Gyms plagued by bad air

Indoor air in gyms may be polluted by dust
and chemicals such as formaldehyde.
Photo: Freedigitalphotos.net

A new study of air quality in gyms raises questions about whether the places in which we work out are as healthy as they should be.

Science and common sense tell us that exercising in polluted air is undesirable.

People who frequently run alongside heavily trafficked freeways and breathe great lungfuls of exhaust have been shown to have an increased risk of heart disease, even if they are otherwise in admirably good shape.

But few studies systematically have examined the air quality inside gyms.

So for the new study, which will appear next month in the journal Building and Environment, researchers at the University of Lisbon in Portugal and the Technical University of Delft in Holland decided that they would place air-quality monitoring equipment in gyms throughout Lisbon.

Portuguese fitness sites are similar to those in the United States, said Carla Ramos, a graduate student at the University of Lisbon who led the new study.

Most feature a weight room and multiple, smaller studio spaces for aerobics classes, yoga sessions and similar programs.

For the new study, Ms. Ramos obtained permission from 11 Lisbon gyms to position air-quality monitors in each site’s weight room and several studios. The machines were set to measure pollutants during the late afternoon or evening hours, when the gyms were at their most crowded.

For about two hours at each gym, the monitors measured the levels of commonly found indoor pollutants. These include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, airborne particulates such as dust, and various chemicals released by carpeting, cleaning products, furniture or paint, including formaldehyde.

To gain even more detailed readings, the scientists subsequently placed additional monitors in three of the gyms, which measured air quality throughout the building and throughout the entire day.

Then they checked the pollutant levels from all of the gyms.

Their findings were disquieting. In general, the gyms showed high levels of airborne dust, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide. The concentrations of these substances generally exceeded most accepted standards for indoor air quality. (No government agency in the United States formally monitors air quality in gyms.)

The levels were especially high during evening aerobics classes, when many people were packed into small studios, stirring up dust and fumes and puffing heavily, producing carbon dioxide with every breath.

The high concentrations of dust and chemicals like formaldehyde in the air at the gyms represent perhaps the greatest potential concern, Ms. Ramos said.

In sufficient concentrations, these substances can contribute to asthma and other respiratory problems, she said. Almost all of the gyms in the study had levels of these substances that significantly exceed European standards for healthy indoor air standards.

Carbon dioxide, though not toxic to people, could also be cause for concern. In high concentrations, Ms. Ramos said, it has been found to contribute to bodily fatigue and cognitive fogginess, neither of which is desirable during a high-intensity aerobics class.

Elevated levels of carbon dioxide can also indicate a poorly ventilated building, she said, especially if they remain inflated for hours, as they did in her study.

“We consider that the gymnasiums meet the criteria for a poor indoor quality,” Mr. Ramos said.

Poor indoor air quality is a particular issue in gyms, of course, because people there tend to be breathing heavily.

“When we exercise, we take in more air with each breath and most of that air goes through the mouth, bypassing the natural filtration system” in the nostrils, Ms. Ramos said. “The pollutants go deeper into the lungs compared to resting situations.”

The findings should not, however, discourage anyone from visiting a gym, Ms. Ramos said. None of the sites in the study had measurable levels of carbon monoxide, she pointed out, one of the most dangerous of known air pollutants.

The data might, though, prompt diligent gymgoers to perform a sniff test. If the air at your fitness center smells chemical-laden and stale, consider talking with the site manager, Ms. Ramos said.

Ask about ventilation and if the building has undergone a recent indoor-air-quality assessment.

Inquire, too, about the types of cleaning products used at the gym and whether floors are swept or mopped; the latter is better at reducing airborne dust, Ms. Ramos said.

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For her part, Ms. Ramos conducted a formal air-quality assessment at the gym she attends (separately from her study) and offered the manager advice about how to reduce some of the pollutants that turned up.

“I prefer to be indoors to practice physical activity,” she said, as long as the air is as healthy as the activity.

Source: NY Times blog

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Lab lets public use 3-D printing and laser tools

Laser engraving and cutting may release toxic
fumes that can affect people's health, studies show.

On any given day, an unusual cross-section of artists and entrepreneurs might be found tooling away on the cutting and industrial printing machines at a Central Square lab in Cambridge: a maker of percussion instruments, a fashion designer, even the owner of an electronic cigarette retailer.

The lab is called Danger!Awesome, and it is helping to introduce 3-D printing and laser-cutting technologies to people who don’t have the knowledge or access to factory- grade equipment to turn their big ideas into products.

The lab also performs professional-grade jobs for corporate clients, including the nearby Google Inc. offices. But to get 3-D printing to become an everyday technology adopted by the masses, cofounder Ali Mohammad said Danger!Awesome’s main calling is to teach hobbyists and entrepreneurs the technology isn’t all that difficult to master.

