contact with other pupils. Each classroom could nominate a weekly changing cleaning monitor to manage the disinfection of commonly used surfaces which can also help foster a sense of group responsibility and maturity.
Most schools have designated cleaners or caretakers, but due to the necessary increase in cleaning standards, it may be useful to hire professional cleaners to help keep your school as safe as possible.
Professional cleaners can be hired weekly, monthly or yearly and are trained individuals that bring their own cleaning supplies and often have years of experience to draw upon. They can be employed to clean the school either during the day or night or could be drafted in to do a weekly deep-clean to give you extra peace of mind.
Keeping your school as safe and clean as possible during the current coronavirus pandemic is a difficult but vital challenge. Aside from regular cleaning, awareness of personal hygiene and social distancing, there are other measures we can take to keep our communities well.
Airius air purification systems can be installed into buildings such as schools to minimise the risk of virus transmission, as they use the latest in PHI (Photohydroionisation) Advanced Oxidation Technology from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, to kill or neutralise harmful pathogens in the air supply.
The PureAir works by emitting ‘Ionised Hydroperoxides’ from its integrated PHI Cell, that are otherwise known as ‘natures cleaning agents’ and are what are responsible for the air smelling clean after a thunderstorm.
The unit projects a broad spectrum HE/UV light on to a quad metallic catalyst which results in the production of the cleansing hydroperoxides. These molecules circulate in the air and capture, neutralise or kill the harmful pathogens that may be present in the atmosphere, as well as those that are present on surfaces within the room.
There are other methods of air filtration systems available, but none are as consistently effective as PHI based units. These air filtration systems include HEPA based appliances, which while they can remove viruses from the environment, they are filter based so their effectiveness decreases as the filter clogs up over time.
In addition, these are passive systems which means the air is only treated as is passes through the filter. Depending on the internal airflow of the room in which they are placed, this could mean there are areas in the room which are effectively never treated.
HVAC systems utilising UVGI lamps also effectively kill pathogens but they fail to help clean surfaces which is a defining feature and huge benefit of the PureAir system.
In tests conducted by Kansas State University on the RGF PHI Cell system a 99% reduction rate of E. coli, Listeria, Staph and MRSA pathogens was recorded. While in separate tests performed by private laboratories, universities and government agencies the PHI technology was shown to result in:
After installation in major city schools worldwide, a report of a reduction of absenteeism by 20% was reported and the system is approved by governments, hospitals and military facilities across the world.
By choosing to install a PureAir system in your school, you are choosing to protect the welfare of your staff and students and help reduce the level of absenteeism. PureAir provides a constant flow of virtually virus-free, neutralised air to maintain a clean and healthy educational environment.
For more information, please email info@airius.co.uk or call us on 01202 554200 where a member of our team would be pleased to assist you with further information.
Norwalk virus, otherwise known as the Norovirus, is one of the leading causes of severe gastroenteritis in the UK and around the world.
It’s also known as the “winter vomiting bug” as cases tend to increase during this time of the year but the disease can affect anyone at any time.
It results in roughly 685 million cases of disease and 200,000 deaths each year around the world occurring in both developed and developing countries.
In the USA, it accounts for around half of all foodborne disease outbreaks and was originally named after the city of Norwalk, Ohio, where a notable outbreak occurred in 1968. Because Norwalk virus is highly contagious, preventing the spread is a major priority for healthcare authorities when there is an outbreak.
Norwalk virus is a cause of gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and the small intestine.
Norovirus causes non-bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, and tummy pain and generally makes you unwell for around 3 days.
Once the virus has entered your body, usually through the faecal-oral route, symptoms tend to develop between within 12 and 48 hours.
It is a very common illness and, while it generally doesn’t result in major complications, older individuals, young children, and those with existing health issues may suffer more.
The Norwalk virus can survive for extended periods of time outside of a human host and sometimes for weeks on certain types of surfaces.
It can live for years in contaminated still water and a 2006 study found that it was still alive on food preparation surfaces 7 days after contamination.
Risk factors for the Norwalk virus include:
The Norwalk virus spreads very easily through either contaminated food or water or via person to person contact.
If a surface or item of food has particles of the virus on it, they can get into your body through your mouth and infect you.
The virus may be spread through tiny particles of mucus or faecal matter in the air which have been expelled by an infected person. It’s important to stay away from an infected individual and to keep a high level of hygiene if you share living quarters.
If someone has the Norwalk virus, they are highly infectious from when their symptoms start until around 48 hours after their symptoms stop.
Due to its high level of contagiousness, Norwalk can spread quickly in public places such as care homes, hospitals and schools.
The Norwalk virus cannot be vaccinated against because the strains are always changing and, for that reason, your body is also unable to build up resistance to it. This means that it’s also possible to catch the Norwalk virus more than once.
Common symptoms among Norwalk virus sufferers include:
Norwalk virus is very unpleasant for those infected by it but the symptoms generally only last up to 3 days before you’ll make a full recovery.
The Norwalk virus isn’t dangerous for most people who contract it. Particular care has to be taken by those who are immunocompromised – for example, for those with a supressed immune system or suffering from another disease, it can become a more long-term infection.
It is not 100% possible to avoid catching Norwalk virus as it only takes minimal exposure to become infected. However, there are precautions we can all take to prevent the spread if you think you have come into contact with an infected person or if you believe you have the virus yourself:
The Norwalk virus can survive for long periods of time on both hard and soft surfaces. Asides from regularly disinfecting areas with a bleach-based cleaning product, there are other precautions you can take.
Installing a PureAir purification system to disinfect your indoor environment gives you extra peace of mind.
The PHI (Photohydroionization) advanced oxidisation technology used in the PureAir purification system, manufactured by one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification – RGF Environmental, has been proven to have a 4-log reduction of 99.99% of surface bacteria and viruses.
RGF’s PHI system has been approved by the USDA, FSIS and FDA for use in food processing plants as well as hospitals, governments all over the world, and the European Union.
The PureAir system works by emitting ionised hydroperoxides into the air from its integrated PHI Cell. These hydroperoxides are natural cleaning agent that occur in our environment naturally.
This process kills harmful virus cells which may be floating in the atmosphere or living on indoor surfaces thereby reducing the chance of the virus entering your body. They operate 24/7 to increase your wellbeing by making the air safer and odour-free.
By installing a PureAir system in your home, office, or public building you are actively helping in the reduction of the spread of viruses like the Norwalk virus and protecting and promoting the health of those inside.
For more information, please email info@airius.co.uk or call us on 01202 554 200 where a member of our team would be pleased to offer further information.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease which is highly contagious and is caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogen. TB has survived among human populations for hundreds of thousands of years – indeed, it was found in in Egyptian mummies dating back to 2400 BC.
TB is responsible for 1.5 million deaths each year and the WHO class the disease as an ongoing pandemic – every 21 seconds someone dies from it.
In the past, deaths were more frequently occurring from tuberculosis among more vulnerable individuals including the elderly, pregnant women, children and those infected with HIV/AIDs.
However, because of growing resistance among pathogens to standard medication, it is steadily becoming a bigger problem for communities around the world.
In 2019, there were over half a million cases of drug-resistant TB highlighting the growing danger of this deadly disease.
TB is both preventable and curable so it’s important that everyone takes steps to understand how this silent killer is spread and take the necessary action to protect themselves and others.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection spread through the air via droplets originating from an infected person. Usually, the infection settles in your lungs but TB can also affect various organs in your body.
You can be infected with TB when an infected person coughs or sneezes and droplets of their saliva are in the atmosphere.
Once the bacteria has entered your body, it could either develop into ‘active’ TB or latent TB. Latent TB may lay dormant inside you for years without doing any harm but around 5 to 10% of those infected may become ill at some point later in their life.
If you have a compromised immune system, you are malnourished, or you have diabetes, you have a much higher chance of developing ‘active’ TB.
If you are infected with active TB, you may only experience mild symptoms such as a cough or a fever for a few months.
These mild symptoms means that many sufferers do not seek heightening the risk of infecting others. TB is highly contagious and, if you carry the disease, you may infect up to 15 people over the course of a year.
Currently, TB infects almost 2 billion people worldwide annually with 10.4 million new cases reported each year.
Almost 33% of the world’s population are carriers of the latent Tuberculosis bacillus and are therefore at risk of developing the active disease which can be fatal if left untreated.
There have been many scientific advances in the understanding of TB since it was first discovered.
As previously mentioned, evidence of Ancient Egyptians suffering from the disease have been recorded but it was first identified to be contagious in the 16th Century by Girolamo Fracastoro.
Throughout the 18th Century, it was known as the ‘white plague’. The first cure was developed in 1854 by Hermann Brehmer. Inoculation of the tubercle bacillus first occurred in 1882 by Robert Koch which allowed for the development of anti-TB drugs.
Latent TB refers to an individual who has an inactive TB infection but who present no symptoms. In this state, it isn’t yet contagious but it can turn into active TB at any time so it needs to be managed if this does happen.
When you are ill with active TB, you can spread the disease to others through coughing and sneezing. This can happen within the first few weeks of infection or even years later if your latent TB infection becomes active.
Skeleton deformities from remains over three million years old point to TB being well before the development of civilisation. The first written documentation of the disease was found in both India and China over 2,000 years ago.
The illness itself hasn’t changed but our understanding of it has. Scientific developments throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries meant we could develop vaccines in order to save millions of lives.
In the 1980s with the rise of HIV, the rates of fatalities increased once more especially in New York. In Britain, cases had fallen to around 5,000 per year at the start of the 20th century but they have since been slowly increasing due to the rise of drug-resistant strains of the disease.
In London, the cases of active TB have risen by about 50% since 1999 and this accounts for almost 40% of all TB cases in the UK. In 2009, nearly 3,500 cases were reported and this number continues to grow.
As with any infectious diseases, there are precautions we can all take to avoid maximising the spread of the bacteria.
If you have any of the symptoms listed above you should speak with your doctor. Plus, if you are diagnosed you should avoid contact with others, cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing, take any prescribed medication, and keep washing your hands.
For those of us not infected with TB but keen to remain healthy, there are other precautions we can take to keep our environment safe – especially if we are spending time in buildings with HVAC systems.
Keeping a constant flow of clean air in public buildings is an important factor in reducing the amount of infectious diseases we are exposed to.
Viruses can spread through air conditioning systems so addressing this is an important step in stopping transmission.
For this reason, Airius have developed the PureAir – an air purification and odour control system that utilises PHI (Photohydroionisation) advanced oxidisation technology from one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification – RGF Environmental.
PHI technology has been demonstrated to kill 97% of airborne bacteria and it has been tested and approved against viruses such as SARS and MRSE by hospitals, governments and unions worldwide.
By installing a PureAir system in your home, office, or building, you are actively helping in the reduction of the spread of diseases like Tuberculosis and protecting those that are inside.
The PureAir system works by emitting ionised hydroperoxides, a naturally occurring cleaning agent, into the air from its integrated PHI Cell. This kills the harmful virus cells and other pathogens which may be floating in the atmosphere or on your surfaces therefore reducing the chance of the virus entering your body.
Airius PureAir fans help make the air in your premises clean, safe, odourless air in order to increase your wellbeing, safety and comfort.
For more information, please visit www.airius.co.uk or call us on 01202 554200 where a member of our team would be pleased to discuss further with you.
SCEGGS facility manager Keith Stevenson approached Airius to help address severe overheating problems in their 1,000m² multi-purpose Basketball Court facility.
The basketball courts were in a room 10 metres high with a concrete ceiling. Tennis courts were located on the floor above, which contributed to the over-heating.
8 Standard Airius Model 60 units were supplied with two five Amp (SC-05) Speed Controllers, for an installed cost 20% cheaper than blade fans, whilst also providing greater floor coverage.
As a bonus the units were adjustable in any direction. This allowed SCEGGS to direct the air flow to where it was needed, but without causing interference to activities such as badminton, where normally the airflow from alternative fans would impact on the flight of the shuttlecock.
The improvement in comfort inside the space was instant and they indicated that even on the warmest summer days the air movement offered cooling and made the space much more comfortable and usable.
“The Airius system has been in operation for six months now. We are more than happy with the results. The space is a lot more usable in the summer months. We have received great feedback from both the school PE department and also external hirers. We are extremely happy with the performance and comfort we receive since installing these Airius fans and would happily recommend them to other organisations needing to circulate air and increase thermal comfort.” Keith Stevenson – Facilities Manager, SCEGGS Darlinghurst.
“The Airius system has been in operation for six months now. We are more than happy with the results.
The space is a lot more usable in the summer months. We have received great feedback from both the school PE department and also external hirers.
We are extremely happy with the performance and comfort we receive since installing these Airius fans and would happily recommend them to other organisations needing to circulate air and increase thermal comfort.”
Moulds and yeasts are ancient and vital components of the ecosystem we live in, and are important elements in the cycles of life, death and decomposition of living creatures. However, when they grow out of balance and in unwanted areas, they can cause serious health issues.
Mould is a kind of fungi that is naturally occurring and plays a major role in the environment here on earth. It is present virtually everywhere, both indoors and outdoors, and can grow on materials like wood, food, fabric, paper, metals and carpets. It tends to grow in damp, poorly ventilated areas and reproduces by creating mould spores.
Building materials such as gyprock and wood are perfect breeding grounds for mould, especially if they are exposed to moisture but kept dark in an indoor, warm environment. Common property issues that result in mould growth are poorly ventilated bathrooms, roof leaks, condensation and rising damp.
Mould reproduces by creating airborne mould spores and these are found in higher concentration in indoor environments. Mould spores can affect humans by inducing asthma or making an existing lung condition worse, and allergic reactions such as itchy eyes, nasal congestion, sneezing, and coughing.
