May is MCS Awareness Month

A growing number of people are suffering from adverse reactions to chemicals and environmental toxins

Chemical sensitivities can affect people of all races,
ages and genders, experts say.

Environmental sensitivities, or multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), affect more than 48 million men, women and children of all races, according to MCS America.

While the medical community is still divided about how to deal with this mild to disabling condition that can involve a wide range of symptoms and triggers, it is not an entirely new phenomenon.

MCS was first documented in the 1950s by allergist Dr. Theron Randolph, who had a patient with adverse reactions to the petrochemicals in the Chicago area environment.

Environmental sensitivities often develop after a chemical injury or prolonged exposure to even small amounts of chemicals, and commonly cited culprits include pesticides, solvents, smoke, scented products and even toxic mold.

The entire month of May is dedicated to raise public awareness about chemical sensitivities and chemical injury. If you would like to organize something, you can get MCS America’s event planning kit here.

You can also learn more about chemical sensitivities in a free webinar on MCS offered by Air Quality Academy.

Filtered air for MCS relief

AllerAir is no stranger to MCS and has taken special care to develop air purifiers with the most inert materials and best features to remove chemicals, gases and odors from the ambient air, as well as particles and other pollutants.

AllerAir’s MCS-friendly features include:

• The deepest beds of activated carbon for maximum efficiency of gaseous adsorption
• The most tolerable carbon blends, determined for each customer by a special
• Carbon Test Kit
• Unbleached, organic cotton pre-filters
• Inert HEPA material that contains no binder, glue or other irritants
• Powder-coated finish on all metal surfaces – including air purifier housing, filter caps and more
• Possibility for negative and positive air configuration
• Burnt-in motor to reduce new motor smells

An air purifier for MCS needs many pounds of activated carbon to remove airborne chemicals, gases and odors. AllerAir’s air purifiers can be run 24/7 on a low setting and are very effective at removing the widest range of indoor air pollutants.

For more information and recommendations, contact AllerAir today.
 

Chemical sensitivity lingers for 'San Antonio Seven'

More research into MCS and ES is needed,doctors warn

Environmental sensitivities are on the rise, experts say

A group of Southwest Airlines employees who got sick working at the airline’s San Antonio reservations center in the 1990s are still experiencing the health impact 18 years after the fact.

They say they developed a rash of symptoms they attributed to the building’s indoor air quality, including mold problems, pesticide use, bacteria in the air vents and more.

As the San Antonio Seven, they sued the airline, but lost their case.

Recently, they spoke out, drawing attention to the fact that multiple chemical sensitivities, or environmental sensitivities, are difficult to manage and once triggered, unlikely to ever go away completely.

The airtight design of the building and the serious case of black mold that was growing behind ceiling tiles, carpeting, insulation and in the HVAC system affected the workers health in a way that they started experiencing severe reactions to chemicals outside of the workplace.

MCS not well understood by the public and healthcare professionals

The condition is still not well understood, as there is no official definition accepted by the medical community.

Petrochemicals are a common ingredient
in most household products.

MCS can affect a multitude of areas in the body, including the nervous system, the endocrine system and the immune system.

The lack of research and experts on the topic and the multitude of possible symptoms often leads to misdiagnosis for patients, who may be unsure of what caused their ailments.

“People were overlooking the fact that this is a two-step mechanism. There’s this initial exposure event, the loss of tolerance, and then people start being triggered by things,” Dr. Claudia Miller, an allergist and immunologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center’s School of Medicine, told the Current in an in-depth article on the subject.

“They often don’t even realize the fragrances that are now triggering their symptoms are not the cause of their illness, necessarily. It may be pesticides in their home, it may be the sick building, their home or workplace.”

Low-level exposures affect everyone

According to Miller, people nowadays are exposed to petrochemical toxins in their environments – from VOCs in sick buildings that are outgassing from construction materials, adhesives, cleaning agents and other building features to the many pollutants that are lurking in their own homes.

Airtight construction often leads to higher concentrations of pollutants within their walls.

Read the entire article in the Current here.

AllerAir’s MCS Air Quality Program

Air cleaners for MCS with carbon
and Super-HEPA filters

AllerAir is committed to help people with MCS get relief, by offering information-based webinars, a library of related articles, an an air quality program that includes a carbon test kit, a custom-made air purifier with the most inert materials on the market to prevent off-gassing, additional information and consultations with an air quality expert and more.

