All Posts by Jennifer Faul

Some small plants can make a big difference!

I have to admit that this post was inspired by an episode of Alone.  One of the participants boiled “Reindeer Moss” to eat.  That made me wonder, is moss good for anything else?

You will never see some of the best plants at filtering air pollution when strolling through the aisles at the local garden center or nursery.  Why?  Well, they just aren’t…popular.  If we only knew what they could do, maybe they would take front and center stage!

Moss: Ok, you may see moss at the garden center but it’s typically only used as a decoration to cover bare soil.  A couple of German entrepreneurs think it has a lot more to offer than decoration.  They have launched their business to bring moss walls to cities across Europe and around the world.  Moss walls are available in three configurations for installation in temporary or permanent displays.  Why moss?  

• The moss walls filter up to 82% of fine dust from the air flowing through them.
• Water vapor evaporates from the leaf surface of the moss, creating a cooling effect of up to 4 degrees C (about 7 deg F)
• The moss wall also removes up to 355 kg of CO2 every year.

To make the most out of this amazing plant, fans draw in air through the moss and sensors monitor the health of the plants, providing automatic watering.  Sounds like we could use moss walls in the US!

Plankton: Unless you are a fish enthusiast, plankton is not usually very convenient to keep in your home.  Enter the Bio Orb, a glass container of bioluminescent phytoplankton, plankton that can produce light at night and fresh oxygen during the daytime.  Pyro Farms, is the maker of the Bio Orb, a glass sphere with a flat bottom and a specially designed stopper to allow air exchange but prevents excessive evaporation.  The Bio-Orb provides the ideal environment for growing PyroDinos (the bioluminescent phytoplankton) at home, in the office or at school.  (pyrofarms.com)  Scientists estimate that all plant-plankton (phytoplankton) are responsible for more than 70% of the air we breathe, so keeping plankton in your home, school or office offsets your personal carbon output. (earthsky.org)

Source: (pyrofarms.com)

Lichen: I remember learning about this plant in biology and probably geography.  Pictures of reindeer munching on lichen in the tundra come to mind.  What I don’t remember learning is that it’s not actually just a plant, but a combination of two or three organisms: a fungus and green algae or cyanobacteria, often both.  The fungus provides the structure that determines the shape of the organism, while the algae and/or cyanobacteria  provide photosynthesis to feed both the fungus and the algae/bacteria.  There are three types of lichen growth, which have various abilities to absorb pollutants and concentrate heavy metals (hobbyfarms.com).  They are like natural sensors in the environment to tell us about the pollutants in the air. 

• Crustose lichens are flat; since they have the least amount of surface area to absorb pollutants, they are the most abundant.

• Foliose lichens have a leafy shape and tend to stand off the substrate (wood, rock, etc) a bit.  They have a little more surface area so are a little less tolerant to air pollution.

• Fruticose lichens are like tender, miniature shrubs, having the most surface area.  These only thrive in pristine areas with minimal air pollution.  

Next time you are on a walk, look for moss and lichen.  They are small plants that can make big contributions to healthy air!

Going with your Gut

For several years now, I’ve been more aware of my health and doing my best to preserve it.  In the second half of 2020, I had a major health incident that “reset” my digestive system and life.  For reasons still unknown, I had lymph node swelling and pain in many places throughout my body, and I became very sensitive to gluten and lectins.  My energy plummeted and my active lifestyle generally slowed down to a crawl.  I’ve since regained some energy but my diet is still very limited.  A lot of HypoAir clients or their family members can relate to having these kinds of “limitations”.  How do we go forward?

I don’t want to make this article about all the symptoms, although many of my daily decisions are made to avoid symptoms.  I do want to talk about awareness and respect for the limitations of my body as I approach 50 years old.  Even if you are a super-healthy 30-something, it’s time to stop thinking that you are invincible!  The saying “the mind is willing but the body is weak” should be amended to “the mind is aware that the body is mortal”!

Yes, I used to be the one who rarely wore dust masks when sanding or spray-painting, pushed the envelope of squeezing working time into my week, and ate whatever I wanted to. Being thankful for all the knowledge I’ve acquired at HypoAir, it’s time to apply that knowledge to my own life.  Notwithstanding viruses, weather conditions and quantity of sleep, there is validity to the theory that if I feel “off”, it very well may be the air I’m breathing or the food I ate.  Here are some of the mental checks that can help to diagnose the source and correct the situation:

Your nose knows.  

• If you’re smelling it, it’s already in your bloodstream.  For example, sometimes it’s easy to smell a gas leak, because the gas company adds a harmless odorant called “mercaptans” to help us know when it does leak.  That’s great, but what do we do after that first whiff?  We sniff around some more to try to find the source of the leak!  By the time you’ve determined where it is the strongest, you have probably already inhaled a good amount of the more harmful bulk of the gas, which may contain up to 21 toxins (wbur.org).  Similarly, the smells of car exhaust or gasoline mean that the harmful gasses have already entered our bloodstream by being absorbed through the lungs.  The takeaway?  Stop inhaling deeply and get out of the area as soon as possible.

• Unless a product’s ingredients are listed and they are non-toxic, “good” smells can be deceiving.  Opt for the unscented, because you can usually add essential oils to make a wonderful scent of your own!  

• “Stale” does mean too little ventilation.  Crack the window (if there is good quality air outside) and see what a difference it makes in the scent of the room, as well as your thinking ability (check out our post on CO2). 