If an individual has a weakened immune system, their reaction to mould spores may be worse. In some rare cases, toxigenic moulds found inside properties could be the cause of less common health issues such as pulmonary haemorrhage or even memory loss, but this has not been scientifically proven.
Yeasts are microscopic organisms that also belong to the fungi kingdom but are single cell organisms which reproduce asexually by budding or binary fission, as opposed to moulds which are multicellular and reproduce sexually or asexually. There are around 1,500 recorded species of yeast, they make up approximately 1% of all fungal species and they are found frequently throughout nature in soil, vegetation and aquatic ecosystems. They are also commonly found in humans and on other animals.
Not all yeasts are harmful, but if it is derived from candida, it is classed as pathogenic and can cause diseases. Candida yeast infections in humans generally affect the skin, mouth, genitals, throat, and blood.
All humans have some yeast in their body, but too much of it can cause problems. Sometimes, this happens when you take antibiotics or have a compromised immune system as the internal balance is disrupted and the yeast grows out of control, compromising the ‘good’ bacteria we house on our bodies.
Individuals who are undertaking chemotherapy, suffer from AIDS or receiving organ or bone marrow transplantation are also more likely to suffer from an infection from candida albicans. Symptoms of candida albicans include oral or genital thrush, tiredness and fatigue, digestive issues, UTI infections, fungal skin and nail infections and joint pain.
If your property has a mould infestation, not only can it damage the structure of your building, but it can also harm your health. Moulds excrete toxic compounds called mycotoxins which can increase in environments that have the appropriate level of temperature, water activity and pH level for them to grow.
Certain kinds of mycotoxins can be harmful or even lethal to humans and animals if the level of exposure is high, so it’s important to eliminate and neutralise the growth of mould in your living environment.
Mould is mainly exposed to humans in indoor environments that have substantial mould growth, or from eating mouldy food which should always be avoided.
To prevent harmful ingestion of mould through the air, it is necessary to try and avoid mould growing in the first place. One of the most important steps to take is to limit the amount of humidity in the atmosphere which can be achieved by the installation of an air purification system.
Proper ventilation also helps with the reduction of mould growth, especially in rooms such as bathrooms. If you don’t have a window in rooms that have high levels of humidity, it’s important to install an air conditioning system to regulate the water level and temperature of the air.
Mould can also grow in your bedding as it regularly gets warm and moist as you sweat during the night. It’s important to regularly wash and change your pillowcases, sheets and duvet cover as this is a prime breeding ground for moulds and yeasts.
If you notice a water leak, either from your central heating system or your roof, it’s important to quickly resolve the issue before mould can begin to grow. If your property suffers from rising damp and you find mould growing on the walls, you can use anti-fungal cleaners to kill the spores. Avoid brushing mould as that will only spread the spores further around your property.
The Airius PureAir is a highly advanced air purification system that uses a the latest in photohydroionization (PHI) cell technology from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, which combines a UV light with a hydrated quad-metallic catalyst in order to create hydroperoxides, super oxide ions, passive negative ions, hydroxides, and ozonide ions.
These hydroperoxides circulate in the air and chemically bond with viruses, germs, moulds and bacteria to neutralise or eliminate them. This then renders the pathogen inactive and unable to cause any harm to humans within the area covered by the PureAir fan.
The reliability of the PHI system in removing up to 98% of mould has been tested and certified by the American Government, the Chinese Government and many other notable institutions around the world.
PHI Cell technology is also proven to reduce Candida Albicans, a common pathogenic yeast found in humans and their environments by 99%+ in 24 hours. It also reduces Stachybotrys Chartarum, a fungus that can produce harmful toxins, by 99%+ in 48 hours.
The Airius PureAir system dramatically improves the quality of air in indoor spaces by reducing viruses, moulds, odours, gases and volatile organic compounds by up to 99%+. Whilst doing this, is also provides a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere thanks to its advanced destratification technology.
Not only does the PureAir system reduce the number of harmful viruses and pathogens in your indoor environment, but it also eliminates over 99%+ of all surface bacteria and germs, providing an ‘invisible shield’ that protects all hard and soft surfaces from contamination.
Some solutions for mould and yeast in your environment are often centred around fogging or direct UV light. These methods are not as convenient or effective as the PureAir system, as they require a total evacuation of the space, a harmful level of UV and as soon as humans return to the environment, the area can be instantly contaminated once more. PureAir is a continuous system that never stops decontaminating your property.
To find out more information on how Airius can help combat and prevent mould or yeast infestations, visit www.airius.co.uk or call us on 01202 554200 where a member of our team would be pleased to assist you.
Swine Flu, also known as H1N1 influenza, is, despite its name, not the same as seasonal flu.
When the first outbreak happened in 2009, tests revealed that the illness has more in common with the flu viruses found in swine (pigs) than the influenza viruses humans are used to in colder months.
However, symptoms of swine flu are much the same as those of human flu, including:
H1N1 is caused by a virus, and is spread from person to person. The virus is present in droplets expelled by an infected person when they cough or sneeze, and can then infect another person through their breathing in those droplets, or touching a surface contaminated by the virus and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.
Although a common fear back when the virus was first identified, you cannot catch swine flu from eating or touching pork products.
It may be difficult for people to be diagnosed with H1N1 at first, as the symptoms are so closely tied in with those of regular flu. If you do see a doctor, they will review your symptoms and then do a rapid flu test, which will tell them whether or not you have the flu, and also looks for several other viruses.
If these tests are negative and your doctor suspects you are suffering from H1N1, they will need to do a dedicated test that only checks for swine flu. This takes a few days to come back with results, so a doctor may start treatment right away if they suspect that you have the virus.
The 2009 swine flu pandemic lasted from January 2009 until August 2010 and was the second pandemic featuring H1N1 influenza, coming after the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918-1920. Below are a few of the main points regarding the pandemic.
Unlike other types of flu virus, swine flu was originally most common in children aged 5 and above, and young adults. This was particularly perplexing to scientists, as almost every other flu infection is a higher risk for complications in the very old or very young.
Over time, this has balanced out so that people are far more likely to get infected with swine flu if they are in a busy social environment with a lot of people that are infected with the illness.
Groups that are most at risk of serious complications if they become infected with swine flu are:
The very best way to protect yourself against swine flu is to get a yearly flu vaccination, which contains a number of flu strains designed to boost your immunity to most types of influenza.
The spread of swine flu can also be inhibited by:
Whilst it is impossible to say that an air purification system will absolutely prevent you getting swine flu, the right type of air purification technology is ideal for cleansing both the air and surfaces in a space, ensuring that viruses cannot survive for long.
Photohydroionisation (PHI) is a technology developed over 20 years ago by one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification – RGF Environmental, designed to naturally clean air on a 24/7 basis. It is this technology that is employed by the Airius PureAir series of air purification fans and what sets them out from others.
Airius PureAir air purifiers use this patented RGF PHI Cell, a piece of technology that emits ‘Ionised Hydroperoxides’, the naturally occurring cleaning agent responsible for the ‘clean air’ smell we enjoy after thunderstorms. The PHI disperses and circulates this air and neutralising Ionised Hydroperoxides, ensuring round-the-clock clean air.
PHI cells have been specified in the Norovirus and MRSA protection plan of American schools, hospitals, theme parks and restaurants, and they been extensively researched to understand their usefulness in other scenarios. PHI has also been tested with regards to swine flu, to this end.
Kansas State University completed preliminary testing on RGF Photohydroionization technologies, finding 99%+ inactivation of H1N1 Swine Flu on a stainless steel surface. Further tests are still under way, to understand how it may also work on airborne droplets.
However, it is understood that the Airius PureAir series comfortably reduces a wide range of viruses, bacteria and gases by up to 99% thanks to its unique purification system.
Please contact us via email at info@airius.co.uk or by phone on 01202 554 200 to see how our PureAir technology can benefit you.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness. It is caused by a coronavirus known as SARS-COV, belonging to the coronavirus family of viruses. Coronaviruses are very common. There are more than 40 named coronaviruses in the world, the majority affecting only animals, and those affecting humans generally causing only mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses. The common cold is another example of a coronavirus.
SARS was unique to this class of viruses, in that it was both fiercely contagious and had a much higher fatality rate, with somewhere between 20 and 30% of cases requiring medical ventilation.
SARS was first identified in Asia in February 2003, and spread to a number of countries across North America, South America, Europe and Asia before being contained by July of that year.
The 2003 SARS epidemic affected 26 countries and resulted in over 8000 cases. Although not eradicated, only a very small number of SARS cases have occurred since then.
The virus is transmitted from person to person, and appears to be most contagious during the second week of illness, at which point the virus is excreted through respirations (coughing, breathing and sneezing), as well as in the stool of an infected person. This point is also when those affected with a severe version of the disease began to deteriorate more quickly, meaning that most transmission took place in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
The swift transmission of SARS, coupled with the relatively high mortality rate (around 10%), caused serious concern when the virus was identified. Luckily, thanks to rapid implementations of effective control practices, the outbreak was contained and ended within just a few months.
Whilst the epidemic was contained, it is impossible to rule out future outbreaks of SARS, as the virus is still present in wild bats and civets, and there are laboratory cultures present in labs around the world. It was the accidental release of SARS from a laboratory that caused a small outbreak in 2004.
Starting out as what appears to be a regular bout of influenza, symptoms of SARS only begin two to seven days after first catching the virus. Symptoms include:
The second phase of the virus is more acute, with sufferers presenting symptoms of atypical pneumonia:
The final stage of SARS is a potentially fatal form of respiratory failure, whilst other parts of the body begin to shut down. SARS has been known to cause kidney failure, inflammation of the heart and severe systemic bleeding.
Like other influenza viruses, SARS is most easily spread through close contact with an infected person. The virus can be found in respiratory droplets which are expelled when the person coughs, sneezes or talks, and are thrown out into the air where they can be breathed in by another person. The virus can also be spread when a person touches a surface on which these droplets have landed, and then touches their eyes, mouth or nose.
Scientists have posited that SARS droplets may also live on and be contracted from the air itself (airborne).
SARS was found to be perfectly capable of infecting any person of any age or level of health, although there were some people that were found to be in higher risk groups for contracting the virus than others during the 2003 outbreak. These were:
Considered a medical emergency, SARS was found to be resistant to all drugs including antibiotics. This meant that people admitted to hospital with the virus could be provided only with medicines to alleviate symptoms, and regular monitoring and support from healthcare staff.
People admitted to hospital with SARS in 2003 were not placed into quarantine, as the WHO recommended simply isolating patients with active cases, and utilising barrier techniques such as masks and goggles to protect doctors and staff.
Were an outbreak of SARS-COV to occur again, the best way to prevent against catching or spreading the virus would be to follow these steps:
Another way people might try to keep their home and business environments safe during a SARS outbreak would be to use air purification systems to clean the air and the surfaces around them.
The PHI Cell technology integrated in the Airius PureAir Air Purification and Odour Control System manufactured by RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification is proven to significantly improve indoor air quality by removing or reducing viruses, bacteria and odours by up to 99%+, using an advanced oxidisation technology known as photohydroionization (PHI).
As mentioned above, Airius’ PureAir fan units are equipped with a PHI Cell, which emits ‘Ionised Hydroperoxides’, a naturally occurring cleaning agent. These neutralising molecules are circulated along with the air in the room, providing 24 hour clean air within the space.
Extensive independent studies have been carried out on the PHI Cell by RGF, their clients and a wide range of certifying laboratories and organisations to identify its effectiveness in cleaning the air. In one study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and tested by the Chinese Government, it was found that PHI was effective in deactivating SARS-COV at a rate of 99%+.
Even if an Airius PureAir was not able to completely eradicate SARS in the air, it is proven to improve the overall health of the air in the room, offering a better environment for humans to live in and ensuring a healthier atmosphere for building immunity and fighting against viruses and bacteria.
You can find out more about how PureAir technology can help to make your workplace a cleaner and safer space by calling us on 01202 554 200 or by emailing us at info@airius.co.uk.
A Sunrise Senior Living Care Home, Eden Gardens, has reversed losses of £60,500 incurred by a high turnover in the number of residents following the installation of an air purification and oxidisation system from leading European manufacturer and installer Airius.
In a very kind and generous personal testimonial to Airius, the Executive Director of Eden Gardens assisted living communities stated that the company has “had tremendous results from using your system…I would recommend this system to every senior living facility and/or nursing home!”
In this article, we examine:
Competition between care providers is fierce – there are 21,000 care homes in a market worth £15.9bn each year. There is overcapacity in the sector – there are 67,000 more rooms than are required.
The cost of entry into the care home market is high. They are overseen by an active regulator – the Care Quality Commission – which publishes the results of its findings into each care home following their thorough inspections. According to the latest Government statistics, there are 12 care homes within a 3-mile radius in an average British postcode.
This is a buyer’s market with plenty of choices for families wanting to make sure that elderly and/or infirm relatives are housed in the greatest comfort and cared for by staff who respect them.
Prior to installing their Airius air purification and oxidation system, Eden Gardens was losing an average of three residents per month from their Alzheimer’s unit. When the families were asked why they no longer wanted their family members to stay there, they cited a persistent smell of urine and a higher than average infection rate for pneumonia.
The care staff at Eden Garden were and are superb – family members did not complain about the attitude of the staff or the way in which their relatives were treated. The senior management at Eden Gardens have, since the company’s foundation, been committed to providing market-leading care to residents with all conditions. Part of that was ongoing and thorough cleaning to the highest standards of all the indoor areas of their facilities.
