NEW AIR PURIFIERS HELP HOMEOWNERS BREATHE EASIER DURING ALLERGY SEASON

With allergy season upon us, ServiceOne employs a team of professionals whose job it is to provide homeowners with the latest products and services designed to optimize indoor air quality. 

ServiceOne founder and president Bill Gouty believes indoor air quality should not be taken for granted; with a world full of pollutants and allergens, clean air takes more than just a well-maintained air conditioning system.  

For residential and commercial areas ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 square feet, Service One recommends the new Air Oasis Nano 9" as the ideal in-duct UV air purifier. It is easily mounted inside a standard HVAC system and can improve the indoor air quality for the entire home, effectively purifying the air wherever the HVAC system reaches. The Nano 9" Induct can be installed in less than 15 minutes and requires minimal maintenance. Once installed, the Nano 9" will immediately set to work reducing carbon-based contaminants in the air like mold, bacteria, viruses, and volatile organic compounds that can cause unpleasant odors. 

"The Nano 9" will continuously clean the air in the home until a replacement cell is needed, at which time a blue LED light will advise the owner to make the change," said Gouty. "Cells only need to be replaced about once every two years, making the Nano 9" Induct the best whole-house air cleaner for those who do not wish to spend a lot of time on upkeep."

Central Florida homeowners can enjoy better air quality by turning to Service One for items such as: air purifier systems that trap and kill bacteria, viruses, mold spores, allergens and other pollutants in the conditioned air, and keep them out of the air; humidifiers which are very popular in the winter by helping reduce sore throats, chapped lips, itchy skin and sinus problems; and ventilators which are designed to remove stale air from the home, while keeping valuable energy from escaping.

"Although we may not always think about it, indoor air quality may bring more pollution and irritants than outdoor air. It can present itself in the form of headaches or chronic allergies, impacting your quality of life," said Gouty. "ServiceOne will test for harmful chemicals and install air filters to ensure you’re breathing clean air in your home. We also offer UV lighting to help rid your home of harmful bacteria."

ABOUT SERVICE ONE: Founded in 2003 in Longwood, Florida, Service One is a locally owned and operated air conditioning, heating, and plumbing company. Service one repairs, services and maintains all makes and models of air conditioning, heating, and plumbing equipment and fixtures. The company serves residential and business customers in Orange, Seminole, Southwest Volusia, North Osceola and portions of Lake Counties. The company recently opened a new location in Orlando at 4556 36th Street, just south of downtown. This new office will service customers from downtown Orlando, south to Kissimmee.

Indoor air purifiers may aid heart patients

(Reuters Health) - People with heart conditions may benefit from using indoor air purifiers, suggests a small study from China.

While the study can't say air purifiers prevent heart attacks or other major medical problems, several risk factors for heart disease improved among young and healthy adults who were exposed to purified air.

"In countries of the world where air pollution is a problem, I think this would be especially important," said Dr.

Sanjay Rajagopalan of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

The new findings suggest that using an air purifier may lead to a reduction in cardiovascular events, said Rajagopalan, who coauthored an editorial accompanying the new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Previous studies found that fine particles in the air are tied to an increased risk of heart-related problems, including heart attack and stroke, the study authors say.

For the new study, Renjie Chen and Ang Zhao of Fudan University in Shanghai and colleagues had 35 healthy college students in Shanghai randomly use real or fake air purifiers in their dorm rooms for 48 hours. Two weeks later, the students spent another two days using whichever type they hadn't used the first time.

China has one of the highest levels of air pollution in the world. 

The target air pollution level set by the World Health Organization is 35 micrograms of tiny particles per cubic meter - but daily air pollution in major cities in Asia often exceed 100 to 500 micrograms per cubic meter, Rajagopalan writes in his editorial.

Air purification in the students' rooms reduced air pollution by 57 percent, from about 96 micrograms per cubic meter to about 41 micrograms per cubic meter, the researchers say.

When the students had the real air purifiers in their rooms, they had significant improvements in several measures of inflammation and blood clotting. 

They also had some significant decreases in blood pressure and a reduction in a measure of airway inflammation known as exhaled nitrous oxide.

The researchers also found some improvements in lung function and blood vessel constriction, but those findings may have been due to chance.

"You’d have to take the results of these studies as good supportive evidence that these strategies would work," Rajagopalan told Reuters Health.

Dr. Rachel Taliercio, a lung specialist in The Cleveland Clinic's Asthma Center in Ohio, cautioned that the benefit of air purification systems in homes might not be equal for everyone.

"Certainly there is no harm in doing it and there are obviously some benefits," said Taliercio, who was not involved with the new study. "How big those benefits will be is unclear."

Pollution levels in North America, for example, are much lower than in Asia, she said. "So, it’s hard to know if what you see in China is beneficial for North America."

For people who live near high-pollution areas, such as major roadways and coal power plants, air purifiers may be something to look into, Taliercio said.

But, she added, for those living in suburban areas, the devices would be difficult to justify, especially when people consider the cost.

Home air purification systems range in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The devices often require replacement filters on a regular basis.

"From the standpoint of what you can do to protect yourself in these polluted environments, investing in home and car air filtration systems will lead to better air quality in the long term," Rajagopalan said.

"One message is at least the awareness that air quality does influence health and chronic diseases, such as heart disease," he said.