WHY CLEAN CENTRAL HEAT & AIR SYSTEMS?
- FACT: 9 OUT OF 10 SYSTEM FAILURES ARE CAUSED BY DIRT AND DUST. (LCES) LOUISIANA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE.
- FACT: CLEAN SYSTEMS RESTORE CAPACITY AND LESSEN RUNNING TIME. TRANSLATION: SAVINGS ON MONTHLY HEATING/COOLING BILLS. (LCES)
- FACT: A BUILDUP OF .042 INCHES OF DIRT ON A HEATING OR COOLING COIL CAN RESULT IN A DECREASE IN EFFICIENCY OF 21%. (EPA) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
- FACT: MOST COMMERCIALLY PURCHASED FIBERGLASS FILTERS ARE ONLY 7% EFFICIENT IN STOPPING DIRT, DUST, POLLEN, ETC. PASSING THROUGH IT. (ASHRAE)
- FACT: 50% OF ALL ILLNESSES ARE EITHER CAUSED OR AGGRAVATED BY POLLUTED INDOOR AIR.(AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ALLERGISTS)
- FACT: ONE OUT OF SIX PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM ALLERGIES DO SO BECAUSE OF THE DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO THE FUNGI AND BACTERIA IN AIR DUCT SYSTEMS. (TOTAL HEALTH & BETTER HEALTH MAGAZINES)
- FACT: LEGIONNAIRE'S DISEASE WAS SPAWNED IN AIR CONDITIONING DUCTS. IT KILLED 29 PEOPLE IN 1976. (AMERICAN LUNG ASSOC.)
- FACT: IN THE SUMMER OF 1988 AT LEAST 7 PEOPLE DIED IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA FROM LEGIONNAIRE'S DISEASE. (MODESTO BEE 9/2/88)
- FACT: CHILDREN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN ADULTS TO BE AFFECTED BY POLLUTED INDOOR AIR-THEY BREATHE FASTER, INHALE MORE AIR PER UNIT OF BODY WEIGHT AND ARE CLOSER TO THE GROUND WHERE CONCENTRATIONS ARE HIGHER. (DEPT. OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS)
- FACT: THE ELDERLY, ASTHMATICS, AND PEOPLE WITH BREATHING PROBLEMS, ALLERGIES, AND LUNG DISEASES ARE ALSO LIKELY TO BE MORE SENSITIVE TO POLLUTANTS. (DEPT. OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS)
- FACT: MOST PEOPLE SPEND 60-90% OF THEIR TIME INDOORS. (ALA) FACT:
INDOOR AIR IS FOUND TO BE UP TO 70 TIMES MORE POLLUTED THAN OUTDOOR AIR. (EPA)
Call us today for a free estimate: Phone: 352-746-3606 or 1-866-9NEWAIR (1-866-963-9247)
UV Light Air Purifier Facts & Studies
- The Centers of Disease Control (CDC) recommends the use of ultraviolet light with simultaneous use of HEPA air filters, both of which are offered in Surround Air multi-function air purifiers.
- The U.S. government now specifies that UV light should be used in air handling units to improve indoor air quality in government buildings, by controlling airborne and surface microbial growth.
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The Air Institute of Respiratory Education suggests UV lights be used in buildings for indoor air quality purposes, and states that may be the final line of defense against those diseases that have developed resistance to drugs, such as tuberculosis and others.
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According to the Aerobiological Engineering Dept. at Penn State University, the ultraviolet component of sunlight is the main reason microbes die in the outdoor air. The die-off rate in the outdoors varies from one pathogen to another, but can be anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes for a 90-99% kill of viruses or contagious bacteria.
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The Centers of Disease Control (CDC) recommends UV lights in homeless shelters to prevent the spread of disease, particularly TB (tuberculosis).
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A study by Air & Waste Management Association found the combination of a HEPA air filter and germicidal UV lamp reduced bacteria by 80% in a 3072 cubic foot chamber.