The air with medical facilities is often recirculated – for good reason. Non-circulated air often leads to the appearance of hot and cold spots within a room. For a person with health issues, the discomfort we normally feel in a hot or cold spot indoors is greatly amplified for them. The feeling of being cold also compromises the body’s immune system meaning that care home residents are more at risk if there is not a comfortable and even temperature in the room or in the common areas of the building.
In addition to the good movement of air within a medical facility like a care home, the purity of the air is important. If unmanaged or managed badly, the air within indoor medical environments, like care homes or hospital wards, is full of pathogens. Pathogens, like volatile organic compounds, bacteria, and viruses, circulate in the air and they can survive for a long time because of the relatively warm environment.
MRSA, Norwalk virus, streptococcus, bird flu, swine flu, candida albicans, listeria, streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus aureus, and bacillus globigii not only puts residents at risk through airborne transmission but they can also live on surfaces for a long time too.
The lack of clean, uncirculated air within premises will lead to the presence of mould – a major risk for residents with respiratory problems – and the presence of unpleasant odours (like the smell of urine previously within Eden Gardens).
Airius’s approach to Eden Gardens was two-fold – clean the air and move it around more.
To clean the air, we used the Airius PureAir system. There are two components within the PureAir Series – the Photohydroionisation Cell and the destratification unit.
The Photohydroionisation Cell oxidises the pathogens which exist in the air. Photohydroionisation causes the same destructive effect on pathogens that oxidation has on metal. Oxidation on metal causes it to rust and photohydroionisation causes the cells to break in pathogens to break down.
How effective is it? Oxidation reduces to a degree of 99.99% the mould, volatile organic compounds, bacteria, viruses, and odours within a confined space. Combined with regular thorough cleaning, oxidation also stops mould from growing and developing inside a building.
The destratification unit recirculates the heated air within the Eden Gardens facility and directs it back down into columns to remove any hot or cold spots from within a resident’s room or the common areas.
What were the results of working with Airius?
Airius PureAir systems are suitable for hospitals, dentists’ practices, care and nursing homes, medical and first aid facilities and doctors’ surgeries.
Please get in touch with us by calling 01202 554 200 or simply send an email to info@airius.co.uk and we’ll be in touch with further information about the Airius PureAir system.
Before the COVID-19 lockdown began in the UK, Lord Simon Wolfson, the head of fashion chain Next, warned high street retailers to expect a significant decline in sales. He said: “When the pandemic first appeared in China, we assumed that the threat was to our supply chain.
“It is now very clear that the risk to demand is by far the greatest challenge we face and we need to prepare for a significant downturn in sales for the duration of the pandemic.
“Online sales are likely to fare better than retail but will also suffer significant losses – people do not buy a new outfit to stay at home.”
At the time, Lord Wolfson predicted that these issues would most likely resolve within the first half of the year. As the situation developed, the Next boss admitted that the chain had suffered a “faster and steeper” sales decline than even he had expected, updating his projections to assume a further sales drop of at least 17% in the fourth quarter.
It is easy to assume that, with the high street reopening across the country, sales are beginning to pick up again. The media has been full of images of people queuing outside stores, and with new safety guidelines in place, it can be assumed that physical shops are as safe now as they have always been.
However, research has found that high street footfall is at less than half of what it was this time last year, with experts concerned this trend will continue, thanks to the restricted shopping experience caused by social distancing rules.
For those shocked at this reduction, it is worth remembering that the British High Street was already struggling pre-COVID, with a number of major retailers including household names like Mothercare and Clinton’s closing down or going into administration just last year.
It is conceivable that the popularity of online retail is at least partly to blame for the death of the high street. For this reason, an outbreak of coronavirus could be considered the final nail in the coffin.
For those companies who rely on their physical stores, it is necessary to start thinking of new, innovative ways to attract and retain customers. The high street of the future is likely to house businesses who unify their commercial and digital presence, so that consumers can flow between the two effortlessly.
One of the ways in which high street retailers have managed to stay in business throughout the coronavirus crisis is through embracing technology. A raft of eBay and Amazon Marketplace stores opened up in the early days of lockdown, allowing businesses to continue to sell their stock, even if they were only a small, independent retailer.
Entering into partnerships is another great way for businesses to combine forces, ensuring each enjoys better business and allowing them to stay afloat. A good example of this would be M&S, who teamed up with Deliveroo to provide an online grocery service that allowed customers to buy and receive shopping within minutes. Convenience store chain Costcutter made a great choice in teaming with catering organisation Compass, opening stores in hospitals to keep their business afloat.
Even with the high street reopened, it is clear that embracing the ideas of technology and partnerships could be a positive step for any independent store.
One of the best outcomes of COVID-19 for local stores was the intense support many of them received from their communities. Government figures found that 63% of consumers were making an active choice to support local businesses during lockdown, and these habits look set to continue for the foreseeable future.
This offers less hope for larger chains, however, who operate in local areas, as with less people heading into town and city centres for casual shopping, they are likely to lose the passing foot traffic that they rely on.
High street stores are relying on a raft of new services and elements to help consumers to feel safe, in an effort to tempt people offline and back into physical stores.
Automation is a huge part of this, helping customers to avoid having to deal with other people face-to-face, as well as providing more efficiency so that they can move quickly through stores. Touchless services, contactless payments and automated service points are being slowly introduced into stores, and holding onto these services after the pandemic is likely to inspire loyalty from customers going forward.
For larger stores and shopping centres, making shopping more ‘experiential’ could be the solution for tempting customers to head into stores. Stores are looking at providing things like coffee shops, such as those offered in Primark and John Lewis, as well as virtual reality screens where customers can ‘try on’ outfits, in lieu of changing rooms.
Finally, consumers want to know that the store is clean and safe for them to be in. Whilst masks are mandatory in stores for the foreseeable future, stores can offer a healthier feel and better air quality by installing an air purification system, such as the Airius PureAir series.
Airius PureAir uses the latest in PHI Cell technology, manufactured by one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification – RGF Environmental, which has been independently tested by Kansas State University and found to neutralise more than 99% of micro-organisms including viruses and bacteria.
Whilst the coronavirus is still too new to have definitive research completed on it, our PureAir range has been proven to significantly reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odours and allergens, as well as 99% of germs including Bird Flu, Norovirus, E. Coli, Listeria, Strep, and other airborne germs and bacteria.
Creating a healthy environment in a retail space is critical for earning the trust of consumers, and this type of air purifier is able to clean and distribute the air evenly throughout the space 24 hours a day, so even with a high footfall the air can be considered to be clean and free of pollutants.
Many consumers are still cautious about returning to old habits, including visiting the high street and buying from their favourite shops.
Making sure you provide a safe shopping environment, by following the latest government guidance and installing proven air purification technology such as our PureAir fans is a common sense measure to give them the reassurance they need to come back and start buying again.
If you want to know more we would love to talk to you. You can get in touch with us by calling on 01202 554 200 or via email at info@airius.co.uk.
According to LongTermCare.gov people over the age of 65 today have a 70% chance of needing long term care at some point during the rest of their life. Having to move into a care home is a big fear for many older people, with some citing concerns of loneliness or loss of independence, and many others concerned about their chances of getting ill whilst they are there.
Sadly, it is not uncommon for people living in care homes, or entering hospital, to pick up specific illnesses or bacteria, thanks to the high numbers of people and the easy spread of illness in these environments. One of these threats is Clostridium Difficile, a type of bacteria also known as C-Difficile or C-Diff, that spreads efficiently and devastatingly in care homes.
Between 2004 and 2006, c-diff was responsible for the deaths of 90 patients in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals, when an outbreak occurred in the area. In researching the bacteria, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the majority of deaths involving c-diff occur among old people, and the chances of contracting it increase sharply with age.
According to their study, during 2010 – 2012, the mortality rate for people with c-diff who were aged 85 years plus was 812 deaths per million, compared with just 235 deaths per million in those aged between 75 and 84.
The ONS summarised that a number of factors contributed to this, including the weaker immune systems of older people, increased antimicrobial use, and higher exposure to hospitals and care homes.
Clostridium Difficile is a resilient type of bacteria that predominantly affects the bowel and causes diarrhea. It is common in people that have recently been treated with antibiotics, and is easily spread from person to person.
The bacteria can be found in the feces of an infected person, and spreads through contact with contaminated fecal matter. Whilst it may be difficult to understand how this could be easily spread, it is actually very easy if healthcare workers do not wash their hands properly, or if hospital rooms and other common areas are not thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after an infected person has been there.
Tiny droplets of contaminated fecal matter may also be present in toilets, and this can easily aid transmission to other people.
As mentioned previously, c-diff is most common in people that are currently, or have recently been, taking antibiotics.
The most common symptoms include:
There are a number of reasons that c-difficile could be more prevalent in care homes, with one of these being that the people who live there are much more likely to be taking antibiotics at one time or another. Antibiotic use is a factor for c-difficile due to the fact that some antibiotics interfere with the balance of the natural bacteria found in the bowel. This causes c-diff bacteria to multiply, producing toxins and causing illness.
Once an infected person suffers from diarrhea, the bacteria in the fecal matter is able to transform into resistant cells called spores, which are able to survive for a long time on hands and clothing, as well as surfaces such as toilets and sinks.
Care homes not only have more people on antibiotics, but they also have higher concentrations of people in small spaces, making it easy for the bacteria to spread if thorough cleaning and containment measures are not put into place right away.
Healthcare facilities and care homes should be aware that an outbreak of c-diff could be well underway before they realise that this is happening, by which time it may be almost impossible to contain. For this reason, strict cleaning and handwashing protocols must be observed at all times, not just when someone is sick.
When a patient is sick, it is useful to provide gloves and gowns for any workers who are taking care of this individual, as an extra layer of protection.
Air purifiers, such as the Airius PureAir, provide an extra layer of protection against dangerous bacteria such as c-diff and other viruses. Whilst some air filtration systems merely move air around, or capture dangerous particles and bacteria within the unit itself, the PureAir is able to clean the air using a Photohydroionization (PHI) Cell from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification. This unique technology uses a broad spectrum ultraviolet light to produce a natural cleaning agent known as ionised Hydroperoxides.
Ionised Hydroperoxides are a group of oxidants that have been a part of our natural environment for more than 3.5 billion years. They are responsible for the ‘clean air’ smell we enjoy after thunderstorms, and effectively but naturally neutralise everything from the common cold to serious dangers such as MRSA, Streptococcus, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Candida Albicans, and SARS as well as up to 99%+ of other pathogens in the air.
Oxidation is the same process that causes metal to rust in the open air. Oxygen combines with the metal at an atomic level, changing the chemical make up of the metal so as to permanently weaken it. Oxidation works in a similar way for pathogens, affecting the DNA and the enzymes of the pathogen in such a way as to cause cellular disruption that inactivates them immediately.
Hydroperoxides attack pathogens and other harmful particles quickly and effectively, removing them from the air without causing any harm to humans, unlike the damage that many other types of oxidants could cause.
This Air Purification Technology is also famed for effectively removing instead of masking odours, creating a fresh and healthy environment that makes care homes feel more comfortable for residents, staff and visitors alike.
To find out how our PureAir technology can make your care home a safer and more pleasant place to be, by removing unpleasant odours and killing dangerous pathogens both in the air and on surfaces – then contact us on 01202 554 200 or by sending us an email at info@airius.co.uk.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious infection caused by Staphylococcus (staph) bacteria. Staph is a group of bacteria that is commonly found on the skin and in the nose and causes numerous infections, including skin infections, pneumonia and food poisoning.
MRSA occurs when bacteria living harmlessly in the nose and on the skin begin to multiply uncontrollably, usually as the result of a cut or abrasion to the skin. MRSA is one of the most dangerous types of staph infection as, whilst others are easily treated with antibiotics, MRSA is very resistant to all types of antibiotics and is thus hard to treat. It is also incredibly contagious and can be spread by close contact with an infected person, or through touching an object or surface that they have touched.
There are two classifications for MRSA infections. These are:
Transmitted within the community, CA-MRSA can be picked up at home, work, school or out in public and most often causes skin infections. This type of MRSA usually occurs because of poor hygiene, or through close contact with an infected person.
If left untreated, CA-MRSA can cause pneumonia, further infections and even sepsis.
This type of MRSA infection is picked up in medical facilities such as hospitals, doctors surgeries and care homes. HA-MRSA can be picked up through contact with improperly disinfected surgical instruments or bedclothes, as well as contaminated hands and close contact with an infected person.
HA-MRSA outbreaks in hospital settings can spread quickly and be very difficult to contain. As with CA-MRSA the complications of the infection are severe and include:
MRSA appears as a bump or infected area of skin. This can be difficult to notice in hospital settings especially, as if it takes hold at a surgical site it will be a lot longer before someone notices.
With an MRSA infection the skin will likely be:
When MRSA is suspected, the only way for doctors to definitively diagnose it is to perform a laboratory test (also known as a culture) of the bacteria. There are several ways to get this, including swabbing the skin, or taking samples of blood, urine or sputum.
There are lots of reasons that MRSA is prevalent in hospitals, the main being that around one in 30 people in society are already colonised with MRSA. This means that the bacteria is present on their skin and although not doing them any harm, can easily be passed onto others. In a hospital there are a huge number of people in a small space; patients, healthcare workers and visitors, so the chances are that there are a few people already carrying the bacteria.
This is why it is so critical that everyone in a hospital maintains proper hygiene regimes. Something as simple as a handshake from a visitor to a doctor, who then neglects to wash their hands before checking the healing of a wound site, could transfer MRSA bacteria to the patient and put them at risk of an infection.
