Los Angeles Considers Zero-Carbon Requirement for All New Buildings
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Clean Air. Pure Water. Healthy Home.
Los Angeles Considers Zero-Carbon Requirement for All New Buildings
News and Best Practices for
Commercial & Industrial Environmental Professionals
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You might not be able to see them, but every home is filled with particles like pollen, carbon dioxide, molds, and more. Featuring a three-stage True HEPA filter, the Aukey Home Air Purifier captures these unwanted visitors. You can get it today for only $69.99 (Reg. $109) at 9to5Toys Specials.
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EPA and indoor air quality experts are pushing ventilation and filtration as a key means to keep kids healthy during the pandemic as other measures to stop the spread of Covid-19 have become increasingly polarized.
“The pandemic has provided us with a defining moment on indoor air quality for schools,” said EPA’s Tracy Washington Enger, who works in the agency’s Indoor Environments Division.
Enger was speaking during an EPA-hosted webinar that aimed to help school officials at the local level “make the case” to school districts that they should invest in air quality improvements and ventilation, through upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and replacing filters, among other strategies.
The training comes as a string of states, including New York, New Jersey and Delaware, have announced they will soon lift mask mandates in schools, putting pressure on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though CDC Director Rochelle Walensky as recently as this week stressed the importance of “masking in areas of high and substantial transmission,” the agency is reportedly considering updating its guidelines for which metrics states should use when considering lifting mask mandates, and whether such guidelines should still rely as much on case and transmission rates or incorporate more information on hospital capacity data.
The changing landscape on masking makes other Covid-19 mitigation measures like improved ventilation and filtration in schools all the more important, according to indoor air experts.
“Here we are two years into the pandemic, and what we are starting to hear is a shift in how we are thinking about coronavirus in this nation,” Enger told the webinar.
Though she did not directly address mask requirements, Enger said the nation is facing a question of “how we as individuals and institutions will make the shift from a crisis response to a pandemic to living with an endemic disease.”
“Long-term, effective management strategies that address indoor air quality” are key, she said.
Anisa Heming, director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, more directly commented on the controversy over face coverings during the webinar, saying that indoor air quality improvements like upgraded heating, ventilation and filtration systems are especially critical because “they don’t rely on individual decisionmaking.”
“They can run in the background without getting too mired in political decisionmaking, so it’s important to lean on them,” she said.
Throughout the pandemic, indoor air quality experts — including those at the CDC — have urged schools to combat the coronavirus by increasing the flow of outdoor air into buildings and updating HVAC system filters to something called MERV 13. When upgrading HVAC systems isn’t possible or when school buildings are too old to even have air ducts, they are told to provide HEPA filters in classrooms.
Upgrading HVAC filters doesn’t only help prevent Covid-19 from spreading, but also helps trap particulate matter or fine airborne dust and soot. Increasing ventilation, similarly, has additional benefits as research has shown that indoor air pollution contributes to lower test scores (Greenwire, Sept. 13, 2021).
Multiple experts on the webinar agreed that ventilation and increased filtration has remained a steady mitigation option as other protective measures used early in the pandemic fall out of public favor or are proved to be ineffective.
Heming pointed to the overuse of disinfectant chemicals throughout the spring and summer of 2020 — before scientists had confirmed that the coronavirus does not spread easily on surfaces but rather through the air — as one example of a mitigation measure that school districts need to “rethink.”
Rengie Chan, a deputy indoor air environment group leader at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has spent much of the past few years working on the Department of Energy’s Efficient and Healthy Schools campaign, which aims to help schools raise the energy efficiency of their HVAC systems.
She spoke about one school participating in the program that had decided ventilation and filtration upgrades were more important than other attempts to prevent the spread of disease it had used early in the pandemic.
“Originally, there was all that plexiglass that people bought, and it has been recycled,” she said.
“This pandemic continues to evolve, and we continue to evolve with it,” Enger agreed.