• “Musty” does mean mold.  According to the EPA, the musty smell is microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs), which means that mold is already growing in the building.  If you also check the humidity of the musty room and find that it’s high (above 65%), you can confirm your diagnosis with great accuracy even before finding the mold.

• Listen to your body!  “Sick” buildings are not apparent to everyone, but your body will tell you when the building is not healthy for you.  For example, I worked once a week in a store where I had seen water coming through the ceiling after a hard rain.  Certain parts of the store smelled musty, and I tried to avoid staying too long in them.  Yet, fatigue was a routine part of my 4-hour shift.  When I started developing severe headaches after only several hours in the store, I knew I had to tender my resignation.  My health was not worth the small income that the job yielded. 

We really are what we eat (and what we eat it in).  

• Is that dark stuff mold?  Yes, mold can hide in “fresh” food that you’ve just opened.  For example, nuts can be contaminated by mold and mycotoxins, which can get into the shell through the stem opening, or during storage after the nut is shelled.  Moldy nuts are particularly dangerous because they harbor a fungus called Aspergillus flavus, which, "produces one of the most deadly toxins known to humankind. The toxin accumulates in the liver and can cause liver cancer.” (Dr. Patrick Hickey, mold expert, bbc.com)  If the shells are intact and there’s no mold on the outside, you should be fine. 

• Soaking the nuts in salt water removes mold and pesticides and makes them easier to digest.  Soak only the amount of nuts you will eat in a few days.

• This article also recommends soaking nuts but then drying them to store them.

• Here is a list of other foods that may be high in mold and what to do about them.

• Not only does fast food contain ingredients that don’t play well with our bodies (like potassium bromate, propylene glycol, TBHQ, calcium sulfate, phosphate additives and BHT)(eatthis.com), even the wrappers have chemicals that do damage, like PFAS and phthalates. (cnn.com)

• If it doesn’t look like the foods it came from, put it back!  Would you eat food that’s already been digested?  That sounds disgusting, but many foods on the supermarket aisles qualify to be in this new category: ultra-processed foods.  Ultra-processed foods are packaged foods that have been made by food companies using many manufactured ingredients, rather than actual foods. Those ingredients are combined in some way to make something that is edible, but it in no way maintains the integrity or nutritional content of the original foods. (mdanderson.org)  It’s best to limit these foods because they cause weight gain and have little nutritional value.  Examples are soft drinks, chips, chocolate, candy, ice-cream, sweetened breakfast cereals, packaged soups, chicken nuggets, hotdogs, fries and more. (heartandstroke.ca) Here is a chart that shows how these are made:

Source: mdanderson.org

• Listen to your gut!  When I feel fatigued and my gut is irritated, I take a look back at what I ate the day before.  Sometimes foods do not outright make us sick, but they do not sit well and are not digested well.  When that happens, very little nutrients are absorbed and what comes out is not “normal”.  If this happens on a routine basis, start a food journal by writing down everything you eat and how you feel each day.  If you find a correlation between certain foods and your symptoms, take the (sometimes difficult) step to eliminate it from your diet and find a healthier substitute!  When you want to make a drastic improvement, Whole30 is a plan that is highly recommended by doctors and nutritionists to identify what is good for you to eat.

Does my lifestyle reflect the person I want to be?

• Having a physically comfortable job is not always healthy.  I must admit, working from home has been good for my finances, and for the most part, my body.  Isolation protects us from viruses and bacteria to a large degree, and home can be extremely comfortable for casual dress and “office” surroundings. But, working at a computer for hours on end without significant movement is not good.  To avoid physical issues due to bad posture and poor circulation, It’s necessary to invest in a good chair and/or standing desk and set a timer to get up, stretch and move around once an hour.  
• Adrenaline junkie + computer/phone job = poor health.  I liken this to the stock jockeys, the dispatchers, and yes, the customer service industry.  These are high-stress jobs, but without a physical outlet for the stress, the adrenaline produced continues to build up and cause inflammation and auto-immune problems.  Why?  Stress produces adrenaline in what is know as “fight or flight”. (see verywellmind.com)  Both of these actions traditionally are physical–you fight the intruder or you run away from the intruder.  But what if the stressful situation is the conversation with a customer on the other end of the phoneline, or a looming deadline and your computer is acting up?  All that stress and adrenaline are internalized (because you aren’t allowed to fight with your words!)  When this happens and you develop deteriorating physical symptoms, it’s time to talk with your employer about job modification, or look for a new job.  I know; I was a dispatcher for 2 years and a customer service representative for about 8 years.  Value your health and fight for it!
• Does my schedule reflect my priorities?  Yes, it’s necessary to get that paycheck in order to pay the mortgage/rent/car note etc.  But along with valuing your health, value the priorities that cause you to prosper as a person.  Are you learning new skills and do you have the opportunity to use your natural abilities and passions in your job?  It may sound like a luxury, but a lower-paying job may be worth more in the long run when it is a job you really love and enjoy!  Consultants like marketingpartnershipprogram.com can help you discover these priorities and make them a reality, even increasing your reach and impact in your community and industry. 

These are just some of the ways you can “go with your gut” in order to make wiser, healthier decisions that keep you moving onward and upward and not bogged down by ill health and ill emotions.  Ideally it shouldn’t take decades to start on this path, but it’s never too late to start! 

A little essay on fireworks, air quality and…freedom

As I watched the July 4th New York City fireworks on television, the barges, tugboats and even the bright lights of the city started to fade into the smoke until only the highest and brightest fireworks could be seen at the end of the show.  I had to know, how bad is this for the atmosphere?  Apparently, very bad.  Last year, the July 4th fireworks show caused New York City to have the third worst air quality in the world (IQAir.com).  Normally, NYC has relatively good air quality, as it is ranked 3,628 out of 6,475 cities.  Except on July 4th and 5th.  

