All across North America, rogue storms have caused costly repairs to homes and businesses.
In the last year alone, wildfires, windstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes and nor’easters have ravaged the continent from one end to the other.
Ontario experienced an estimated $380 million dollars of wind storm damage this past May, and costs of earlier wind and storm damage pushed the total toward three-quarters of a million dollars.
These storms are destructive enough when they are occurring, but they also leave behind a lasting legacy of damage due to mould, mildew and environmental toxins that can impact human health for decades to come.
Here at Clean Air Solutions Hamilton, we haven’t been at all surprised to see the demand for our services and products increasing in the wake of these types of weather disasters. In this post, we highlight the many benefits of one of the most protective indoor air quality products we offer: the ultraviolet air purification system.
What Does “Purification” Mean?
To us, purification means you get to breathe fresh air (see, we say it right on our website!)
But what does purification mean in the context of improved indoor air quality?
Purification is the process of removing toxins from the air you breathe. These toxins can come from many different sources. Some come from the environment itself while others come from man-made products and structures.
Examples of toxins include mould, mildew, dust, dirt, volatile organic compounds, tobacco smoke, carbon emissions, pet dander, bacteria, fungi, viral matter, microorganisms, parasites, germs and other undesirable airborne matter.
Why Ultraviolet Light?
The sun produces three different bands of ultraviolet light. The two bands we hear the most about are Ultraviolet A and Ultraviolet B, because both of these light bands can penetrate the ozone layer that surrounds our planet.
But the third and most powerful light band, Ultraviolet C, is blocked by the ozone layer, which is to our benefit!
This is the light band that is used in ultraviolet air purification devices because it is the most effective at neutralizing airborne toxins.
How Does Ultraviolet Light Purify Your Indoor Air?
In 1903, a scientist and physician named Niels Ryberg Finsen won the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine.
His big accomplishment was figuring out how to use ultraviolet light to treat dangerous diseases like lupus and tuberculosis. Finsen discovered that concentrated ultraviolet light can damage cells, including cells that cause serious diseases.
His discovery gave so many people their lives back! Since Finsen’s award announcement, ultraviolet light technology has been developed for many other uses, including the purification of indoor air.
There are two different types of ultraviolet air purifiers we recommend for use in homes and businesses today: coil sterilization and air purification.
1. Coil sterilization
The ultraviolet coil sterilization system works directly on the air handler coil, neutralizing bacteria, mold, germs and toxins before they ever enter the air supply.
2. Air purification
The air purification system works to sterilize air of airborne toxins. This type of system can be used with a central ducted HVAC system or as a stand-alone unit in a single room.
Research Supports the Use of UV Air Purification Systems
In 2001, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that ultraviolet air purification units were used successfully to kill fungi that had colonized the air handling units of an office building.
In 2002, a U.S. Department of Energy-funded study showed that ultraviolet light air purification units were able to largely eradicate a variety of airborne toxins when installed inside an air vent system.
In 2012, Science Daily published the test results of a ground-breaking hospital study. Researchers used ultraviolet light to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria present in more than 50 patient rooms.
And as of 2018, South Korean researchers are working to develop the next generation of ultraviolet light air purification technology, which has shown the strongest performance to date in fully eradicating airborne infectious matter even in quarantine situations.
Closer to home, many of our air quality residential and commercial clients say they can actually smell the difference in the quality of their indoor air after having air purification systems installed!
What Type of Air Purification System Do You Need?
This is the million-dollar question, and it is thankfully an easy one to answer! The system that is right for you depends on the type of air handling system you currently have.
Multi-room homes and workplaces that use a central HVAC system with ductwork can benefit from our central ultraviolet air purifiers and HVAC coil sterilization purifiers. The largest of these systems can purify the air in a home or workplace space of up to 4,000 square feet.
If you have a non-ducted single-room or zoned HVAC or heat pump system, then we recommend the portable air purification appliances. The largest of these can purify the air in a single room of up to 900 square feet effectively.
What Kind of Maintenance Do UV Air Purifiers Require?
This is a great question! We have very good news for you here: Ultraviolet air purification technology today is quite close to being self-maintaining. The units we sell are self-cleaning and self-maintaining.
About the only maintenance task you will need to do is change out the ultraviolet bulb, and this typically happens only about once every 36 months.
Get in Touch
Here at Clean Air Solutions Hamilton, we are passionate about helping our residential and commercial clients achieve consistently clean, pure indoor air quality for better health, productivity and quality of life.
Contact us online or give us a call at 905-544-2470 to schedule your free indoor air quality consultation, learn more about ultraviolet indoor air purification technology and enjoy better year-round air quality at home and at work!