The air purifiers for MCS from AllerAir feature a deep-bed activated carbon filter to remove a wide range of irritating and harmful odors, chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors from the ambient air, a Super-HEPA or micro-HEPA to remove 99% of particles at 0.1 microns, organic unbleached cotton pre-filters to capture larger particles and prolong filter life and a variety of other options designed to improve air quality.

Recommended MCS air purifiers include:

• 5000 MCS Supreme
• 5000 D MCS Supreme
• AirMedic MCS (for people who also have asthma and other allergies)
• AirMedic D MCS (see above)

Contact AllerAir for more information.

MOLD: An Indoor Air Quality Nightmare

Respiratory difficulty. Allergies. Sick Building Syndrome. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Fibromyalgia. Cancer. Death.

Toxic mold can be responsible for serious conditions, illnesses and even death. In the 1930’s Stachybotrys Chartarum, or green mold, was responsible for the deaths of farm animals in Russia after it was found growing on wet grain used for feeding the animals.

In 2005, mold toxin made its way into pet food supply, which consequently led to the death of dozens of dogs.

Earlier that same year, after 2-year old Neveah Lair died, her mother along with 68 other apartment tenants filed a lawsuit, blaming the building for not addressing its mold problem.

There have been thousands upon thousands of other similar stories about the health consequences of mold.

Mold illness has become a controversial issue. Just as asbestos was the health nightmare of the 1980’s and 1990’s, buildings contaminated by mold biotoxins have become the scourge of the 21st century.

Mold spores may be found lying dormant on almost every surface. Unless large numbers of spores become airborne, there is usually little problem. However, when mold spores are on a surface with appropriate moisture content, nutrients, and temperature, the spores will germinate and mold will grow. Ideal breeding grounds for mold are kitchens, bathrooms, windows and basements, but virtually any place will do. In just 48 hours, a moist environment combined with room-temperature conditions and an organic food source can lead to mold growth.

Not all molds are dangerous for your health; indeed, one of the most well-know types of molds is penicillin, which has saved millions of lives. Black mold, however, also known as Stachybotrys Chartarum, is a toxic greenish-black fungi found worldwide that colonizes particularly well in high-cellulose material such as straw, hay, wet leaves, dry wall, carpet, wall paper, fiber-board, ceiling tiles, thermal insulation, etc. The fungus, before drying, is wet and slightly slimy to touch.

3 Signs of a Potential Mold Problem

1. High Humidity
If you live in a high-humidity area, then you should always be wary of mold. A relative humidity (RH) level of greater than 55% promotes the growth of mold and other fungi. Monitor the rooms of your home, and use a dehumidifier if need be.

2. Water Damage/Flooding
The more moisture mold is exposed to, the more it thrives. When water damage or flooding occurs, the damp environment is conducive to aggressive mold growth. If water damage remains hidden, or if it takes several days to dry out flooding damage, mold has ample opportunity to grow.

3. Musty/Mildew Smell
Mold often grows in areas that are unseen, like behind walls, in crawl spaces or beneath a carpet or flooring. If you smell a musty/mildew odor, it may be a sign you have a mold problem. Further investigation is recommended.

What Kind of Air Purifiers Best Combat Mold?
There are definite ways to combat mold. The best way is to control the amount of moisture in your home or business, thus avoiding a mold problem before it begins. That said, air purifiers offer an additional level of protection.

The ideal air purifier to combat mold will combine 3 essential technologies: HEPA, UV and a deep bed of carbon, with the most important focus being on the UV technology.

· The HEPA filters work to remove 99.97% of airborne mold particles
· The UV light then sterilizes any mold spores that are not trapped by the HEPA filter
· The deep carbon bed creates increased dwell time in the air purifier, which is key to adsorbing the strong odors and gases associated with mold

Best Unit Recommendations

The 5000 Exec with UV
· 18 lbs. of carbon, 2.5” carbon bed
· Medical-grade HEPA
· UV light

AirMedic+ with UV
· 18 lbs. of carbon, 2” carbon bed
· Medical-grade HEPA
· UV light
· The AirMedic series features 360-degree air intake which provides enhanced surface area contact, thus improving mold spore filtration

Source Removal
If a mold problem is present in a home or office, the source of the mold growth must be removed. An air purifier can work to remove the harmful effects of mold, but source removal is essential if the problem is to be resolved permanently.

Airborne Chemicals to Blame for Travolta Death?

