By Charlene Roth

Sedona News – As the place where families spend most of their time, home has the ability to shape health and wellbeing. Does your home promote a healthy lifestyle, or is it harboring invisible pollutants that make you sick? Is anyone in your family experiencing symptoms that may indicate an unhealthy environment? If so, use these tips from Sedona.biz to assess your home and make it a healthier place to live.

Improve Indoor Air Quality

Poor indoor air quality is behind many sick building symptoms. Poor air quality comes from things we use inside our home as well as what we track in from outdoors.

Do it yourself:

1. Don’t wear shoes indoors. Shoes track dirt, allergens, germs, and other pollutants indoors.
2. Avoid air fresheners. Air fresheners and candles release volatile organic compounds, a leading contributor to indoor air pollution.
3. Choose low-VOC products. VOCs are also found in paints, flooring, furnishings, and cleaning supplies. Careful purchasing reduces VOC exposure.

Hire a pro:

1. Resolve water leaks. Moisture promotes the growth of mold and mildew. Inspect common culprits including pipe joints, aging appliances, and HVAC units, and clogged gutters to identify the source of water damage and hire pros to stop water intrusion.
2. Embrace natural ventilation. Opening the windows is one of the best ways to refresh your home. Installing high-quality window screens and screen doors allows moisture, odors, and pollutants to escape without letting insects in.

Spend More Time Outdoors

Not only is outdoor air cleaner on average than indoor air, opening the windows is also a great reminder to go outside and get active!

Do it yourself:

1. Create an outdoor living space. Comfortable outdoor furniture and lighting turn an empty backyard into an inviting place to hang out.
2. Choose non-toxic pest and weed control. Non-toxic methods can be just as effective as pesticides and herbicides.

Hire a pro:

1. Secure your backyard. Fences increase outdoor safety for kids and pets. Fence prices vary but typically range from $13 to $40 per foot. Contact local fencing companies to discuss your options and get quotes.
2. Address sewer issues. Odors and wet, sunken patches make the backyard an unpleasant place to spend time. Unfortunately, they’re also signs of sewer line problems, meaning you’ll need to call a plumber.

Create a Healthy Kitchen

From what you eat and drink to the air you breathe, your home’s kitchen has a direct link to your family’s health and is a vital component of maintaining wellness in the home.

Do it yourself:

1. Install a carbon monoxide detector. Place a carbon monoxide detector near the kitchen if you have gas appliances and never use a gas range for heating a home.
2. Filter drinking water. Faucet-mounted and under-sink filters reduce contaminants in drinking water. If you have a fridge with a built-in water dispenser, change the filter regularly.
3. Prevent pests problems. Put away food, wipe counters after use, and cover trash cans to keep pests at bay. Choose closed baits and traps when pest control projects are necessary.

Hire a pro:

1. Upgrade appliances. Gas leaks are more likely in aging appliances. New appliances also enhance cooking so you enjoy preparing healthy home-cooked meals. Many appliance retailers offer delivery and installation for free or a low fee.
2. Improve kitchen ventilation. Kitchens without ventilation trap contaminants. Ductless range hoods allow cleaner cooking in homes where installing ductwork isn’t an option and are much more affordable as well.

Your home has a bigger impact on your health than you realize. Now that you know how your home shapes your health, take steps to improve it. From reducing hidden pollutants to reinforcing healthy habits, you have the power to build your family’s health from the ground up!

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Originally Appeared Here

Featuring Panasonic’s nanoe™ X technology, the WhisperAir Repair provides advanced air purification and odour elimination, reducing airborne pollutants and allergy triggers

TORONTO, April 12, 2022 /CNW/ – Panasonic, a leading provider of ventilation and healthy indoor living solutions, today announced the new WhisperAir Repair spot air purifier. The latest addition to Panasonic’s indoor air quality solutions lineup, the device is designed to help ensure indoor air is kept clean and fresh.

Panasonic’s WhisperAir Repair™ utilizes patented nanoe™ X charged water particle generation technology to purify contaminated air. (CNW Group/Panasonic Canada)

“Over the past few years, Canadians have increasingly spent more time at home with 90 per cent of our time indoors,” says Kevin Smith, General Manager Life & Device Solutions Division, Panasonic Canada. “Air quality is essential to our wellbeing, with clean air effecting our total health. The unique nanoe X technology of our new WhisperAir Repair Purifier uses existing moisture in the air to neutralize pollutants to help maintain healthy indoor air quality 24 hours a day while you’re at home or away.”

