Air purifier filters can have a huge impact on the choice of air purifier we choose to buy, as many of us do not wish to incur the time and expense involved with regular replacement of these air cleaning filters. As the effectiveness of your air cleaner is dependent on keeping it well maintained and running smoothly, it is wise to consider whether you want to deal with air purifier filters before you buy.
One of the most effective air cleaning technologies available today is that used in the HEPA air purification systems, said to remove 99.97% of particulates from the air. This type of air cleaner, however, employs special air purifier filters, which must be changed on a regular basis in order to maintain the system’s efficiency.
In addition to that, bacteria and viruses as well as other types of microorganisms are constant threats. Due to these invisible creatures, people get pneumonia and tuberculosis, diseases that may lead to death if not treated properly. Unfortunately, there aren’t many things we can do in order to protect our family or our environment at work. We can’t prevent pollution, allergens or microorganisms from existing in the air that we breathe and we cannot stop breathing either.
The very job that air purifiers do – removing particles and dust from our air that we do not wish to breathe in – necessitates some maintenance, as these particles will gather within the cleaner and will need to be disposed of. But while both filterless systems and those that employ air purifier filters require some upkeep to remain effective, this is minimal in both cases. The job itself involves only the simple wiping down of collection plates, or quickly changing a filter – the problem is remembering to do it!
There are several techniques available for people who want to create a safe – or less dangerous – indoor environment with respect to the air. Some air purifiers use adsorbent techniques and electrostatic charges and ionizers. Some others include a germicidal UV light and the emission of ions into the air in order to react with the agents that may cause health problems and reduce or eliminate them. However, there isn’t an air purifier sold for homes able to create indoor conditions as clean as those found in hospitals.
Using an air purifier should not make you ignore medical advice and guidance that can lead to the removal of the irritant sources and allergen habitats in your house. At the same time, they are not a substitute for thorough and regular cleaning of the air. However, they can help you to diminish the number of air particles and to maintain a healthier environment inside your house.
2012年2月8日星期三
2012年1月30日星期一
Let it Grow: Breathe easy
Healthy houseplants are great air purifiers, filtering indoor air of pollutants that can cause a range of health problems. These health problems include headaches, asthma, respiratory diseases and even cancer.
Research shows that plants can reduce dust particles, mold spores and contaminants, like formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene. These contaminants are found in paint, furniture, carpet, building products and numerous other sources. In the process of making our homes more energy efficient, we have increased the level of these contaminants found in our homes.
Studies recommend one to two healthy plants per 200 square feet. The more leaf surface a plant has, the more air it can purify, so floor plants and leafy plants are good choices.
The following plants rank in the top 10 for overall ecological benefit. Plants were rated on removal of chemical vapors, ease of growth and maintenance, resistance to insect infestation, and transpiration rate.
Areca palm is a very popular indoor plant. It adapts easily to the surrounding environment and is relatively pest-free.
Its tropical-looking foliage resembles bamboo.
Areca palms tolerate heavy watering and temperatures down to 32 degrees.
English ivy is a vigorous plant with graceful trailing stems covered by distinctive leaves. Commonly grown as a hanging plant, it can be trained to grow on a trellis or topiary frame.
There are numerous cultivars available with different leaf shapes and sizes and green or variegated foliage.
Ficus Alii is a member of the Ficus family. ‘Alii’ is Hawaiian for chief, which is appropriate for one of the toughest members of the Ficus family.
This plant is more durable and easier to grow than the weeping fig . It lacks the finical habit and tendency to shed leaves. It tolerates lower light conditions and more erratic watering far better than the weeping fig.
The Peace lily is very easy to grow and has fantastic foliage and flowers. Peace lily is a great choice for areas with low light levels, although it is toxic to humans and animals.
Different plants remove different contaminants, so choose a variety of plants to combat a range of contaminants. For additional information on the research, visit Green Plants for Green Buildings.