“Even if you don’t think you can make something, we will hold your hand through the entire process,” Mohammad said.

Like other labs, Danger!Awesome has both 3-D printers and laser cutters.

The former create solid objects by slowing extruding layers of plastic or other materials, based on a pattern designed in a computer program.

The latter starts with a block of material and meticulously burns away everything except the desired shape.

“You get this satisfaction from creating things,” Mohammad said. “There is something deeply, primally satisfying about building something you can touch.”

The company is among a number of startups in the Boston area anticipating that people will pay for training and access to bleeding-edge fabrication technologies.

In Somerville, Astisan’s Asylum trains members to use a Stratasys uPrint. The Printing Bay in Waltham offers classes and access to a MakerGear M2.

And on Newbury Street in the Back Bay, the 3-D printer manufacturer MakerBot has opened a store where the public can watch demonstrations of 3-D printing, scan and print their own designs, and buy a machine for their own use.

In Burlington, Einstein’s Workshop offers science and engineering classes aimed at children — including courses in 3-D printing and laser cutting for kids as young as second-graders.

“When you give kids access to these machines, it’s amazing what projects they think of themselves,” said workshop founder Henry Houh, who took a laser-cutting class at Danger!Awesome.

Visual artist Lannie Hathaway got so hooked on the new technology that she now works at Danger!Awesome, where she continues to use the machines for her own engraving and illustration projects.

“Using the tools that are used for engineering to make my own work come to life was very exciting,” Hathaway said.

The 3-D groundswell is being embraced by academia, as well.

Northeastern University, for instance, opened a comprehensive 3-D printing, 3-D scanning, and laser-cutting lab as part of its library system last year, and is developing coursework around it.

And the Massachusetts Institute of Technology supports a global network of 3-D printing laboratories through the Fab Foundation,a nonprofit started by the school’s Center for Bits and Atoms.

Mohammad was a doctoral student at MIT in computational linguistics when he stumbled on the technology, sneaking into the labs with laser cutters late at night to try out the equipment.

He became friends with Nadeem Mazen, and they decided to start a business. Their lab does about 50 orders a week, more around the holidays.

This article has been edited for length. 
Source: Boston Globe

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Cancer risk was unknown to people in EPA studies

The EPA is studying the effects
of particles and fumes

The EPA, which warns of dangers from diesel exhaust and tiny particles in its rules to cut pollution, recruited people for tests on those pollutants in 2010 and 2011.

Consent forms they got didn’t mention cancer because the agency considered the risks minimal from short-term exposure, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said in a report.

“When justifying a job-killing regulation, EPA argues exposure to particulate matter is deadly, but when they are conducting experiments, they say human exposure studies are not harmful,” Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter said in a statement, reacting to the report.

The EPA’s test practices have been criticized by Republicans who say the agency contradicts itself in explaining its rules and testing safety, and called for the human testing to be shut down.

The watchdog said the EPA followed “applicable regulations,” and proposed procedural changes, not a shuttering of the research.

“The agency should inform study subjects of any potential cancer risks of a pollutant to which they are being exposed,” according to the report, conducted after complaints from the lawmakers.

EPA to improve consent forms

The agency pledged to improve its consent forms and set up better plans for reacting to “adverse events and unanticipated problems” in response to the watchdog’s recommendations.

In the past decade, the EPA did 13 studies of particulate matter and four studies on diesel exhaust at its North Carolina laboratory, the report said.

Each study would include 20 to 40 people in a chamber where pollution is set to levels similar to Los Angeles or New York. Blood, heart and lung functions are monitored for about two hours. Long-term effects are unlikely because the tests are so short, according to the agency.

The exposures “reflect a balance between being high enough to produce biological responses but not so high as to produce clinical responses,” the report said.

The EPA said its studies on people, which have been conducted for more than 40 years, provide detailed biological information on how pollutants affect individuals.

“We are in the process of embracing their recommendations,” Bob Kavlock, deputy assistant EPA administrator for science, said in a blog post today.

“Thanks to their generous spirit and contribution of time, our research volunteers play a vital role in helping EPA scientists advance the cause of protecting the health of all Americans.”

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

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Large particle exposure a heart risk: Study

Hearts may be at risk from large airborne particles, not just fine ones

Study links large particles to increased
blood pressure.

Breathing large particles, not just small, seems to affect hearts. People in a rural community experienced changes in their blood pressure and heart rates when they inhaled unfiltered local air that contained large particles, which come mostly from windblown dust and soil.

Large pollution particles can be inhaled from farm, road and construction dust.

Inhaling large dust particles from farms, roads and construction sites may have some of the same effects on people’s hearts as small particulates, according to a new study.