A lightweight and efficient compact ceiling-mount, the WhisperAir Repair Purifier is maintenance-free and easy to install with no ductwork or filter changes required. Whether, remodeling entire spaces or building new construction, the new air purification technology keeps indoor air clean and fresh around the clock for a variety of spaces. The device is ideal for light commercial applications such as in educational facilities, hotels, elevators, medical offices, subways, restaurants and other public spaces, as well as residential applications such as bedrooms, walk in closets, powder rooms, mud rooms and pet areas.

The WhisperAir Repair utilizes Panasonic’s patented nanoe X technology, previously available only in Panasonic’s heating and cooling systems to help improve occupant health through the use of reactive molecules that purify contaminated air, inhibiting the spread of airborne and adhered pollutants. nanoe X technology also helps to maintain skin moisture and deodorizes contaminated air.

Story continues

“We want Canadians to feel confident about their homes and have peace of mind when it comes to the air, they breathe,” says Kevin Smith, General Manager Life & Device Solutions Division, Panasonic Canada. “With the new WhisperAir Repair and suite of Breathe Well indoor air quality solutions, Panasonic ensures the freshest, cleanest possible air through expertise in ventilation & filtration and air purification & circulation.”

The WhisperAir Repair is CSA certified, tested against North American standards and requirements.

For more information visit WhisperAir Repair to learn more about healthy living solutions. For additional Panasonic indoor air quality solutions, visit https://na.panasonic.com/ca/indoor-air-quality.

About Panasonic Canada Inc.

Panasonic Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America is a leading provider of Consumer Lifestyle technologies, as well as innovative Smart Mobility, Sustainable Energy, Immersive Experiences, and Integrated Supply Chain solutions for its business and government clients. One of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers of 2022 and Interbrand’s Top 100 Best Global Brands of 2021, Panasonic is a leading technology partner and integrator to its clients across the region. Learn more about Panasonic’s ideas and innovations at http://www.panasonic.com/.

Panasonic Canada Logo (CNW Group/Panasonic Canada)

SOURCE Panasonic Canada

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2022/12/c2153.html

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Originally Appeared Here

Many patients recover from COVID within a week or two, but at least one in five experience persistent or new symptoms more than four weeks after first being diagnosed.

Long COVID is a growing concern. But we still don’t have a clear definition and there are insufficient data to provide a trajectory or a timeline for how long it lingers. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has proposed a working definition:

Signs and symptoms that develop during or after an infection consistent with COVID-19 but continue for more than 12 weeks and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis. It usually presents with clusters of symptoms, often overlapping, which can fluctuate and change over time and can affect any system in the body.

Although some symptoms resolve over time, others persist or re-emerge. There are many individuals with symptoms lasting 12 months or longer.

Downstream damage can affect the brain, heart, lungs, pancreas (causing diabetes) and other organs. However, we know that vaccination is protective against long COVID, whether given before or after the initial infection and illness.

On average, the risk is higher for people with more severe disease, but many develop long COVID after a mild initial illness. Long COVID is more common in women than men, but there is no consistent relationship with age. Although the initial viral illness is more severe for older people, this is not true for long COVID.

Common symptoms of long COVID

Most studies show a general pattern of higher prevalence of long COVID for people with more severe illness. The estimates of prevalence range from from 19% to 57%, with one outlier at more than 80%.

The three largest cohort studies place it at 19% to 30%, showing long COVID is common enough to be a major public-health threat, independently of acute COVID.

It is becoming increasingly clear that long COVID is much more than a collection of symptoms. Rather, it is a recognisable clinical syndrome (or set of syndromes) with well described underlying pathology.

Read more:
Long COVID: symptoms experienced during infection may predict lasting illness

SARS-CoV-2 infection can contribute to long COVID in a variety of ways. It can cause direct damage to tissue as well as microscopic blood clots, which sometimes result in deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and stroke.

