In most places in the United States, we have almost fully returned to a pre-COVID-19 state of normalcy where people aren’t required to wear masks.

But in a place millions of Americans must use, the federal government still holds sway, and it isn’t letting go.

It is past time to remove the masking requirement in airports and on airlines.

Americans who were told to “follow the science” are fairly asking now why the Biden administration is hanging on to an unscientific requirement in a space that it controls.

In a letter dated March 23, the leaders of 11 major airlines, including American Airlines and Southwest, asked for the mask mandate in airports and on planes be lifted.

“Our industry has leaned into science at every turn. At the outset, we voluntarily implemented policies and procedures — mandating face coverings; requiring passenger health acknowledgements and contact tracing information; and enhancing cleaning protocols — to form a multi-layered approach to mitigate risk and prioritize the wellbeing of passengers and employees,” the letter reads.

But now, the administration is turning its back on the science that shows the vast majority of the country, 99%, does not need to wear masks indoors.

For nearly two years, flight attendants and other front-line airline workers have faced enormous hostility from passengers as they have done their duty in enforcing mandates that no longer make sense.

The highly filtered, forced air on airplanes is cleaner than most indoor air, despite the close quarters. Meanwhile, the best quality masks are now widely available for passengers who still desire to wear a mask.

So why is the federal government still forcing everyone who has to enter an airport and get on a plane to wear a mask? It isn’t about following the science; that much is clear.

The failure to dial back these restrictions on individual choice stoke resentment and will make it that much harder to convince people to mask up the next time we need to — and that time will come.

If the president and his advisers are serious about the facts, they will lift this mandate now, and let us edge that much closer to normal life.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

29/03/2022  Luxme International Ltd

Addressing the food industry’s need for a hygienic, bulk ingredients, high-volume bag opening solution that eliminates dust and removes the associated H&S risks, Luxme International developed the MINILux – an automated food-grade bag slitter with self-contained dust collection and recovery. Converting labour-intensive, inefficient processes into automated and sustainable ones, the MINILux recovers 1.5-2% more product at a rate 1.8-2x faster than a single bag dump station. Facilitating a healthy, safe, and hygienic working environment by recovering both airborne and trailing product, it also reduces waste and boosts profits.

Safeguarding operator health

The health and safety challenges of handling dust-rich bulk ingredients – such as powders, mixes, spices, flours, dairy products, nuts, and seeds – are widely known, and the moment when bags are first opened is when the risk is greatest. Operators using manual bag dump stations are at increased likelihood of developing breathing and asthma-related conditions linked to working with airborne-rich materials in a dusty environment over prolonged periods. Certain ingredients, such as flour, are also known to be volatile; as well as the long-term health dangers, dust-rich environments also present an explosion risk.

Luxme’s MINILux protects workers from occupational breathing conditions and greatly reduces the risk of explosion by containing all dust particles within the system itself, ensuring workspace air remains clean, safe and hygienic.

Meeting air and workplace quality rules

There is also clear evidence that improved indoor air quality in workplaces boosts employee performance. Recent studies on workplace productivity show that high-performing, green-certified buildings with improved ventilation resulted in employee performance improving by 8%, the equivalent to a £4,600 increase in employee productivity each year[1]. And with the World Health Organization placing increased focus on indoor air quality, encouraging countries to use its guidelines as a scientific basis for legally enforceable standards, this is an issue that is only going to become more significant. Businesses will soon prioritise indoor air quality, both to comply with existing regulations and get ahead of future legislation.

Eliminating cross-contamination

Capable of opening up to six 25kg bags per minute, the MINILux is an all-in-one conveying, slitting, emptying, integral dust filtering, and empty bag compaction solution. Adhering to the highest standards of food hygiene, it features multiple clean-out access points for easy cleaning to ensure allergens and pathogens do not enter the food chain.

This is especially important for producers of specialist or ‘free-from’ food ranges. When making claims around a product’s integrity – be it organic, vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, or similar – it is crucial they can be substantiated. Aside from the serious health risks associated with consuming a known allergen, brand reputation can be severely impacted if cross-contamination is found to have occurred. Consumers will only pay a premium for a specialist, niche product if they trust its authenticity, so adherence to the highest standards of hygiene is important for food producers in these markets.