Now, in most states cars would not be allowed on the roads without an emissions test, and factories and refineries have emissions limits set by the EPA.  But on July 4th (and also in many cities on January 1), we are free to set off millions of pounds of explosives (in 2021 it was over 150 million pounds in the US).  Is a relatively short display of fireworks really worth the air pollution and body pollution it brings?  

In Boston, the US Army is in charge of “pulling the lanyards”, which means setting off the explosives in time with the orchestra’s famous rendition of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.  One soldier said that his wife and 2 year old son were in attendance and quickly added that his son would be wearing earmuffs (to protect from the noise).  But what about his little lungs?

According to this 2014 review, copper, lead, sulfur, cadmium, aluminum, manganese, arsenic, iron dust, strontium, barium, antimony and benzene toluene are just some of the dangerous metals and salts released by fireworks.  These different elements are used in fireworks to get the different vibrant colors during explosion.  Because of these toxic metals, being downwind of a fireworks show is much more hazardous than getting caught on the wrong side of a campfire.  Children and adults with asthma,  and those with COPD and other respiratory conditions need to stay upwind and/or use N95 masks, according to Pallavi Pant, senior scientist at the Health Effects Institute (whyy.org). 

It’s not just Americans who go crazy with the fireworks.  Researchers in India discovered that airborne toxins like particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone stayed in the air for five days after Diwali Festival fireworks. That level was over 2,800% above the limit set by the World Health Organization. (newyorkpost.com).  

With all the bad air effects (not even mentioning the noise trauma for veterans and pets), and our advanced state of technology, when will we have virtual firework shows where we can gather and that last for hours instead of minutes, similar to a virtual aurora borealis?  I suppose each of us values different aspects of our freedom, and enacting those freedoms are part of the celebration.  Personally, I like to celebrate my freedom to eat real meat hamburgers and hotdogs, even though they can be unhealthy for me and the environment.  To each his own…so I guess I won’t be holding my breath waiting for those virtual fireworks!

Could we soon irradiate our own food at home using UV light?

When I first started researching ways to protect against Coronavirus, these little boxes for radiating your phone, keys, etc. seemed to be a very ingenious device.  

They use UV-C light to kill germs on surfaces, claiming only “3 minutes per side” for “99.99% efficiency for maximum protection against microorganisms and airborne allergens.”  One well-known brand name is called “Phonesoap”.  Well, what about our food?  Mold and mycotoxin illness have been around a lot longer than Coronavirus, but I have not seen a solution to eliminate these microbes from food in our homes.  We are (mostly) content to let the food manufacturers and government to handle it.  Shown on food packaging, the Radura is the international symbol indicating a food product has been irradiated. The Radura is usually green and resembles a plant in circle. The top half of the circle is dashed. (wikipedia.org)

Select foods are cleaned by radiation, but it’s a stronger, industrialized process than our Phonesoap example.  This video by the International Atomic Energy Agency does a good job of explaining how it works.  The weapon of choice is x-rays or gamma rays, which are electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelengths than UV light.  Foods can be sterilized in this way in their packaging, as a cold process that does not affect their color or taste and actually increases shelf life.  There are 3 ways that foods can be irradiated: with X-rays, gamma rays or electron beam (e-beam), which is similar to x-rays (fda.gov).  Besides the obvious foodborne illness that can be present with bacteria or viruses, it can destroy the mycotoxins (toxins produced from different mold organisms) that cause systemic sickness and even cancer (yikes!).  If you are unfamiliar with mycotoxins, here is a post about them.  Recently, I ran across this study that focused on aflatoxins, because of their frequency and potency in causing illness. “Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi, dangerous to both humans and animals. The most common mycotoxin-producing genera are Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium. The family of toxins produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillius parasiticus pose the greatest danger to animal and human health. Aspergillus flavus is considered to be the most frequent source of aflatoxins in crops. As seed inhabiting fungi, Aspergillus parasiticus can contaminate a wide variety of crops, either before harvesting in the field or after harvest while being handled and processed. Naturally occurring aflatoxins are the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the most potent carcinogenic agent known, and the aflatoxins B2, G1, and G2 (aflatoxins B2 and G2 are dihydroxylated derivatives of B1 and G1).”

There are many studies on how irradiation affects mycotoxins, because efficacy of radiation depends on the strain of mycotoxin, strength of radiation, duration of radiation, and the type of food infected with the mycotoxin.  For example, this 2008 study focused on aflatoxin B1 infection and irradiation of food crops (peanut, peeled pistachio, unpeeled pistachio, rice, and corn) and feed (barley, bran, corn).  kGY is a unit of ionizing radiation and the samples were irradiated at 4, 6, and 10 kGy.  It was determined that the high oil content of peanuts served as some kind of protection for the aflatoxin against radiation, because in peanuts, percentage of AFB1 degradation at 10 kGy was not more than 56.6%, whereas, the corresponding value in corn, which contained the lowest oil content, reached as high as 80%. 

