Image: Courtesy, Southyard

A Fayetteville development has received the state’s first three-star Fitwel rating for its design.

According to a press release issued last week, Specialized Real Estate’s South Yard Development received the certification for its South Yard Development, now under construction at 404 W Streamside Bnd.

Fitwel was created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and U.S. General Services Administration, and is now operated by The Center for Active Design.

Fitwel certification, according to their website “is a rigorous, third-party healthy building certi cation system that sets the industry standard for evidence-based strategies to promote human health and well-being through the built environment.”

South Yard was evaluated on 55 design and operational strategies “that enhance buildings by addressing a broad range of health behaviors and risks,” they said. An indoor air quality pledge, using no VOC materials, Transit stops that encourage active transportation, a designated display to post community events, and training employees in emergency preparedness are a few steps the company took to earn the certification.

“We are thrilled to have another first in Arkansas,” said Specialized CEO Jeremy Hudson in a press release. “South Yard Lofts will be a cornerstone of Fayetteville, and what better way to join the neighborhood than a certification that exemplifies our dedication to our residents and community’s well-being.”

South Yard is a mixed used development located on the site formerly home to the Farmers’ Cooperative at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and S. School Avenue. The development, once complete will include the South Yard Lofts apartments, along with space for restaurants, retail, offices, and other amenities.

For a bit more information about the Fitwel certification, visit fitwel.org.

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Study setting

Our study took place in 14 villages located in peri-urban Beijing (Pinggu County: N40°8′, E117°6′) and Shanxi (Yu County: N38°05′, E113°24′) provinces, representing lower-income areas with energy use practices that are characteristic of northern China. Household use of highly-polluting biomass- and coal-fuelled stoves for cooking and space-heating was common18,28. More information about the study setting is provided elsewhere18.

Study design and participants

The ICP Study is a longitudinal study that was established to identify environmental and nutritional risk factors for chronic disease. In 2015–16 we enrolled 547 adults in Beijing and Shanxi (aged 40–79 at enrolment, 56% female) into the study. Details on the study design and the sampling and recruiting of participants are described elsewhere18. Briefly, most participants (n = 398, aged 60–79 in 2015–16) were previously enrolled in the INTERMAP Study in 1995–97, which randomly sampled households in the study villages and then randomly selected one adult from each household to participate18. The remaining 149 participants (aged 40–59 in 2015–16) were selected at random from village rosters. The ICP Study also enrolled 235 adults in southern China, but cognition was not assessed. The present analysis includes 401 participants without a history of stroke and who completed air pollution and cognitive assessments (inclusion flowchart shown in Supplementary Fig. 1). We obtained written informed consent from participants and ethical approvals from all investigator institutions (McGill University: #A08-M37-16B; Imperial College London: #15IC3095; Peking University: #00,001,052–15,017; Tsinghua University: #20,140,077; Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital: #2015–650). The protocol involving humans was performed in accordance with institutional guidelines and regulations.

Trained staff implemented the study measurements in Beijing in December 2015 and September 2016 and in Shanxi in August 2015 and November 201518. We conducted two campaigns in all villages to capture the heating and non-heating seasons, which can impact environmental conditions and behaviors including household stove use28. In both campaigns, we administered structured questionnaires and measured air pollution and relevant covariates. In the second campaign, we collected blood samples and assessed cognition.

Personal exposures to air pollution

We measured participants’ 24-h personal exposure to PM2.5 on 2 consecutive days in each campaign (96-h total) using the gold standard gravimetric method. Details about PM2.5 measurement and analysis are summarized here and published elsewhere31.

Participants wore waistpacks with air samplers that collected PM2.5 on Teflon filters. The air samplers consisted of Harvard Personal Exposure Monitors (H-PEMs) (Mesa Labs, Inc., USA) fitted with 37-mm polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters (Zefluor™; Pall Life Sciences, USA) with 2.0-μm pore size and connected to small pumps (Apex Pro or TUFF™; Casella Waste Systems, Inc., USA) operated at 1.8 L/min32. Pump flow rates were measured at the start and end of each sampling period using a field-calibrated rotameter (mini-BUCK Calibrator M-5, Buck Inc., USA). For quality control and potential contamination assessment, about 7% of field blank filters were placed inside identical H-PEMs, subjected to the same field conditions, and analyzed using the same protocol as the sample filters. Participants were instructed to perform routine daily activities but could place the samplers on an elevated surface within 2 m while sitting, sleeping, and bathing. We added pedometers to a random subsample of waistpacks (70% of 1788 measurements) to assess compliance and deemed participants with < 500 steps in 24-h as potentially non-compliant based on an observed cut-off in the pedometer data.