The immune system can itself cause damage when it begins to attack normal tissue or produce a cytokine storm. All of these effects are seen in COVID-related brain damage, which is likely to be the result of infection, microclots, lack of oxygen and an activated immune response.

Impacts on the brain and heart

A study across 62 healthcare organisations reported that, among almost 250,000 patients with COVID, 33.6% were diagnosed with neurologic and psychiatric conditions in the following six months, with 12.8% being new-onset conditions. For ICU patients, the comparable estimates were 46.4% and 25.8%.

Specific outcomes included stroke, Parkinson’s, dementia, anxiety and psychosis. A large study of US veterans reported elevated risk of anxiety and depression. Studies in the UK and China established evidence of cognitive decline, again related to the severity of the initial illness.

A brain-imaging study in the UK involved participants who were initially scanned pre-infection, making it possible to see clearly the timeline of changes. The COVID-affected group showed damage to brain tissue and an overall reduction in brain size compared with those who had not been infected – changes that occurred with even relatively mild infection.

Read more:
Even mild COVID can cause brain shrinkage and affect mental function, new study shows

The most comprehensive study of cardiovascular complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection involved a cohort of more than 150,000 US veterans and more than 11 million controls. It revealed an elevated risk of new-onset stroke, heart arrhythmia, pericarditis and myocarditis, ischaemic heart disease and clotting disorders.

As with the brain, risks and burdens were evident even among individuals who were not hospitalised with acute infection and increased in graded fashion across non-hospitalised, hospitalised and intensive care. Other studies have shown inflammatory changes in the heart and markedly reduced oxygen supply to both blood and tissue.

Long COVID affects lungs and other organs

COVID can result in prolonged changes in both the lung blood supply and immune system, which may produce lethal lung disease and seems likely to cause persistent lung damage in those who recover.

A meta-analysis of eight studies with more than 3,700 patients reported 14.4% of those hospitalised with COVID developed diabetes. Patients with pre-existing type 2 diabetes are already at higher risk, but this provides evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can cause new-onset diabetes.

The virus can also damage muscles, which plausibly explains the very common symptoms of fatigue and muscle pain. Immune abnormalities probably contribute to the chronic inflammatory aspects of long COVID. Kidney damage occurs early during long COVID, particularly among those with respiratory failure. Clots in small blood vessels can cause erectile dysfunction.

Long COVID in children

Post-acute effects have been described in all infectious childhood diseases and COVID is no exception. It is useful to consider the persistent effects of COVID in children in three main groups:

• multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare but severe syndrome that occurs from two to five weeks after the initial illness

• longer-term symptoms grouped under the umbrella term of long COVID, with similar symptoms to adults

• tissue-level damage (heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain) that may be silent during childhood but cause chronic disease in later life.

Minimising harm from long COVID

Prevention measures currently in place are not enough, given what we now know about the full population impact of widespread COVID infection. Prevalence is much less clear in children but the impacts of the pandemic could potentially last decades. Damage to tissues that may be undetected in childhood could emerge as chronic disease as the pandemic generation ages.

We now have a good sense of the services we need in Aotearoa for long-COVID patients.

There is strong and consistent evidence that vaccination protects against long COVID. However, recurrent infections with Omicron (and any future variants) suggest we need a “vaccine plus” approach while we wait for universal, sterilizing vaccines.

Public-health measures such as mask wearing remain highly protective because they are effective for all variants. But most of all, New Zealand urgently needs to deliver a high standard of air quality in all indoor settings, especially schools. These vital protections against airborne viruses are essential to ensure New Zealand can safely navigate the remainder of the pandemic without generating a long shadow of chronic disease.

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Originally Appeared Here

School District Chose ActivePure After Positive Air Quality Testing Results

DALLAS TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 12, 2022 / San Antonio Independent School District recently selected ActivePure Technology for its district-wide indoor air and surface purification needs. Dallas-based ActivePure, the global leader in sustainable indoor surface and air purification technology systems, installed its purification technology in 90 San Antonio Independent School District campuses throughout the district within classrooms, cafeterias, gyms, and auditoriums. ActivePure authorized distributors Mike Jackson of Best America, LLC and C. David Cobb of M7 Solutions, LLC handled the sale.