The study, led by the University of Michigan, is the first to link coarse particulates to increased blood pressure, adding to previous evidence that they may increase risks of heart attacks.

Many studies already have linked fine particulate matter – which comes largely from vehicles and industries that burn fossil fuels – to heart risks. Less is known about the impacts of coarse particulates, which often come from stirred-up dust or soil.

The experiments were conducted in airtight chambers, where 32 adults from Dexter, Mich., a rural town about 60 miles west of Detroit, breathed in local air containing coarse particulates.

On another day two weeks later, they breathed local air that had been filtered. The unfiltered air had levels of coarse particles that were seven times higher than the levels in the filtered air.

When the volunteers inhaled the unfiltered air, their average blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) linearly increased every 10 minutes, and their heart rates were elevated compared with the times they inhaled the filtered air.

The changes were “small in magnitude and thus unlikely to pose direct risks to healthy people,” the researchers wrote in the study published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

However, they could trigger heart attacks or other cardiovascular events in people with pre-existing heart conditions, they wrote.

“Since millions of susceptible people are likely impacted by coarse PM, even a very small absolute increase in [cardiovascular] risk can translate into substantial global public health concerns,” the authors wrote.

The researchers didn’t evaluate long-term heart function.

Some previous studies have linked coarse particulates to elevated heart rates and increased heart rate variability. However, other health studies have had mixed findings.

The study was limited in its rural setting, which means the pollutants were largely from farming, so coarse particles in cities may have different impacts.

The United States has two health standards for particulates – those that are 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller (PM10) and those that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller (PM2.5). For PM10, cities and counties are not supposed to exceed an annual mean of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air or a daily limit of 150.

Coarse particle levels have declined 27 percent nationwide since 2002, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Source: EHN


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New ways to detect diseases that are linked to polluted air

More diseases from air pollution uncovered by improved data material

Breathing polluted indoor air can
make us sick, studies show.

Good health and personal registers in combination with model calculations of air pollution down to an individual address has helped Danish researchers to become among the very best in the world to detect harmful diseases deriving from polluted air

At rest, we breathe approx. 12-15 times per minute, and for each inhalation we change approx. one litre of air. Depending on the activity level, this makes up a daily quantity in the order of twenty cubic metres of air that - with its content of pollution in the form of particles and different gases - can make us ill depending on how polluted the air is.

Asthma attacks, wheezing, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer are some of the more glaring examples of diseases we - in worst case - can get from the domestic air.

The list of injuries due to air pollution in Denmark is long. This appears from a brand new article that professor Ole Hertel from Aarhus University, has written with a number of Danish colleagues at University of Copenhagen, the Danish Cancer Society and Aarhus University.

"So the list of diseases detected in Denmark is long, but it does not mean that we have the world's most polluted air. This is to be found in Asia, Africa and South America. Here, you typically find a yearly mean value of the particle pollution (PM10) of 50-200 micrograms per cubic metres of air, while the content in Copenhagen and other Western European Megacities typically is at a lower level - about 20-50 micrograms per cubic metre. But even in a "moderately polluted" air as we call it in Danish towns and cities, we find many serious injuries which come from the air that we breathe every day," explains Ole Hertel.

Studies on polluted air and health effects

In the article "Utilizing Monitoring Data and Spatial Analysis Tools for Exposure Assessment of Atmospheric Pollutants in Denmark", Ole Hertel and his colleagues review the Danish experiences in combining measurements and models.

By combining measurements on relatively few but well-chosen places with advanced models for spreading of air pollution, the researchers can calculate the air pollution down to the individual addresses.

Hertel and Co. review a number of Danish studies of the coherence between air pollution and injuries to health.

A total of nine short-term studies have been published in Denmark, where researchers have demonstrated respiratory and cardiovascular diseases after episodes with increased air pollution, etc.

Similarly, eleven studies demonstrate long-term injuries due to air pollution, e.g. lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and mortality.

Improved information, surprising results

The scientists' ability to detect a wide range if different types of damages of the Danes' health is due to the fact that Danish researchers represent some of the very best to demonstrate illnesses caused by air pollution on human health.

This is obvious when we look at the model for spreading of air pollution, OSPM, which was developed by Danes and is now used in approx. twenty countries. This is also why Ole Hertel was invited to give an overview of the diseases detected to be a consequence of the air pollution in Denmark, first on a major international conference and afterwards in book form.

Ole Hertel points out one of the Danish results as particularly notable:

"It came as a surprise to me that the studies showed a connection between air pollution and diabetes. It is rather new information that air pollution can cause diabetes, and we are working on finding a biological explanation for this correlation. This is an example of the fact that our very detailed way of working in Denmark leads to precise results."