I’m glad that manufacturers can use irradiation on mycotoxin-prone food to make it safer to eat, because some of our tastiest foods (spices, chocolate and coffee) are some of the most susceptible to spoilage by mycotoxins!  However, it’s not a process the average person can implement in their home, any more than we can buy an x-ray machine for our own use.  This got me thinking: how effective is UV radiation on mycotoxins?   UV-C is also a non-thermal treatment that doesn’t affect color or taste of the treated food.  One key difference between irradiation by x-ray and gamma ray versus UV light is that the former method can penetrate through packaging and into the food, while UV light only sterilizes the surface of the food and depends on good illumination of the surface.  Or does it?  Another review on UV treatment of various foods admitted at the end that photon energy of the UV light has not been widely studied, and “Photons are likely to penetrate quite deep into the organic matter and thus this technique is not limited to surface effects. The penetration depth depends enormously on the photon energy (or the UV radiation wavelength). Low-energy UV photons (such as those from medium-pressure mercury lamps) penetrate deep into the organic matter, stimulate photo-oxidation, photo-degradation, and photo-elimination (or both), which was found beneficial for the degradation of aflatoxins. Not much research has been performed on the degradation of toxins using high-energy photons.”  

Apparently, the results are varied.  One study on irradiating pineapple sticks with UV-C showed that it did not “significantly affect total viable bacteria, yeast and mould counts. This result confirms the higher sensitivity of bacteria to UV-C light as compared to fungi (Koutchma, 2009)”, and also that the relatively “rough” surface of the pineapple sticks decreased the efficacy of irradiation.  Increasing the intensity of the light also did not increase degradation of the yeasts or molds.  However, the pineapple sticks, once they were treated and packaged in PET/EVOH/PE plastic trays, sealed with a PET/PE film and stored at 6 °C to simulate storage of fresh-cut fruit along the refrigerated chain, grew less yeasts than the control samples, indicating that UV-C irradiation helped to lengthen storage life.  Molds were not affected between the control and irradiation samples, presumably because the pineapple off-gasses as it is stored, creating an anaerobic environment. 

In this 2008 study in which two levels, mild and strong, UV radiation was used against feed-contaminating mycotoxins, even the mild radiation was effective in destroying the two types of mycotoxins within 60 minutes, but the stronger radiation performed more rapidly.  

A review of many studies was made to compare UV, ozone and ammonia treatment of foods with mycotoxins for inactivating aflatoxins.  Here are some results of the UV radiation studies:

• UV irradiation of 15 min of aflatoxin-contaminated semolina (wheat grain) could lead to the complete degradation of AFB1. A germicidal UV lamp with 30 W power providing UV-C radiation at 254 nm was used as a light source, and 100 g of the semolina layer of 1 cm thickness was exposed to the UV light at a distance of 15 cm.
• In hazelnuts that were artificially inoculated with Aspergillus, the effects of a 254 nm UV-C treatment were measured on aflatoxin production.   A 2-log reduction in Aspergillus spp. counts and a 25% reduction in aflatoxins B1 and G1 were obtained with a 6 h (2 h periods repeated 3 times) UV-C (9.99 J/cm2 ) treatment (2 log reduction is equal to 99% reduction). 
• Another approach to UV light irradiation is “pulsed light” technique, which has the advantages of a broad UV spectrum, a short duration, but high peak power.  For example, instead of minutes or hours of UV treatment, pulsed light is used for seconds.  Again, some strains of mycotoxins are more degraded by pulsed light than other strains, and in treatment of a water solution of mycotoxins, ochratoxin and aflatoxin B1 were more degraded than zearalenone and deoxynivalenol.  In a study of rough rice and rice bran which were inoculated to grow aflatoxin B1 and B2, it was found that irradiation of the rice bran was more effective ( 90.3% and 86.7% on AFB1 and AFB2 respectively) than the rough rice (75.0% and 39.2%).  This may be due to the surface characteristics, because rough rice is the whole rice kernel including the hull, and the rice bran is brown rice, which has the hull removed but still contains the bran. (feedipedia.org)  Therefore, the stage of food processing is important for deciding when to apply radiation. 
• Humidity of the foods under study is also important for mycotoxin degradation.  A study of nuts that were inoculated with Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, and Penicillium, showed that greater humidity = greater degradation.  “The fungicidal activity of UV-C radiation was found to be more pronounced in the nuts treated at the higher 16% moisture level, with levels of efficiency in the following order: walnut > almond = pistachio > peanuts. A 45 min treatment resulted in 87% and 96% degradation of AFB1, depending on the moisture level, with the maximum reduction seen for almond and pistachio.”

At the end of this review, the authors confessed what was growingly apparent to me: 1. The destruction of toxins remains both a scientific and technological challenge.  (In effect, it’s hard to determine the best standard treatment (intensity of light, duration and distance from food)  when type and level of mycotoxin, type of food, and humidity level all come into play!)   2. The reported treatment times are prohibitively long for industrial application.  (It should be obvious that treatment times in hours are not feasible for the many tons of feed and food processed every year, although pulsed light treatments of seconds may be.)

How do hobbies affect our indoor air quality?

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How to make air on a submarine: 2 lessons on air quality

Ok, I’ve never been inside a submerged submarine, but I’ve toured part of a docked submarine and I think it takes a special kind of person to live in those cramped conditions for months at a time.  Combining this with the fact that unlike a normal ship, there is no natural atmosphere from which to take air to breathe, makes submariners a very special breed!  

I learned about the different ways submarines make oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the ship’s atmosphere in this interesting video.  While you may think this information irrelevant because a) you don’t live underwater, and b) no one but the US government could afford such fancy equipment, there are several things to take away for our own home use.  