The MINILux has been designed for versatility and efficiency. It processes most 25kg bag types and sizes on a continuous basis, allowing batches with a variety of bag sizes, weights, and constructions to be slit and opened in a single run without set-up adjustments. To accommodate clean-out, there are access panels on each of its four sides. In contrast to the typical enclosed design of most industrial equipment, it is far easier to clean and quicker to access, facilitating speedy yet safe product changeovers. All internal components have been designed to food safety standards allowing easy and thorough cleaning. In addition, material finishes are of AAA quality; the highest food-grade standard available.

Boosting product recovery and profits

Bulk ingredients are an expensive commodity, and any wastage comes straight off a food processor’s bottom line – put simply, any product circulating in the air or leaving the plant within the empty bag represents lost revenue. By containing product within the system, the MINILux not only supports a safe and dust-free workspace but also greatly reduces the volume of ingredients that are lost. Product recovery compared to a manual process is on average 1.5%-2% higher.

To further enhance the MINILux’s product recovery, the system comes with an optional upgrade of a recovery tumbler complete with dust recovery. Opening, rotating, and tumbling empty bags numerous times, it releases any remaining product to make the solution more cost effective, boasting a 99.93-99.98% efficiency depending upon the free-flowing characteristics of the product.

To put the cost savings offered by the MINILux into context, across two eight-hour shifts at a typical food and bakery mix powders plant using seven mixers, six days per week, owners can achieve:

• Faster feed rate, to lower mixer fill time for one extra batch/shift versus a manual process.
• Increased revenue, with the extra batch/shift delivering around £3,000,000/yr (two extra 6,500 lbs batches/day over 300 days/yr at a selling price of £0.75/lb).
• Material recovery of 5% higher yield, a saving of around £313,000/yr with £.38/lb material.

Self-contained dust collection

Further cost-savings are enjoyed by eliminating the need for purchasing a separate, standalone air ventilation system. It is common for sites handling high volumes of bulk ingredients to use sophisticated air ventilation/filter systems to improve air quality. These systems are expensive to install, energy intensive, and require regular maintenance. They also inherently collect and mix product with airborne dust, rendering it no longer fit for production.

A more cost-efficient alternative is the MINILux with the self-contained dust collection package. Offering the option of a six-inch spigot for direct connection to either a central dust collection system or associated venting, dust recovery can also be self-contained within the MINILux, with recovered product funnelled back into the process for re-use.

“MINILux is the technology of the future – its operating features increase productivity and deliver higher efficiency, better air quality, and workplace safety for a more profitable and ergonomic bag slitting solution,” says Rick Leroux, VP/GM of Luxme International.

[1] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/healthy-buildings-can-improve-workers-performance/

Request FREE information from the supplier on the products in this article

Login or Register

Process and Control Today are not responsible for the content of submitted or externally produced articles and images. Click here to email us about any errors or omissions contained within this article.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

While it took a backseat to disinfecting touchpoints throughout the pandemic, the importance of environmentally-friendly cleaning is re-entering the fold as a priority — continuing the momentum industrywide that has been gaining for the larger part of the past decade-plus. 

As reported by Times Square Chronicles, the adoption of environmentally-friendly cleaning techniques can provide a wide array of benefits not only for the health of frontline custodians and occupants, but for facility perception as well. 

Branding Benefits

Be it a conventional office or retail business, promoting environmental stewardship can go along way in boosting brand perception or even convincing quality employees to join the company in the first place. By promoting green cleaning practices — such as investing into ventilation systems that improve indoor air quality — businesses can differentiate themselves from competitors and make occupants feel more at ease about working at or patronizing a facility. 

Safer Chemical Usage

While facilities must avoid the pitfalls of “Greenwashing” — which stems from manufacturers misleading end-users with marketing verbiage that conveys green without getting actual certification or having safe ingredients —facilities can take steps to make sure the cleaning solutions being used are both effective and safe for staff and occupants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a wide variety of lists and resources (such as Safer Choice) that facility managers or building service contractors (BSCs) can utilize to vet the authenticity of cleaning chemicals. 