Though Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of ventilation and filtration upgrades, those kinds of initiatives were often among schools’ lowest priorities, behind academics and security concerns, before the pandemic. One 2020 report from the Government Accountability Office found that an estimated 41 percent of school districts needed to replace their HVAC systems — amounting to 36,000 schools with indoor air problems. Those could include too much particulate matter coming in from the outside, as well as an accumulation of carbon dioxide from students exhaling in stuffy classrooms.
One Florida school that GAO visited before the pandemic had installed new cameras as part of an updated security system but had not upgraded its HVAC system, which was in such disrepair that maintenance staff had to climb to the roof every day to adjust the air conditioning.
Indoor air quality experts hope that will change as the pandemic brings greater emphasis on such problems, especially because congressional coronavirus relief packages included funding for school facilities upgrades. The American Rescue Plan alone included an additional $122 billion in school aid.
“We can use this opportunity to really focus on the importance of [ventilation], and that is going to be the tide that lifts all boats,” Enger said, adding that such measures are “vital to providing continuous in-person education” during the pandemic.
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Asus today announced ExpertBook B3 Flip (B3402), a powerful and versatile convertible laptop designed for both work and learning.
ExpertBook B3 Flip is built to embrace the new normal — hybrid working and learning. It’s the best companion for teachers and students, and the perfect colleague for business users and pros. With its versatile and tough design, studying or working everywhere is no longer a dream.
B3 Flip is equipped with a 360° any-position hinge for total display flexibility, a world-facing camera for a new perspective, and a garaged stylus for simple, intuitive input. It includes several convenient protection features, including ASUS Antibacterial Guard and a TÜV Rheinland-certified display for everyday eye care. Moreover, the product is supported by WiFi 6 (802.11ax) for faster connections, two-way AI-powered noise-cancellation technology and noise-reducing cameras for excellent remote learning and conferencing experiences. All the features enhance the overall experiences in hybrid working and learning.
The versatile ExpertBook B3 Flip has a 360° any-position hinge that gives it unrivaled flexibility for work or learning: it can be used in tablet mode for taking notes and studying, or in tent mode for easy revision and taking photos. Stand mode gives everyone the perfect view in meetings or presentations. When drawing, taking notes, or marking up documents, the optional garaged stylus lets users get every detail just right. The convenient built-in holder keeps the stylus to hand, reduces the risk of loss, and charges the stylus: a 15-second charge gives enough power for 45 minutes of use, so the user’s workflow will never be interrupted.
B3 Flip includes a standard user-facing webcam, along with a special 13 MP world-facing high-resolution camera located on the keyboard surround just below the display — an ideal position that allows users to capture photos and videos in tent mode and tablet mode. This unique dual-camera arrangement overcomes the limitations of single-camera devices, allowing users to capture photos and videos in any mode for any task. This in turn empowers students to explore and learn in totally new ways and permits professionals and workers to multitask more efficiently.
Built to allow safe, secure and speedy data connections everywhere for work or learning, ExpertBook B3 Flip includes fast 4G LTE mobile data connectivity. It also offers up to the latest WiFi 6 technology that delivers ultrafast and stable speeds for online learning and super-smooth business meetings, and which is enhanced with ASUS WiFi Master technology for faster and more reliable WiFi connections at greater distances than ever before.
Life on the road is tough, so B3 Flip is designed to both meet and surpass exacting industry durability standards — including the ultra-demanding MIL-STD 810H US military standard . It’s built to survive every extreme, from freezing temperatures to the searing heat of desert storms, and from high-speed shocks to everyday bumps. B3 Flip also undergoes stringent and industry-leading in-house testing, including panel-pressure, shock and drop tests for an assurance of serious durability. The keyboard is reinforced with an internal bracket, and it also has a water-resistant layer that can cope with liquid spillages of up to 330 cc without harm.
To keep ExpertBook B3 Flip hygienic, the keyboard, touchpad, and palm rest are all protected with ASUS Antibacterial Guard antibacterial treatment. This has been scientifically shown by the internationally recognized ISO 22196 standard to inhibit the growth of bacteria by in excess of 99% over a 24-hour period. ASUS Antibacterial Guard is also made to withstand alcohol-based cleaning products and hypochlorous acid water, so it is easy to keep the surface of B3 Flip clean and sanitary — limiting the spread of harmful bacteria.
