Did you ever notice how challenges in life tend to sneak up on us? We often end up with surprising results and then again, sometimes the results make perfect sense.
The well-known motivational speaker Zig Ziglar used a great example to describe how challenges in life sneak up on us. His example was putting a frog in water and then turning up the heat very slowly. The frog didn’t notice the slow temperature increases until it died.
Another example of slow change is how those extra bites of food add up. Those tasty Kolaches or other baked goods are delicious, but soon our clothes fit a little tighter and our health suffers. It happens one bite at a time.
Some changes go by somewhat unnoticed, like the dramatic increases in carbon dioxide levels because it is difficult to detect this colorless and odorless gas that is primarily caused by burning carbon and organic compounds. A report from the Maryland Center for Environmental Science reports since 1750 carbon dioxide levels increased by 40%. Since 1958 carbon dioxide levels have increased by 20%.
Elevated carbon dioxide levels should be alarming to those that suffer from pollen allergies since plants grow substantially better at higher levels. This directly results in releasing larger quantities of pollens. Pollen allergy sufferers are noticing the change. Common sense tells us our bodies are not capable of adapting quickly enough.
Pollen allergy sufferers tend to load up on more allergy medication, but are high levels of medications healthy? As a society, we seem to overmedicate as an easy solution. Another solution is to reduce exposure to pollens when indoors.
We spend 90% of our time indoors according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Given that fact are you doing everything possible to reduce pollen indoors and also improve air filtration?
Air needs to be contained and then filtered properly otherwise our lungs will capture and remove those contaminants. The finer particles typically end up in our blood.
Since fresh unfiltered air is harmful it’s important to reduce air infiltration and close windows. Tighter homes have less air infiltration and lower pollen levels, but homes can become too tight.
In homes that are too tight, it makes sense to use a makeup air filtration system to filter the air as it is brought into the home and also exhaust stale air. This is important to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are the result of off-gassing of chemicals from things such as dyes within the home.
The least efficient air filtration system is the standard fiberglass air filter that removes approximately 40% of air contaminants. We can consider those air filters as being only 40% better than nothing.
Another air filtration option is a pleated air filter that removes approximately 70% of the impurities. About the only “positive” thing to say about them is they are 30% better than fiberglass air filters!
Most electronic air filters remove approximately 90% of air contaminants. The Lennox PureAir system removes 95%. Trane CleanEffects removes 99.98% of indoor air contaminants from the air that passes through it.
The Lennox and Trane air filtration systems remove contaminants including but not limited to dust, pet dander, viruses, bacteria, mold spores, bed bugs, ragweed, and pollens.
The cost of an upgraded air filtration system is typical $1,000 to $1,500 depending on what ductwork modifications are needed. When considering that investment it’s important to consider how much allergy meds are and what is the value of feeling better.
The reality is allergy concerns need to be addressed more openly and honestly. Our environment is changing rapidly and it’s important to adjust. Overall health is suffering, and awareness is the first step in making improvements.
The medical professions and HVAC contractors can make a difference if they work together to increase awareness. The next time you go to your allergist I suggest taking a copy of this article to share. Maybe they will prescribe a better air filtration system!
Pollen levels are becoming so elevated I believe a quality air filtration is no longer an option. It’s important to be protected at home and work. Is your work indoor air quality safe? At [company], we installed a makeup air filtration system to filter and treat the incoming air.
We also installed three high-efficiency air filter systems. We believe in a healthy team and it’s an important investment that makes sense. You are welcome to stop by and see our installation. The coffee is always on!