Filters were analysed for their PM2.5 mass. Before and after air sampling, the PTFE filters were conditioned in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment for at least 24 h and weighed in duplicate for mass on a high-precision microbalance (MX-5; Mettler-Toledo, USA) at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. If the first two weights differed by > 15 μg, the filter was reweighed until a stable weight was achieved. The average of the closest two weights was used for analysis. The balance’s zero and span were checked after every batch of ten filters. Pre-sampling filter weights were subtracted from the post-sampling weights. We performed blank correction by subtracting season- and site-specific blank values for PM2.5 from the net filter weights and replaced negative blank-corrected mass by randomly assigning a value between 0 and half the limit of detection. We divided PM2.5 mass (μg) by the total volume of air (m3) that passed through the filters during 24-h sampling periods to obtain PM2.5 concentrations (μg/m3).

The filters were also analyzed for black carbon using an aethalometer (SootScan™ OT21 Transmissometer; Magee Scientific, USA)33. Black carbon is a component of PM2.5 emitted during incomplete combustion that has been more strongly associated with some health outcomes than the mass of PM2.534,35. We performed further calibrations31 to equate the optical black carbon measurements to elemental carbon, and performed blank correction by subtracting the season- and site-specific blank values for black carbon from final optical attenuation values. We replaced negative blank-corrected mass loadings by randomly assigning a value between 0 and half the limit of detection. To obtain black carbon concentrations (μg/m3), we multiplied the corrected black carbon mass loadings (μg/cm2) by the area of each filter (9.03 cm2), then divided that mass by the total volume of air (m3) that passed through the filters during sampling.

Last, we estimated annual mean personal exposures to PM2.5 and black carbon by calculating a weighted average of season-specific exposures based on northern China’s long-established heating (4 months) and non-heating (8 months) seasons.

Current and long-term indoor stove use

An image-based household energy questionnaire28 was used to construct a set of categorical and continuous stove-use variables that characterized current and long-term stove use and intensity of use. Briefly, participants identified all stoves ever used by their household over the past 20 years and reported, for each stove, the type of fuel used, purpose of use, location of use, duration of use in 5-year intervals, and frequency of use. Exclusive use of clean fuels refers to households using only gas or electric appliances. We used this information to construct the following variables: Current indoor stove use pattern for (1) cooking and (2) heating at the time of survey, and intensity of indoor solid fuel use (3) currently (past year) and (4) over the long-term (over the past 20 years). The development of these variables is described below.

Current cooking or heating fuel use (i.e., exclusive use of clean fuels versus use of solid fuel stoves). Each participant was classified into one of the following categories for current stove-use practices at the time of the survey: (1) exclusive use of clean fuel stoves, (2) use of solid fuel stoves indoors, (3) only outdoor use of solid fuel, and (4) no stove (applicable to variable for heating only). Participants who indicated only outdoor (n = 34) or rare use of solid fuel stoves during holidays or when hosting many people (n = 17 and 1 for cooking and heating, respectively) were classified as exclusive clean fuel users. Participants without a heating stove (n = 13) were categorized as exclusive clean fuel users for heating.

Current intensity of solid fuel use (i.e., stove-use days in the past year). For each stove used by the participant, we first collapsed frequency of use from 10 categories listed in the questionnaire28 to five categories: rare, heating season only, non-heating season only, weekly, daily. Then, for each indoor solid fuel stove currently used by the participant, we estimated the average number of stove-use days in the past year as follows:

• Rare (i.e., seldom, holidays, or when hosting many people) → 13 stove-use days per year based on the assumption of half a stove-use day for each statutory day off for a public holiday in China;

• Heating season (i.e., only in colder months) → 121 stove-use days per year based on the number of days in the heating season in northern China (November 15-March 15)36;

• Non-heating season (i.e., only in warmer months) → 244 stove-use days per year based on the number of days in the non-heating season in northern China (March 16-November 14);

• Weekly (i.e., three to four times per week; several days per week) → 182 stove-use days per year based on multiplying 3.5 days per week (i.e., the mid-point of 3 to 4 times per week) by 52 weeks per year

• Daily (i.e., 2–5, 14–16 or 24 h per day or everyday) → 365 stove-use days per year.

We used the same categories to estimate stove use intensity in Beijing and Shanxi, which are neighboring provinces with very similar public holidays, climates, and space heating needs36.

We next calculated current indoor solid fuel stove-use days for each participant as follows:

$$mathop sum limits_{i = 1}^{n} ({text{solid fuel stoves used indoors}}_{{text{i}}} { } times {text{number of days used in the past year}})$$

where i is each solid fuel stove used indoors and n is the total number of solid fuel stoves used indoors. Participants exclusively using clean fuel stoves, using solid fuel stoves outdoors only, or with no stove (applicable to heating stoves only) were assigned a value of 0 solid fuel stove-use days.