B3 Flip’s two-sided, slim bezel, multitouch screen provides intuitive input for modern learning and working experiences. The display is also certified by TÜV Rheinland for low blue-light emissions, so users can study or work without worrying about their eyes being harmed by blue light.
The powerful ExpertBook B3 Flip ensures smooth multimedia learning and makes light work of all business tasks, courtesy of its up to 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor and Intel Iris® Xe graphics, which deliver quick and responsive computing with lively graphics performance. It also features onboard memory and a SO-DIMM slot for upgrading memory up to 12 GB.
To level up remote learning and professional conferencing, B3 Flip has two-way AI noise-canceling technology that employs sophisticated machine-learning techniques. The technology includes both an upstream function to filter noise around the speaker, and a downstream function to eliminate noise from the person at the other end of the conversation.
Video-conferencing and remote-learning experiences are also enhanced by the innovative 3D noise-reduction (3DNR) technology on B3 Flip’s webcam. This reduces up to 94% of the random noise that naturally affects any camera, especially in low-light situations, enhancing image quality without affecting exposure or detail levels.
Asus ExpertBook B3 Flip is now in stores in the UAE and GCC. Price starts from Dh2,699.
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UCF’s Dr. Phillips Academic Commons recently earned LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), a third-party green building rating system globally recognized as a symbol of sustainability. The new designation represents UCF’s 30th LEED certification.
“The Dr. Phillips Academic Commons LEED Gold certification represents UCF’s strong commitment to LEED and environmental stewardship,” says Curt Wade, UCF’s senior director of Utilities and Energy Services.
UCF created its first Climate Action Plan in 2010, outlining the university’s path to the carbon neutrality by 2050. Since that commitment, the university has saved more than $30 million in operating expenses, reduced the campus energy use intensity by 41% dating back to 2006 and have become a leader in green building standards, Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Gerald Hector wrote in a recent story about UCF’s sustainability efforts. In 2017, UCF earned a Silver Rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System.
UCF’s green building include two LEED certified, seven LEED Silver, and 21 LEED Gold — now including DPAC. LEED certified buildings earn 40-49 points on the organization’s rating system, Silver earn 50-59 and Gold 60-79.
“UCF has been long committed to transforming how budlings are designed, constructed, and operated dating back to 2007,” Wade says. “Not only is this building 35% more energy cost efficient than a code-compliant building, 50% of the total annual energy use is supplied from renewable energy resources. Most importantly, this project represents a combination of resilient teamwork, and exemplifies UCF’s key partnerships with the City of Orlando and the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC).”
The lobby inside Dr. Phillips Academic Commons.
Dr. Phillips Academic Commons is a 148,000 square-foot building with classrooms, a library, science labs and office spaces in downtown Orlando. Its sustainable features include:
UCF mandates LEED certification for all new construction and major renovations through 28 credits incorporated in the Green Building Construction and Renovation Requirements with emphasis on energy, atmosphere, and water efficiency.
LEED buildings promote occupant health and productivity through indoor air quality, mindful building materials, access to daylight and more.
Here are a few of UCF’s other LEED Certified buildings.
Classroom Building II is a LEED Gold building that diverted 91% of on-site generated construction waste from landfill.
(Photo by Jason Greene)
The College of Medicine is a LEED Silver building that uses selected refrigerants and HVAC equipment that minimize or eliminate the emission of compounds that contribute to ozone depletion and global warming.
Opened in 2018, the District IV Energy Plant is a LEED Gold building and one of UCF’s most unique building projects in terms of sustainability, according to Wade. In 2020, the plant was converted to use reclaimed water in its two cooling towers, reducing campus consumption of potable water — a precious and finite source in Central Florida — by 25-30 million gallons a year and playing a key role in UCF’s water conservation plans.
