Articles
Household air cleaners improve heart health among individuals with COPD - ScienceDaily
Date: December 5, 2022
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Summary: A six-month study concludes that the use of portable home air purifiers can improve some markers of cardiovascular health in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
Interesting points:
Researchers took air samples from participants’ homes. These samples included mold, pet dander, and tiny particulate matter.
46 randomized participants received two portable air cleaners with HEPA and carbon filters to use at home; the other participants received placebo air cleaners that circulated air but had the filters removed.
Researchers tracked and measured several indicators of lung and heart health at the one-week, three-month, and six-month periods of the study using standard clinical tests, such as blood pressure and heart ultrasounds (echocardiograms). Additionally, participants wore heart rate monitors for 24 hours during each clinical testing period, to assess heart rate variability.
At the end of the experiment, all 46 participants with active HEPA and carbon filters had improved markers of heart health, specifically a 25% increase in heart rate variability. Participants without active filters saw no increase.
Among 20 participants who used the air purifiers with active filters 100% of the time while at home, there was also a 105.7% increase in a heart health variability measure called the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats, or RMSSD, which is associated with improved heart fitness.
"Ultrafine particles might be the most potent particles in terms of health consequences," says study author Meredith McCormack, M.D., M.H.S., associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the BREATHE Center (Bridging Research, Lung Health, and the Environment). "These particles and other indoor air pollutants can cause systemic inflammation in susceptible patients like those with COPD. Our study shows there's a negative impact on cardiovascular health, as well."
It is recommended to read the full study directly on ScienceDaily.com by clicking here.
STUDY - Productivity is affected by the air quality in offices
This study correlates indoor air quality with office productivity. It is important to have pure air for maximum focus in the workplace environment and at home.
Teachers say air pollution worsens students’ concentration and performance
More than three quarters of UK teachers noticed that poor air quality caused concentration problems in students, while over half said performance or grades suffered, reveals a new report.
72% of classrooms suffer from ait quality that is ‘below standard’, according to the survey which asked teachers across the UK about their school’s working conditions.
Nearly three in five teachers deemed a classroom with poor air quality to be ‘not fit for purpose’ – for either teachers or pupils.
The Air Quality in UK Classrooms Report – conducted by ventilation experts Airflow – asked teachers at 133 schools across the UK for their insights.
The report found that conditions impacted student health, with three in five (61%) teachers believing classroom air quality is aggravating asthma and other lung conditions in pupils.
Ill-effects on health were 55% more likely in cities, where both industrial and road pollution are more prevalent.
Almost two-thirds (63%) of all teachers surveyed said poor air quality is affecting teachers’ physical and mental health. While 31% of those at schools with ‘below standard’ air quality reported that despite requesting improvements, no action has been taken.
However, more than a quarter (27%) said their school is trying to improve air quality, but cannot due to a lack of funding or government support.
Faced with sub-standard air quality, teachers identified the changes they want schools to make:
Replace old heating appliances (which can contribute to indoor air pollution) – 72%
Install air filtration or purification systems – 71%
Ban cars on streets with schools during school run times – 38%
Relocate playgrounds and classroom windows away from roads – 32%
Nicola D’Urso, School Speech and Language Therapist, commented: ‘Some schools I work in have indoor areas which are poorly ventilated without any windows. I’ve seen examples of children fainting and disengaging due to dehydration in excessively hot and stuffy classrooms. It’s not uncommon for children to become drowsy and even the brightest students can stop interacting in lessons. I notice caring and responsible teachers often having to prioritise children’s health and wellbeing during lessons instead of teaching them the educational content.
‘The main obstacle is that senior leadership teams in schools are at the mercy of their local council’s policy on clean air and limiting air pollution. The roadblock for schools is that it’s a bit out of their hands given that it’s up to the council and the government to get a grasp of air pollution and put adequate policies in place.’
Whose breath are you breathing? - RNZ
How much of the air you're breathing is air someone else exhaled? And in the midst of a pandemic caused by an airborne virus, where are the riskiest places to be? In the first in a series of five stories, Farah Hancock reports on hot spots of hazardous air.
In an unscientific survey, RNZ used a portable CO2 monitor to record readings from a variety of places around Auckland. Here are the results - and Rindelaub's reaction to the highest reading taken in each location.
Why you need an air purifier during a heat wave - USA Today
Oppressive and dangerous heat waves have been sweeping the nation—several cities even broke heat records over the weekend, such as Boston with a new daily record high temperature. While the Northeast is finally experiencing some relief from the heat today, the heat on the west coast is still going strong. Across the Atlantic, several countries in Europe are dealing with a heat wave of their own. Heat waves aren't only dangerous because of the scorching temperatures they bring, but also because of the decrease in air quality that comes along with them.
How heat waves impact air quality
Extreme heat during a heat wave can lead to poor air quality for several reasons. For one, heat waves can increase the likelihood of wildfires due to the hot and dry conditions they create. With wildfires comes irritants such as smoke and soot that are harmful to the lungs when ingested, particularly if an individual has pre-existing conditions such as asthma. Heat waves can have a negative effect on air quality even without wildfires. If you'll recall, heat waves tend to keep the air at ground level. One effect this has is keeping ozone, one of the main components of smog (a fog of polluted air) at ground level. Furthermore, heat waves naturally lead to an increase in air conditioner and electricity usage, which increases the production of other types of pollutants such as carbon dioxide.
What does an air purifier do
Fortunately, you needn't be at the mercy of the pollutants floating in the air in your home. There are several different types of technologies used in air purifiers that can protect you from irritants that would otherwise trigger allergies and other ailments. Air purifiers can remove particles as large as dust, mold and pollen, as well as particles as small as viruses and bacteria depending on the type of filter being used. They aren't just helpful during times of severe weather, as increasingly common as that may be, but for day-to-day life as well. For example, air purifiers can even eliminate pet fur and cleaning chemicals. Studies show that air purifiers have a positive effect on personal health due to the filtering of air pollutants, which is particularly notable for people with allergies and asthma.
Indoor Air Changes and Potential Implications for SARS-CoV-2 Transmission - JAMA Insights
As COVID-19 cases surge across the U.S. and Canada, this study is a reminder of the connection between ACH (Air changes per hour) and COVID-19 outbreaks.
Buildings have been associated with spread of infectious diseases, such as outbreaks of measles, influenza, and Legionella. With SARS-CoV-2, the majority of outbreaks involving 3 or more people have been linked with time spent indoors, and evidence confirms that far-field airborne transmission (defined as within-room but beyond 6 feet) of SARS-CoV-2 is occurring.
Conclusion
“Increasing air changes per hour and air filtration is a simplified but important concept that could be deployed to help reduce risk from within-room, far-field airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory infectious diseases. Healthy building controls like higher ventilation and enhanced filtration are a fundamental, but often overlooked, part of risk reduction strategies that could have benefit beyond the current pandemic.”