Long-term intensity of solid fuel use (i.e., stove-use years during the past 20 years). For each stove used by participants, we collected information on when they started and stopped using it in 5-year intervals. For each indoor solid fuel stove used by the participant, we calculated the years of use since inception of the INTERMAP Study (20 years ago) as follow: midpoint year of time (in 5-year intervals) from when participants reported starting use of a stove to either the midpoint year of time (in 5-year intervals) that participant reported suspension of that stove or 0 if they reported still using it. For example, a participant who started using a stove 15 years ago and suspended use of the stove 5 years ago was assigned a duration of 10 years of use for that stove. Participants who reported starting and suspending use of a stove in the same 5-yr period were assigned a duration of 2.5 years of use for that stove (i.e., the midpoint of the 5-year interval).

Some participants did not report having a solid fuel cookstove during the past 20 years (n = 61), which we attribute to misreporting or data collection error since the original INTERMAP survey conducted in 1996 indicated that all households in the study villages cooked with solid fuel28,37. Informed by field observations and by cross-referencing survey responses with village records28, we assumed that these participants either used solid fuel stoves up until the time period that they reported regularly using clean fuel for cooking (n = 58) or were still using solid fuel stoves if no use of clean fuel stoves was reported (n = 3).

Finally, we combined information on duration of use and intensity of use (based on number of stove-use days per year categories described), and calculated total indoor solid fuel stove-use years during the past 20 years for each participant as follows:

$$frac{{begin{aligned} &{mathop sum nolimits_{i = 1}^{n} ({text{solid fuel stove used indoors}}_{{text{i}}}} \ & quad times {{text{number of stove – use days per year for that stove}}} \ & quad times {{text{number of years used}})} \ end{aligned} }}{{365 ,{text{days per year}}}}$$

where i is each solid fuel stove used indoors and n is the total number of solid fuel stoves used indoors.

Assessment of cognitive function

Trained staff assessed cognition using the MoCA (https://www.mocatest.org/), a screening tool developed to detect mild cognitive impairment in middle-aged and older adults with high sensitivity and specificity16,17. MoCA evaluates seven individual cognitive domains: visuospatial/executive, naming, attention, language, abstraction, delayed recall, and orientation that yield domain-specific and overall scores (see Table 2 for task description and point system). Our pilot study identified four questions in the MoCA-Beijing survey that were linguistically or culturally inappropriate for our participants, reflecting issues previously observed17. We thus modified the questions using text from the Singapore and Changsha (China) versions of MoCA (changes shown in Supplementary Fig. 3).

Covariates

The ICP Study administered household and individual questionnaires to collect information on household demographics, socioeconomic status, and chronic disease risk factors including alcohol consumption, tobacco use, secondhand smoking, physical activity, medical history, and past food shortage experiences18. Serum concentrations of triglycerides and high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were analyzed using standard methods18.

Outdoor air pollution was assessed by inverse distance weighting the hourly PM2.5 data from government air monitoring stations (http://beijingair.sinaapp.com) within 50 km of each village and calculating 24-h averages that corresponded with personal exposure measurements. These estimates were highly correlated with village-level outdoor gravimetric PM2.5 measurements collected by the ICP Study on 24 study-days (Pearson r = 0.91)31.

Statistical analysis

We summarized participants’ sociodemographic and health characteristics by current cooking fuel use. Mixed effects regression models with restricted maximum likelihood were used to estimate the cognitive associations with exposures to HAP. We specified a random effect at the village level and assumed a compound symmetry correlation structure given the relatively large number of participants clustered within villages and that the number of participants per village varied considerably (range: 1 to 74, median: 26)38. The general regression equation for the models is provided in the supplementary information (Supplementary Eq. 1).

For continuous exposures, we assessed the response function for overall raw cognitive score using natural cubic spline models with two to four degrees of freedom. All of these functions were deemed consistent with linearity through visual inspection (Supplementary Fig. 4). For cognitive outcomes, we z-standardized the domain-specific and overall raw MoCA scores (mean = 0; standard deviation = 1) to facilitate comparison of results across domains, but also maintained the raw score for overall cognition to allow for interpretation against the original survey.

Using directed acyclic graphs, we a priori identified known or suspected risk factors for cognitive impairment that were also plausibly associated with HAP without being on the causal pathway. The multivariable models were adjusted for age, gender, educational attainment, occupation, annual household income, exposure to tobacco smoking, frequency of exercising, frequency of farming, self-reported health status, frequency of drinking alcohol, marital status and number of household occupants as proxy measures of social contact1,39, total cholesterol and past experience with food shortage as proxy measures of diet and nutrition (cooking fuel models only)1,24, and province of residence (variable categories shown in Table 1). We additionally adjusted for outdoor PM2.5 in a second set of models with measured personal exposures to better isolate the exposure contribution of household stove use. Missing data for income (dichotomized as < or ≥ Renminbi 20,000; n = 49) and cholesterol (continuous; n = 23) were handled with multiple imputation as described elsewhere28.