UCF Global is a LEED Gold building that achieved exemplary performance for maximizing open space equal to 2.55 times the area of the total building footprint.
The Student Union expansion, which was completed in Fall 2020, is LEED Certified and protects sensitive lands. During construction, the project practiced pollution prevention.
Research I is a LEED Gold building that achieved exemplary performance for green power purchasing.
The Recreation and Wellness Center Expansion is LEED Gold certified and is easily accessible with a location within half a mile of a minimum of ten community services and an existing residential district.
The School of Performing Arts is a LEED Gold certified building that utilizes a Stormwater Management Plan, which reduces impervious cover, promotes infiltration and captures/treats stormwater runoff from 80% of average annual rainfall.
The Band Practice Facility is a LEED Certified Building that achieved exemplary performance for sustainable purchasing and lighting fixtures.
The UCF Police Department is a LEED Gold building. About 20% of the building was constructed from recycled materials and 20% was extracted, harvested or recovered within 500 miles of the project site.
More information about UCF’s LEED Certified buildings can be found on the Utilities and Energy Services website.
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Scientists and engineers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a hydrogel tablet that enables the purification of water, without creating harmful byproducts or residues.
Image Credit: Gilmanshin/Shutterstock.com
The engineered hydrogels create hydrogen peroxide, which neutralizes harmful bacteria with activated carbon particles to destroy cell components of bacteria.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reveals that 785 million people lack access to basic clean drinking water, with 2 billion people using water contaminated with feces.
Contaminated water and poor sanitation can transmit diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio, as well as schistosomiasis, a type of parasitic worm contracted through exposure to infected water.
Climate change, population growth, urbanization, and water scarcity pose serious threats to human health. By 2025, it is estimated that half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 was established by WHO and UNICEF after the UN General Assembly formally recognized the human right to water and sanitation in 2010.
The Goal calls for universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water.
Progress has been made, with WHO reporting open defecation rates have fallen year on year, with improved access to drinking water sources and piped supplies to premises being made in both rural and urban areas.
However, some academics have criticized progress by questioning how some of the progress has been measured, and in particular, for failing to address that water quality is still a huge problem despite improved access, as well as issues surrounding equity and inequality. (Dijkestra.G et.al, 2018)
The hydrogel tablet has the potential to provide a solution that helps address some of the issues associated with water quality and equity, especially in remote areas.
It is relatively cheap to produce in comparison to installing expensive sanitation systems or equipment.
One tablet could make it more readily available to a greater number of people, regardless of location.
The hydrogel tablet requires zero-energy input, so the most common ways of purifying water by boiling and pasteurization, which require fuel and equipment, will no longer be necessary. This will benefit people without equipment, technical know-how, fuel, or time to carry out those tasks.
The hydrogel tablet could also be used in solar distillation systems, which often malfunction due to an accumulation of microorganisms.
Scaling up of the tablets is also a possibility, as the synthesis process remains unchanged, regardless of size or shape.
They can be used in off-grid locations, as well as in emergency situations.
Anti-bacterial hydrogels (ABHs), with catechol-enabled molecular-level hydrogen peroxide generators and quinone-anchored-activated carbon particles, are effective due to their ability to attack bacteria cell components and disrupt metabolism. (Dundas et.al, 2021)
No harmful byproducts are left behind and the tablets can be easily removed or replaced, as required.
The latest water purification systems include nanotechnology, which is the manipulation of matter on an atomic and molecular scale.
Carbon nanotubes are used in water purification plants on an industrial scale, allowing water molecules to pass, whilst blocking contaminants. They remove inorganic, organic, and biological compounds from water.
Acoustic nanotube technology is used predominantly at municipal water plants, medical facilities, desalination plants and industrial sites, including wastewater treatment facilities.
In acoustic technology, sound replaces pressure to drive water away from contaminants through carbon nanotubes.
Photocatalytic technology uses ultra-violet (UV) rays to remove toxic substances from water.