Source: AAAS


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Gymnasts face high exposure to flame retardants: Study

The foam used in gym equipment may
expose users to chemicals, study says.
Photo by Idea Go/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Competitive gymnasts have a higher exposure to potentially harmful flame-retardants than the general population, likely because such contaminants are present in foam used in gym equipment, a study led by Boston University School of Public Health researchers has found.

The study, published online in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, found that the average concentration of a flame-retardant known as PentaBDE in gymnasts' blood sera was 4 to 6.5 times higher than in general U.S. population groups.

Median concentrations of PentaBDE and related contaminants in hand-wipe samples from the gymnasts were 2 to 3 times higher after their practice, compared to before, indicating that the gymnasts contacted the flame-retardants during practice.

Concentrations of the flame-retardants were much higher in gym air and dust than in comparison residences where they are used in foam-containing furniture. Flame-retardants escape from polyurethane foam over time and accumulate in the air and dust of indoor environments.

"Despite the U.S. phase-out of PentaBDE production nearly a decade ago, large amounts are still in use," the research team said.

Further, replacement flame-retardants are being used in newly manufactured foam pit cubes and landing mats, "suggesting the potential for increasing exposure to these compounds, as older gym equipment is replaced. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings and improve our understanding of gymnast exposures."

The researchers suggested that the risks of ingesting flame-retardants, through dust and contact, could be reduced by hand-washing after practice and before eating.

Study focused on exposure, not health effects

While the study did not examine health effects, previous research has suggested that PentaBDE may affect brain development in children and fertility in women, although results are preliminary and warrant further study.

Almost all Americans have detectable levels of PentaBDE in their bodies, due to both exposure in the indoor environment and diet.

PentaBDE congeners are endocrine disruptors that have been associated with changes in thyroid hormones in several epidemiologic studies.

Due to concerns about its persistence and toxicity, PentaBDE was banned in the European Union in 2004 and phased-out of production in the U.S in 2005, although foam products containing it are still in use.

Restrictions on the use of PentaBDEs have resulted in the increased use of other flame-retardants, such as tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) and Firemaster 550.

The research team recruited 11 collegiate female gymnasts, ages 18−22, from one gym and collected hand-wipe and blood samples from them after a gymnastics practice, which lasted about 2 ½ hours. They also measured concentrations of bromine in the foam of landing mats, pit cubes and other materials. They collected samples of dust and foam from a second gym.

PentaBDE was the dominant flame-retardant in dust collected from all locations in both gyms. Most of the pit cubes, in use for years, contained PentaBDE. Local fire codes may require gyms to use flame-retardant foam.

The researchers said personal exposure to PentaBDE and other flame-retardants may vary between gymnasts, depending on the contaminants present and personal factors, such as training duration and activities, hand-washing and bathing frequency, diet and exposure to sources in other environments.

They noted that the study findings were not generalizable to all gymnasts, many who may train less frequently.

The team said future research on gymnasts should include a larger sample size and seek to identify the primary exposure pathways, to inform recommendations for reducing exposure.

Source: Boston University Medical Center

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BC Sawmills inspected for explosive dust buildup

Third inspection since Babine Forest Products worker fatalities

Sawmill workers can be exposed to high levels of dust
and occupational health and safety risks.

Inspectors are heading back to 150 British Columbia sawmills over the next three months to ensure the operations are doing everything possible to reduce the buildup of potentially explosive wood dust.

WorkSafeBC said that a team of 10 officers will inspect the mills between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31, as part of a drive to reduce dust levels aggravated by the processing of pine beetle-killed timber.

"We've been into these mills before a number of times and we just want to ensure that the progress we've seen in the mills to address dust continues, and the compliance with wood-dust management really is being sustained,'' said Al Johnson, vice-president of prevention services at WorkSafeBC.

This is the third white-glove inspection for the mills since dust accumulation was implicated in an explosion and fire that killed 45-year-old Robert Luggie and 42-year-old Carl Charlie at the Babine Forest Products operation in Burns Lake on Jan. 20, 2012. The blast leveled the mill and injured 20 other people.

An investigation conducted by WorkSafeBC concluded that dry wood dust, which had accumulated from pine beetle-killed wood, fueled an explosion ignited by machine parts.

A second fatal mill explosion occurred in April 2012 at the Lakeland Mills in Prince George. Two workers, Alan Little and Glenn Roche, died in the fiery blast.

The cause of that disaster hasn't been revealed by investigators, as WorkSafeBC has asked the Crown to review whether the companies or any individuals could be charged for violations of the Workers Compensation Act.

The organization's officers have carried out more than 1,000 inspections of sawmills and other wood processing operations since the combustible dust safety initiative began in late April 2012.

Johnson noted all sawmills in B.C. complied with an order to cut buildup, and he said the upcoming round of checks will also focus on preventative maintenance of equipment and machinery, and dust control.