Similarly, because MRSA bacteria can live on surfaces and fabrics for a long time and hospitals tend to have fairly heavy footfall throughout the day, improperly cleaned areas are a serious risk for transmission.
Hospitals are also full of people with an excess of entry points and areas of their bodies that are vulnerable to infection. People with fresh wounds or recovering from surgeries, as well as things like feeding tubes, catheters and IVs all put the people staying in hospital at a higher risk of MRSA.
One of the most difficult things about fighting MRSA infection is its antibiotic resistance. Without being able to effectively treat the infection with antibiotics, avoiding the infection in the first place is crucial.
Effective Air purifiers are a vital tool in keeping homes, businesses and healthcare settings clean and safe, removing airborne contaminants and in some cases, even killing bacteria present on surfaces.
Many hospitals are already using air purifiers in an attempt to prevent MRSA infections, but choosing the right type of air purifier is also important. Filter-based purifiers simply harvest dangerous microbes in the air and hold them within the purifier without destroying them, which in a healthcare setting is unsafe.
The Airius PureAir series offers full airborne and surface protection, using an advanced oxidation technology called Photohydroionization (PHI), manufactured by RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, to neutralise and destroy pollutants. The PHI Cell uses a broad-spectrum UV light to emit Ionised Hydroperoxides into the air. Hydroperoxides may sound complex, but are in fact the natural reaction in our atmosphere when oxygen molecules, water vapour and electro-magnetic energy meet.
These natural cleaning agents are circulated into the air and (depending on the pollutant) either destroy the harmful microbes, or change their molecular structure rendering them harmless. Whilst some other UV-based air purification systems have been deemed harmful for human health, this process is completely natural and safe to circulate in the home, as well as in medical settings.
In a study by Kansas State University, PHI Cell technology was found to have a 99%+ inactivation rate when tested on MRSA.
Our PureAir range of PHI air purifiers have been scientifically proven to destroy MRSA bacteria on surfaces and in the atmosphere and thanks to their ease of installation and economical price, keeping staff and visitors safe from this deadly disease is an extremely cost effective solution for most businesses.
Please get in touch on 01202 554 200 or via email at info@airius.co.uk to find out more.
In addition to worship, the Church is also used for regular meetings and gatherings within the community.
This presented a risk in relation to the transmission of COVID19, so the Church investigated solutions that would clean the air and provide a safe and comfortable environment for all their guests and members, providing reassurance to the congregation that their safety and well-being is a top priority.
After carrying out a thorough comparison of the wide range of air purification systems available, the Church selected the Airius PureAir Pearl Series with its market leading BiPolar Ionisation purification system.
This not only provided air purification, but also sterilises all surfaces in the space. Installation was simple and the system was fitted and in operation within a few hours.
The congregation at the Church are now able to worship in confidence with their new PureAir Pearl system:
Following installation of the PureAir Pearl System occupants have felt reassured and protected, easing safety concerns and allowing members, guests and volunteers to return to worship in confidence.
Comfort levels have also been significantly improved through Airius’ leading airflow circulation technology. This improved comfort helps occupants concentrate for longer and makes services and community meetings more efficient and productive.
Regular visitors to the Church have also noticed how old problem odours were eliminated and that the environment now feels much more pleasant and welcoming. Since the PureAir Pearl system was installed there have been no cases of COVID19, or any communicable illness or allergy related conditions reported.
“We are very pleased to have turned to Airius PureAir Pearl when choosing a solution for healthy and safe air. We are extremely satisfied with its results and are considering placing fans in other rooms, such as a shared kitchen where it could also help us extend the shelf life of some foods.
It’s great that we can provide our members and newcomers with a clean environment in which to focus exclusively on prayer, preaching, teaching and building personal relationships without worrying about their health.”
Roman Starzyk – Slovo Života choir
The Airius PureAir Pearl Series is a proven highly efficient air purification and surface cleaning system designed to deliver high levels of pathogen, particle and odour elimination in all types of indoor environments.
Featuring the latest in Needlepoint BiPolar Ionisation technology from one of the world’s leading manufacturers of indoor air quality systems – Plasma Air, the PureAir Pearl Series uses the power of ions to provide continuous round-the-clock sterilisation, neutralising up to 99.9% of all known pathogens, VOCs and odours, in both the air and on all surfaces.The PureAir Pearl also provides all the features and benefits of the world’s most popular destratification and airflow circulation fan, balancing temperatures, improving comfort, reducing heating and cooling costs and cutting carbon emissions.
The PureAir Pearl’s integrated Plasma Air BiPolar Ionisation system emits a high concentration of positive (+) and negative (-) ions, which are circulated into spaces via the fan
The polarity of the ions attracts them to all particles within the space, causing the particles to cluster together and make them filterable. They also bond with and neutralise pathogens, VOCs and odours by removing them of a hydrogen atom, breaking them down into their basic, harmless and odourless compounds, such as O2, CO2, N2 and H2O.
Multiple studies have been conducted on Plasma Air BiPolar Ionisation technology and it is widely approved for use to control airborne and surface-based bacteria, viruses, smoke and odours.
As the UK begins to slowly reopen, following nationwide lockdowns as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, new rules for car showrooms have now come into force. Car showrooms across the country are now able to reopen, providing they have certain protective measures put into place to protect both customers and staff.
In order to reopen, car dealerships need to ensure that they display a COVID-19 Secure health and safety certificate. The certificate can be downloaded from the HSE website after the business has performed a thorough risk assessment and fully documented their findings.
Car dealers are required to look through the guidance available at the HSE website, which explains the risks that dealers need to think about and gives tips to ensure that staff and customers are able to maintain social distancing in the showroom
The HSE guidance for showrooms outlines how the business premises should be cleaned and kept safe, as well as how to manage staff and contractors in order to create the least risk possible. Showrooms must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised every day, with surfaces wiped down every hour, and touch points and seating in cars cleaned after each customer has been into contact with them. Cars and keys must also be thoroughly disinfected before being handed over to owners.
Customers may be required to test cars alone, and dealers should ensure that trade plates and relevant insurance are in place before this is allowed.
Meanwhile, many showrooms have had perspex barriers fitted to reception desks, and one-way signage put in place to allow customers and staff to remain more than two metres apart when moving through the showroom.
It is suggested that access to dealerships be limited as much as necessary. Showrooms may be operated on an appointment-only basis, and much of the dealership’s business may be operated online rather than in-person.
If your business isn’t yet open and you are looking to ensure a safe and secure environment for customers and staff, that sticks rigidly to guidance and is easy to maintain, there are some steps that you can take before reopening.
Put together a task force, featuring representation of every department within your dealership, so that you can get in-depth knowledge of the risks and hazards present in each area.
Together with your task force, via a group discussion, you should be able to work on a plan to create a safer working environment within your car showroom. During this discussion you can ask questions like:
To reopen your showroom, you will need to have some regulations put in place to protect customer-facing employees. Work with your team to:
If your showroom does not already have an air purification system in place, now is the perfect time to install one.
It is true that we don’t fully understand how the coronavirus is transmitted yet, meaning that research into the effectiveness of air purifiers in combating the coronavirus specifically is not yet available. However, it is known that similar viruses are spread via large droplets when an infected person coughs, talks or sneezes. These viruses can also be spread through smaller particles in the air (also known as droplet nuclei, and through contact with infected surfaces – called fomite transmission).
This means that creating a healthy environment in the building that you operate from is likely to be a key element in the fight against the coronavirus. Studies have found that air purifiers in highly vulnerable transmission sites such as schools can reduce the risk of transmission by an average of 35%, whilst other research shows that higher outdoor air ventilation rates and increased filtration reduces the risk from influenza, rhinovirus, tuberculosis and SARS.
For buildings with suitable air filtration systems, these environments can be improved by ensuring that the air purifier is running at all times when the building is occupied, rather than just during business hours. Controlling the airflow between rooms to ensure that each room has a healthy air supply is also key. It has been noted in the past that unclean air circulating around entire buildings can actually spread illness very quickly. Outdoor air should come into rooms and exit clean into others, rather than just circulating the air as is.
Most air purifiers – including Hepa Filters, Charcoal Filters, 4 stage Filters, are passive, which means that air is only treated when it passes through the filter. Depending on the air circulation in a showroom, as well as how frequently people come and go within it, it maybe the case that there is always a proportion of the air that is never treated, and that consequently the risk is never properly reduced to an optimal level.
As well as this drawback, these technologies rely on filters that become clogged and ineffective over time so that they rely on routine maintenance to offer any benefit at all.
A great example of an air purification system without these drawbacks and which is designed to clean air, remove odours and destroy viruses and bacteria is the Airius PureAir series of PHI fans.
These incorporate photohydroionisation (PHI) cells manufactured by one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification – RGF Environmental, to actively circulate hydroperoxides, superoxide ions and hydroxide ions through the internal atmosphere, which are cleansing molecules that efficiently neutralise more than 99%+ of all harmful pathogens on contact.
This technology may seem revolutionary, but actually hydroperoxides are a completely natural cleanser, being the natural agent that gives that ‘clean’ smell to the air after thunderstorms. PHI Cell technology has been found to significantly reduce airborne pollutants including Bird Flu, Norovirus, E.Coli and Listeria among others, enabling businesses to maintain a healthy building and clean environment that protects customers, staff and guests.
To see how these fans can benefit your business then please get in touch with us by calling 01202 554 200 or, alternatively, send us an email at info@airius.co.uk
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the need for domestic and public spaces to be clean and safe has been emphasised. When trying to protect patients against viruses and bacteria, it is crucial that the environment around them is kept germ free and healthy.
The Covid19 crisis has only served to underline the importance of this, and with the potential of the virus being present in aerosol form in communal areas, people are thinking more and more about the usefulness of air purifiers.
When used correctly, air purifiers help to reduce the number of airborne contaminants in any confined space, and this can include viruses. Whilst there is no firm understanding, as yet, of how or if this may be useful in protecting specifically against COVID-19, it is understood that certain air purification systems, specifically those using PHI technology, are tried and tested as being effective against similar viruses (such as SARS) and will by extrapolation be likely to help the fight against coronavirus transmission.
For many, high risk spaces such as doctors and dentist surgeries are top of the list of their concerns – as they provide a higher opportunity for viruses to thrive than others. In 2011, Paul Feuerstein, DMD, wrote an article entitled “In the air tonight”, which discussed solutions for indoor air quality improvement, specifically with regards to the harmful effects of indoor air quality in dental offices.
This article looked at air purifiers as a way to provide a healthier space for medical settings such as these, and his findings have later been expanded upon by other researchers, proving that they are an essential element of a healthy space.
Alongside the regular airborne contaminants found in any indoor space, including allergens, bacteria and pet dander, there are a number of more specific sources of air contamination to contend with in dentist and doctor surgeries. These include:
Instruments used in medical and dental settings create hazardous bioaerosols – essentially an airborne collection of biological materials. Things like saliva and blood on these instruments contain microbes that can remain suspended in the air for up to six hours, creating a toxic cloud that spans from the floor to up to around six feet in height.
Sick patients are one of the more obvious ways that infectious illnesses can spread in enclosed areas. Infectious droplets exhaled, coughed, or sneezed out by an infected person can travel up to 160 feet within the room, and can then travel up to 10 stories through the building via an air conditioning system.
Medical and dental settings tend to have higher concentrations of harmful chemicals present in the local air space. This is due to a variety of reasons, and included chemicals such as:
Dust is an issue for all indoor spaces, and one of the main pollutants removed by air purifiers. Dental surgeries and laboratories have a bigger issue with dust than most other spaces, as the grinding of materials creates a heavy concentrations of fine white dust.
Nosocomial infections are found in patients under the medical care of a hospital or other medical care facility (such as a doctor’s surgery), that were not present at the time of admission. These infections are a major concern for any medical setting, as they strike patients who are already vulnerable, meaning that the outcome can be very serious.
According to the World Health Organisation, of every 100 hospitalized patients at any given time, 7 in developed and 10 in developing countries will acquire at least one health care-associated infection.
These may be contracted at any time during:
The most common infections include pneumonia and gastroenteritis, but also include very serious infections such as MRSA.
Different types of air purifiers work in different ways, but they all work towards the common goal of removing as many airborne pollutants from the atmosphere as possible, improving the quality of the air and ensuring that patients and visitors are protected from noxious compounds and pathogens.
This is not only useful for patients and visitors, but also for the doctors, dentists and other medical personnel working within the setting, as these people tend to be the most at risk, working continuously in the affected space.
Finding an air purification system that protects all of the patients, staff and visitors within doctors and dentists surgeries in an effective way is no easy task, but the consequences for not doing so can be severe.
Things that must be taken into account when purchasing an air purification system for a medical setting include:
The air purifier needs to be able to remove the excess of air pollutants within a dental or doctors office. This doesn’t only include things like dust, mould and odours, but also bioaerosols, bacteria and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Standard filtration systems are not ideal here, as they simply trap bacteria and viruses – the system should be able to kill the contaminants it comes into contact with, using something like UV-C light.
The high footfall within these settings, coupled with the excess contaminants, means that the air purifier needs to be able to completely clean the air within a room in a short space of time.
The amount of air that moves through a purification system is measured as cubic feet per minute (CFM). It is suggested that units in these settings have enough CFM to turn over the indoor air once every 30 minutes.
All air purifiers make a little noise, as the air passes through the filtration system. However, a noisy system can be distracting for those working, and stressful for patients. A noisy system may lead to staff turning the unit down in order to appease visitors and staff, which will reduce the efficacy of the system. A good air purifier for these types of settings will be below 50dB. For comparison, human speech is, on average, around 60dB.