We investigated potential effect modification by province, gender, and education based on findings in previous studies8,9,11,12,15. We also conducted multiple sensitivity analyses, including (1) adjusting for potential confounders that could also be along the causal pathway including co-morbid conditions (i.e., physician-diagnosed diabetes, heart disease, or hypertension) and body mass index1,24, (2) replacing the binary annual household income variable with a more resolved six-category income variable to examine potential residual confounding by income; (3) adjusting for heating fuel (for cooking fuel models) and cooking fuel (for heating fuel models); (4) combining current cooking and heating fuel use into a single exposure variable (i.e., any use of solid fuel stoves); (5) excluding the 61 participants who reported no history of solid fuel use during the past 20 years, which we believe was reporting error, from the analysis with ‘long-term intensity of use’ as the exposure.

All analyses were conducted in R version 4.0.3, using the “nlme”, “splines”, and “MICE” packages for mixed models, natural cubic splines, and multiple imputations, respectively.

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Allergy season is here. For some people, it is always here. While common allergens such as pollen and grass do affect people seasonally, allergens such as household dust can cause discomfort year-round. Stagnant indoor air can make those allergies even worse. 

An air purifier can help relieve allergy symptoms, whether they’re seasonal or perennial. Instead of entering your body, airborne particles instead enter the air filter, leaving you with crisp, clean air in your home. 

Top products in this article:

Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09 purifying fan, $670

Molekule Air, $440

Coway Airmega 150, $169 (reduced from $190)

A HEPA filter is key when shopping for an air purifier, like the Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde.

Dyson

The key to the best air quality is finding a purifier with a True HEPA filter. These filters can “remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency. (For comparison, standard HEPA filters remove 99% of particles as small as 2 microns.)

Below, find the best air purifiers for your home with HEPA filtration from Dyson, Molekule, Coway and more, just in time for allergy season. From splurge-worthy to budget-conscious, these air purifiers may just offer you clean air that will bring relief.

Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09 purifying fan

Dyson

This Dyson air purifier and fan goes above and beyond most, even destroying formaldehyde that your furniture may be releasing into the air. It also has a carbon filter that removes gases and odors. This True HEPA air purifier diagnoses your room’s air quality for you as it works and reports back as it cleans. It also doubles as a powerful oscillating fan.

Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09 purifying fan, $670

Dyson Pure Cool TP01 purifying fan 

Dyson

The Dyson Pure Cool purifying fan might not destroy formaldehyde like the Pure Cool, but it has most of the other features at a much lower price point. The Pure Cool can pull in airborne particles at a distance and improve any room’s air quality. Say goodbye to dust, pet dander, and other allergens that linger in indoor air.

Dyson Pure Cool TP01 purifying fan 

Ainfox Air Purifier with HEPA filter

Wayfair

This more affordable air purifier has low, medium and high fan speeds. It is a rather petite air cleaner compared to many of your other options and is best suited for smaller rooms up to 300 square feet.

Is it the best air purifier? Some Wayfair reviewers think so — it’s rated 4.5 stars on Wayfair.

Ainfox Air Purifier with HEPA filter, $85

Coway Airmega 150 True HEPA air purifier

Coway

Make a design statement with this True HEPA air purifier that comes in sage green, peony pink and dove white. It offers 214 square feet of clean air coverage and has automatic speed control and an air quality indicator. 

Coway Airmega 150 air purifier, $169 (reduced from $190)

Molekule Air

Molekule

Molekule air purifiers were developed over 25 years by research scientists to “break down pollutants at a molecular level, including viruses, bacteria, mold, ozone, allergens, and chemicals.” This air purifier for large rooms (up to 600 square feet) claims to detect and destroy pollutants 1,000 times smaller than the standard filters must meet to qualify as HEPA. Find this air purifier in a smaller ($500) and larger version as well ($1,200). Bundle deals are also available, if you’re looking for a whole-home air purifying solution.

Molekule Air, $440

Levoit air purifier with True HEPA filter

Walmart

This air purifier has a three-stage filtration system with a pre-filter, a True HEPA filter and a high-efficiency activated carbon filter. It offers three speed settings and claims to circulate the air in a room more than four times per hour.

Levoit air purifier with True HEPA filter, $76 (reduced from $90)

Germguardian air purifier with 360-degree True HEPA filter

Walmart

This air purifier for small rooms has four speeds. It has a charcoal filter that helps reduce odors, and claims to circulate air more than four times per hour in rooms up to 105 square feet, with a timer of up to eight hours.

Germguardian air purifier with 360-degree True HEPA filter, $98 (reduced from $130)

Pure Enrichment PureZone medium-large room air purifier

Amazon

This three-stage air purifier has a pre-filter and activated carbon filter, True HEPA filter and UV-C light. It has three fan speeds and three timer settings.