"We want to make sure that those dust collection systems, where they're removing dust mechanically and then transferring it through piping into a collection system, we want to make sure that those systems are working as they should,'' he said.

The inspection protocol will also be slightly different this time, as the inspection period is shorter and the team is smaller, said Johnson.

Oregon-based Hampton Affiliates Ltd. is rebuilding the Burns Lake sawmill, which is expected to reopen in 2014. Reconstruction of Lakeland Mills began in the summer.


Source: OHS Canada

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Study to examine firefighter exposure to chemicals

Firefighters are exposed to airborne chemicals and particles,
which can linger on their suits and equipment.
Courtesy of nokhoog_buchachon/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A dirty turnout suit after a fire used to be a point of pride for firefighters.

The times have changed, and research now shows firefighters are at a greater risk of developing cancer because of exposure to toxic chemicals while fighting fires.

A recently published study of firefighters in California from Dr. Susan Shaw, an environmental scientist based in Blue Hill, found higher levels of chemicals from commercial flame retardants and other household materials than expected, increasing firefighters’ risk of developing cancer later in life.

Showing the actual health outcomes of the chemical exposure, however, is the goal of a new 15-year study Shaw presented Thursday morning to Ober, other municipal officials and firefighters and fire chiefs from across the state at the annual meeting of the Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association at the Augusta Civic Center.

The meeting was part of the annual Maine Municipal Association Convention held Wednesday and Thursday.

Shaw, founder and president of the Blue Hill-based Marine Environmental Research Institute, said the study will follow 50 Maine firefighters over a 15-year period, analyzing their blood after fires to determine the levels of chemicals and cancer indicators.

The California study found two to three times higher levels of chemicals from flame retardants — polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs — than most of the population.

The high levels of toxic chemicals place firefighters at a higher risk, but the longer-term study will try to identify the chemicals that factor in the development of cancer. Shaw said the study is the first of its kind.

“Exposure has not been adequately assessed in firefighters, and the relationship between firefighter and cancer risk is not well understood,” she said, “so the research we’re going to do here in Maine will be a model for future studies.”

Toxic chemicals found in most homes

She said some chemicals have been phased out of production, and several states, including Maine, have banned some types of flame retardants. Yet the chemicals still are commonly found in homes in plastics, foam, furniture, carpets, mattresses, TVs and computers.

Shaw said the flame retardants have been shown to save only a few seconds of ignition time; but when burned, they produce twice as much smoke, 13 times as much toxic carbon monoxide and thousands times more soot.

The Maine study is in the planning phase, Shaw said, but it’s set to begin next year. The firefighters haven’t been chosen yet, and the study probably will select them from larger departments, she said.

Firefighters participating in the study will learn of their blood results but will have the option of whether they want them shared, Shaw said. As in the California study, the firefighters’ names will remain confidential.

Shaw told the audience that in order to reduce the risk of exposure, fire departments should decontaminate gear after each fire; enforce the wearing of air-packs, even after the fire has been put out; not allow firefighters to take dirty gear home; regularly clean the interior of trucks; and have spare turnout suits to use when the others are being cleaned.

Augusta Fire Department Chief Roger Audette, who attended the presentation, said his department took steps in the last two years to reduce the risk for its firefighters by purchasing gas meters and ensuring the air is safe before allowing firefighters to take off their air-packs.

The department also has washing machines on site for the firefighters’ gear. Audette said now it’s common for newly built fire stations to have separate rooms to store suits and equipment between calls, a contrast to the prior practice, and current practice in other fire departments, of air-drying turnout suits in the station.
“It’s a big change,” he said.

Source: Kennebec Journal

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Public health building in Iqaluit contaminated with mold, asbestos

Some molds can affect
human health and well-being.

No matter how far north you are, mold and asbestos concerns can become a health issue.

The Iqaluit Public Health and the Family Practice clinic building has to undergo extensive renovations to fix mold and asbestos concerns, the Nunavut government announced.

An environmental assessment by Ottawa clean air investigators found mold in the relatively old public health building as well as asbestos in floor tiles.

The renovations will take at least four months, during which time Health and Social services needs a temporary location.

The mold concerns need to be addressed, experts say, because some molds can cause asthma, respiratory infections and poisonous, toxic effects in some individuals.

If the asbestos in the floor tiles is disturbed in any way, people in the building may be exposed to airborne asbestos fibers, which have been linked to lung cancer, mesothelioma and other lung diseases.

Source: Nunatsiaq Online

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Respiratory hazards could cost company almost $100,000 in fines

Worker health and safety is a
must for any business, OSHA says.