It’s always a shame when it takes a tragedy to shed light on an otherwise much-ignored topic. Shortly into the New Year, on Friday January 2, 16-year old Jett Travolta, son of acclaimed actor John Travolta, was found dead at his family’s vacation home in the Bahamas.

The cause of the young boy’s death will not be known until the results of the autopsy can be analyzed and released to the public. It is known that Jett had a seizure, and hit his head on a bathtub when he collapsed.

The family, however, has long upheld that Jett suffered from Kawasaki disease, a condition that is largely misunderstood, and under-researched. It is also difficult to diagnose since there are no known tests that can confirm or deny its presence.

According to a Children's Hospital Boston / Harvard Medical school information page on the disease, “Some studies have found associations between the occurrence of Kawasaki disease and recent exposure to carpet cleaning or residence near a body of stagnant water; however, cause and effect have not been established.”

Kelly Preston, John’s wife and Jett’s mother, had worked tirelessly to purify her home of all airborne chemicals, such as those found in carpet cleaners.

I imagine over the next few days and weeks, many will argue over the legitimacy of Kawasaki disease. There will be, I suspect, the same who argue that chemical sensitivities, like those that plague people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) are merely... figments of their imagination. Exaggerations. Lies.

Not only do we not agree with this, but we’ve also based much of what we stand for at AllerAir on the sole purpose of raising awareness about the dangers associated with poor indoor air quality (IAQ), and developing air purifiers that offer alternatives to breathing dangerous airborne chemicals and gases.

For more information on harmful airborne toxins and chemicals, visit www.allerair.com. To speak to one of our Indoor Air Quality Experts, call 1.888.852.8247.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures for Environmental Illness and MCS Sufferers; IAQ Experts Say Talk to a Professional

Air quality is important to everyone. But for one Allentown, Pennsylvania woman who suffers from environmental illness, it has called for desperate measures.

Elizabeth Feudale-Bowes, 52, is extremely sensitive to chemicals, allergens and other everyday substances. As a result she suffers from migraines, joint pain, bladder inflammation, seizures and even temporary paralysis.

So her husband built her a safe-zone structure in their backyard—- what the couple lovingly refers to as their “bubble”.

But yesterday, the county court ordered the couple to dismantle the unsightly shelter that was built without a permit and does not conform to building regulations.

Feudale-Bowes maintains that the chemicals and substances in the air make her so violently ill, that without the bubble, where she spends 10 hours a day, she is unable to function.

The county and the couple’s neighbors want the structure down by the end of the month. The couple is threatening to sue the township under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

This story is controversial and is making headlines. But the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Experts at AllerAir say they hear stories just like this one on a regular basis.

“We receive phone calls on a weekly basis from people just like Elizabeth Feudale-Bowes, who are desperate, and as a result take some pretty desperate measures,” said Karen Hand, chemical engineer and IAQ Expert at AllerAir. “Their illness is often viewed by society and the medical community as psychological, and support is often lacking.”

Hand says that people suffering with Environmental Illness (EI) and similar chronic conditions such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) often turn to air purifiers to help them create a safe-zone, like the one that Feudale-Bowes’ husband made for her in their backyard.

“Being outfitted with the wrong air purifier is often worse than not having one at all,” warns Hand. “Only an air purifier with pounds of activated carbon can help adsorb dangerous airborne chemicals—- but what many air purifier companies don’t know, or don’t say, is that EI and MCS sufferers can be sensitive to the carbon itself.”

Hand says choosing the right blend of carbon is key to finding the right air purifier. She recommends the AirMedic MCS with EcoFlow TM Technology, which comes standard with a test kit. “The client is given the test kit with different blends of carbon and is able to then choose the type of carbon that best suits their chemical sensitivities. This greatly limits a negative reaction to the unit itself.”

Hand also says that EI and MCS sufferers must stay away from air purifiers designed with plastics. These units, she says, have dangerous off gassing that can be detrimental to EI and MCS sufferers.

“Air purifiers aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Hand. “A HEPA air filter is not designed to remove chemicals, so it’s another perfect example of an air purifier that won’t work for this purpose.”

Hand suggests that people who have serious sensitivities and extreme IAQ problems speak to a air purifier professional, and not just pick up a random unit at the hardware store. “This move can often make a bad situation worse, and lead to circumstances like the one with Elizabeth Feudale-Bowes, where desperate measures are taken in desperate situations.”

To speak to an AllerAir IAQ Expert, call 1.888.852.8247.