Healthier Employees with UV Air Cleaners
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says Indoor Air Pollution is the number one health problem in America. The average person spends 90% of his or her time indoors where the air may be 5 to 100 times more polluted than outside air. With a home air purifier, electronic air cleaner or an indoor air purifier, Peak Pure Air can clean your air. We offer air purification systems with a variety of technologies, sizes and designs. Our electronic air cleaner or portable air purifier helps you in poor air quality environments.
In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency:
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20% of all employees have a major illness related to indoor air pollution such as allergy, asthma, autoimmune diseases, etc.
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Billions of dollars are spent annually for medication to help Americans breathe or cure their respiratory illnesses.
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EPA estimates an 18% annual production loss to American business due to poor indoor air quality.
The House of Representatives has called indoor air pollution our greatest environmental health problem. Some of the most polluted air you breathe isn't downtown, but inside your home and office! And according to the World Health Organization, 40% of all buildings pose a serious health hazard due to indoor air pollution, know as Sick Building Syndrome.
"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60% of IAQ problems and allergies may be mold related." Source: Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News, "A cure for the dreaded 'Dirty Socks Syndrome'?" April 5, 1999, pp. 24-25.
UV Lamps in HVAC Could Reduce Worker Sickness
(From HVAC Insider, National Edition, 1st quarter 2004)
In a study published in the Lancet medical journal, Canadian scientists found that by using ultraviolet lamps to kill germs in ventilation systems, worker sickness was reduced by about 20 percent, including a 40 percent drop in breathing problems.
About 70 percent of the work force in North America and Western Europe work indoors, and have frequently unexplained health problems such as irritation of the eyes, throat and nose, as well as respiratory illnesses.
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, or UVGI, is sometimes used in hospital ventilation systems to disinfect the air but is rarely incorporated into office or other building ducts because there has been little evidence of a benefit.
In the study, ultraviolet lamps were installed in the ventilation systems of Montreal office buildings near the cooling coils and drip pans. The lamps were turned on for four weeks, then off for 12 week periods for almost a year.
The use of the UV lamps resulted in a 20 percent overall reduction in all symptoms for some workers; and a 40 percent reduction in respiratory symptoms and a 30 percent reduction in mucous problems. With the lights switched on, the frequency of muscle complaints among nonsmokers halved and the incidence of work-related breathing problems among them dropped by nearly 60 percent. The benefits were greatest for workers with allergies and for people who had never smoked.
According to Dr. Dick Menzies, the study's leader, "Installation of UVGI in most North American offices could resolve work-related symptoms in about 4 million employees, caused by (germ) contamination of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems." He also added, "The cost of UVGI installation could in the long run prove cost-effective compared with the yearly losses from absence because of building-related illnesses."
This study tested 771 employees in three different office buildings. The UV lights, which were installed in the ventilation system, were operated in three cycles of four weeks on, twelve weeks off. Measurements showed a 99% reduction of germs on irradiated surfaces inside the ventilation system.
During some weeks, there was a 40% reduction in respiratory symptoms, and a 30% reduction in mucous problems in individuals examined. When the lights were activated, muscle complaints among nonsmokers were reduced by 50%, and work-related breathing problems decreased by 60%.
The stuff floating in the air is 80% dead skin and over 350 different allergy producing air pollutants and contaminants, including cigarette, cigar and pipe smoke, germs, bacteria, viruses, mold, mildew and fungi, pollen, house dust and dust mites, odors from smoke, pets, mold, mildew, exhaust fumes, food, body sweat, chemical gases (formaldehyde, benzene, etc.) from new carpets, furniture, cleaning products, solvents, furnishings, dry cleaning and construction.
The effects of breathing this allergy producing air pollution include dizziness, irritability, coughing, sneezing, dry eyes, hay fever, allergies, asthma symptoms, sinus problems, ear infections, depression, fatigue, headaches, nausea, breathing problems, respiratory infections, etc.
Physicians are now discovering that the solution to the problems of many of these people is not in medicine but in reducing the pollutants in the air people breathe. But mere filtration is insufficient. Filters can create a breeding ground for pathogens, like molds, bacteria and dust mites and do nothing to combat chemicals or odors.
Medical studies using germicidal ultra-violet air disinfection have proven effective in reducing the spread of tuberculosis, measles, influenza, smallpox, and controlling infection in operating rooms.