Don’t forget to pick up a plant or two for the office and "Let it grow!"
Research shows that plants can reduce dust particles, mold spores and contaminants, like formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene. These contaminants are found in paint, furniture, carpet, building products and numerous other sources. In the process of making our homes more energy efficient, we have increased the level of these contaminants found in our homes.
Studies recommend one to two healthy plants per 200 square feet. The more leaf surface a plant has, the more air it can purify, so floor plants and leafy plants are good choices.
The following plants rank in the top 10 for overall ecological benefit. Plants were rated on removal of chemical vapors, ease of growth and maintenance, resistance to insect infestation, and transpiration rate.
Areca palm is a very popular indoor plant. It adapts easily to the surrounding environment and is relatively pest-free.
Its tropical-looking foliage resembles bamboo.
Areca palms tolerate heavy watering and temperatures down to 32 degrees.
English ivy is a vigorous plant with graceful trailing stems covered by distinctive leaves. Commonly grown as a hanging plant, it can be trained to grow on a trellis or topiary frame.
There are numerous cultivars available with different leaf shapes and sizes and green or variegated foliage.
Ficus Alii is a member of the Ficus family. ‘Alii’ is Hawaiian for chief, which is appropriate for one of the toughest members of the Ficus family.
This plant is more durable and easier to grow than the weeping fig . It lacks the finical habit and tendency to shed leaves. It tolerates lower light conditions and more erratic watering far better than the weeping fig.
The Peace lily is very easy to grow and has fantastic foliage and flowers. Peace lily is a great choice for areas with low light levels, although it is toxic to humans and animals.
Different plants remove different contaminants, so choose a variety of plants to combat a range of contaminants. For additional information on the research, visit Green Plants for Green Buildings.
Don’t forget to pick up a plant or two for the office and "Let it grow!"
2011年11月13日星期日
Purified Air at Zhongnanhai Sparks Controversy
A major Chinese manufacturing company of air purifying equipment inadvertently revealed in an online advertisement that China’s ruling communist party officials are treated to fresh, clean air at their luxury compound of Zhongnanhai. Meanwhile the rest of Beijing citizens are treated to misleading daily air quality reports.
Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and for years Chinese have asked themselves why the Chinese communist party (CCP) leaders haven’t done something to improve Beijing’s air quality–don’t they have to breathe the same dirty air? It turns out, they don’t.
According to an ad posted by Changsha based air purifier company Yuanda Group, it didn’t take much effort to convince the CCP leaders to install over 200 of their US$2,000-per-unit air purifiers at Zhongnanhai. They first installed one unit in the meeting room of the Politburo Standing Committee. Not long after, the company received the order, it said.
“From living quarters and meeting rooms to swimming pools and fitness centers, everywhere at Zhongnanhai air purifiers have been installed,” Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post quoted from Yuanda’s website.
“When cleaning the air purifier, after seeing the dirty ink-like water, Yuanda air purifier soon became the chosen air purifier of national leaders,” the website said.
It also assured the public that “providing clean and healthy air for the national leaders is of great benefit to the people.”
Although the ad has been removed, the commotion it stirred up has spread through Chinese cyberspace and beyond.
A Nov. 4 New York Times article titled “The Privileges of China’s Elite Include Purified Air” said, according to Yuanda Group’s vice-president Zhang Zhong, the company installed over 200 air-purifiers in the Great Hall of the People, Hu Jintao’s office, and offices and homes of high ranking CCP officials.
The article drew a rebuke from the CCP’s mouthpiece Global Times on Nov. 7 saying, “A normal government purchase suddenly turns into privileges for the Chinese elite under the pen of an American correspondent who lacks in knowledge.”
The Beijing Evening News also came to the Party’s defense in a Nov. 8 article: “The New York Times links air quality to special privileges most hated by Chinese people, shows the reporter’s political sensitivity… But only citing the Yuanda website promotion about air purifiers in the report shows that the American reporter lacks professionalism.”
