Month of February, Love is in the air

President's Message

Dear Valued Agents and Dealers, February is here, and though the winter blues sometimes set in by this time, it is also one of the months where vendors of air purifiers can provide the most help to clients. The cold weather and extra time spent indoors increases the rate of colds and flu, and worsens asthma symptoms. Especially in these cold months, an air purifier with activated carbon, HEPA, and UV can dramatically improve a person's outlook on winter, and their overall health. The UV option is particularly useful this time of year as it provides an extra level of protection against bacteria and viruses. I am also going to take the opportunity in this newsletter to give you a short introduction to TiO2 (Titanium dioxide) purification technology that is available in some of our newest units. In previous newsletters it has been mentioned that we will be incorporating this technology in our air purifiers, and thus it will be beneficial to give a brief overview as to how it works. TiO2 is a photocatalyst, meaning that it reacts in the presence of light. When exposed to light, TiO2 reacts by breaking down organic compounds in the immediate area of where it has been applied. Environmental toxins such as nitrogen oxide are broken down. As odours are created by organic compounds (VOCs), TiO2 acts to neutralize these odors. Furthermore, TiO2 works to break down microbial contaminants such as bacteria and mold. TiO2 is an odourless, non-toxic compound used in many consumer products such as toothpaste and soap. By combining TiO2 with UV light, AllerAir products makes use of this photocatalytic reaction to purify the air passing through our air purifiers. We are very excited about the possibilities for this new technology, and you will certainly be hearing more about it in the future from us. For more in-depth information regarding TiO2 and our newly launched products, please contact our sales department. Have a great month, Sam Teitelbaum President, AllerAir Industries

Understanding Asthma

How does weather or the time of year affect children with asthma?

In addition to being cold and flu season, the winter months can also increase asthma attacks in children. Children spend long periods of time indoors during the winter months. There, they are exposed to a variety of asthma triggers, including animals, dust mites, chemicals, viruses and bacteria that cause infection. In addition, when children are outside they are exposed to cold winter air, which also trigger asthma attacks. From Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

In the news:

US Labor Unions Sue Bush Administration for More Protective Gear

Two prominent labor organizations have sued the Bush administration for failing to protect nearly 20 million workers from job injuries. In 1999 the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a rule requiring employers to pay for protective clothing, face shields, gloves and other equipment used by workers. But before the proposal became a standard, Mr. Bush was elected to office. Since then, the Department of Labor has neglected to enact the standard. The personal protective equipment (PPE) rule would require employers to pay for safety items that protect workers from job hazards. Many workers in the nation's most dangerous industries, including meatpacking, poultry and construction, who have high rates of injury, are forced by their employers to pay for their own safety gear because of the failure of OSHA to implement the PPE rule. According to OSHA's own figures, 400,000 workers have been injured and 50 have died owing to the lack of the PPE rule. The full story can be found here Source: People's Weekly World

Moldy Dorm Causes Student Health Problems

Coming into her freshman year, Erica Cone never expected she would end up with a handful of health problems. Cone, a business administration major, moved into the Kentucky Hall Laurel Wing room 111 in August and moved out in late October 2006. According to Cone, she noticed a "weird smell" in her room on move-in day. Not knowing what it was, she decided to try and live with it. Cone said her room was different than most because it was next to the showers, so she had an air duct on one side of her room. "It kind of smelled like a locked-up house," Cone said. "So I just figured we needed to open the windows to let it out." Cone said she and her roommate found mold in the air vents and ceiling tiles of the room. …Cone said her health problems included fluid in her lungs, damaged cartilage in her ribs, bruised diaphragm, pulled muscles around her ribs, sore throat from coughing and an ear infection. According to Cone, instead of going back to maintenance she went to housing and they moved her out of that room in four days. "It took three months for me to recover from all the damage to my ribs from coughing," Cone said. "I do, however, still have a hard time breathing. I've noticed this during times when I'm working out, giving presentations or walking. This never occurred before." Source: The Northerner For your Clean Air Solution please visit our website at Allerairsolutions.com