Ionic air purifiers have a benefit over standard filter systems as they are thought to re-energise the air as it passes through the filter. Re-energisation of indoor air has been thought to provide cognitive benefits including higher alertness and decreased drowsiness.
The Airius PureAir series is a great example of a system that would work well in a medical or dental setting, as it uses the latest PHI (Photohydroionization) Cell technology from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, to remove and neutralise a range of airborne contaminants in any indoor setting.
The PHI Cell emits ‘Ionised Hydroperoxides’, which is the naturally occurring cleaning agent that is responsible for the ‘fresh air’ smell after thunderstorms. Fans circulate air quickly, quietly and effectively, leading to 24 hour clean air in any space.
The Hydroperoxides not only neutralise chemical and biological threats in the atmosphere, they also are dispersed onto surfaces where their impart a similar disinfecting action.
Their value is such that ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) strongly recommend their installation to control the spread of viral and bacterial diseases in buildings.
It is no secret that our homes are better built and more comfortable than ever, designed to keep the internal atmosphere at a steady temperature all year round. But where the weather is kept out, contaminants are kept in, and this is a concern for our health.
According to research from the Environmental Protection Agency, people today spend up to 90% of their time indoors, and this is where the concentrations of some air pollutants is highest. In fact, air pollution within the home can be between 2 to 5 times higher than in outdoor settings.
Whilst most people understand the importance of keeping a house clean and free of dust and other visible pollutants, there are lots of other particles and pathogens in the air that we can’t see, from dust mites to pollen, as well as dangerous bacteria and viruses. Together, this creates a worrying combination of hazards that could lead to long-term health problems.
Many people believe that using air purifiers is the ideal way to filter out these pollutants and ensure the healthy environment of the home. But not all air purification systems are created equal, and simply having an air purifier does not mean that your household is safe.
There are two types of air purifiers available for home use, which use two main kinds of purification processes. These are:
Whilst passive air purifiers are the most commonly used in homes, the fact that the air has to pass through a filter before coming out as clean air means that the process can take a long time, and any new contaminants brought into the atmosphere (such as people coming in and out of a room) make the process take even longer.
On top of this, the trapped bacteria and other pollutants live on in the machine and create a hazard when the filter needs to be changed.
Active purifiers, on the other hand, seek to destroy or neutralise harmful elements in the atmosphere, and work to treat the whole room at the same time, making the process faster and more effective.
One of the main reasons that people buy air purifiers for their homes is to protect those that suffer from allergies. Passive air purifiers such as HEPA filters are effective at removing airborne allergens such as pollen, dust mites and pet dander from the space, as they are drawn into the air purifier and trapped in the filter. However, although airborne pathogens are removed, these filters are not as successful at removing allergens from things like your furniture, floorboards and even the foundations of your home, where they tend to settle over time.
Meanwhile, active type air purification systems are far more effective at removing and neutralising these allergens, seeking them out wherever they can be found and destroying them, both in the air and on surfaces.
Active air purifiers cover a far greater area than passive filter purifiers. This is because a passive air purifier uses a physical filter, through which all air must be passed before it can come out clean. This means that these purifiers are not suitable for larger spaces and will not be very effective.
Active ionic air purifiers can cover a much wider area, some up to 3,500 sq ft, making them suitable for even the largest home or business.
HEPA air purifiers rely on costly consumable filters and this means that over time they come with a hefty price tag.
Most active air purification systems don’t have any maintenance requirements, save for those which include a collection plate. However, even then, the collection plate is often washable and reusable, and will last for as long as the unit does.
One of the more surprising ways in which clean air affects the body is that it helps your brain to function properly. Studies have shown that air pollution can have a detrimental effect on the human brain, to the extent that people are 30% more likely to suffer a stroke when living in the most polluted countries.
The Airius PureAir offers an advanced yet cost-effective solution for those looking for an active air purification system to keep their home clean and safe from pollutants. The system uses an advanced type of oxidation technology called photohydroionisation (PHI) manufactured by RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, to remove airborne pollutants from a space, as well as neutralising those that have settled on surfaces.
Research has found this type of air purification system to be effective in neutralising the smallest particles of bacteria and other contaminants, which could include everything from the common cold to MRSA, Norwalk Virus, Streptococcus, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Candida Albicans, and SARS.
Photohydroionisation is a complex form of oxidation – the process that removes or reduces things like mould, bacteria, viruses, and odours from a confined space by creating clean air through the release of ozone and hydrogen peroxide.
Photohydroionisation works through the reaction of moisture in the air to create hydroperoxides, an ionic reaction that is responsible for the clean air smell we get after a thunderstorm. Using hydroperoxides in the oxidation process accelerates it and makes it more efficient, without some of the safety risks that are associated with other forms of oxidation.
The Airius PureAir series uses the integrated PHI cell to create the photohydroionisation effect using a highly efficient, broad-spectrum UV bulb. This ensures a fast disinfection time over a large cleaning area, effectively clearing the room of allergens and other pollutants within a short period.
For those who want to ensure that their living space remains clean and healthy, and don’t want to run the risks associated with changing filters or keeping bacteria and viruses stored within their homes, this air purification system is one of the best options around today to protect your love ones from these invisible killers.
You can get in touch with us by calling on 01202 554 200 or via email at info@airius.co.uk
Whilst there can be no doubt about the contagious nature of COVID-19, there has been some dispute about how exactly it is transmitted, meaning that people are unsure how they can keep themselves and their families safe.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):
“It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
The main cause of coronavirus transmission is thought to be through person-to-person contact. This happens when an infected person passes the virus to another by sneezing or coughing, most likely through close contact, when respiratory droplets land on the mouths, noses or eyes of uninfected people 6 feet or closer to the source.
However, in studies, researchers have found that the coronavirus could still be detected in the air up to three hours after emission, and so could infect people that come into contact with that air long after the infected person has left the area. For this reason, people are starting to think about how to clean the air in their homes and businesses effectively, to limit their chances of catching the virus.
It is important to note that in these early stages of research, it is not yet known whether air purifiers will be able to trap and filter out coronavirus. Early studies suggest that air purifiers with HEPA filters, whilst extremely effective at filtering out air pollutants and dust mites, are not suitable for preventing viruses from entering your home. Research is still underway for other types of air purifiers so there is no firm verdict on this yet.
However, having cleaner air in your home overall can go a long way to helping your family in the fight against coronavirus.
Coronavirus is a respiratory illness, which is most likely to affect those who are immunocompromised. Air purifiers work to remove pollutants, allergens, germs and bacteria from your home atmosphere, creating a healthier environment for you to live in and thus boosting your immunity.
Even if an air purifier is unable to protect specifically against coronavirus, it will still go a long way to ensuring that your body is in the best shape possible to fight against it.
However, PHI air purifiers, previously used in industry and sensitive public spaces, can actually eliminate all manner of biological threats, both in the atmosphere and on surfaces within their effective treatment area. It was thought this type of technology was “overkill” for domestic and smaller commercial areas, however the current crisis has caused a rethink in this belief.
More on this technology at the bottom of this article.
The coronavirus crisis has brought into focus for many people the dangers of contaminated air. In the UK, not since the Spanish Flu of 1919, have people been afraid to breath the same air as their fellow citizens.
As mentioned above, cleaner air offers a range of benefits that could help your immunity and health, so that you are better placed to protect yourself against all manner of medical conditions. Some of the main benefits are:
When we breathe in tiny particles of chemicals and other air pollutants, they end up in our lungs, which triggers a protective mechanism of cells called macrophages. Macrophages are designed to clear out these pollutants but are also instrumental in the creation of plaque – one of the main causes of arterial blockage in the heart. Thus, breathing clean air is important for maintaining your cardiovascular health.
This may seem obvious, but breathing polluted air is very bad for your lungs, putting them under pressure and prematurely ageing them. Studies have noted that people living in extremely polluted environments are far more likely to develop respiratory conditions such as asthma and emphysema, as well as being more at risk of contracting respiratory illnesses.
Polluted air has been linked in the past to outbreaks of things like SARS and MRSA, and medical practitioners have long sought out the best air purification systems for their health facilities as a way to boost patients’ recovery time and protect against further infections.
Hospitals are a hotbed of bacteria and viruses, coming from a range of sources including patients with infectious diseases, the hazardous materials worked with in these settings, and even chemical residue from cleaning materials. For this reason, air purification technologies are standard in these settings, especially those that use oxidisation technology.
Oxidisation works to remove air pollutants, bacteria and other threats, using a range of effective compounds including chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and ozone. More recent oxidisation technology has advanced this process, leading to a technique called photohydroionisation, which is the process used by more advanced purifiers like the Airius PureAir.
The Airius PureAir is an air purification system that employs the latest in PHI (photohydroionisation) technology from RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, to clean the air and remove odours from any household, workspace or medical facility. In independent research results, PHI Cell technology was found to reduce the presence of MRSA, Norwalk Virus, Streptococcus, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Candida Albicans, and SARS by 99%+ within just 24hrs. In 48 hours, the system was able to do the same for listeria, mould, streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus aureus, and bacillus globigii.
It is still too early to know how the same system will work on the coronavirus, and further testing is underway to understand this. However, with results such as these, it is clear that any household would be well-placed to enjoy better health and ensure a safe home environment through using these systems.
Life is likely to be different for some time, following the COVID-19 pandemic. It is natural that most people’s priorities will shift to wanting to protect themselves and their families in any way they can, under the understanding that we will all be required to stay home a lot more, for a while longer. A great air purification system can help to take some of the worry out of this, and best set up your home for the long haul.
The Future Of Air Purification At Home Following The COVID19 Pandemic? We believe it is the Airius PureAir range of Purifiers. If you want to find out more then please contact us on 01202 554 200 or via email at info@airius.co.uk
The coronavirus has changed the way we live in many ways. Social distancing has become an everyday term, many more people are working from home, and people are spending more time indoors than ever before. Not only this, but society is far more concerned about keeping themselves and their families safe.
As part of this, there has been a spike in the sale of air purifiers, as noted in this article. It is important to note that whilst the research conducted there shows that air purifiers do little to protect against viruses, this focuses on the ‘old-style’ air filtration systems rather than the new Active PHI system. This article will talk about both to help to give a rounded view of how air purification systems could work in the fight against coronavirus.
It is generally understood that air purifiers are not much help against viruses. Air purifiers use fans to suck in air, which then passes through a filter in order to expel purified air back into the room. Air purifiers are excellent at removing odours and large particles from the air, including things like dust, pollen and pet dander, to reduce allergy symptoms in sufferers. They can also help to minimise the odour and damage done by second-hand smoke. However, there is a limit to what an air purifier can remove from the air.
There are two main types of air filter available on the market:
But air filtration systems aren’t the only way to clean a room and target things like viruses. Other methods of air purification include:
Put simply – we don’t know yet. Coronavirus is a very new virus, meaning that studies have not been able to make conclusions on whether or not certain types of air purifier will work against it.
It is understood that a standard HEPA filter will do little to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as coronavirus particles tend to be around 0.01 microns in size, and most domestic HEPA filters are only able to capture particles of 0.03 microns and larger. Although some of the more expensive filters do capture particles of 0.01 microns and up, these particles live on in the filter for hours or even days, meaning that you are at risk of infection when cleaning your air purifier or changing the filter.
Air purifiers which also utilise UV light are far more effective, as they can kill the particulates as they come through the filter, but whether or not they are effective depends on a range of factors from how big your room is to how many air changes occur throughout the day.
The Airius PureAir Air Purification and Odour Control System is the ideal air purifier for any household looking to improve air quality within the home. The system significantly reduces viruses, bacteria, gases, Volatile Organic Compounds (such as those present in paint and cigarette smoke), mould and odours by up to 99%+.
The system works by combining an airflow circulation fan with Photohydroionisation Cell technology from one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification – RGF Environmental, to circulate neutralising ionised hydroperoxides 24 hours a day – providing continuous air purification for both the air and surfaces.
Whilst it is still too early to know how it works specifically against coronavirus, COVID-19 is a member of the enveloped RNA Sarbecoviruses subfamily and the technology employed by the Airius PureAir series is proven to work against similar viruses, and so, although the organisation makes no medical claims, it is probably safe to assume that it will also work well against the novel coronavirus.
If you would like to find out more about the variety of air purification technologies that can be used in your home, please contact us to discuss this.
Looking back at previous epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases, there are many possible outcomes of our current situation. Currently, scientists are studying the 1918 influenza pandemic amongst others and modelling the next potential steps for the UK with this information in mind.
It is important we learn from historical data, but we can only make educated guesses about what how the COVID-19 pandemic will develop. It is very plausible that there will be a second wave of coronavirus, however correctly predicting this requires the development and correct use of incredibly complicate computer models. Scientists must look at everything from vaccination options, social behaviours and current health policies in order to build up a bigger picture of the virus and how to combat it safely.
Why second or multiple-wave outbreaks occur is a central pillar in the work of epidemiologists. Pandemic management requires careful monitoring of previous similar cases, as well as determining whether herd immunity can develop without huge loss of life.
In the case of COVID-19, The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that now is the time for preparation, not celebration. This strongly suggests a second wave of coronavirus is expected, and we should do all we can to prepare for this occurrence.
We have already experienced the shocking initial results of the coronavirus pandemic. In the UK, nearly 40,000 people have died, and long term damage to our economy and society has occurred due to huge numbers of businesses failing and unemployment rising to unprecedented levels.
Alongside these outcomes, coronavirus has likely had an effect on the mental health of many people in our communities. Not being able to see friends and family can seriously damage human well-being if it occurs over a long period of time. To help those with anxiety, preparing our environments adequately through disinfection and correct air ventilation is a necessary step.