First of all, the submarine is highly compartmentalized, not only for function, but for safety.  This means that if the ship were to be struck by a torpedo in one compartment and started to take on water, it’s likely that by sealing off that compartment, the ship could continue on its mission or at least get to a port for repairs.  The number of these individual compartments require a specialized air monitoring and distribution to each compartment.  There are no “open concept” submarines!  The name of the monitoring system is CAMS, or Compartment Atmosphere Monitoring System. It tells the sailors the air quality (percentage O2, CO2, CO, and other contaminants like refrigerant) in each compartment.  You may have an open-concept floorplan in your home, but it’s likely that you have individual rooms wherever privacy is needed: for your bedroom, bathroom and office.  So, atmosphere monitoring can show you whether your ventilation is working well or if there is a contaminant like radon that is poisoning a certain area of your home.  Here are some ways to add atmosphere monitoring to your home.  In order to control your atmosphere, you first have to know what is in it!

• AirThings makes several types of monitors that you can read locally or remotely

• Kaiterra makes attractive LaserEggs that not only show what’s in your air; they look like they are part of modern decor.

• Awair also has a sleek, modern design to their home indoor sensor, which has the “most accurate airflow design on the ma

• PurpleAir makes an indoor sensor and 2 outdoor sensors, and offers the opportunity to upload your local outdoor air quality to a nationwide map!  

Second, because ability to breathe is such an important function on a submarine, there are redundant systems: two different ways to make oxygen, and two different ways to remove carbon dioxide.  Even if one system is working well 99% of the time, the sailors practice by testing the other system regularly to ensure its function and their knowledge and ability to use it.  Redundancy is good to have in your home too.  If your main way of ventilation is via the central air, what happens if your power goes out?  You can throw open the windows, but that plan does not work well if you haven’t checked whether windows are painted shut, or if they have clean, well-fitted screens to keep bugs out.  A “backup plan” is only as good as you prepare it to be, and emergencies like power outages rarely have advance notice!  Similarly, if your main way of getting fresh air is via a cracked window, do you know what to do in case there’s a wildfire in your area or the mobile exterminating truck starts spraying toxic chemicals down your street?  Of course, you will close the window, but having an air purifier or HEPA filter or extra MERV-13 furnace filters on hand make it more comfortable for you and your family until the air is clear again.  Check out our post on natural disasters and how to prepare for good air quality during and after them. 

Natural disasters: How to prepare for them and protect your air quality

In certain sections of the US and the world, seasonal weather can turn dangerous in a matter of days, hours or even minutes.  We want to help you be ready for these situations by planning ahead.  Having the proper plans and supplies in place is reassuring during a stressful time! Before any storm is on the horizon, you can:

• Purchase appropriate insurance.
• Take a household inventory of major household items and valuables with photos and model numbers. 
• Store important documents in fire- and water-proof boxes.

Then, you can have a basic survival kit on hand at home, to get you through several different types of emergencies. Here is an example kit from ready.gov:

• Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation)
• Food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food)
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Extra batteries
• Whistle (to signal for help)
• Dust mask (to help filter contaminated air)
• Plastic sheeting and duct tape (to shelter in place)
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation)
• Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
• Manual can opener (for food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery

Wildfires.  You may not live in fire-prone areas, but as we’ve seen in the past few years, even a small wildfire can affect thousands of homes outside the burn zone with deadly smoke.  In our post about wildfires, we outline some basic things you can do to prevent wildfire smoke from making your home inhabitable:

• Seal doors and windows with weatherstripping, caulk and door sweeps.  
• Find out how to adjust your HVAC system accordingly: you’ll want to close the fresh air intake and change over to recirculation, no matter whether you have central AC, a window air conditioner or portable air conditioner.
• Purchase extra MERV 13 or higher filters for your HVAC system, to be used on poor air quality days.
• If you live in an apartment building or condo with little control over the HVAC, consider purchasing vent filter material so you can place them in the vents into your space. Carbon vent filter material will neutralize many VOCs as well.
• Purchase a HEPA air cleaner (non-ozone producing type) and be sure to have an extra filter or two on hand. 
• Keep a stash of N95 respirator masks on hand.    
• Don’t cook during a wildfire emergency, because cooking indoors increases small particulates and vapors in the air, and you won’t want to turn on your stove exhaust, as that will draw polluted outdoor air into the house.  Try to use just the canned food you have on hand.
• Check your local air quality and receive updates from airnow.gov . Fire and smoke maps are available under the heading fire.airnow.gov . 

Hurricanes:  Although a number of hurricanes have formed in May and December, hurricane season for the Atlantic is June 1 through November 30.  The intensity and frequency of storms is predicted to be above normal in 2022, for the seventh consecutive year (economist.com).  It’s all the more reason to be ready in case one of these mega-storms comes your way.  

Here’s some interesting facts about how hurricanes affect air quality:

