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By Perry Gil
S. Mallari
AIR is life. A
man could go on living for forty days without food and roughly about
three days without water but he will surely die without air in just
a matter of minutes.
The quality of
air a person breathes is essential in the maintenance of optimum
health but a lungful of clean air had become a luxury nowadays due
to the increasing presence of vehicular emissions, toxic exhaust
gases and other forms of pollutants in the atmosphere. Research has
established that the balance of positive and negative ions is the
reason behind the purity of air in refreshing environments such as a
forest. Unfortunately, in an urban setting, contaminants upset such
delicate equilibrium making a gasp of clean air a rarity.
Ubiquitous
hazards
To be
forewarned is to be forearmed, goes the old adage. An important step
in getting as much clean air as possible is to identify common air
contaminants and minimize—if not totally halt—contact with them.
Indoor and outdoor air pollutants usually come from combustion
sources, building materials, pesticides and biological sources like
the secretions of some animals. On the road, the most common air
pollutant is carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust. Presence of
carbon monoxide in the air is an insidious hazard for it interferes
with the delivery of oxygen throughout the body.
Oxygen is the
key factor in the production of adenosine triposphate or ATP that is
dubbed by scientists as the basic currency of life. Science has
established that no mental or physical function can occur without
utilizing ATP. A lethal gas, prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide
will result to unconsciousness and death.
Formaldehyde
is a chemical found in most building materials particularly plywood.
Recent medical research has confirmed that formaldehyde has
immunosuppressant properties and could trigger certain allergic
reactions. The only way to avoid contact with formaldehyde is to
inquire about the content of pressed wood products before purchasing
them.
Though
essential in eradicating pests, it is beneficial to reduce the
frequency of the use of pesticides because of the toxic ingredients
they carry. Pesticides and other strong chemicals should not be
stored in the home for prolonged periods of time because their fumes
will affect the purity of the air. Read instruction labels
thoroughly and properly dispose unused or partially used containers
of strong chemicals that are not intended to be used for a long
time.
Then there are
biological contaminants like bacteria, molds, mildew, viruses, dust
mites, pollen and animal secretions. The protein found in the urine
of rats and mice is a strong allergen and will be airborne once it
dries up. This could spell a lot of respiratory woes including
hypersensitivity pneumonitis, allergic rhinitis and some types of
asthma. Infectious illnesses, such as influenza, measles and chicken
pox are also transmitted through the air.
Harnessing
technology
The cost may
be substantial but a good air purifier (in addition to a good
ventilation system) is worth one’s investment if the goal is
keeping the air clean. Due to some technicalities involved, buying
an air purifier may not be as simple as shopping for a new
refrigerator or TV set. A good rule of thumb when buying an air
purifier is to know how much percentage of airborne contaminants it
could get rid off.
Just recently,
Sharp came up with something noteworthy with its Plasmacluster Ion
air-cleaning technology. Sharp’s new line of air purifiers, in
addition to its capacity to restore the balance of ions in the air,
are equipped with the Apatite High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA)
filter which can remove at least 99.9 percent of dust, pollen, mold,
bacteria and other airborne particles with the size of 0.3
micrometers. However, the most interesting feature of this new
gadget is its ability to kill the dreaded H5N1 or avian influenza
virus.
Among the
agencies who verified the excellent capability of Sharp air
purifiers in killing airborne microbes are the Ishikawa Health
Service Association in Japan and Retroscreen Virology Ltd. in the
United Kingdom. Aiming to bring the benefit of clean air to as many
people as possible, Sharp announced that it is offering its
technology to other industries to be used in cars, elevators,
bathroom fixtures and other hygiene equipments.
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