For tips on how to launch a successful green cleaning program, check out this Facility Cleaning Decisions feature.

Industry News & Trends
Industry Training & Events
Advice from the Field
Insights & Updates

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

VBreathe Tasman, a revolutionary air purifier and detoxifier, is fast becoming a fixture in ECEC services across the country.

 

“After hearing about VBreathe Tasman and looking into the product, we could see that the air purifier had some great reviews and had won a number of awards,” Fiona Black, Owner of Koala Child Care Centre said. 

 

“We are a well-established centre that has been open for just over 30 years. Our children and staff are of utmost importance to us and we wanted to be proactive about how we can prevent illness as much as we can and protect everyone in the centre.”

 

“The VActive Gel that VBreathe Tasman uses to reduce the amount of harmful indoor microbes circulating in the air helps us to achieve this objective and as it is also made from natural Australian essential oils in Australia the decision was that much easier.” 

 

“I can say hand on heart that the VBreathe Tasman is an excellent system. Staff tell me all the time that when they walk into a room to put a child/children to sleep they feel a sense of safety knowing the machines are doing their job and that the air feels cleaner to breathe.”

 

“So far, our experience has been 5 star, we look forward to continuing our relationship with VBreathe.”

 

ECEC providers positive experience reinforced by science and innovation   

 

The VBreathe Tasman, which has been designed, developed and assembled in Australia, has been validated by research completed independently by a number of International and Australian universities and laboratories. 

 

“Most air purifiers rely on HEPA filters alone, they can only filter the air that passes through the device,” Dr Amanda Hayes, Head of Scientific Research at VBreathe said. 

 

“VBreathe not only uses medical-grade HEPA filtration, but in addition, it uses our all-natural VActive Gel that spreads throughout the entire room dispersing vapour into the air to reduce airborne bacteria, mould and allergens.”

 

“Therein lies the power of the VBreathe Tasman and why our customers across the ECEC space are really embracing it. The system is compact, effective and improves the air quality for children, educators and families entering the centre. ”

 

VBreathe commitment to ECEC inspired by the importance of improving air quality

 

As the colder months approach and experts raise increasing concerns about Australia’s influenza hiatus coming to an end, as well as the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19 the team at VBreathe remain 100 per cent committed to supporting the ECEC sector as best they can. 

 

“We have worked incredibly hard to build a product that is simple to use, scientifically proven and an all-natural solution that helps to mitigate health and safety concerns associated with airborne pathogens, such as mould, circulating in centres,” Alex Saad, General Manager, Sales and Business Development of VBreathe said.

 

“Given the historic and ongoing challenges faced by the ECEC sector due to COVID-19 and the potentially challenging winter ahead of us it is very important that we raise the profile of the VBreathe Tasman and support the sector in every way we can.”

 

“Protecting children whilst they learn, play and sleep is at the heart of what the VBreathe Tasman was built for and we are very happy to be playing an important role in sustaining that going forward.”

 

To learn more about VBreathe and the VBreathe Tasman, please click here. 

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Promoting a healthy and productive environment for both students and teachers.

EduMon announced today the launch of their New Indoor Air Quality Monitoring platform, EduMon CleanAir 2.0. Designed specifically for Educational institutions across the globe, the CleanAir 2.0 platform now adds the ability for monitoring at a classroom, school, school district, state or country level.

Poor air quality in the classroom doesn’t just affect student health and wellbeing but also learning capacity through concentration loss, tiredness and fatigue.

Many schools have air conditioning units to regulate the temperature and humidity; however, they recycle the same air. Airconditioning cannot reduce or monitor pollutants in the air such as CO2, PM2.5 & 10, HCHO or O3.

The rise in CO2 levels in the classroom from exhalation by students indirectly suggests the increased presence of tiny aerosols from breathing, sneezing, or coughing, which are carriers of viral diseases such as influenza and COVID19.