People with existing health conditions may not be able to access the care they require, with many cancer units being closed and treatments being paused. Although fatality rates are exceptionally high from the disease itself, many people are dying as a secondary result of not obtaining correct health care for other conditions.
The significant problem with COVID-19 is the level of contagiousness. One single contact with an infected person can endanger an entire community. This is known as a ‘small-world’ effect by scientists, and simply means as individuals, we are connected with others more than we realise.
Because it is so contagious, we need to combat it in many ways – not just through social distancing or isolation but by considering and adapting our buildings and the design of our enclosed spaces.
Lowering our exposure to large groups of people is the first necessary step. As the disease can spread quickly from one person, and subsequently travel back to various areas through these people, we must avoid large crowds and gatherings.
The second step currently in discussion and action is the development of testing. To test and track and individual is a crucial concept in fighting the battle against coronavirus. Health authorities need to have the knowledge of who and where is housing this disease in order to prevent it spreading any further. Currently, apps are being developed to help make this a reality.
Thirdly, we must follow the protocol as set out by Government. The focus on deep cleaning, handwashing, self-isolating if you are unwell, avoiding public transport and working from home if possible are all key in the battle against COVID-19.
Alongside these precautions, we can take other measures such as improving our homes with suitable air ventilation.
If we live in more populated areas such as flats and high-rise buildings, we need to make sure the air flow in our homes and communal spaces is monitored and adapted through the implementation of HVAC that is designed to minimise our exposure to deadly pathogens.
The coronavirus has turned our economy upside down. Apart from key workers, many employees are working from home, or are furloughed as their employers struggle to survive.
As businesses and governments devise the next steps to eventually get back to a ‘new normal’, we must look at the potential strategies for managing the health and safety of our population.
Adaption of the environments in which we live and work is crucial for the prevention of infectious diseases such as coronavirus. Because the virus is spread through contaminated droplets, it is essential we follow strict rules to minimise contamination – such as deep cleaning surfaces, one-way walking systems in offices and PPE if required.
One step business’ can take to prepare for a second wave of coronavirus is ensuring their air supply is as clean and free from contaminants as possible. Technologies such as ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) can be used to disinfect surfaces and air in enclosed spaces.
Using ultra-violet light technology in HVAC systems to destroy harmful airborne viruses is a highly effective method of stopping the cycle of transmission. UVGI is already used in the meat and dairy industry to kill bacteria in our foodstuff, and over the past 20 years has been developed to be used in buildings to make our air and surfaces disinfected safely.
We can use this time to make sure our air circulation and ventilation systems are working at top efficiency. It is a legal requirement to ventilate commercial and public buildings with fresh air, whilst filtering out pollutants. Keeping spaces well ventilated has been proven to stop the spread of harmful bacteria that is airborne.
The humidity level of our indoor spaces must also be monitored. Although it sounds counter-intuitive, viruses like COVID-19 thrive in less humid atmospheres as the cells are more able to suspend in the air as opposed to drop down. Crystallised microbiomes also live longer, therefore creating higher and extended risk to humans – this happens in spaces which are not held at humidity levels between 40% and 60%.
Air purification methods are an important part of the battle against coronavirus. Ensuring we have clean, filtered and virus- free air filtered around our places of work, educational facilities and healthcare centres is crucial in maintaining maximum levels of health and wellbeing during our current crisis and to prepare for any second waves of the virus.
If you would like to find out more about the variety of air purification technologies that can be used in your buildings, please contact us to discuss this. We have a range of air purification strategies that can be developed from scratch or work in addition to your existing systems.
The future of air purification in buildings occupied by the public is now in the spotlight. Implementing air purification systems in public areas such as airports, train stations and bus stations is likely to be the next step in our fight against Coronavirus.
Urban transport is an area of great concern in regard to the current pandemic, and research has stated that existing policies and practices within the design, construction and operation of these infrastructures may have negative implications when it comes to containing the transmission of airborne diseases.
Organisations such as ASHRAE have responded to our current situation by setting out professional guidelines, though these will be likely to change as the situation develops and more is learnt about COVID-19.
The increase in use of public transportation is closely tied into the development and expansion of today’s working population. People spend a significant amount of time either waiting for public transport or commuting and due to this, the exposure to airborne threats in these areas has continued to increase. Addressing the necessity of installing air purification systems in our enclosed public spaces – in areas such as bus stations, airports, and train stations – to successfully combat the current pandemic, seems therefore to be a sensible step to take.
Capital cities such as London face chronic overcrowding in transport hubs, especially during peak hours. The Department for Transport (DfT) stated in Spring 2011 that over-crowded services were between 47% and 66% over capacity both in the trains and in the stations. In turn, individuals were standing or sitting in extremely close proximity in poorly ventilated areas. This has obvious implications for the spreading of airborne diseases through both direct and indirect contact.
The quality of our air has never been so important. The outbreak of Coronavirus has allowed us to reduce the amount of air pollution on one hand, thanks to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, however on the other hand we must strive to increase the quality of air indoors to protect our health and wellbeing.
Air filtration methods in ground transport structures will undoubtedly play a part in controlling the spread of Coronavirus. A paper in 2014 reviewed 14 events of confirmed airborne transmission that had occurred in the public transport sector, and while not being able to prove it due to the outbreaks not happening under monitored conditions, speculated that poor ventilation, proximity to infected individuals, and recirculated air were likely contributing factors.
A further case study completed in Nottingham has shown that use of public buses and trams posed a significant risk of acquiring acute respiratory infections.
A worrying example specific to Covid-19 of the danger posed in a closed environment was demonstrated on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in January 2020. Panic by various countries meant that the ship was quarantined for over a month and despite all passengers being confined to quarters, the infection spread to infect at least 712 of the 3711 passengers and crew.
We are still learning about the behaviour of airborne infections such as COVID-19 and the available information is still limited and tends to be focused on exposure during travel, as opposed to the dangers that exist while waiting to travel within transit hubs such as airports or train stations. However, the literature and research that has been done offers a frank insight into the risk factors of these environments, and it is not too much of an extrapolation to concur that poor ventilation in these types of buildings poses the same types of risks as those found within the similar confines of a train, plain, ship or bus.
Since the outbreak of Coronavirus, it can be assumed that air quality in commercial and public spaces such as tube stations and bus concourses will likely be monitored by third-party health and sustainability certification companies in the near future.
Performance-based air quality results may be required as one-off tests, annually or through continuous testing. Recent advances in air technology have dramatically reduced the cost of air sensors which can provide readings on the air quality.
Monitoring the levels of air purity in public or commercial buildings will include the testing of CO2 amounts, total volatile organic compounds found, humidity levels, temperature and particulate matter.
It may transpire that air quality data for public or commercial buildings can be viewed remotely, therefore allowing for required intervention or troubleshooting should there be dangerous practices happening.
The PHI purification cell technology from RGF Environmental integrated in PureAir Air Purification & Odour Control System has validated test results showing up to 99+% reductions on enveloped or protein jacketed viruses similar to the Coronavirus. This has been reviewed by Associate Director of the National Agriculture Biosecurity Center and past Distinguished Professor Dr. James Marsden of Kansas State University, who supports that the evidence suggests “there is every reason to believe Airius PureAir PHI Technology would also be effective in reduction of COVID-19”.
PHI Cell technology has already been certified to reduce the levels of SARS virus by 72.92% (a member of the Coronavirus family) and widely implemented by the Chinese Government in response to the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak. This sample was taken in a subway and highlights the effectiveness of this technology inside public buildings and transport infrastructures.
Photohydroionisation technology, which uses ultraviolet C (UVC) light in air circulation systems, can be used to disinfect air supplies in indoor structures. It works by emitting a high intensity, broad-spectrum UV light projected on to a quad metallic target, producing ionised hydro-peroxides which capture and kill viruses.
Viruses, gases, bacteria and mould spores are all either killed or neutralised. The only remaining by-product from the reaction is Oxygen and Hydrogen, which are already naturally abundant in the air around us.
Hydroperoxides are otherwise known as ‘Mother Nature’s cleaning agent’ and are what make the air smell clean after a thunderstorm. They are naturally produced in our environment and are artificially created by the PHI Cell featured in the Airius PureAir System, in order to provide us with fresh, safe air.
Airius’ PureAir Air Purification and Odour Control System uses this PHI Cell advanced oxidisation technology to make sure indoor spaces have improved air quality, especially in the midst of the current Pandemic. For public spaces such as bus stations, airports and train stations which have many people passing through, controlling the air supply and making it as safe as possible is critical. The PureAir System works in buildings with ceilings up to 14 metres and more – perfect for spaces such as airports and train stations that often have higher ceilings.
The amount of humidity in an indoor space has a substantial effect on the transmission of harmful pathogens. Where relative humidity is maintained, for example at around 40%, there tend to be fewer infections.
ASHRAE recommends that maintaining a humidity level of below 65% reduces the chance of mould growth, like wise holding the humidity between 40% and 60% may reduce the transmission of airborne bacteria. Scientists have found that dehydrated bacteria droplets remain floating in the atmosphere for longer, which subsequently increases the risk of transmission to humans.
Dehydrated virus cells are able to crystallise into a solid state which preserves them and enables them to last longer, therefore extending the time of possible transmission. When air humidity is kept constant at over 40%, the microbial droplets are able to retain moisture and therefore drop to the ground or a surface – which will then be more likely to be wiped away if you are following strict cleaning procedures.
The correct amount of moisture in the atmosphere allows for a more hostile environment for bacteria, as it can allow solutes within an aerosol to form dissolved salts – this inactivates the virus, mould or bacteria.
Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic, we must look at how air humidity is controlled in commercial and public buildings, especially during the colder months that will soon be upon us. Now we are fully aware of the consequences of airborne infections, it is crucial that humidity control is incorporated in an effective COVID-19 containment strategy.
The Airius PureAir Purifying Fan System can also help to manage and maintain ideal levels of humidity, by increasing or decreasing the levels of air movement in a space, as well as vastly improving the efficiency of air turnover.
Fresh air and well-ventilated spaces are crucial for health and wellbeing, not only during this pandemic but also looking towards the future. A factor we must consider in this strategy is the air exchange rate of a building.
In buildings such as airports, fresh air is unlikely to reach the main parts of the building. But with the Airius PureAir system you could circulate fresh, safe, virus-free air throughout the entire building structure.
The fewer air changes a building or room has, the more likely it is that pollutants and viruses stay in the atmosphere. This is why is it important to maintain consistent levels of outdoor air ventilation and airflow circulation. In enclosed public spaces such as bus stations, train stations and airports, air treatment, filtration and purification methods can compound the issue relating to a lack of fresh outdoor air.
Because of the nature of these building’s design, public transportation buildings can greatly impact airborne disease transmission. The combination of the built environment alongside multiple individuals passing through these areas has been proven to result in higher transmission of viruses.
Particularly relevant to this case is the increase in international travel. Airports have the potential to act as hubs for the global spread of airborne diseases, for example SARS, H1N1 and Coronavirus. They play a critical role in the operation of controlling the nature of epidemics and pandemics – as their design and very nature make them a high-risk infrastructure to a bioterror attack.
Ventilation systems that achieve 100% outdoor air with zero circulation are important for preserving the wellbeing of the people that use these spaces. Higher air exchange rates greatly assist in diluting potentially contaminated air, as well as benefitting inhabitants by improving cognitive function.
The optimal rate of air exchange rate in healthcare environments is around 20 air changes per hour. Although commercial and public buildings do not require quite this level, since the rapid changes in protocol from COVID-19, it is recommended that solutions are correctly implemented to make sure air is purified as much as possible.
ASHRAE have recommended the following strategies for increased air exchange:
The Airius PureAir System has been proven to significantly improve the quality of indoor air, airflow circulation and comfort and could be implemented in public indoor spaces to reduce the spread of viruses, bacteria, gases and volatile organic compounds. It also eliminates mould and odours, whilst the active cleaning agents provide indoor spaces with fresh, clean air.
If you would like to find out more about the Airius PureAir Air Purification, Circulation and Odour Control System for use in your building, please contact us and we’ll be happy to provide you with a No Obligation Quotation for your application.
The PureAir System has already been installed in a wide variety of applications and is perfectly suited for installation into public spaces such as train stations, airports, bus stations and other public transport concourses. Small, compact and extremely versatile, we have developed Air Purification Solutions for both new builds, as well as all types of retrofits and even Protected Heritage Buildings with Airius Systems having already been installed in numerous Grade I, II* and II listed buildings.
Feel free to get in touch with us for more information by calling on 01202 554 200 or via email at info@airius.co.uk.
The air we breathe indoors can circulate harmful viruses if not properly controlled, especially in buildings where many people are constantly mobile. In buildings such as offices, cinemas, shops and schools, the circulating air can be a big factor in spreading diseases such as COVID-19.
Modern air circulation systems can be a beneficial asset to our coronavirus strategy. Over the past 20 years, systems which include photohydroionisation technology have been developed to kill harmful viruses before they get the chance to enter our bodies and wreak havoc.
Harmful bacteria, mould spores, viruses and unpleasant odours can be present in the air around us before eventually landing onto a surface. High level photohydroionisation air purification is a technology developed to both minimize and neutralise these using suitably equipped air-conditioning systems equipped.
High level photohydroionisation air purification is a solution that is based on advanced photohydroionisation technology. It works using UV light and quad metallic catalysts to destroy the living bacteria or virus, yet is totally harmless to humans, animals and plants.