• Whether you stay in your home or evacuate, it’s good to be aware that the reaction of local oil and petrochemical refineries to the storm is critical.  According to a report published by environmentalintegrity.org, industrial plants in the Houston area waited too long to shut down after receiving warnings about Hurricane Harvey.  This resulted in 8.3 million pounds of unpermitted air pollution being released into the air, including dangerous plumes of cancer-causing benzene, “much of it triggered by flooding-related mishaps like electrical outages, equipment malfunctions, and the failure of floating roof tanks.”  These releases subsequently caused 3 of the worst days of high ozone levels in the same area.
• You may not have accurate air quality information during and after the storm.  The same report confirmed that “part of the TCEQ’s (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) disaster planning strategy included shutting down air monitors to protect them from damage. Approximately 75 percent of the stationary air monitoring equipment from the Houston, Corpus Christi, and Beaumont-Port Arthur areas was temporarily removed in preparation for Hurricane Harvey, according to state officials.  These heavily industrialized areas are home to many of the largest sources of air pollution in the United States. “
• The intense winds of hurricanes can pick up dust and broadcast it in large areas, including coarse grit sand down to fine grains of 2.5 microns and smaller. (nbcnews.com) These fine and ultra-fine particles are super-dangerous to lungs and our whole bodies, because they can lodge deep in the lungs and even transfer into the bloodstream.  You can see the effects of hurricane winds and what they pick up when viewing road signs after the storm: if they are still standing, many road signs have a “sand-blasted” effect that is not just from water but also from the dust picked up by the winds.  
• During a hurricane, power outages cause humidity levels to climb in your home, encouraging the growth of mold and dust mites, two major indoor allergens. (Allergy and Asthma Care of Florida)
• After a hurricane, excess standing water can promote the growth of grasses and weeds, at a time when homeowners, business owners and governments are not prepared to cut them.  This can worsen allergies for many.  (Allergy and Asthma Care of Florida)  Trees that are stripped bare during the hurricane can also regrow their leaves and even bloom again, because the stress of the hurricane changes the plants’ hormone levels.  (morningagclips.com)  That can mean almost double the pollen in one year!
• Roof damage and water penetrating the home’s exterior will allow mold to grow in places that may remain undetected for months or years.  

Preparing for riding out a hurricane in your home is similar to a wildfire (see tips above). You’ll want to have the appropriate filters, masks, canned food and water on hand, and also know how to prevent fresh air intake if the air quality outside gets too bad.  You’ll want to have portable fans on hand in order to circulate air in your home, because air circulation can prevent mold growth.  Being able to run a generator if the power goes out can also improve your comfort by having access to frozen food supplies, light, power to cook with, and fans to circulate air so you can sleep!  If you do run a generator, check out our recommendations on running it safely in our post Power Outages and Air Quality. 

Tornadoes:  Being intensely windy storms, severe thunderstorms and the tornadoes they can spawn bring many of the risks of hurricanes.  The wind, rain, and potential damage are all there, most times with even more intensity in a tornado.  According to the University of Miami, “While both types of storms are capable of producing destructive winds, tornadoes can become stronger than hurricanes. The most intense winds in a tornado can exceed 300 miles per hour, while the strongest known Atlantic hurricane contained winds of 190 miles per hour. “  This means that the amount of dust and debris a tornado can pick up is many times more than a hurricane per area.  Tornadoes an hurricanes are both storms of wind and rain.  The reason a tornado is “visible” to the human eye, as well as radar systems, is because of the massive amount of dust, debris and hail that it contains!

The other problem with tornadoes is their lack of warning.  Many times residents, businesses and industry have 10 minutes or less to take shelter, let alone prepare their dwelling or workplace for the possibility of severe damage.  Therefore, it’s critical to have supplies and a plan to execute in case of one.

• Of course, the most important thing is getting to shelter.  Your tornado shelter needs to be a place which is always accessible and well-known to your family or co-workers.  Whether or not your home has a purpose-built safe room, be sure to have the above mentioned supplies of the disaster kit, plus warm clothing and bedding, because weather conditions can change drastically with such a storm.
• If you know that a tornado is in your area and you have time before sheltering, you can:
  • Turn off gas and water to your home, to avoid fire or flooding. 
  • Close fresh air intake into your home and close all windows.  According to weather.gov, “It is now believed that a solid structure (no windows or doors open) has a better chance of escaping major damage.”

Flooding.  Meteorologists cannot always predict the amount and path of water in storms, and building in floodplains is a common practice in some areas.  According to a 2021 study, “damaging floods are increasing in severity, duration and frequency, owing to changes in climate, land use, infrastructure and population demographics.”  From 2000 to 2015, approximately 58 to 86 million people moved to flood-prone regions, they found, which translates to a roughly 20% increase in the population exposed to floods. If your area even has a minimal chance of flooding (see this page to decode the flood zone category of your property, or search FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center by your address), then you should prepare for one.  Here are some ways to do it:

• A flash flood is “A flood caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours.”(weather.gov)  Warnings issued for flash floods are serious because the flooding can be very unpredictable.  Do not attempt to drive in areas where flash flooding is predicted, and never through floodwaters.
• You should attempt to move yourself, and if possible anything of value to you, to higher ground.  For example, in your home you can move smaller valuables to upper stories or the attic.  In your car, drive away from the flooded area to higher ground.  
• Moving back into a flooded home requires quick remediation; mold can start growth within 48 hours so it’s important to get all waterlogged furniture and carpeting removed, and surfaces like floors and walls dried out as soon as possible.  If your area sustains major flooding, professional help can be difficult to secure, but don’t give up!  
• Air quality in your home depends on how extensive the flooding is and long water remains, but even the humidity of a few inches of water can start to affect those who are prone to asthma.  Therefore those who have respiratory issues should not try to help clear a flooded house. 
• If you’re working on your own (without professional remediation), you’ll want to:
  • Use respiratory protection and appropriate clothing, shoes and gloves
  • Remove all drywall and insulation below the floodline, as well as 2-4 feet up the wall.  This is because the drywall wicks up water, and the insulation behind it will be wet also.  The goal is to get the studs and all of the wall cavity dry.
  • Use as many fans as possible to increase air circulation for drying. 
  • Clear particulates from the air using a large HEPA filter such as our Cleanroom WindPRO 650, or if you don’t have the budget, make a Box Fan Air Cleaner. 
• Flooded neighborhoods can increase in mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and mites very quickly after a storm, so be sure to wear insect repellent and change clothing at least daily if you’re encountering insect problems. 

