Let's Talk Allergies

Air Pollution and Asthma … Bad Air Affects Us All

For years the EPA has been saying the air inside our homes and offices can be more polluted than the air outside the front door.

This is very true because of how tight our homes are engineered to save money. Then factor in all the various household chemicals we use day to day, and you can see we can have indoor air pollution as well as outdoors.

Whether inside or outside, air pollution and asthma are not a match made in heaven.

People with asthma need to be aware of all the “stuff” outside in the air that can hurt them. Man-made air pollution comes from cars, trucks, industries, and other sources of burning fuels.

During the summer months when it is very hot, lots of sunlight and low winds create something called a smog cloud. In some places like LA, it literally looks like fog. Not a day goes by that we don’t hear something about the ozone level or layer.

In our local newspaper, we have an ozone chart that shows what the ozone level for the day will be. In South Florida, most days are good or mild. We have the ocean breeze that keeps the ozone levels down.

No matter where you live, it is important that you monitor your daily ozone levels. People with asthma need to stay in air-conditioned spaces when the ozone levels are high. Ozone is the major reason that air pollution and asthma don’t play well together.

FYI… If someone tries to sell you an air purifier that they say stops harmful ozone and hangs around your neck .. RUN…

Wishing you the best of health
Mike Krause
AllergyStore.com – Serving Customers Since 1989
800 771-ACHOO

Allergies and Cold Weather … Stay Warm and Allergen Free

You know when winter is here, people just stay indoors. My daughter-in-law said she did not go out for 3 days because of the weather. She stayed in and played with the cats and cleaned.

Sometimes the problem with spending more time indoors all the times is the areas where you are hanging out are also full of allergens. The good news is there are simple steps you can due to reduce the problems.

Make sure you do your cleaning early in the day so the dust you do stir up has a chance to settle before you go to bed. Household dust is full of dust mite allergens, pollen, spores, and other allergens. Use a damp cloth to do your dusting then toss it in the wash.

Wash the dogs once a week to reduce the pet dander. If you let them on the bed you may want to spray them with ADMS anti-allergen spray.

If you need to bring in the plants keep them in the garage or in a spare room. Don’t overwater them or you can get mold growing in the dirt.

Be careful with humidifiers. You don’t want to crank them up to the point you are getting too much moisture in the air. Too much can mean microbial growth like mold and mildew.

Wash the bedding including blankets once a week. if you can’t get the water hotter than 130 you should use products like Allergen Wash or De-mite Laundry additive.

Just remember that the tighter you keep your home closed up the more allergens stay in. Keep warm.

Wishing you the best of health
Mike Krause
AllergyStore.com – Serving Customers Since 1989
800 771-ACHOO

Flooring, Formaldehyde and Indoor Air Quality Connected?

Imagine that you or someone in your house has allergies or asthma. Or maybe you are just one of the folks that are concerned about the indoor air quality. You’ve read all the horrible things about carpet. You might have even read our article about the best type of flooring if you have allergies. So you take action and rip out that carpet and replace it with a hard floor. If you selected laminate wood flooring, you may have inadvertently decreased your indoor air quality, not increased it.

The news is enough to make steam shoot out of your ears, your eyes to bleed, and your head to explode. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you put in laminate wood flooring you purchased from Lumber Liquidators you may have a real problem with formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde Affects on Indoor Air Quality

Formaldehyde is used in the glues and as a preservative in many products in home construction and remodeling. During and after installation of items such as cabinets and laminated flooring, formaldehyde gasses are released. These gasses can cause:

Coughing
Burning eyes
Dizziness
Nausea
Headaches
Pain
Respiratory irritation

The federal government recognizes formaldehyde as a known carcinogen and sets limits for exposure.

Formaldehyde and Laminate Wood Flooring Timeline

Beginning in the spring of this year, Lumber Liquidators has come under fire for selling laminated wood flooring that was manufactured in China and exceeds limits for formaldehyde. The timeline is something like this:

March 2015 This is not a good month as 60 Minutes shows up and releases story that claims Lumber Liquidators is selling flooring that exceeds formaldehyde limits. Lumber Liquidators naturally denies the claims as they watch their stock value tumble.

April 2015 While Lumber Liquidators denies that their products are emitting excessive formaldehyde they send test kits to customers that are concerned about their flooring.

May 2015 Oops! Turns out those test kits are showing there is a problem. The first lawsuits are filed. The CEO resigns.

June 2015. Anna Schmidt takes the company to small claims court in Charlotte North Carolina and wins a refund of $796.85. She represented herself. To her amazement, Lumber Liquidators did not want to settle out of court. So, they went to small claims court and she won. She won against one of the top attorneys in Wake County. Things are looking grim for Lumber Liquidators. The EPA begins scrutiny of Lumber Liquidator’s methods of formaldehyde testing.

July 2015. The Global Community Monitor testing finds formaldehyde released by Lumber Liquidators flooring is 100 times over the levels approved by the State of California.

Improve Indoor Air Quality – Remove Formaldehyde

Whether you are in a lawsuit or not, you need to get the formaldehyde out of the air. Some people are looking at air cleaners to do the job. Not all air cleaners remove formaldehyde. Here are the units we think do the best job:

Air Pura P600. Like all the units we are recommending, this unit is designed specifically for the removal of chemicals such as formaldehyde. HEPA, carbon, and ultraviolet light are the tools this unit uses to improve indoor air quality. The AirPura P600 Air Purifier doesn’t use glues in their filters or rubber in their gaskets. No off-gassing and no ozone make this a formaldehyde fighting favorite.

Austin Air HealthMate Plus. The Austin Air HealthMate Plus (sometimes referred to as the SuperBlend) was made for people sensitive to formaldehyde and toluene. The carbon and zeolite mixture in the filter is enhanced with potassium iodide specifically for formaldehyde removal.

This unit has a powerful motor, and it not the most quiet of all the machines, but it is highly effective and affordable. If you already have an Austin Air HealthMate machine, you can convert it to a Austin Air HealthMate Plus Air Purifier by simply replacing your current filter with the Plus filter.

Till Next Time!

Cheryl