The reaction created by high level photohydroionisation air purification results in the release of compounds that will come into contact with harmful bacteria in the air and neutralise them by damaging their cell structure, therefore making the air safe.
This technology is implemented into BMS systems to make sure that air circulated in rooms has been treated to remove deadly viruses like coronavirus.
ASHRAE stands for The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. They are a professional association who seek to advance the design of heating, ventilation, air-con and refrigeration with a clear emphasis on human health and environmental sustainability.
ASHRAE operate in over 132 countries all over the world and serve over 57,000 members including building services engineers, mechanical contractors, building owners and architects amongst many others.
This society funds research projects, educational programs and publishes technical standards in order to actively improve our built environment, energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Their mission is to ‘serve humanity by advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and all their allied fields’.
ASHRAE provides guidance and develops standards that are intended to mitigate the risk of transmission of infectious diseases in our buildings. The guidance they provide can be used in spaces such as offices and homes, as well as planes, trains and cars. This is generally classed as infectious aerosols and indirect transmission, as opposed to direct contact.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ASHRAE’s Executive Committee and Epidemic Task Force have stated that the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) through the air is likely, therefore changes to building operations such as airflow circulation, heating and ventilation systems should be addressed. ASHRAE have stated that the transmission of the COVD-19 virus can be reduced with correct circulation, ventilation and air filtration systems.
ASHRAE have also stated that unconditioned spaces can causes thermal stress to anyone inhabiting that space, which may lower resistance to infection. The disabling of circulation, heating, ventilation and air-con systems is therefore not a recommended way to control the virus.
ASHRAE state that proper airflow circulation, ventilation, filtration and distribution systems alongside disinfection technology have the potential to help stop the spread of diseases such as coronavirus. They can limit the transmission of airborne pathogens and therefore break the chain of infection.
Airborne pathogens are released through droplets and aerosols, typically by coughing, sneezing, talking, breathing, singing, toilet flushing and as a result of some medical procedures.
To help combat the spread of these, ASHRAE specifically recommend:
There are many factors to consider in the design and operation of your HVAC system in regard to minimising the spread of harmful bacteria. Various strategies have been found to be effective at the control of virus transmission, including (but not limited to):
The operation and implementation of HVAC systems are only one part of the infection control strategy, and other measures should be taken alongside it such as social distancing, Perspex screens, regular handwashing, and one-way walking systems.
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation – otherwise known as UVGI – is a method of disinfection that uses UV light to kill or neutralise organic microorganisms. Short-wave ultraviolet light rays are used to disrupt or destroy the DNA of bacteria, rendering them useless and therefore unable to enter our bodies.
We are not exposed to UV light usually, because the ozone layer blocks these particular rays. This means bacteria and mould spores can survive in our atmosphere. By producing these rays through technology, we can directly target objects or the air that enters rooms in order to sanitise the environment.
UVGI is used in many ways, for example to disinfect food, air, water and surfaces. It has been used as a disinfection method for over 50 years, primarily in medical sanitation and work facilities that require sterilisation, and subsequently to disinfect drinking water and wastewater. In the past 20 years, it has been implemented successfully in air purification systems to disinfect the air within buildings.
UVGI can be installed as an air-conditioning unit, either as a new system entirely or to enhance the system you already have in place.
High power UVGI systems are installed inside air-conditioning systems and work alongside the cooling coils to break down the DNA of any virus. This means it improves the cleanliness of your air supply and stops the spread of harmful virus cells, therefore stopping the chain of infection and ultimately, keeping people healthy.
The system is effective at killing hazardous microbiomes as well as improving air quality in general, due to additional temperature and humidity controls. UVGI is microbiocidal and is effective as part of your on-going strategy to help control infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
It should be considered an important factor alongside traditional cleaning and disinfection, although it cannot be relied upon solely to control hazardous bacteria, it is a highly recommended addition to any health and safety strategy.
If you would like to find out more about how high level photohydroionisation air purification systems can benefit your workplace or home, please contact us today for further information. We would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world for the foreseeable future and, alongside scientists hopefully developing a vaccine and workplaces and schools adjusting how they operate to create a workable ‘new normal’, there are other solutions available which can help businesses combat Coronavirus and other invisible harmful organisms and pollutants.
Photohydroionisation technologies are highly developed air purification solutions which help to prevent the spread of diseases such as Coronavirus by neutralising them with oxidising compounds that are created when UV light strikes a reactive metal surface.
In this article, we look at the technology behind photohydroionisation and how it can help prevent infection, kill dangerous bacteria and viruses, and assist us in creating safe environments for now and in the future.
The open air is generally considered safe as any dangerous compounds or pathogens can disperse harmlessly into the atmosphere but, inside buildings like schools and offices, the air quality needs to be carefully controlled in order to reduce our chances of contracting harmful infections.
Photohydroionisation is a technology developed by one of the world’s leading specialists in air, water and food purification – RGF Environmental, to neutralise bacteria, viruses, mould spores, noxious gases and vapours, and odours that are found in the air and on surfaces inside buildings.
It is a solution that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to eliminate these invisible dangers by destroying any living bacteria or virus exposed to it, thus crucially reducing the risk of infection to anyone within that environment.
Photohydroionisation works by targeting a high intensity broad-spectrum UV light on to a hydrated quad metallic surface which acts as a catalyst. This reaction produces a plasma made up of oxidisers which safely neutralise or eliminate any bacteria, viruses, or spores they come into contact with.
These ionised hydro-peroxides safely destroy these harmful organisms, which are always present in the air around us and on the surfaces we touch, by either destroying them completely or rendering them harmless by irreversibly damaging their cell structure.
This is similar to washing our hands with soap and water which, in the case of Coronavirus, destroys the cell’s outer layer and makes it harmless.
The key term to remember here is hydro-peroxides as this is what is produced when photohydroionisation occurs. These are the same chemical compounds that are created in the air when oxygen combines with water vapour is in the presence of electromagnetic energy.
Hydro-peroxides have been in our atmosphere on earth for over 3.5 billion years, and it has been demonstrated through scientific study that they do not pose a risk to human health.
As humans, we have come into contact with hydro-peroxides since the day we were born and, over the past 20 years of photohydroionisation development, no safety problems have ever been recorded.
As with most things of course, extremely high levels can be hazardous. Too much oxygen can cause oxygen toxicity and even drinking too much water can be fatal. For Hydro-peroxides, ideal indoor levels are advised of anywhere up to 1.0ppm (1 part per million). Photohydroionisation technologies maintain on average 0.01-0.02ppm within spaces (dependent upon the environment), which is on balance with natural levels found in outside air of between 0.01-0.03pppm, so well within recommended levels.
Considering the threat that COVID-19 now poses to our health, businesses, and education, it is easy to see that there are many benefits to adopting the technology.
We know that COVID-19 pathogens, as well as other viruses like SARS and MERS can be transferred to surfaces through human contact or coughs and sneezes and that they can live for up to 9 days on surfaces like plastic, metal and glass.
This means that we need to decontaminate the surfaces they could potentially be on as well as purifying the air – as tests have also shown they can float in the atmosphere prior to landing onto a surface.
Photohydroionisation air purification solutions have been successfully tested on pathogens and air contaminants and the technology has been shown to eliminate unwanted and potential harmful odours and vapours as well.
The process of photohydroionisation creates a plasma which comprises of hydro-peroxides, super oxide ions, and ionised hydroxide ions – all within safe concentrations which are no different to the concentration of these gases in the general atmosphere.
The plasma is then safely distributed throughout the designated space coming into contact with any potential organic viruses and destroys them. The technology allows for the plasma to spread out and hit any exposed surface, including hard to reach areas, therefore making it highly effective.
This type of PHI microbial treatment technology from RGF has been recognised by the US EPA as an effective infection transmission control.
As well as being used in buildings to decontaminate the air and surfaces which may have contact with harmful bacteria, photohydroionisation is also used in the food industry to make sure the produce we eat is free from dangerous virus cells, mould, or bacteria.
Photohydroionisation is used effectively in treating foodstuffs such as meat and dairy and it is highly effective as it penetrates the products successfully and destroys any dangerous pathogens present.
As there has been huge outcry at the chemical treatment of food to avoid contamination, photohydroionisation has proven to be highly useful in this sector. Using technology to kill germs and prevent the spread of infection is healthier than the harsh chemical alternatives.
The use of photohydroionisation in the food marketplace has allowed producers to reduce spoilage and the technology supplies us with a superior, micro bacteria-free product with a much longer shelf life.
Photohydroionisation is an effective health and safety solution for a wide range of buildings, workplaces, and homes. The current pandemic has shown that the COVID-19 virus is an exponentially growing and highly contagious threat that needs urgent measures to control its spread in society.
By implementing photohydroionisation in your office, you are investing in the health and safety of your colleagues. It can be used alongside your other COVID-19 mitigation strategies to help minimise the threat posed by these invisible but deadly threats.
Photohydroionisation can also be installed in schools, colleges, and other educational facilities. This is important because buildings which have heavy traffic flows of humans coming and going are breeding grounds for infection.
Health care facilities like hospitals, doctor’s surgeries, and respite homes would also benefit from using photohydroionisation technology to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
If you would like to find out more about the benefits of photohydroionisation technology in order to prevent the spread of diseases and infections, please contact us today for further information.
Dorset based fan supplier and airflow experts, Airius, have supplied a local resident with one of their air purification systems to provide an extra level of protection during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Retired Childcare Consultant Anne Whittle-Lord, has been a resident of West Moors for 35 years and is widely recognised within the community. But the recent Coronavirus outbreak has been of great concern to Anne, who turns 72 in July, not least because of her age.
Anne suffers from numerous health conditions that make her extremely vulnerable to the virus. Having already had a lung removed following a severe case of Pneumonia, Anne also suffers with Bronchiectasis, a chronic lung condition which leaves the lungs open to infection, as well as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Lung Disease, Asthma, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and other conditions which make her especially vulnerable.
“I remember checking the NHS website with my Husband and I had nearly every at-risk condition on there. It was a very scary moment.” Anne commented. “We’ve had to become very strict with self-isolation and anything that comes in from outside. If I caught the virus my body wouldn’t be able to fight it off.”
However, local company Airius have been able to supply Anne with one of their latest Air Purification systems to use in her home during the outbreak, providing Anne and her Husband with a welcomed extra level of protection. “It has been a great relief to not only my Husband and I, but to the whole family to have the Airius fan here.”
The fan incorporates a patented PHI (Photohydroionization) Cell manufactured by RGF Environmental, one of the worlds leading specialists in air, water and food purification, which emits friendly oxidizers that are spread by the fan. These oxidisers bond with harmful viruses, germs and bacteria and through a process of oxidisation breaks them down, rendering them inert and safe. PHI technology has been proven to kill up to 99% of all surface and 97% of all airborne viruses, germs and bacteria and has already been installed by the Chinese Government to tackle the SARS virus.
“It is still disturbing for Anne hearing the statistics in the media, but having the PureAir Fan here has been a fantastic relief.” Says Anne’s Husband Colin. “I still need to work as a key Electrical Engineer and coming home is always worrying. I have to go through strict decontamination before I can go anywhere near Anne. But having the Airius fan here continuously cleaning the air and removing any viruses and germs that might get in is very reassuring.” Airius have also donated their air purification fans to other vulnerable and elderly residents in the Bournemouth area for reassurance during the current Pandemic.
Airius have supplied over 200,000 destratification fans to businesses, organisations and establishments worldwide. As the The Pureair Series is introduced it will bring clean, fresh air to many thousands of building users across the world’
If you have ever stepped into one of our clients’ premises and thought that the smell of the air was similar to the clean smell following a thunderstorm, you’d be correct. Thunder in the atmosphere cleans outside air using the same ionised hydroperoxides created by the integrated PHI Cell in the Airius PureAir system (although in a much less dramatic way).
Please get in touch with us by calling 01202 554 200 or simply send an email to info@airius.co.uk and we’ll be in touch with further information on the Airius PureAir system.
Based in Dorset, Airius provides destratification fans, LED lighting systems, and electrical engineering services. We work with public sector organisations and businesses to improve physical environment for the staff and the public and to reduce energy expenditure. Our client roster includes British Airways, Harrods, Mercedes, Siemens, Morrisons and Waitrose.
Ordering an indoor air quality system for your business or organisation provides you an immediate return on investment because your staff take far fewer days off than before. In fact, you’ll see this effect almost instantly.
And in an increasingly competitive marketplace where employers are constantly pursuing the very best talent, not offering your staff a comfortable and fresh working environment may put your company at a significant disadvantage.
Hundreds of thousands of companies, schools, and public sector organisations have invested in sophisticated, affordable air quality systems for their indoor spaces. These systems clean clients’ internal environments using a process called oxidisation – this oxidisation produces something called ionised hydroperoxides which destroy the unhealthy pathogens in the air that make us all feel sick.
In this article, we cover:
There are all sorts of nasty things in the air within indoor environments that we just wouldn’t want entering our body. And the most worrying thing of all is just how long some of these things can live outside the body.
The nasty things we’re referring to are “pathogens”. Pathogens are viruses, bacteria, volatile organic compounds, fungus, mould, protozoa, cysts, algae, and yeasts. Pathogens are things which are capable of causing disease in humans – sometimes called germs or infectious agents.
Pathogens exist naturally within minute moisture droplets in the air – often, even more of them are introduced into a workplace’s atmosphere when our colleagues cough and sneeze. If a fellow employee doesn’t wash their hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet, they will likely deposit pathogens on everything (and everyone) they touch. Ever wonder why so many contagions break out in schools? That’s one of the major factors.
