Breathe Easy
Advancing technology is helping to promote wellness inside the home.
MANY HEALTH-CONSCIOUS INDIVIDUALS UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S WHAT'S ON THE INSIDE THAT COUNTS.
Creating harmony between the mind and body
promotes an overall sense of wellness. While some environmentalists
are working to decrease pollution outside, new developments for domestic
living are enriching health inside the home.
Acting
as a passageway between the external atmosphere and internal functions,
lungs have an uncommon role to play in the human body. Over the past
few decades, the dangers of smog have barraged the conscience of environmentalists
and the health of those with respiratory complications. The American
Lung Association states that 35 million people in the United States
are affected by chronic lung conditions like asthma and emphysema.
However, dangerous particles in the air inside a building can be even
worse than outdoor pollutants. The buildup of contaminates gets trapped
in carpets and insulation, intensifying asthma and allergies. To combat
the problem, some home builders have been incorporating health-conscious
products into their work.
The first solution is an air purifier. Though these systems have been on the market for years, they are a reliable choice. When considering a purifier, choose a product that will remove large particles first but is sensitive enough for small particles such as dust mites and mold. BlueAir Purifiers have a sleek European feel, muffled noise levels and are highly suitable for allergens. Prices range from $599 to $665.
Meeting HEPA standards
is a great way to judge a purifiers effectiveness. Created by the
Office of Environment, Safety and Health under the US Department of
Energy, the standards include any type of air filter that removes
99.97 percent of particles greater than 0.3 microns in diameter.
The Perfect Home system consists of the Perfect 16 and the Clean Zone, shown here at an assembly plant in Switzerland. The Clean Zone is the world's first Hyper HEPA whole-house air cleaner.
Air enters the central return grille
(1) in a common area and is returned to the HVAC system. The pre-filtration
system (2) filters 90 percent of harmful particles. The air continues
to the main system e(3) where air purified to more than 99.5 percent,
then to the central air handling unit (4) and is distributed by multiple
ducts (5). Status is displayed on the wall panel.
The IQAir HealthPro
Plus offers excellent HEPA filtration of even the tiniest particles.
The system cleans more than 99.5 percent of particles 0.003 microns
and larger in the air and was given a Consumers Digest Best Buy award.
Prices range from $695 to $1,595.
However, the newest modification for
clean air in the home is no longer room by room. New systems now exist
to filter the entire home's air supply. One such system, the IQAir
Perfect 16, is fully compatible with most HVAC systems. It works with
the home's central air unit and filters 100 percent of the air that
runs through it. The process is simple and silent. Air enters a grille
and is immediately drawn into the Perfect 16. It files through the
system and 95 percent of microbes are caught in the central unit.
Air is then distributed to every part of the house though each air
duct. Installation time is a partial day and the expense starts at
about $1,200. Working with the PerfectHome series, the IQAir Perfect
16 is a furnace-filter system and the first to receive the highest
honor given by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and
Air Conditioning Engineers for air filter performance.
Installation is relatively simple. First, locate the central return
grille and remove the one-inch filter. Next, remove the return can
from the joists and disconnect it from the return duct. Attach the
Perfect 16 system on the joist frame and reattach the return duct.
Lastly, close the return grille door for whole-house purification.
Clean water is also a valued aspect of our health, as seen in the
billion-dollar-a-year bottled water industry. Water filters placed
in pitchers, sink faucets and shower heads have been used in countless
applications and are a very effective means for purification. But
what if the entire home used clean water filtration? This is what
companies like LifeSource had in mind when they created whole-house
filter systems. High levels of chlorine in tap water can cause illness.
Extracting this and other chemicals, such as fluoride, raise the
quality of water used for drinking, cooking and bathing. The point-of-entry
systems filter the water as soon as it comes into the house and then
distribute it to every faucet.
LifeSource offers three systems for varying size residences: the Standard Home System, Large Home System and Estate Sized System. The Standard Home System, priced at $3,960, works well for a family of five, living in small or medium-sized residences up to 4,000 square feet. The Large Home System, priced at $6,300, facilitates a family of six in medium and large homes measuring up to 8,000 square feet. The Estate Sized System, priced at $10,000, filters a 15,000-square-foot residence for as many as 25 years. Both the Standard and Large Home Systems can last a family 15 to 18 years, while the Estate Sized System can last a family of six, 20 to 25 years.
Environmental aggravators can make it difficult for those with respiratory conditions, but circumstances within the home should not intensify the symptoms. Simple modifications to air quality can bring relief to asthmatics and the allergy sensitive. Purified water not only promotes internal wellness, but diminished chlorine levels can bring new life to skin and hair. Installing home purification systems can improve overall health for residents, and for many, that is a full breath of fresh air.
RESOURCES:
For additional information, please visit the following Web sites:
www.fungusa.org
www.blueair.com
www.iqair.com
www.lifesourcewater.com
Spherical Designs Organization