But the Chinese general public seems to have a different view. They wrote sarcastic, and sometimes scathing, messages on Sina Weibo, China’s most popular micro-blog.
One post said: “I think this is very believable. I always thought air quality in Beijing is so bad, those in Zhongnanhai must have taken some measures so they can breathe clean air, otherwise they would have moved by now. Whether it was the Yuanda company or not, I believe the special clean air [story] is definitely true.”
Another post said: “Everyone at CCP central needs to install a human conscience purifier. If they could purifier away a pot-full of black water from their soul, all of China’s problems would be solved.”
Another said: “It’s better the citizens don’t know, so they won’t be mentally polluted. It’s like with food safety that’s kept secret from people.”
Yuanda did not verify the installation of air purifiers in the offices and homes of CCP leaders, but the company spokesperson replied during an interview with Deutsche Presse, “Our customers do include many government agencies.”
Recently, Beijing’s air has been highly contaminated by brown smog. Air quality detector instruments at the U.S. embassy in Beijing have consistently displayed dangerous levels. Many well-known Chinese personalities post the air quality index published by the U.S. embassy on their Weibo blogs, and this value is much higher than the one published by the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, according to a Beijing Morning News report on Nov. 1.
For example, on Oct. 31, the U.S. embassy air quality index was 307, and the PM 2.5 (a particle matter size standard) was 257 for particles less than 0.25 micrometers in diameter.
But the index announced by the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau was only 132.
According to the PM 2.5 standard, 201-300 is considered very unhealthy, and above 300 is considered hazardous.
On Nov. 8, the U.S. embassy published an article on its official microblog, explaining how the American air quality index is measured.
The U.S. embassy uses the PM 2.5 standard of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which measures the presence of particles that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameters. It said these particles are the most dangerous for the human body.
The Chinese regime, however, only publishes data for particles greater than 10 micrometers in diameter.
Responding to questions about the discrepancy between the two air quality indexes, She Shaozhong, vice-director of Beijing’s Environmental Protection Bureau said, they don’t care what other countries’ embassies do.
According to documents leaked by Wikileaks, the air quality measurements published by the U.S. embassy are being considered as interfering with China’s internal affairs. An official from the CCP’s Foreign Affairs Office has already requested that the U.S. stop releasing the data.
Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and for years Chinese have asked themselves why the Chinese communist party (CCP) leaders haven’t done something to improve Beijing’s air quality–don’t they have to breathe the same dirty air? It turns out, they don’t.
According to an ad posted by Changsha based air purifier company Yuanda Group, it didn’t take much effort to convince the CCP leaders to install over 200 of their US$2,000-per-unit air purifiers at Zhongnanhai. They first installed one unit in the meeting room of the Politburo Standing Committee. Not long after, the company received the order, it said.
“From living quarters and meeting rooms to swimming pools and fitness centers, everywhere at Zhongnanhai air purifiers have been installed,” Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post quoted from Yuanda’s website.
“When cleaning the air purifier, after seeing the dirty ink-like water, Yuanda air purifier soon became the chosen air purifier of national leaders,” the website said.
It also assured the public that “providing clean and healthy air for the national leaders is of great benefit to the people.”
Although the ad has been removed, the commotion it stirred up has spread through Chinese cyberspace and beyond.
A Nov. 4 New York Times article titled “The Privileges of China’s Elite Include Purified Air” said, according to Yuanda Group’s vice-president Zhang Zhong, the company installed over 200 air-purifiers in the Great Hall of the People, Hu Jintao’s office, and offices and homes of high ranking CCP officials.
The article drew a rebuke from the CCP’s mouthpiece Global Times on Nov. 7 saying, “A normal government purchase suddenly turns into privileges for the Chinese elite under the pen of an American correspondent who lacks in knowledge.”
The Beijing Evening News also came to the Party’s defense in a Nov. 8 article: “The New York Times links air quality to special privileges most hated by Chinese people, shows the reporter’s political sensitivity… But only citing the Yuanda website promotion about air purifiers in the report shows that the American reporter lacks professionalism.”