Photocatalysis can break down organic materials such as pesticides, crude oil, and virus microbes, or inorganic compounds such as nitrous oxides.
Aquaporin Inside™ comes from a Danish cleantech company, which uses a biomimetic membrane to allow the passage of water molecules, whilst blocking all other compounds, using both forward and reverse osmosis.
Automatic variable filtration (AVF) technology uses a process whereby the upward flow of water is cleaned by a downward flow of filter cleaning media.
AVF systems are used for municipal drinking water, wastewater treatment, and recycling and desalination plants.
All the latest technologies are examples of the latest state-of-the-art science and engineering expertise. They are all highly efficient and effective systems.
The downside is that many of them are costly and require on-site installation. They also require the technical capability to run and maintain them. Unlike hydrogel tablets, they require equipment and fuel to operate.
Hydrogel tablets can be scaled-up easily because the materials required to make them are inexpensive.
Engineers and researchers involved in hydrogel production claim hydrogel tablets can disinfect a liter of river water, making it suitable for drinking in less than one hour.
The next step for the hydrogel team is to improve the tablets so they can neutralize more types of different pathogens and viruses. This is something most of the other hi-tech systems can already do, but without the small-scale, inexpensive advantages that hydrogel tablets have.
Molecular Engineering of Hydrogels for Rapid Water Disinfection and Sustainable Solar Vapor Generation. (22.07.21) Guo.Y, CM.Dundas, X.Zhou, K. Johnston, G.Yu. Advanced Materials, (Journal) in Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202102994
Hydrogel Tablet can purify a litre of river water in an hour (05.10.2021) University of Texas at Austin in Science News, Science Daily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211005175424.htm
Drinking Water (14.06.2019) World Health Organisation https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
The Sustainable Development Goal on Water and Sanitation: Learning from the Millennium Development Goals. (25.08.2018) Dijkestra.G, Eshuis.J, Gianoli.A, Rusca.M, Westrate.M, Springer Nature in SpringerLink (accessed 25.10.2021) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-018-1965-5
Latest Water Purification Technologies – Top Five (05.02.2021) Global Data (accessed 25.10.2021) https://www.water-technology.net/features/latest-water-purification-technologies-top-five/
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.
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Proposed national long-term-care standards to limit infections begin with the premise that nurses — and grandmothers — have preached for years: wash your hands.
Posted on Friday for public consultation, the draft report details roughly 20 rules for sanitary hand practices — what it calls “the most important procedure for preventing (health-care-associated infections) in residents and staff.”
While the proposed standards focus on nursing-home operations, infection prevention and control (IPAC) and small household designs that limit the spread of illness, the chair of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) long-term-care committee said the rules are written with residents in mind.
“These are people’s homes — they are not hospitals, they’re not acute-care settings,” said Alex Mihailidis, a University of Toronto professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, who specializes in technology that supports older adults.
One of the main goals, Mihailidis said, is to improve IPAC guidance, “whether it’s a future pandemic or whether it’s an influenza breakout.”
Open for 60 days of public feedback ending April 11, the CSA draft is the second set of long-term-care standard proposals released in recent weeks.
On Jan. 27, the Health Standards Organization (HSO) posted its draft rules that focus on resident-centred care — such as living with some risk instead of a rigid adherence to safety — and the creation of meaningful jobs. Both reports complement each other, Mihailidis said, with the HSO draft focused on the “software” (well-being of residents and staff) and the CSA on the “hardware” (IPAC, operations and building design). Final reports are expected next fall.
Dr. Samir Sinha, chair of the HSO standards committee, has said the HSO requirements will be used to accredit nursing homes, but could also provide the foundation for new laws, including the Liberals’ promised “Safe Long-Term Care Act.”
A CSA spokesperson said its standards will be voluntary, unless legislated or used by an accreditation body, adding that more details are expected next fall. The CSA was founded in 1919, developing safety standards for railway bridges and, more recently, hockey helmets and respirator masks.
Plans for national oversight came from public demands for change, after COVID-19 swept through Canadian nursing and retirement homes, killing more than 15,800 residents in both settings.