Whether you work with metals, wood or plastics, you have a right to breathe healthy air and employers have a responsibility to protect workers from dangerous exposures.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Northern Steel Castings Inc. for two safety and four health violations at its Wisconsin Rapids carbon steel foundry, including for overexposing workers to crystalline silica, a known respiratory hazard. Proposed fines total $95,480.

Crystalline silica is found in soil, sand, granite and other minerals. Workers can be exposed to it when they chip, cute, drill or grind objects that contain silica.

Health effects: Breathing crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis, an incurable condition that reduces the ability of lungs to take in oxygen.

The company was cited for a willful safety violation as well as other health violations.

Read the entire press release.

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Dust problem costs companies $1 M in fines

HEPA filters can remove particles
and dust as well as pathogens.

After an OSHA inspection showed willful, serious, repeat and other violations, a trailer manufacturing company and subsidiary have been cited with proposed penalties of almost $1 million.

The inspectors found that workers were exposed to unguarded machinery, fall hazards and large amounts of potentially hazardous dust.

This was not the first time the companies had been cited for hazards like these. Previous abatement fixes were abandoned to accommodate production, according to OSHA.

OSHA took the opportunity to remind employers that they have a responsibility to keep their workers safe and healthy.

Source: BLR

The health effects of dust

Dust describes small particles in the air that can be inhaled through the nose and mouth.

If the dust is small enough it can penetrate deep into the lungs. Exposure to dust has been linked to cancers of the lungs, throat and nose, lung conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema, asthma, allergies and even heart disease, among others.

If the dust is allowed to build up, it can also be an explosive hazard.

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Mother’s workplace exposure linked to children’s asthma risk

Most offices and other workplaces expose pregnant women
to a variety of pollutants that may affect their offspring.

Breathing indoor air pollutants during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of the baby developing asthma later, a Danish study has found.

According to a Reuters article, the researchers analyzed the data of more than 45,000 children at age 7 and found that 18.6 percent developed asthma after their mothers has been exposed to low-molecular weight particles at work during pregnancy.

This was a slight increase from the general growing risk of developing asthma, which is 16.1 percent of the general population.

The study adjusted for risk factors such as age, BMI, allergy and hypersensitivities, smoking, medication and pets, but researchers warn that other factors may have influenced the results, which are not easily accounted for.

"Whilst a link has been found, our results at this stage are modest and further research is needed into specific chemicals and substances to determine those that could be most harmful," the study’s leading researcher was quoted as saying.

Cleaner indoor air at work with industrial-strength air filters

In many workplaces, existing ventilation systems are simply incapable of providing workers with enough air exchanges and enough fresh air to keep exposure to indoor air pollutants to a minimum.

Most indoor environments are filled with pollutants of a chemical nature (VOCs from building materials, paints, electronic equipment, cleaning products, etc), biological nature (mold growth due to moisture or humidity issues, bacteria and viruses) and particulate matter (dust and particles, which can also be laced with other toxins).

The PrintSafe, for example, removes VOCs
from printer ink and paper particles right at
the printer exhaust. More info: Office printers

Electrocorp has developed industrial-strength air cleaners for virtually any type of indoor air environment, which can target the widest range of pollutants with a versatile multistage filtration system.

Deep bed carbon filters filled with many pounds of granular activated carbon offer the largest adsorbent surface area in the industry to remove chemicals, odors, VOCs, gases and fumes from the ambient air.

The filtration systems also contain pre-filters and HEPA filters for particulate matter and pathogens, and they may accommodate UV germicidal filtration for enhanced protection against biological contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and mold mycotoxins.

Ask about Electrocorp’s exclusive carbon blends and speak to one of our air quality experts to find the right air cleaner for your industry, IAQ need and application.
  
See also:

• Air cleaners for office printers
• Portable air cleaners for offices
• Air cleaners for schools and universities
• Hospitals and healthcare
• Air scrubbers for beauty salons and spas
• and many more...
  

Hospitals: If it’s dusty and dirty, what’s in the air?

A clean environment is important in hospitals and clinics.

An unannounced inspection at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in the UK found four out of nine wards had unacceptably high levels of dust and dirt, especially on curtain rails, overhead lights and cable trunking.

The inspectors also found dirty toilets, dusty floors and badly stained walls, according to an article by UKPA.

These surprise inspections are an effective method to remind hospital staff and healthcare personnel about the importance of keeping a clean and healthy patient environment.

After all, if the floor is dusty, what kind of pollutants may be in the air?

Previous air quality studies in hospitals have found that hospital staff and patients are breathing high levels of PCBs, bacteria, viruses, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particles, mold and many chemicals used in cleaning products, sterilizing and preservation fluids and other procedures.

Remove indoor air pollutants with industrial-strength air cleaners

Electrocorp is a global innovator when it comes to making portable, versatile air cleaners for a variety of applications, including hospitals and healthcare centers and laboratories.