Pure Enrichment PureZone medium-large room air purifier, $77 after coupon (reduced from $130)

Related content on CBS Essentials

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As program’s first corporate donor, Spire helps expand home health assessments and repairs to improve region’s health

KANSAS CITY, Mo. , May 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — A new grant from Spire will allow Children’s Mercy Kansas City to expand their “Healthy Homes Program” to improve the health and safety of families through mitigation measures, while also improving home energy efficiency.

Spire color logo

According to the American Housing Survey, tens of thousands of households in the Kansas City region live with moderate or severe physical housing problems. As part of the “Healthy Homes” program, Children’s Mercy environmental health specialists perform a home assessment to identify issues such as excess moisture, poor indoor air quality and high levels of contaminated dust, which can be root causes for chronic health issues such as asthma and allergies.

Spire’s $100,000 commitment to the program– the first by a corporate donor – will allow Children’s Mercy environmental health specialists to expand the program to impact even more families of children with chronic health problems.

“We already know that an energy-efficient home saves customers money, but a comprehensive approach to weatherization can also improve the health and economic burden of housing-related health hazards for families across our region,” says Steve Mills, Spire vice president and general manager for western Missouri. “Spire has funded almost $10 million since 2005 to weatherize more than 3,000 homes across Kansas City and this donation helps keep that momentum on making homes healthier moving forward.”

In addition to expanding the program’s reach, Spire’s donation served as an important funding match that helped Children’s Mercy’s application for an additional $1 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH). Children’s Mercy estimates that the combination of funding from Spire and HUD will provide home environmental assessments and interventions for approximately 90 homes, support 21 Healthy Homes consumer workshops and 21 Healthy Homes contractor training workshops across the KC Metro over the next three years.

Story continues

Ryan Allenbrand, Healthy Home Program Manager for the environmental health program at Children’s Mercy, says adding home repairs will be a difference maker in benefiting families’ indoor environments.

“A drafty home with poorly operating heating and air conditioning systems, pipes that continually freeze and inadequate air sealing and insulation, not only increases a family’s electric and gas bills, but also increases environmental health hazards, especially for children,” Allenbrand said. “Thanks to Spire, which we think directly influenced our ability to obtain the grant from HUD, we can continue to address the root causes of chronic health issues we find every week in many Kansas City homes, ensuring as many children as possible are living in safe, healthy environments.”

To become eligible for the program, families must meet federal income level criteria and be referred by a physician due to a diagnosed health issue that is aggravated by poor indoor environmental quality. For more information, visit childrensmercy.org or call the Children’s Mercy Healthy Homes Program at 816-302-8565.

About Spire

At Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR), we believe energy exists to help make people’s lives better. It’s a simple idea, but one that’s at the heart of our company. Every day we serve 1.7 million homes and businesses making us the fifth largest publicly traded natural gas company in the country. We help families and business owners fuel their daily lives through our gas utilities serving Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri. Our natural gas-related businesses include Spire Marketing, Spire STL Pipeline and Spire Storage. We are committed to transforming our business through growing organically, investing in infrastructure, and advancing through innovation. Learn more at SpireEnergy.com.

About Children’s Mercy Kansas City

Founded in 1897, Children’s Mercy Kansas City is a leading independent children’s health organization dedicated to holistic care, translational research, educating caregivers and breakthrough innovation to create a world of well-being for all children. With not-for-profit hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, and numerous specialty clinics in both states, Children’s Mercy provides the highest level of care for children from birth through the age of 21. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked Children’s Mercy as one of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals.” For the fifth consecutive time in a row, Children’s Mercy has achieved Magnet nursing designation, awarded to only about 8% of all hospitals nationally, for excellence in quality care. More than 850 pediatric subspecialists, researchers and faculty across more than 40 subspecialties are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research and education of the next generation of pediatric subspecialists. Thanks to generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children’s Mercy provides hope, comfort and the prospect of brighter tomorrows to every child who passes through its doors. Learn more at Childrensmercy.org.

Media Contact:
Jason Merrill
314-365-7125
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Mary Heinrich
913-481-4543
[email protected]

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SOURCE Spire Inc.

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MIAMI (CBS) – We know the risk of COVID transmission is much less outside. Now researchers at Columbia University are trying out a new kind of ultraviolet light called far-UVC that could make indoor air as safe as outdoors.

As dental students practice on mannequins at the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia University, a lamp is disinfecting the air. Dr. David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University, said unlike the UV light currently used to sterilize hospital rooms and equipment when people are not around, the lamp uses a different wavelength that is not known to be harmful to people.

READ MORE: Police Pursuit Of Black BMW Ends With Man In Custody In Miramar

“This far-UVC light really can’t penetrate into our skin or into eyes,” Dr. Brenner said.