Help!  My basement has flooded!

While some are suffering in the US from droughts, others are walking ankle-deep through water in their basement.  Unfortunately water in the basement is different from other areas of the home because 1) it doesn’t easily drain away because you can’t just “cut a hole in the floor”, 2) being below ground level means you may be already fighting ground water problems that are just looking for ways to intrude, 3) ventilation is typically sub-par, meaning that drying it out takes a lot of power equipment, not just opening windows!  It can be very daunting for a homeowner with limited renovation funds, but don’t turn a blind eye on a flooded basement, because the mold that ensues can quickly affect the rest of your home.

Call for help–immediately!

If your area was hit by a storm, chances are that a lot of other people have the same problem you do–they need restoration professionals too!  However, you can’t afford to wait 3 days after the water hits the floor, because mold can start to take root in your walls and furnishings only 48 hours after they get wet.  Here are some ideas for resources:

• Family (of course!)

• Neighbors (they probably need help too)

• If your state officials have declared a state of emergency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may be able to help.

• The American Red Cross has disaster assistance services.

• Local churches often set up assistance centers for homeowners.

• Workers for hire often gather at local home improvement stores, but be wary of giving anyone without a contractor’s license a job in your home for safety and insurance reasons.

What needs to be done?  If you don’t hire a professional restoration service, you can use the following as a guide.

1. First of all, don’t walk through any standing water if there’s a chance that electrical appliances sitting in it may be energized.  This presents a big problem if the circuit breakers for the basement are IN the basement, but do your best to disconnect power before walking through the water.

2. If your basement sustained a sewage backup as part of the flood event, be very cautious about contacting/working in the dirty water, as open wounds can become infected by microbes from the sewage.  In any case you’ll want waterproof boots, goggles and gloves at the minimum!

3. Open windows to the outside if it is low humidity outside–this will help with the drying process.

4. Standing water has to go.  Small amounts of water can be picked up by a wet-dry vac (make sure you have the right type of filter installed for wet suction), but if you have a lot more water, you’re going to want to find a dewatering pump that doesn’t need to be emptied; it pumps the water outside via a hose (away from the house!).  

5. Silt or mud may have accumulated on hard floors from floodwaters, making it slippery.   If you have any snow shovels or flat shovels and buckets, these are the tools you need to remove it. 

6. Wet carpeting and padding has to go; it is very difficult to dry and successfully salvage large areas of carpeting, except for area rugs, which must be professionally cleaned as soon as possible (consider cleaning cost versus value).  From this point on, all wet materials removed from the basement should be piled near the road where waste management can pick them up, or if you will have to haul them yourself, on a trailer outside.

7. Wet upholstered furniture and bedding (mattresses and boxsprings) have to go, because like carpet, it is too difficult to get the center of the upholstery completely dry. 

8. If you have any solid wood furniture without upholstery, you can move it outside for drying and wiping down if the weather is good.  Use rags and a cleaner like TotalClean to remove dirt and let them dry in the sun.

9. Walls: Remove all drywall and insulation below the floodline, as well as 2-4 feet up the wall.  This is because the drywall wicks up water, and the insulation behind it will be wet also.  The goal is to get the studs and all of the wall cavity dry.  If you have built-in cabinetry that has gotten wet (even an inch or two), we’re very sorry to inform you that it has to be ripped out, because there’s no way to completely dry the back of the cabinet.  🙁

10. Once the wet materials have been removed,, and throw all your tools at the remaining moisture: we’re talking fans, heaters and dehumidifiers, as each will do a different role in drying.  Fans improve air circulation.  If the temperature is cool, add a heater so that relative humidity will go down and speed up drying more.  Dehumidifiers also lower the relative humidity.  According to Cleaning and Maintenance Management, a property restoration company, here is how we can understand the drying process: “Low relative humidity (RH) is necessary for drying, as moisture in materials and air seek equilibrium. The lower the RH of the air, the quicker the wet materials will give up their moisture to become equal with the moisture in the air. …Air movement is the workhorse of drying by displacing high RH at the surface of wet materials with lower RH. Circulation airflow moves wet air to our dehumidification systems (either mechanical or ventilation), allowing us to manage RH and water vapor in the air.” 

11. If you find that musty odors have started to form, you can clear particulates from the air using a large HEPA filter with activated carbon such as our Cleanroom WindPRO 650, or if you don’t have the budget, make a Box Fan Air Cleaner, to which you can also add activated carbon to remove odors. 

12. Plugging in  Germ Defenders and Upgraded Air Angel Mobile units will assist in deterring mold growth around the basement.

13. Once everything is dry, it’s good to invite an experienced waterproofing/foundation company to inspect your basement to see if there’s anything that can be repaired or upgraded so that you (hopefully) will not have to go through such an ordeal again.  We have several articles you can use to educate yourself on waterproofing techniques: Getting the Basement Dried Out and a cautionary article: Waterproof Wall Coatings: Should You Use Them in Your Basement?  so that you will have background for a conversation with professionals on their suggested course of action.

Summer road trips: How to breathe easy wherever you go!

The great American tradition of taking a road trip during the summer is still popular after the COVID-19 pandemic, although fuel and lodging prices may cause some to shorten their range or length of stay (skift.com).  Of those staying at home instead of traveling, 33% were concerned about their own safety and the safety of others.  At HypoAir, we want everyone to enjoy their summer, and with some precautions, a road trip can be part of it!