Health Canada said the 2021 budget “provided a $3 billion investment over five years, starting in 2022-23, to support provinces and territories in their efforts to ensure standards for long-term care are applied and permanent changes are made.”
Provinces that take federal money for nursing homes should be required prove it goes where intended, said long-term-care expert Pat Armstrong.
“I think we have to make absolutely sure it goes to long-term care and, I would argue, when it goes to long-term care, it doesn’t go into making a profit, that it goes to care,” said Armstrong, a York University professor.
The CSA’s draft standards are the first to align IPAC, operations and building design to nursing homes, said Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of CanAge, a national advocacy group for older adults. (Tamblyn Watts also sits on two CSA long-term-care committees.)
Calling the draft a “seismic” step forward with a “resident-centred” commitment, Tamblyn Watts cautioned that legitimate change won’t happen without government support.
“The problem with standards generally is unless they’re mandated in some fashion, they are wishful words on a page,” she said. “The real point will be ensuring that these standards are adopted by the provinces and territories in their long-term-care legislation.”
The proposals call for disinfecting of communal areas, washrooms, storage spaces and bedrooms. Long-term-care homes, the report said, “shall be designed and operated to prevent and control the spread of microorganisms.”
One recommendation said the “decluttering of resident rooms should occur on a regular basis,” such as every two months. The standards would also require an IPAC consultation before buying items for residents. “Strict IPAC standards may inhibit residents from keeping personal items,” the report noted.
Personal possessions, advocates say, have deep meaning for residents, many of whom arrive in homes with a few remaining pieces. The fear is that without specific limits to ‘decluttering” standards, enthusiastic IPAC officials could see hazards in resident keepsakes.
Tamblyn Watts said the standards will be accompanied by education and guidance that upholds the resident-first philosophy. Rules for clutter, she said, are intended to focus on cleanliness and the removal of tripping hazards but are “not trying to strip out the personalization of a resident’s possessions.”
Mihailidis, the committee chair, said discussions examined the question: “how do we balance quality of life versus safety?”
In its building design section, the proposed standards recommend small households of roughly 10 to 12 people, with private bedrooms and washrooms. The report said, “Single-bed occupancy in health care settings have been shown to reduce the potential for transmission of organisms and therefore decrease the risk of infection, decrease medication errors and improve safety for both residents and staff overall.”
Mihailidis said the committee looked at international models that create small homes, including de Hogeweyk in the Netherlands. It is an enclosed “village” with tiny connected households of six or seven residents who have the freedom to step outdoors for a walk or a visit in the courtyard café.
The standards, such as HSO’s resident-centred philosophies, could also be used in community-based living options for older adults, said Donna Duncan, CEO of the Ontario Long-Term Care Association. Ontario has a long-term-care wait list of 40,000, Duncan said, so the province needs new ways for people to “thrive at home” or in new community-focused models.
While some nursing-home operators are building “campus” style homes that include space for youth groups, public coffee shops or walking trails, the Ontario government is still approving large nursing homes, usually with units of 32 beds. Progressive operators believe that placing 32 people in a large, noisy area leads to anxiety, fear and aggression, particularly among those with dementia.
Big homes, said York’s Armstrong, are built for economies of scale but can still be designed with small interior households.
“They have the advantage that during the day, residents can move around inside, so you get the space and variety.”
CSA’s draft design standards — including easy access to sinks for hand hygiene — call for connections to the outdoors, where residents, family and workers can spend time in nature. Being outside “improves well-being and can reduce stress, expedite healing and increase cognitive functions,” the report said.
While the standards need government support, Tamblyn Watts said they are part of a movement that is shedding the old, institutional approach.
“It won’t be, by itself, everything that is needed but this is the beginning of a culture shift.”
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Canadian technology and media company Rogers Business is launching a suite of smart cities and smart buildings internet of things (IoT) solutions to meet the growing infrastructure needs of municipalities and organisations.