Dr. Brenner co-authored new research showing far-UVC light took less than five minutes to kill 98% of indoor airborne microbes, which means it could possibly reduce the transmission of diseases such as flu and COVID.

“We know there are going to be new variants that haven’t reached us yet, and the nice thing about far-UVC is it should be effective against every type of virus,” he said.

The lamps can be installed in the ceiling and cost about $200 each. Dr. Brenner said we could one day see these in hospitals, schools, and on planes.

READ MORE: Two Injured In Shooting At Fort Lauderdale’s Booze Garden Club

“Where are we transmitting COVID? Where are we transmitting influenza? It’s almost entirely indoors because you have so much ventilation outdoors. I think what we have achieved with far-UVC is the equivalent of stepping outside,” Dr. Brenner said.

Dr. Steven Erde with the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia University is excited the research is being tested at a dental clinic since many microbes in the mouth can get into the air.

“This is a great opportunity to decrease that load so that when the patients are here, the providers are safer and other patients in the same facility are safer,” he said.

A potential game changer that could possibly prevent the next pandemic.

MORE NEWS: Florida Wildlife Officials Already Making Manatee Preparations For Next Winter

Scientists say another advantage to this UV technology is that viruses and bacteria cannot develop a resistance which can happen with vaccines and drugs.

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Photo: stavklem (Shutterstock)

I’ve always cooked on gas ranges. I grew up in a house with a gas stove, I have one in my current house, and I remember the electric-only apartments of my young adulthood with disgust. I will complain about them at length, don’t get me started. But evidence has been mounting that gas stoves and ovens cause enough indoor air pollution that they may be worsening kids’ asthma.

That caught my attention, because I have a gas stove and asthma. I can say the same of several family members. That could be a coincidence; about 8% of the U.S. population has asthma, and a third of American households cook with gas. But then again, there is evidence that suggests gas stoves are one of the pollutants that can contribute to asthma flare-ups. Vox has a thorough rundown of the evidence here, which is worth reading if you’re concerned.

Interpreting that evidence is a bit tricky. Asthma severity is higher in homes with more nitrogen dioxide in the air, and gas stoves are a major source of indoor nitrogen dioxide. But asthma is also worse in kids who grow up in lower-income families, who also tend to be in neighborhoods that have more outdoor air pollution. Importantly, access to health care and to asthma medication also vary with income level, and studies like this one have found that the effects of nitrogen dioxide on asthma look a lot smaller when you take those factors into account.

All that said—we’re now arguing about how bad gas stoves are for health, not about whether they’re bad. If you’re building or buying a house, and you want to make good choices for your health, an electric or induction range would be the better pick. Electric stoves kind of suck, but they’re not so bad once you get the hang of cooking with them. Induction cooktops are expensive, but by all accounts they’re pretty great to cook with. (Induction is the kind where the cooktop itself doesn’t heat up; instead, a coil induces your cast iron or stainless steel pan to heat up.)

What to do if you have a gas stove

The best way to reduce the indoor pollution from gas ranges is to get serious about ventilation. Strangely, even though gas dryers and furnaces are required to vent to outdoors, gas stoves are often not.

So first, figure out if your range hood actually vents to the outside. A good one will have a vent that runs through a wall or up a chimney. A crappy one will just recirculate the air, essentially sucking it up from the stovetop area and blowing it out right over your head.

If you do have a good range hood, you can make sure it captures the most of the pollutants by cooking on the back burners, and by turning the fan to its highest setting when you’re cooking on the front burners, using multiple burners, or frying anything.

If your range hood is the recirculating kind, create ventilation in another way if you can. Opening a window is one solution you can use when the weather is good. It’s possible to install an exhaust fan directly into an exterior wall, which can help to ventilate the kitchen while you’re cooking. (If your kitchen is near a bathroom, turning on the bathroom fan may help a little bit.)

Range hoods and fans can be loud and annoying, so if you’re looking to upgrade your kitchen but can’t swing a replacement stove, it may be worth looking into a range hood that is quieter (so you’ll use it more often) and/or moves more air (to remove more pollutants when it’s in use).

It’s also important to remember that while gas stoves create more indoor air pollution than other stoves, cooking, just in general, creates particulates and sends volatile compounds into the air. So ventilation is a good idea no matter what kind of stove you use.

   

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PORTLAND, Ore., May 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Green Cities Company (Green Cities or the Firm), an investment management firm pioneering environmental and social responsibility in the real estate sector, today announced the publishing of its annual Environmental and Community Impact Report (the Impact Report).  As the Firm continues to develop industry-leading, value-driving Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, the annual Impact Report highlights the innovations and progress made in ESG throughout the Green Cities portfolio.