“After examining the science, ActivePure was determined to best meet our criteria. We felt the air and surface purifiers went beyond the HEPA filter only systems,” said Chris E. Salley, senior executive director of facilities services for the San Antonio Independent School District. “The ActivePure units can aggressively combat the microbes in the air as well as handle large amounts of air in our facilities.”

The San Antonio Independent School District installed a combination of the Air and Surface Pro and Mid-Range Blaster, both powered by ActivePure Technology, for air quality treatment. Following installation, San Antonio Independent School District staff members began on-site testing at several school campuses to determine the effects on staff, faculty and students in terms of contagion of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, and other widespread illnesses. The results showed that the positivity rate was lower than that of the County.

ActivePure Technology decontamination devices are utilized in 90 San Antonio Independent School District campuses and are installed in classrooms, cafeterias, gymnasiums and auditoriums covering approximately 9.5 million square feet.

(L) Mike Jackson, CEO of Best America, LLC
(R) David Cobb, CEO of M7 Solutions, LLC

“We were pleased with the results of the on-site independent testing, which confirmed significant reduction in the airborne and surface contaminants in spaces shared by educators and students,” said Salley. “Sharing air and space with others in school must happen. Our job is to make sure that shared air and space is as clean as possible. Our expectations have been met and exceeded with ActivePure. It has proven itself, within our classrooms.”

In addition to real-world case studies, ActivePure Technology is proven in an independent laboratory setting at The University of Texas Medical Branch, to inactivate over 99.9% of highly concentrated airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus in just one minute. The testing was performed in triplicate in a chamber with highly concentrated levels of the virus, each showing significant disinfection in a 60-second testing period. ActivePure Technology has successfully adapted what happens naturally outdoors for indoor environments. The surface and air disinfection technology is referred to as Advanced Photocatalysis. Advanced Photocatalysis recreates the sun’s power with UVC lights and a catalyst that works with the humidity within ambient air to create the same oxidizing molecules found outdoors – indoors. This unique patented technology is a game-changer as it works 24/7, actively neutralizing surface and airborne pathogens (including SARS-CoV-2) without chemicals, ozone and without the need to trap or filter contaminants. Testing data has proven that ActivePure Technology reduces over 99.9% of indoor airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as mold, bacteria, fungus and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The expectations San Antonio Independent School District has set for ActivePure Technology continue to be met and the district plans to continue its use of the technology.

For more information on how ActivePure provides a trusted solution for air and surface purification, visit ActivePure.com or call 888-217-4316.

About ActivePure

Privately held ActivePure has been the global leader in active, continuous surface and air disinfection systems for healthcare and educational institutions, commercial and public facilities, hospitality and residential applications since 1924. Patented ActivePure Technology has been proven in independent university and laboratory testing to effectively control and neutralize indoor contaminants. It is the only product in its class recognized by the Space Foundation as Certified Space Technology and inducted into the Space Foundation Hall of Fame. ActivePure was developed for use in space exploration and has since evolved for use in commercial and consumer products used to reduce exposure to pathogens, including RNA and DNA viruses, bacteria and molds, by up to 99.9% in the air and on surfaces. ActivePure has been committed to providing quality products and technologies to create safe and clean indoor environments worldwide since 1924. ActivePure Technologies’ six brands include Aerus, Aerus Enterprise Solutions, ActivePure, Allergy Buyers Club, The Pure Company and Vollara. For more information, please visit ActivePure.com or call 888-217-4316.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jo Trizila, TrizCom PR on behalf of ActivePure
Email: [email protected]
Office: 972-247-1369
Cell/Text: 214-232-0078

Kyra Castillo, TrizCom PR on behalf of ActivePure
Email: [email protected]
Office: 972-247-1369
Cell/Text: 214-695-7080

SOURCE: ActivePure Technology

View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/697193/San-Antonio-Independent-School-District-Chooses-ActivePure-as-Its-Primary-Strategy-for-Air-Purification

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Originally Appeared Here

Philadelphia is the first major American city to bring back an indoor mask mandate this week, after cases there have nearly doubled over the past two weeks. And like we’ve seen with previous waves, when cases go up on the East Coast, the West Coast soon follows. LA County data released on Monday showed a 23% increase in cases since March. So what does this mean for California? 

So far Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University, isn’t seeing a substantial increase in COVID cases.