The high-performance industrial air cleaners are engineered to treat complex indoor air quality concerns and feature an activated carbon + HEPA filtration system to remove the widest range of indoor air pollutants.

RAP Series: Powerful air cleaners.

Options include UV germicidal filtration for the neutralization of bacteria, viruses and mold mycotoxins and custom carbon blends for the targeted adsorption of certain chemicals, gases and odors.

Apart from the stand-alone air cleaners, Electrocorp also offers HVAC-compatible units and ceiling mount air cleaners.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and recommendations based on your needs and requirements, space size and budget.
  
Related posts:

• Hospital workers and patients breathing poisoned air
• Indoor air concerns in the healthcare industry
• Pediatricians want tougher chemical safety law

Restaurants paid for being smoke free

Restaurants benefit from good indoor
air quality, experts say.

Oklahoma is instituting a new program designed to reduce the number of restaurants that allow smoking in their establishments.

The “Restaurant Smoking Room Rebate Program” has been introduced by the Oklahoma State Department of Health to reduce exposure of restaurant employees and customers to secondhand smoke.

The department is acting on studies that have shown that even brief exposures to secondhand smoke can have a negative health impact.

"We are pleased to offer this rebate program because we recognize many restaurant owners wanted to do the right thing to improve the health of their employees and customers, but needed assistance in making the conversion to be completely smoke free," State Health Commissioner Dr. Terry Cline was quoted in an article by NewsOn6.

The program means that restaurant owners can receive a rebate of 50 percent of the capitalized expenditures for some smoking room construction costs, minus any depreciation taken from the expenditures.

For more information, contact the OSDH at 405-271-3619, or 1-800-522-0203.

Source: NewsOn6

Indoor air quality in restaurants and dining rooms

It’s often easy to tell if a restaurant or dining room had hosted smokers before – the persistent smells coming from tobacco smoke chemicals and particles seep into every nook and cranny and stubbornly cling to textiles, carpets and other surface areas.

Short of renovating the entire space, an easy and cost-effective IAQ solution is a portable industrial air cleaner with a large activated carbon filter and HEPA.

The multistage filtration systems from Electrocorp can remove a wide range of indoor air pollutants, including chemicals, odors, gases, particles, bacteria, viruses and mold.

With a diverse product line and the ability to customize air cleaners to target specific pollutants (such as those stemming from tobacco smoke), Electrocorp is able to offer an indoor air cleaning system for virtually any IAQ concern.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and have a look at our air cleaners for

• Hospitality (Restaurants, Hotels, Motels, Casinos, Diners, and more)
• Odor Control
• Various industrial applications

Phone: 1-866-667-0297
E-mail: info@electrocorp.net 
  

Toxic dust particles a risk to workers, union leaders say

Dust exposure can lead to a wide range
of health effects, UK union leaders say.

Union leaders in the UK are calling for urgent action to reduce dangerous dust levels at the workplace, according to a recent report by UKPA.

The union TUC says that current standards for the assessment of dust exposure in factories and offices are inadequate and that exposure to inhalable dust in general and respirable dust in particular can lead to serious health effects.

Inhalable dust describes the larger particles that can be inhaled but are often filtered out by the nose and mouth, while respirable dust is made up of smaller particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs.

In a new guidance document they published, the union warns that dust exposure can lead to cancer of the lungs, throat and nose as well as other lung conditions like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) that involves chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

According to union leaders, official estimates of workplace diseases related to dust are too low.

The TUC said it had studied a range of dusts that are often found in the workplace, including silica, coal dust, talc and kaolin, adding that even at current legal levels, a significant number of workers could be developing reductions in their lung function, with profound results for future health.

Often, it is difficult to trace the origin of a disease, especially in industries with high turnover (like construction), they say.

The document stresses the importance of a good risk assessment at the workplace and outlines steps employers and health and safety representatives can take to protect workers from dangerous dust levels.

Source: UKPA; Download TUC's guidance document.  


Industrial air cleaners for dust and odor control

The Dirty Dog air cleaner includes
a cleanable bag filter and can be
mounted on the ceiling.

Electrocorp offers a wide range of industrial air cleaners designed to provide cleaner indoor air at the workplace.

The company’s extensive product line includes dust and particle filtration systems such as the Dirty Dog Series and the I-6500 with Cyclone collectors.

Since many workplaces are also contaminated with persistent odors and airborne chemicals, Electrocorp offers units with a powerful activated carbon and HEPA filtration system.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and personalized recommendations.
  

Marsh fire brings dangerous pollutants to New Orleans

Wildfire smoke can cause health problems
in certain individuals.