Due to poor ventilation and an inability to replace stale air with fresh air, CO2 will rise in aerosols and droplets.

“At EduMon we have developed an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Monitoring platform that combines battery-powered wireless sensors with an easy-to-use online dashboard”, said Mark Winter, Chief Executive Officer at Edumon. “Our CleanAir platform provides a real-time view of classroom air quality, historical air quality data and provides custom reports based on thresholds across your country, state, individual schools, or individual classrooms”, Mark said.

EduMon’s 9-in-1 sensors measure and report on various ambient conditions, including Temperature, Humidity, CO2, PIR, Light, Barometric Pressure, HCHO, O3, PM 2.5 and PM10.

The IoT sensors connect over a LoRaWAN wireless network, an extremely low-power, a long-range wireless technology designed with IoT (Internet of Things) in mind.

“Our Mission is to provide a healthy learning environment for EVERY educational institution and promote a healthy and productive environment for your students and teachers. Order our EduMon sensors and platform now”, Mark concluded.

Media Contact
Company Name: EduMon
Contact Person: Mark Winter
Email: Send Email
Phone: +61 7 5699 9801
Country: Australia
Website: http://www.edumon.com.au/

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Dear editor

We read with great interest the recent article “Efficacy of Moxibustion Smoke for Stage 1 Post-Stroke Shoulder-Hand Syndrome: Protocol for a Multi-Center, Single-Blind Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial”1 published by Xiaonan Meng et al in the Journal of Pain Research. By reading this article attentively, I would like to share some thoughts and personal understanding to this article.

Firstly, most of the current research on moxibustion focuses on examining the clinical effects of heat rather than smoke generated from the combustion of moxa floss. In addition, there are few studies on the clinical effect of moxa burning smoke. This article connects moxibustion smoke with the treatment of post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome for the first time, which is of great significance.

Secondly, smoke from conventional moxa with notable health risks and serious pollution in indoor air.2 If it can be confirmed through a large number of prospective clinical trials that the amount of moxibustion smoke has no obvious relationship with the curative effect of MS. Further understanding the underlying mechanisms of action for the therapeutic effects of moxibustion and MS. It will be of certain significance to replace the conventional moxa with smokeless charcoal moxa in the treatment of this disease in the future. Therefore, this article has extraordinary significance.

However, some deficiencies in the design cannot be ignored. In this research, low MSC, medium MSC and high MSC three groups of subjects can identify the amount of smoke. Considering the primary outcome (VAS measurement) easily affected by the “Hawthorne Effect”.3 Eventually, this can easily lead to untrue conclusions. I suggest that the author can refer to an article published by Witt et al4 in the Lancet in 2005. The success rate of the single-blind method can be improved by subtly diverting the attention of the subjects.

Moreover, the moxibustion device used in this research is in direct contact with the skin. Given the heat generated by the combustion of moxa floss, it is easy to scald subjects’ skin. To reduce the probability of adverse events, I suggest that the author can consider applying ointment at the selected acupoints, such as Vaseline ointment.

Therefore, if the author can further improve the research design and make it more scientific, the results of this study can be more convincing.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this communication.

References

1. Meng X, Wang L, Li C. Efficacy of moxibustion smoke for stage 1 post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome: protocol for a multi-center, single-blind randomized sham-controlled trial.J Pain Res. 2022;15:643–653. doi:10.2147/JPR.S351576.

2. Mo F, Chi C, Guo M, Chu X, Li Y, Shen X. Characteristics of selected indoor air pollutants from moxibustion. J Hazard Mater. 2014;270:53–60. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.01.042. Epub 2014 Jan 31. PMID: 24548885.

3. Pripp AH. Hawthorne-effekten [The Hawthorne effect]. Tidsskr nor Laegeforen. 2020. 140(14):7348. doi:10.4045/tidsskr.20.0395. Norwegian. PMID: 33070595.

4. Witt C, Brinkhaus B, Jena S, et al. Acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomised trial. Lancet. 2005;366(9480):136–143. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)66871-7. PMID: 16005336.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here