And although many cases are sprouting up in the community, Karan says they’re not leading to higher rates of hospitalizations. That’s because some people have already caught the Omicron variant, and many others are vaccinated.

“Beyond that, we have better therapeutics. So in an outpatient setting, people who are at high risk of progression can get Paxlovid [Pfizer’s COVID antiviral]. … This is what we’ve been saying for about two years: You’d much rather get COVID later when we have a better understanding of the disease, better therapeutics, and preventative measures.”

But he points out that the West Coast is still in the early stages of what could be a significant uptick in new COVID cases.

“From a public health standpoint, I am concerned. Because when you have a large surge in cases, you have many people who get … sick enough to leave and be out of work, sick enough to transmit to other family members. … Remember: A small percentage of a very large number is still a big number. So if you have a lot of transmission, we eventually could see more hospitalizations. And that’s always a lagging indicator.”

He adds, “I expect that … with all mitigation measures pulled back, no more masking, people doing large, indoor gatherings, that we will see an increase in cases or more even than what we have now.”

Karan says he’s also concerned about vulnerable hospital patients who can experience the long-term effects of COVID, such as those who’ve gotten organ transplants and are taking immunosuppressive therapies. 

“Some people got very sick. Other people needed more complicated medication regimens. Some people didn’t respond as well to certain therapeutics,” he says. “This virus causes a very big immune response [and an] inflammatory response. So we saw people coming in with other complications, other exacerbations of diseases, or underlying medical conditions.”

Filtering indoor air should be a priority

As masks continue to be a politicized issue, Karan says government officials need to prioritize the creation of new indoor air filtering systems. 

He references the use of air filtration and negative pressure in hospital rooms to keep them as clean as possible. 

“So what are we doing to clean the air? What are officials and politicians doing? Are they funding this? Is there enough attention on this? It doesn’t seem like it. And so here we are, once again in another surge, the same conditions, arguing about masking, when in fact, we need serious improvements in our indoor air filtration and ventilation. Just the way that we cleaned dirty water that we created sewage systems, we have to start thinking of the air in terms of a serious medium of disease transmission.”

How to monitor COVID in the months to come

Karan says it’s still difficult to predict any new surges, especially looking ahead to the summer. But he notes that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of how many new COVID cases there are. 

“The problem is that it’s hard to detect these surges. A lot of people are doing at-home testing now, which is different than before. So we have to use smarter ways to predict this. Wastewater data [is] one example.”

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Originally Appeared Here

Wyze has announced a new air purifier with three different filter options. You can choose which filter you want at purchase, but the other filters can be purchased at a later date and swapped out on the fly as needed.

The Wyze Air Purifier filter options include the Allergen (Standard) filter, the Formaldehyde (Premium) filter, and the Wildfire filter. It utilizes a true HEPA filter for 99.97% efficiency in eliminating harmful, airborne particles such as dander, pollen, and even smoke. The purifier has enough power to clean a 500-square-foot room up to three times an hour, and it’s not too loud even on the highest setting. The sound ranges from 21 decibels in its sleep mode to 54 decibels on its highest level — roughly the same volume as a refrigerator’s hum.

The Wyze Air Purifier provides real-time updates on air quality through the use of a high-precision laser sensor. It measures the air 100 times per second for particles as small as 0.3 microns in size and automatically adjusts the filtration level to compensate.

Of course, not all control is automatic. The Wyze Air Purifier connects to your phone through the Wyze app for easy control. Adjust the speed to your own preferences.

The Wyze Air Purifier is available for purchase today and will begin shipping immediately. Wyze is offering a special launch price of $130 for the Air Purifier with Allergen filter, $135 for the Air Purifier with Wildfire Filter, and $155 for the Air Purifier with Formaldehyde Filter. The price increases to $170, $175, and $195 plus shipping, respectively, once the launch window ends. Replacement filters will cost $35, $40, or $60 plus shipping, although if you subscribe to Wyze’s auto-replace service, you can net a discount of 12%.

With spring in full bloom across many parts of the country, your indoor air quality is more important than ever. An air purifier can lessen the impact of allergies and pet dander, and indoor air quality has even been shown to have an impact on cognitive performance.

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Originally Appeared Here