At some level, even though these pathogens are invisible to the naked eye, we’re all aware of them at an unconscious level (and sometimes a conscious level if the air is really bad). Workplaces with dirty air suffer greater levels of absenteeism and, when it’s really bad, employees fall victim to Sick Building Syndrome.
But if all of these dangerous pathogens are invisible to the eye, how can we control them?
Whether in the air or on working surfaces, pathogens succumb to the process of oxidisation. Oxidisation is the same process which causes iron to rust when left in the open air and exposed to moisture for years and years. Oxygen combines at an atomic level with metal forming a new compound – this new compound weakens the integrity of the metal. If salt is present in the air, this accelerates the process greatly.
There are chemical compounds which can replicate the oxidisation process for pathogens. With pathogens, oxidisation affects the DNA and the enzymes to cause cellular disruption – sometimes the barrier around the molecules within a pathogen actually bursts open meaning that the contents (which are essentially harmless when isolated) leak out of the cell.
The chlorine used in swimming pools is a particularly effective oxidant as is the fluoride in our toothpaste. The problem is that you can’t really add chlorine, fluoride, or other oxidants like hypochlorous acid and hypobromous acid into the atmosphere of an indoor space because of the harm they will cause to the people working there. Strong oxidants actually oxidise us with enough exposure!
The method for killing pathogens in the air is a lot more gentle and technically sophisticated than just spraying chemicals in the air.
It kills 99%+ of all pathogens present (usually within 24 hours) including but not limited to Norwalk virus, streptococcus, bird flu, swine flu, candida albicans, listeria, streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus aureus, and bacillus globigii.
Within an office or other enclosed space, shining a high-efficiency, broad spectrum ultraviolet light reacts with the moisture in the air – the same moisture which protects and transports pathogens. However, when exposed to this light, the moisture ceases to be the protector and transporter of the pathogens. Instead, it turns the moisture into a pathogen’s mortal enemy – the vessel in which it will suffer the cellular disruption and damage needed to render it harmless.
The ultraviolet lights causes the creation of something called ionised hydroperoxides within the moisture. These hydroperoxides oxidises the pathogens very quickly and with a very high degree of success. In fact, for every 10,000 pathogens present, only one manage will, on average, survive the attack.
And that’s even for some of the nastiest pathogens in the atmosphere like the common cold, MRSA, Streptococcus, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Candida Albicans, and SARS. Please note that, to kill the coronavirus, a HEPA air quality system is required.
Prior to the development of the hydroperoxide air filtering technology, ozone was often used to kill pathogens however the problem was that exposure to low doses of ozone affected human health.
In most countries, there can legally be 150% more hydrogen peroxide in the atmosphere than ozone meaning that there’s no harmful side-effects to colleagues and that there is a much better pathogen-killing potential when using ionised hydroperoxides.
Airius have supplied over 200,000 fan units to businesses, organisations and establishments throughout the UK and Europe bringing staff, visitors, customers, and contractors a clean indoor atmosphere.
If you have ever stepped into one of our clients’ premises and thought that the smell of the air was similar to the clean smell following a thunderstorm, you’d be correct. Thunder and lightning in the atmosphere cleans outside air using the same ionised hydroperoxides used in the Airius PureAir system (although in a much less dramatic way).
With coronavirus dominating the news and fears about the level of contagion sparking increasingly more forceful responses from governments around the world, people are being advised to self-isolate if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms.
Why are government advising people to stay away from work, school, conferences, pubs, and other indoor places? It’s because coronavirus, as with all other illnesses, is more likely to be passed on indoors.
How can you protect yourself, your staff, and the people who depend on your organisation from illness? By installing an Airius PureAir air purification and odour control system.
We become ill when germs, bacteria, viruses, fungal spores, viroids, prions, or protozoans enter our body and our immune system has no immediate defence against this new pathogen.
Most of the time, our immune system starts to work out the exact weapon it needs to successfully fight against these pathogens. Inside us, for a few days, there is a way as our defence system protects us and we are the friendly fire in that war.
But how do they spread? Colds and viruses spread a number of different ways, some of the most common being airborne and through direct or indirect contact with the pathogen. If you work with someone and they have poor WC hygiene habits, you and your colleagues are particularly vulnerable.
Assuming you’re wearing appropriate clothing for the outside temperate and weather conditions, you are less likely to catch a cold or virus outdoors because the air which surrounds you is constantly changing.
Fresh air is good for you and the unceasing movement of air outdoors is too hostile for most viruses and bacteria to survive and the opportunity to latch onto a host is greatly diminished. Studies in America have even shown that those of us who enjoy an outdoor life are likely to be healthier, less susceptible to illness, and less likely to suffer from allergies because, among other things, the “goodness” of outdoor air and physical exercise helps to build our immune systems.
Colds and viruses are much happier indoors – the environment is far less harsh for them. MRSA, Norwalk virus, streptococcus, bird flu, swine flu, candida albicans, listeria, streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus aureus, and bacillus globigii can survive outside of a human body for a longer time than you might think if the environment is right for them.
We might be sharing an office or a bus in the winter with others meaning we’re in much closer contact with these other people and their germs.
If you’re already ill and the air quality is poor, it makes the cold or virus you’re suffering from worse. Pollutants, whether indoors or outdoors, cause our body to produce “inflammatory” agents en masse and, past a certain point, they actually inhibit our recovery.
Indoors, those pollutants might be cleaning product chemicals. Pollutants may be caused by damp, poor ventilation (meaning continuous exposure to the same germs), your home heating system, and even your cooking methods.
The risk of catching a cold or virus in your own home is much greater than being outside but that risk is dwarfed by the threat of infection in the workplace.
Governments’ first reaction to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has not been to advise people to go to work or school – it’s to stay at home.
That’s because the pollutants often introduced into your workplace by your colleagues, customers, service users or patients are much worse because there are so many people. It’s the same reason so many new students become sick after they move into a hall of residence with hundreds of other people.
At least if you’re in your own home, there’s only you and your family to worry about – in a work environment, there’ll be the cough, the sneezes, the unwashed hands, and more of potentially hundreds of carriers who can pass on their ailment to you.
Every sneeze and cough indoors means that we’re at a greater risk of exposure. And the risk of exposure lasts long after the sneeze or the cough because germs can survive for much longer without a host indoors. Every time we touch the furniture, the fixtures, or the door handles in an office or on a bus, these germs who are enjoying an extended life have another opportunity to infect us.
When you’re in work and one or more colleagues is sick, it’s hard sometimes not to resent the extra workload on you. But, for some companies and organisation, that resentment and dissatisfaction goes a lot further because of something called Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).
SBS describes when numerous colleagues within a company claim that the building they work in makes them feel poorly. In cases where SBS is not caused by assembly process or construction material defects, poor cleaning, poor air quality, and insufficient building maintenance is to blame.
There is a way to protect your colleague’s health and to prevent the spread of cold and viruses among your workforce – thorough and regular cleaning, better movement of air within a confined space, and better quality of air within a confined space.
Your office should be cleaned a few times every week with a deep clean taking place every three months. For your cleaners or contract cleaners, the deep clean will take a lot longer if germs, bacteria, and viruses’ lives are made easier by stale, stagnant, and inadequate indoor air quality. And a deep clean on its own isn’t enough.
If you solve the problem or poor air quality, the experience of our customers suggests that absenteeism will decline by 20%. Your no-longer sick building will not be the cause of an average of five days of sick leave per year per employee.
The germs, bacteria, and viruses present in poor quality air will make yours a less pleasant company or organisation to work for. But how do you kill them – or at least 99%+ of them.
You do that through a process called oxidation – it’s the same chemical that causes metal to rust. Oxidation causes complex and damaging reactions in the underlying structure of germs, bacteria, viruses, fungal spores, viroids, prions, and protozoans.
It’s achieved by shining a broad spectrum, high-efficiency UV light into an enclosed indoor area – this light reactions with airborne moisture to create something called hydroperoxides. The hydroperoxides accelerate the oxidation process in the pathogens present in the area of use within your office or workplace.
The Airius PureAir’s integrated PHI Cell manufactured by RGF Environmental, one of the world’s leading specialists in air, water and food purification, reduced by a factor 99%+ the presence of MRSA, Norwalk Virus, Streptococcus, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Candida Albicans, and SARS within the space of 24hrs. There was also a 99%+ reduction in listeria, mould, streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus aureus, and bacillus globigii present within 48 hours.
In addition, users benefit from:
Companies using the PureAir system see a 20% reduction in absenteeism. The PHI Cell technology featured in the Airius PureAir has been tested and approved by the Chinese Government for protection against the SARS Virus as well as receiving US military approval for mould protection in field hospitals.
Based in Dorset, Airius provides destratification fans, LED lighting systems, and electrical engineering services. We work with public sector organisations and businesses to improve their physical environments and to reduce energy expenditure. Our client roster includes British Airways, Harrods, Mercedes, Siemens, Morrisons and Waitrose.
The Airius PureAir Series is an exciting and brand new technological innovation. Integrating the latest in PHI Cell purification technology from RGF Environmental, with the worlds leading destratification and airflow circulation fan from Airius, the PureAir Series reduces indoor viruses and bacteria whilst also eliminating odours from commercial and domestic environments.
Throughout our history, the energy-saving destratification systems created by the product development team here at our company have:
Airius work to the very highest standards manufacturing and installing products suitable for deployment within medical facilities. By doing so, we’re able to provide all clients, medical and non-medical, with the most effective air purification and movement systems available.
In addition to the health benefits, Airius is also conscious of the need for the public and private sectors to reduce energy consumption. Our new Airius PHI system reduces CO2 emissions, heating costs, and cooling cost by an average of 35% following installation at clients’ premises.
In this article on the Airius PureAir Series, we’ll cover:
The Airius PureAir Series consists of two units each containing proprietary technologies:
The Airius destratification unit recirculated the heated air which is always rising from the floor to the ceiling in customers’ premises. Air is circulated back down to the floor in a column which results in an even temperature experience for staff and other people present from the floor to the ceiling.
A common problem with many older air conditioning systems is the presence of hot and cold spots within a confined area. The Airius destratification unit eliminates those hot and cold spots which results in the significant drop in the energy used by your current HVAC system. The two main beneficial outcomes of the drop in HVAC electrical consumption are reduced energy bills and lower carbon emissions.
Why the movement of air indoors is important
The quality of indoor air can be affected by moisture, inefficient HVAC systems, insulation, carpets, and pollution from the outdoors which comes in through your open windows.
Effective circulation of air around your premises (sometimes known as air exchange, air flow, or ventilation) filters the air which you, your colleagues, and your service users/customers breathe.
The movement of indoor air is important but so is ensuring that the air which is circulated around your premises is as clean and healthy as possible.
Indoors, the air around us contains many contaminants hazardous to the health of staff, customers, and other people who visit your premises. The common cold, MRSA, Norwalk Virus, Streptococcus, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Candida Albicans, and SARS is airborne and many health commentators have speculated that the rapid spread of these viruses has been caused by unfiltered, unclean air within indoor environments.
Mould, potentially responsible for the introduction and transmission of many respiratory illnesses in indoor environments, is now recognised by all major health authorities around the world as being particularly hazardous to human health.
This potentially toxic cocktail of contaminants invisible to the naked eye is a major cause of Sick Building Syndrome – a condition which affects the people who live and work within a particular building. Those with Sick Building Syndrome suffer from tiredness, a lack of focus, dry skin and eyes, headaches, and other symptoms. Sick Building Syndrome has been linked to poor learning outcomes in schools and impaired productivity within the workplace.
It’s not only germs that cause SBS – the cause may be effluents released by your printer toner cartridge in use, the chemicals from laminate flooring, and biological contaminants trapped inside your air conditioning system. All of those are present for a long time in an office or workplace with poor air movement and poor air quality.
The photohydroionisation cell contained within the Airius PHI uses advanced oxidation technology to improve the quality of indoor air.
What is photohydroionisation?
Oxidation reduces or eliminates mould, volatile organic compounds, bacteria, viruses, and odours within a confined space. There are a number of different oxidation methods used in the creation of clean air including the release of ozone, the release of hydrogen peroxide, and the photohydroionisation effect.
The patented PHI Cell from RGF Environmental, with an estimated life of 25,000 working hours, encourages the photohydroionisation effect within your premises using a high efficiency, broad spectrum ultra-violet (UV) bulb. Photohydroionisation works through the reaction of moisture in the air to create hydroperoxides – hydroperoxides (or the ionised version of them) is what’s responsible for that clean smell outside following a thunderstorm.
The use of hydroperoxide greatly accelerates the oxidation process which reduces or eliminates mould, volatile organic compounds, bacteria, viruses, and odours in your premises without some of the safety risks associated with other forms of oxidation.
The Airius PHI system can be installed in any indoor environment including:
We supply and install organisations in the medical sector, the commercial sector, and the public sector.
Airius PureAir Series units are suitable for:
Please contact us for more information.
We can install Airius PureAir Series Systems for:
Airius has supplied over 330,000 destratification units around the world and our technology has improved our clients’ indoor environments and reduced their carbon emissions.
Please get in touch with us by calling 01202 554 200 or simply send an email to info@airius.co.uk and we’ll be in touch with further information about the Airius PHI.
Airius is one of the world’s leading providers of energy saving destratification systems but we’ve got a local footprint – our EMEA office is based in Dorset providing destratification fans, LED lighting systems, and electrical engineering services to customers in all four countries of the United Kingdom.
Airius proudly supplies both public sector organisations and businesses with the products and services they need to improve their physical environments and to reduce their energy expenditure. Among our most high-profile clients are British Airways, Harrods, Mercedes, Siemens, Morrisons, and Waitrose.