Businesses, building managers and residents in the New Orleans area should be very concerned about the air they are breathing – not just outside, but indoors as well.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality have issued Air Quality Alerts due to a stubborn marsh fire in eastern New Orleans that is causing smoke plumes to drift over the city and posing a health threat due to the high levels of particulate matter in the air.

The state environmental agency warned that smoke will continue to be a health issue for sensitive groups, including the elderly and people with asthma and other respiratory diseases. it urged people in those groups to avoid prolonged outdoor activities and exertion.

The threat of the smoke to people with pre-existing heart and lung disease is especially acute, said Dr. James Diaz, director of the environmental and occupational health sciences program at the Louisiana State University School of Public Health, in an article published in the Times-Picayune.

"It's very irritating to the airways and mucous membranes of the eye and nose, and the upper respiratory tract," Diaz said. "It can cause bronchospasms and asthma attacks."

He said those exercising outdoors, particularly joggers and swimmers are more at risk because the intense activity increases the rate of breathing, and inhalation of the tiny particles.

"The best thing to do is shelter indoors in any sort of area with good air filters," he said.

Source: The Times-Picayune


Air cleaners with carbon + HEPA remove the widest range of pollutants

Electrocorp specializes in industrial air cleaners that can handle smoke particles and chemicals. With units of varying sizes and with different multistage filtration systems, Electrocorp’s air cleaners can handle virtually any IAQ concerns.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and browse the air cleaners recommended for different industries:

• Facility management
• Offices
• Schools and Universities
• Hospitals and healthcare
• And more

Air purifiers for homes and offices – smoke purifiers

Homeowners and residents that are concerned about the indoor air quality in their homes, should check their existing home air filters and consider buying a serious air purifier with activated carbon and special tar-trapping filters to help keep their air clean.

Find out more about air purifiers for wildfire smoke on the AllerAir blog or contact AllerAir directly.

New suggested limits for fine particle levels in the workplace

Fine particles can penetrate deep into
the lungs and cause health problems.

The finest particles are the most dangerous – they can be inhaled deeply into the lungs and cause inflammation as well as a wide range of health problems for certain individuals.

The dangers are compounded when workers are exposed to fine particulate matter at the workplace, but certain guidelines and threshold values are in place in most countries to protect the health and safety of those workers.

A subdivision of the German Research Foundation, the Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, has made important changes to the 2011 MAK and BAT Values List and recommends reducing the general threshold limit value for dust.

The recommendations contain new data on a total of 82 substances and come in response to recent studies, which have determined that dust can be carcinogenic at certain exposure limits.

The Commission determined a new MAK value of 0.3 mg/m3 for the general threshold limit value for dust (in German: Allgemeiner Staubgrenzwert), and bumped the granular biologically long-lasting dusts (GBS), which penetrate deep into the lungs upon inhalation, into Carcinogenicity Category 4.

This category identifies cancer-causing materials that do not increase cancer risk in humans if the corresponding MAK value is not exceeded.

MAK values indicate the amount of a substance – be it in the form of gas, steam or aerosol in the air at the workplace – that will not cause long-term damage.

The Commission applied a procedure for the calculation of the MAK values from animal experiments with oral intake of substances that is similar to that being used on the European level (REACH). The review of 24 values affected by this procedure resulted in a reduction for 11 of the substances. The rest remained unchanged.

Read the entire press release here.

Particle and chemical pollution in the workplace

Electrocorp has designed industrial-strength air filtration systems for heavy-dust environments and workplaces where indoor air quality poses a health and safety concern for workers.

DirtyDog Series: Cleaner air

Some recommended units:

DirtyDog Series
The DirtyDog dust collector is engineered to reduce dust levels by 70-90% to provide healthier, cleaner air in workplaces such as body shops, workshops and woodshops.
Comes with a washable pre-filter, a cleanable bag filter and optional HEPA filter. Pressure switch indicates a filter change. Can be hung from the ceiling or placed on the floor.

AirMarshal air filter

AirMarshal Series
This air cleaner is a powerful, portable unit for controlling dust particles or chemicals, gases and odors. Variable speed, replacement indicator light for the HEPA filter. Comes with a 24 to 36 lb. activated carbon filter, medical-grade HEPA, ProDense pre-filter and can be equipped with a special hose, exclusive carbon blends and electrostatic particle filter. Negative air ready.

AirRhino air cleaner

AirRhino Series
The AirRhino is one of Electrocorp’s most versatile and cost-effective units and can be switched from particle filtration to chemical, gas and odor adsorption right on site. Comes with a medical-grade HEPA filter, a ProDense pre-filter, a special dust filter an activated carbon filter and can accommodate a UV germicidal lamp, a bag filter for large particles and custom carbon blends.

Electrocorp specializes in providing customized air filtration solutions to many different industries, including woodshops and auto body shops and garages. For more units and more information, contact Electrocorp at 1-866-667-0297.