But the Chinese general public seems to have a different view. They wrote sarcastic, and sometimes scathing, messages on Sina Weibo, China’s most popular micro-blog.
One post said: “I think this is very believable. I always thought air quality in Beijing is so bad, those in Zhongnanhai must have taken some measures so they can breathe clean air, otherwise they would have moved by now. Whether it was the Yuanda company or not, I believe the special clean air [story] is definitely true.”
Another post said: “Everyone at CCP central needs to install a human conscience purifier. If they could purifier away a pot-full of black water from their soul, all of China’s problems would be solved.”
Another said: “It’s better the citizens don’t know, so they won’t be mentally polluted. It’s like with food safety that’s kept secret from people.”
Yuanda did not verify the installation of air purifiers in the offices and homes of CCP leaders, but the company spokesperson replied during an interview with Deutsche Presse, “Our customers do include many government agencies.”
Recently, Beijing’s air has been highly contaminated by brown smog. Air quality detector instruments at the U.S. embassy in Beijing have consistently displayed dangerous levels. Many well-known Chinese personalities post the air quality index published by the U.S. embassy on their Weibo blogs, and this value is much higher than the one published by the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, according to a Beijing Morning News report on Nov. 1.
For example, on Oct. 31, the U.S. embassy air quality index was 307, and the PM 2.5 (a particle matter size standard) was 257 for particles less than 0.25 micrometers in diameter.
But the index announced by the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau was only 132.
According to the PM 2.5 standard, 201-300 is considered very unhealthy, and above 300 is considered hazardous.
On Nov. 8, the U.S. embassy published an article on its official microblog, explaining how the American air quality index is measured.
The U.S. embassy uses the PM 2.5 standard of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which measures the presence of particles that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameters. It said these particles are the most dangerous for the human body.
The Chinese regime, however, only publishes data for particles greater than 10 micrometers in diameter.
Responding to questions about the discrepancy between the two air quality indexes, She Shaozhong, vice-director of Beijing’s Environmental Protection Bureau said, they don’t care what other countries’ embassies do.
According to documents leaked by Wikileaks, the air quality measurements published by the U.S. embassy are being considered as interfering with China’s internal affairs. An official from the CCP’s Foreign Affairs Office has already requested that the U.S. stop releasing the data.
2011年7月21日星期四
Do Air Purifiers Really Work? Seven Common Myths Dispelled
Myth 1. Air purifiers mean that you will not have to ever dust again.
Sorry, but you will still have to get out a Hepa vacuum cleaner and dusting cloth to dust your furniture and floors to be completely free of dust.
Myth 2. If you have allergies, air purifiers can be a silver bullet.
An air purifier is only part of an allergy control program. When allergens are heavy like pollen, they can fall to the floor before an air cleaner catches them. A Hepa vacuum and steam cleaner are also useful.
Myth 3. If an air purifier has a Hepa filter, it must be effective.
Unfortunately, even if an air purifier has a Hepa filter, other design factors may prevent it from doing a truly effective job so that the unpurified air leaks all around the filter and escapes back into the room.
Myth 4. If you have dust mite allergies, the first thing you need to do is buy an air purifier.
Actually not true. Firstly, you should get dust mite covers for your pillows and mattresses since dust mites tend to congregate in warm moist environments. An air purifier will only capture airborne dust mite fragments.
Myth 5. If you have allergies you should never open your windows and only rely on your air purifier.
Not true; every house needs a certain amount of fresh air exchanges every day. If you do not have an automatic fresh air exchanger, you are best off opening the windows for an hour each day.
Myth 6. Air purifiers with Hepa filters help remove odors.
Hepa filters capture allergens, not odors. That is only achieved through an air purifier that contains several pounds of carbon in a separate filter.
Myth 7. Running an air purifier at any speed will help air quality.