With $1.9B of assets under management and 4.8M square feet of multifamily and office assets in select U.S. markets, Green Cities believes its approach to ESG is central to its successful investment strategy.  The Firm evaluates, measures, and advances ESG initiatives through its proprietary Green Cities Index – a robust framework tracking the environmental footprint of an asset, health and wellness strategies for each property’s occupants, the diversity and inclusivity profile of its communities, and the resilience and carbon footprint of every asset. 

As a Minority- and Women-Owned Business, Green Cities also has a visionary commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access (DEI&A) – a unique positioning among its peers.  By adding the concept of “access” to traditional DE&I considerations, the Firm aims to elevate the built environment to a channel that advocates for social change.

Highlights of the Impact Report include:

• Industry-leading transparency at the portfolio, fund, and asset levels.
• Detailed reporting through the Green Cities Index, in alignment with the Firm’s reporting to the United Nations-supported Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) and GRESB.
• Environmental impact metrics such as a portfolio-wide 35% reduction in energy use and 26% reduction of water use over the Environmental Protection Agency baseline in 2021.
• Expansion on Green Cities’ public commitment to the ULI Greenprint Net Zero Carbon Operations Goal including strategies for near-term decarbonization.
• Deep consideration of tenant Health and Wellbeing through equitable and inclusive strategies such as biophilic and universal design, as well as indoor air quality and viral response.
• Social impact metrics aligned with the Firm’s certification as a B Corporation, including a cumulative generation of approximately 4,000 union labor jobs and nearly 50 local vendor partnerships across the U.S.

Molly Bordonaro, Managing Partner of Green Cities, stated, ” We are so proud to continue to be stewards of sustainability and social impact within the real estate investment management industry.  Utilizing the expertise of our fully integrated team, we remain committed to investing in and managing assets that deliver strong returns to our investors while also positively enhancing local communities, our tenant wellbeing, and our planet.”

The Green Cities Company acquires, manages, and develops multifamily, commercial, and mixed-use assets driving competitive returns with its deep expertise in acquisition, construction management, design and asset management – combined with meaningful attention to ESG considerations. With this vertically integrated structure of in-house expertise, the Firm uniquely  adds investment, environmental, and societal value through modernized design and capital improvements, advanced operations and management, and the integration of truly sustainable and healthy initiatives.

The full report is available on the firm’s website: https://greencities.com/reporting/.

ABOUT THE GREEN CITIES COMPANY  

The Green Cities Company has driven innovation in real estate investment management for over a decade through the confluence of environmental, social and investment value. With this forward-thinking strategy and fully integrated in-house expertise, the firm acquires, manages, and develops office, mixed-use and multifamily assets. Deep experience in select U.S. markets, combined with meaningful attention to ESG considerations, positions The Green Cities Company for enhanced tenant retention and superior operations. This differentiated approach, along with disciplined risk management, encompasses the environmental footprint of an asset, the diversity and inclusivity of its community and the wellbeing and fulfillment of its occupants and neighbors. Each member of the team is dedicated to a resilient investment portfolio that yields results to the firm’s investors, employees, tenants, and communities. 

For more information, please visit www.greencities.com.

SOURCE THE GREEN CITIES COMPANY

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Add a soft touch to your home with a new kind of carpet that is sustainable, attractive and simple

When you suffer from seasonal allergies, the outside world can feel like a battlefield.

From the first tree pollen in early spring to the last of the ragweed in late summer and fall, life can seem unbearable. Home should be an allergy-free sanctuary, and a new product from House of Broadloom in Sudbury is giving folks with allergies the comforts of carpeting along with clean, allergen-free indoor air.

If you suffer with allergies and tend towards hard flooring in your home, you might be surprised to learn that carpet can actually be the better choice for a sneeze-free home. Carpet acts like a magnet that traps those common household particles such as dust, pollen and pet and insect dander and holds them in place until you vacuum it away. On a hard surface floor, allergens sit on the surface then recirculate through the air every time you walk through the room. In fact, the DAAB study proved that carpet can reduce airborne dust by 50% of that found above hard flooring surfaces. It is important to note that older carpeting can be loaded with trapped allergens and difficult to clean. In this case, new carpeting can be a game-changer for allergy sufferers.

Air.o is Pure Peace of Mind

House of Broadloom now offers Air.o hypo-allergenic soft flooring by Mohawk. Air.o is made from fibers that won’t absorb moisture, so allergens and microbes can’t grow.

This revolutionary product has been called the “next generation of soft flooring” because Mohawk has actually re-engineered the way traditional carpet is constructed. Their new ‘unified soft flooring’ has a premium felt pad integrated directly into the carpet, rather than a separate cushion. The padding provides cushiony comfort and protects your flooring, with no separate chip foam pad that can break down and create more dust build-up beneath the carpet. Air.o’s integrated felt pad will hold strong for the life of the carpet.

