New Gadget Highlights Growing Concern About Indoor Air Pollution

In China and other pollution-prone regions, measuring – and improving – indoor air quality is becoming increasingly important

As the health risks of indoor air pollution become more widely known – and feared – concerned citizens are taking matters into their own hands, proactively measuring air quality and working to improve it.  New technology is helping them take these important steps.

 

As reported in the December 14 edition of the Los Angeles Times, the Laser Egg – a $79 product about the size of a large orange – has proven particularly popular in pollution-prone Beijing, where it is now regularly used to measure indoor air quality, or IAQ.  Low IAQ is a potentially perilous condition, as it can put individuals at risk for respiratory diseases such as asthma, and even heart disease and cancer.  In Beijing, the Laser Egg has become, the newspaper reports, “the stocking stuffer of the season.”

 

Devices that measure IAQ are not new, but the Laser Egg makes them readily accessible to practically anyone who wants to tackle indoor air pollution.  Developed by a 27-year-old Swiss expatriate in China, it directs air samples – which enter the device through a small vent – through a laser beam that refracts when particulates are encountered.  By measuring the refractions, the Laser Egg can display a digital score corresponding to the current indoor air quality.  Data can be tracked over time, with users even receiving an alert on their phone when air quality starts to degrade.

In Beijing, where severe smog forced the closure of schools for several days in November, individuals  – from business owners to property managers to homeowners – are taking IAQ seriously these days, looking for signs that can signal harmful conditions.  According to the device’s creator, Liam Bates, parents have started bringing the Laser Egg to their children’s schools to check IAQ – and they are not always happy with what they discover.

 

Yet just as technology is enabling users to measure IAQ, it is also helping them to improve it.   Case in point: the high efficiency air filters created by Camfil – the world’s leading provider of clean air solutions.  Leveraging its state-of-the-art research centers, Camfil has developed a new generation of air filters that maintain their peak efficiency longer than more traditionally designed models.  And because they not only remove more particles from the air, but require less energy to do so, the Camfil filters make possible a compelling double win: cleaner indoor air that is achievable at a lower total cost over the lifespan of the filter.  Indeed, Camfil’s next-generation filters often mean 20 to 40 percent savings compared with traditional filters – all while boosting IAQ.

 

Indoor air pollution is a growing problem, but the solutions are ramping up, too.  Affordable, sophisticated devices to measure IAQ let users target potential danger.  High-efficiency air filters let them do something about it.  That’s a potent – and vital – combination.

 

 

 

 

The world leader in air filtration systems, Camfil provides clean air solutions for hospitals, hotels, office buildings, educational institutions, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies.  We provide the tools to achieve sustainability, maintain high air quality, and reduce airborne infections -- all while lowering total cost of ownership.  Camfil customers go green without ever sacrificing performance.  For more information, visit us online at www.camfil.us or call us toll-free at 888.599.6620.