This is really a big misconception. Consumers often run their air purifier at low speeds to not hear fan noise, but don't realize that they reduce the square footage it will effectively cover. Run the air purifier on high a couple of hours before you go to bed and then turn it on low.
Sorry, but you will still have to get out a Hepa vacuum cleaner and dusting cloth to dust your furniture and floors to be completely free of dust.
Myth 2. If you have allergies, air purifiers can be a silver bullet.
An air purifier is only part of an allergy control program. When allergens are heavy like pollen, they can fall to the floor before an air cleaner catches them. A Hepa vacuum and steam cleaner are also useful.
Myth 3. If an air purifier has a Hepa filter, it must be effective.
Unfortunately, even if an air purifier has a Hepa filter, other design factors may prevent it from doing a truly effective job so that the unpurified air leaks all around the filter and escapes back into the room.
Myth 4. If you have dust mite allergies, the first thing you need to do is buy an air purifier.
Actually not true. Firstly, you should get dust mite covers for your pillows and mattresses since dust mites tend to congregate in warm moist environments. An air purifier will only capture airborne dust mite fragments.
Myth 5. If you have allergies you should never open your windows and only rely on your air purifier.
Not true; every house needs a certain amount of fresh air exchanges every day. If you do not have an automatic fresh air exchanger, you are best off opening the windows for an hour each day.
Myth 6. Air purifiers with Hepa filters help remove odors.
Hepa filters capture allergens, not odors. That is only achieved through an air purifier that contains several pounds of carbon in a separate filter.
Myth 7. Running an air purifier at any speed will help air quality.
This is really a big misconception. Consumers often run their air purifier at low speeds to not hear fan noise, but don't realize that they reduce the square footage it will effectively cover. Run the air purifier on high a couple of hours before you go to bed and then turn it on low.
2011年5月10日星期二
Mitsubishi delivers radiation-shielded forklifts in Japan
For years, forklift manufacturers have made marketing hay out of their vehicles' operator comfort and safety features, touting amenities like adjustable seats, vibration dampers, and ergonomically designed controls. Recently, though, one manufacturer took operator safety to a new, and perhaps unprecedented, level.
In late April, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI), the parent company of Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, delivered the first of two heavy-duty forklifts with radiation-shielded cabins to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Sendai, Japan. The specially designed trucks will be used for the handling and disposal of contaminated rubble at the site. The second vehicle will be delivered in May.
Using its 15-ton heavy-duty forklift as a base, MHI developed and manufactured the radiation-shielded truck in less than a month, the company says. To protect the operator, the first forklift has a fully sealed cabin constructed with 100 mm-thick steel plates and 230 mm-thick lead glass welded on all sides. Both trucks are equipped with special filters that remove dust and other radiation-contaminated material. The air-conditioned cabin is pressurized by an air purifier to prevent external air from entering.
Each forklift will be supplied with a variety of attachments, including hinged forks, a bucket, a box clamp, and pivoting forks. Using these attachments, operators will transfer rubble into low-level radioactive-waste transfer containers.
In late April, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI), the parent company of Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, delivered the first of two heavy-duty forklifts with radiation-shielded cabins to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Sendai, Japan. The specially designed trucks will be used for the handling and disposal of contaminated rubble at the site. The second vehicle will be delivered in May.
Using its 15-ton heavy-duty forklift as a base, MHI developed and manufactured the radiation-shielded truck in less than a month, the company says. To protect the operator, the first forklift has a fully sealed cabin constructed with 100 mm-thick steel plates and 230 mm-thick lead glass welded on all sides. Both trucks are equipped with special filters that remove dust and other radiation-contaminated material. The air-conditioned cabin is pressurized by an air purifier to prevent external air from entering.
Each forklift will be supplied with a variety of attachments, including hinged forks, a bucket, a box clamp, and pivoting forks. Using these attachments, operators will transfer rubble into low-level radioactive-waste transfer containers.
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