House of Broadloom offers Mohawk Air.o flooring in a range of colours. In addition to scoring top points for its contribution to reducing allergens in the home, Air.o boasts a long list of benefits for those replacing their existing carpeting or choosing to use carpet for the first time:

• SUSTAINABLE – Air.o is engineered with just one material making it the only 100% recyclable soft flooring available and is an industry game-changer when it comes to diverting landfill waste
• EASY TO INSTALL – With no separate under pad, Mohawk Air.o carpet installs in one step and lays flat without buckling or wrinkling. Just cut to size, fold back and fix it in place with double-sized tape. Your flooring specialists at House of Broadloom has the tools and helpful advice for the DIY installers, and of course professional installation services are always available.
• EASY TO CLEAN – The unique unified construction of Air.o carpet naturally provides better airflow. This means dust and dirt can’t get trapped and is easier to vacuum away.
• VOC-FREE: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are toxic chemicals that emit “off-gas” and, over time, can impact the health of your family and pets. Air.o carpet fiber is created using advanced polymers, and no latex-associated VOCs. This means that your hypoallergenic carpet is safe and odor-free.

Speak with a House of Broadloom flooring specialist to learn more about revolutionary Air.o carpet. They are open weekdays 9 to 5:30, with evening appointments available by request.

House of Broadloom is located at 68 Lorne Street in Sudbury.  Call them at 705-674-4444 or visit them online.

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This article was originally published here

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Apr 30:155611. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155611. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study monitors the presence of 88 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (semi-VOCs) at the gas phase of seven indoor settings in a school in the city of Tarragona, Spain, and five outdoor locations around the city. The VOCs and semi-VOCs monitored were solvents (∑Solvents), aldehydes (∑Aldehydes), emerging organic compounds (∑EOCs), and other VOCs and semi-VOCs (∑Others). Passive sampling campaigns were performed using Carbopack X tubes followed by thermal desorption coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Overall, 70 of the target compounds included in the method were determined in the indoor air samples analysed, and 42 VOCs and semi-VOCs in the outdoor air samples. Our results showed that solvents were ubiquitous throughout the school at concentrations ranging from 272 μg m-3 to 423 μg m-3 and representing 68%-83% of total target compounds (∑Total). The values of ∑Total in 2021 were three times as high as those observed at the same indoor settings in 2019, with solvents experiencing the greatest increase. A plausible explanation for these observations is the implementation of anti-COVID-19 measures in the indoor settings, such as the intensification of cleaning activities and the use of hydroalcoholic gels as personal hygiene. The ∑Total values observed in the indoor settings evaluated were twenty times higher than those found outdoors. ∑Solvents were the most representative compounds found indoors (74% of the ∑Total). The concentrations of VOCs and semi-VOCs observed in the outdoors were strictly related to combustion processes from automobile traffic and industrial activities, with ∑Others contributing 58%, ∑Solvents 31%, and ∑Aldehydes 11% of the ∑Total. EOCs, on the other hand, were not detected in any outdoor sample.

PMID:35504390 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155611

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New research has found that mechanical ventilation systems significantly reduce the levels of particulate matter, carbon dioxide and monoxide, and formaldehyde from indoor air, reducing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular illness.

The study from the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and Enterprise Community Partners concludes that mechanical ventilation could save thousands of lives and prevent major health impacts of indoor air pollution.

However, even in homes with ventilation systems, researchers did not observe significant changes in levels of nitrogen dioxide, which primarily comes from gas stoves, suggesting that increasing ventilation is not enough to address the health impacts of these appliances.

Based on these findings, the study recommends that builders and owners install continuous mechanical ventilation systems in all homes, while phasing out gas stoves altogether.

‘Thousands of Americans are dying every year from preventable illnesses exacerbated by poor air quality, and this study shows we have the tools at our disposal to fix this systemic issue. Installing mechanical ventilation and transitioning from gas stoves to electric would have a significant impact on public health, particularly in lower-income communities,’ said Stephany De Scisciolo, Vice President of Impact and Evaluation at Enterprise and a collaborator on the study. ‘We’re grateful to our partners at the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and The JPB Foundation for making this incredibly important study possible.’

The study found a 20% reduction in particulate matter (PM2.5) when mechanical ventilation was in use. The researchers predicted that if all multifamily housing in the United States had continuous mechanical ventilation, the resulting decrease in indoor PM2.5 alone could lead to:

• 14,800 fewer deaths
• 11,800 fewer emergency department visits due to asthma
• 8,100 fewer hospitalizations due to respiratory or cardiovascular illness

‘Ventilation is much more important than we previously thought,’ said David Jacobs, Chief Scientist at NCHH. ‘This study gives us three clear takeaways: All gas stoves should be replaced, all apartments should have continuous mechanical ventilation, and outdoor air pollution affects indoor air. Ensuring our homes are healthy ones is key to preventing illness and promoting well-being.’

Photo by Brett Jordan

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