Rogers Business Smart Cities and Smart Buildings division will work with a broad ecosystem of providers to deliver the solutions that will range from water leak detection sensors to artificial intelligence-powered traffic signal capabilities.
Research carried out by analyst IDC and commissioned by Rogers, showed that communities investing in smart city solutions will be better prepared to respond to both current and future challenges.
The IDC Info Snapshot also found that smart technology in cities and infrastructure can improve efficiency, deliver up to 70 per cent in cost-savings and bring environmental benefits to communities.
“As we look to the future, digital connectivity will play a crucial role in urban planning and the sustainability of our communities, from small towns to large city centres,” said Ron McKenzie, president, Rogers Business. “We’re proud to work with an ecosystem of IoT solution providers and deliver managed services to help our customers build smarter, safer, more efficient communities today and for generations to come.”
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It’s ironic that a process meant to sterilize medical equipment to keep us safe from infection can cause us harm.
That’s the instance with ethylene oxide. EtO is the only effective sterilization method for some medical equipment. But ethylene oxide is a known carcinogen.
Midwest Sterilization Corporation has operated in the border city of Laredo since 2005. It uses ethylene oxide to sterilize 40 percent of the nation’s surgical procedure trays.
A recent report by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune revealed that Midwest Sterilization is one of the nation’s top emitters of ethylene oxide.
The city of Laredo is considered one of the top 20 locations in the U.S. with the highest levels of excess cancer risk.
How is this being received by the residents of Laredo?
EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (2014); retrieved from epa.gov website: www.epa.gov/ejscreen/download-ejscreen-data; accessed on 11/10/2021.
On this episode we talk to members of the Laredo Clean Air Coalition, a group of parents, elected officials, nonprofits, and community members formed to raise awareness of the elevated cancer risks of ethylene oxide.
Guests:
Tricia Cortez, executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center, co-founder of the Laredo Clean Air Coalition.
Sheila Serna, Climate Science and Policy Director with the Rio Grande International Study Center, former TCEQ investigator.
Vanessa Perez, Laredo councilwoman for District 7, co-founder of the Laredo Clean Air Coalition.
Ricardo Sandoval, owner of Alterri Distribution Center & Transport, a business located across the street from Midwest Sterilization.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Midwest Sterilization Corp. sent TPR the following statements on ethylene oxide emissions. Read them here:
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Vertically-integrated LED maker Lextar Electronics has developed UV(ultraviolet)-C LED disinfection solutions and has obtained third-party certification that its disinfection effects exceed 99.9%, according to the company.
Such solutions are based on UV-C LEDs that emit wavelengths of 255-285nm and feature flexible light beam angles that can be applied in various scenarios, Lextar said.
In addition, Lextar has cooperated with Future Taiwan Advanced Electronics to develop high-power UV-C LED disinfection modules for use in negative-pressure hospital wards, the company said.
Moreover, Lextar has provided UV-C LED air disinfection modules for the top-3 Japan-based vendors of air conditioners and air purifiers as well as US- and Europe-based vendors of electric home appliances. Lextar has also provided UV-C LED modules for international vendors of cleaning robots and kitchenware for use in surface disinfection as well as modules used to disinfect static water. In addition, the company has developed UV-C LED modules to be matched with faucets to disinfect flowing water.
Currently, about 9% of Lextar’s consolidated revenues come from its UV-C LED product line.
LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics has cooperated with Institute of Biomedical Sciences under Academia Sinica to publish the finding that 275nm UV-C light is more effective for destroying SARS-CoV-2 than 222nm and 254nm light. The company has developed 275nm UV-C LED disinfection modules for use in air conditioning and air purification, and has claimed these UV rays kill 99.9% of COVID-19 viruses.
LED lighting maker Ledtech Electronics has become a Taiwan sales agent for Philips lighting products equipped with UV-C LED modules and, in addition, developed UV-C LED disinfection products for sale under its own brand BioLED. The company aims to hike the revenue proportion for its UV-C LED product line from below 2% in 2021 to 10-15% in 2022.
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