Make sure to pack the devices that keep you safe at home:

• TotalClean is an odorless cleaner made with iodine that is safe to clean any surface, as well as deodorize the air around it!  Use it on door handles and hotel room sinks and fixtures, 
• Germ Defender and Air Angel will clean the air and surfaces in your hotel room quickly and quietly.  Simply plug them in when you arrive (Germ Defender works great in small spaces like the bathroom, and Air Angel in larger spaces like the bedroom), and return after dinner to a cleaner room.  If you don’t have a car adapter for your Air Angel, make sure to order one so you can sanitize your car everyday while you drive!
• Disposable gloves are great to have “on hand” for high-touch areas like gas pumps.  Although they are designed to be disposed of after use, if you are running low on them, a study has shown that applying hand sanitizer to the gloves does not reduce their effectiveness or increase puncturability. 
• Hand sanitizer, of course!  It’s helpful to have a pump bottle in the car so that you don’t have to fumble with a cap or handle the bottle with hands that may be contaminated.  Hand-sanitizing wipes are great for your purse, baby bag or luggage.  You can check out our post on hand sanitizers to find some that are non-toxic.
• Masks:  Bring a good supply so that you won’t be stressed about losing or re-using a masks.  See our post about face masks here.
• Snacks and drinks: you can minimize time spent to find the right snacks, eat healthier, and spend less in general by buying snacks in grocery stores before you go on your trip instead of in convenience stores along the way. (aarp.com)
• When checking your car’s fluids and systems, consider replacing the cabin air filter and vacuuming out the car so that you’ll have fresh air to breathe for all those hours on the road. 

Stopping to eat at local restaurants is part of the fun of visiting a new area.  You may opt to choose outdoor dining, which is generally safer than indoor because of the fresh air ventilation all around you, but if the restaurant doesn’t have an outdoor option, you can try a couple different strategies to avoid viruses and germs in the air:

• Request to be seated close to the door, which naturally provides ventilation as customers go in and out. 
• Use a different kind of “mask”.  Normally when masked customers are seated at a table, they unmask to eat and have conversation, which somewhat defeats the purpose of wearing a mask into the restaurant!  Instead, you can try “nasal filters”.  There are many types and most are very comfortable and undetectable, meaning you can easily wear them, be protected, wear lipstick, and let your smile say it all!  It’s best to get a few pairs and practice wearing them at home and in public before you go on your trip, to be mindful of nose breathing over mouth breathing.  The first nasal filters were invented in Thomas Carence from Kansas City, Missouri in 1901 as a solution to hay fever (news.crunchbase.com), and then, but since the pandemic the styles and sources have multiplied. The upside of wearing these filters is that they are generally more comfortable than masks, so you’re apt to wear them all day and protect yourself from other contaminants like pollen, dust and air pollution.  Here are some styles you can try:
  • O2 Nose Filters come in 4 different sizes and the webpage has helpful videos on why and how to wear them. 10 filter sets are $14.99.
  • First Defense Nasal Screens use a safe adhesive to apply the screens, for those who are wary of sticking an object into their nostrils.  A one-week supply (7 sets) is $9.98.
  • Rhinix.com is mainly marketed towards seasonal allergy sufferers but can capture any allergen the size of pollen grains (about 15 microns).  These filters were developed in 2011 by a Danish medical student and ship from Denmark.  While driving through different sections of the country, you may encounter allergens your body does not like, therefore, these are great protection that are easy to wear all day long!

Even if it’s humid outside, indoor air conditioned environments can be very drying to your nose and lungs.  This can cause you to be susceptible to allergens, viruses and bacteria.   FEND Nasal Spray works in a different way than masks.  It hydrates your nasal passages with a blend of water, calcium and sodium to enable your own respiratory system to keep producing the mucus that protects you.  The makers of FEND recommend use at least every 6 hours by spraying it into the air and breathing the mist deeply through your nostrils. 

Hotel rooms, as we mentioned, can be of particular concern during peak travel season and when you’re not sure how the hotel sanitizes.  We gave a lot of advice in our post “Hypoallergenic Hotel Suites”; here are the highlights:

• You can find a Pure Room (that has been cleaned to specific requirements) here, or search for “allergy-free hotel (destination city)” for a variety of listings.
• If you want to find out how these rooms are cleaned, instead of calling a nationwide 1-800 booking line, try to call the local hotel directly and speak to someone who is head over housekeeping or knowledgable in their practices.
• Think about bringing your own towels, sheets or sleep sack, and staying in a hotel with laundry facilities.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for a different room if you sense that yours was not cleaned well or has a musty odor (quite common in more humid areas). 

Big cities and highways can be some of the worst areas for air pollution, and sometimes it’s necessary to drive through them.  In our post about air quality inside your car, we’ve described the technique for allowing the least amount of that pollution into the cabin where you’re breathing.

• Consider signing up for a free trial or subscription at Breezometer.com in order to plan driving routes with better air quality.
• When encountering heavy pollution, it is best to close the windows, set the ventilation to “recirc” and set the fan on low.  Also, using the air conditioning will lower indoor contaminants.
• The recirc setting should only be used for a short time, because the concentration of carbon dioxide from passengers’ breathing starts to become high.

If you’re “roughing it”--whether that means using an RV or tent– campfires are fun to make for cooking food or just marshmallows and s’mores.   Building a fire outdoors will create fine and ultra-fine particulates, however, that you should avoid breathing in by staying upwind of the smoke.  Here are some other tips from clevelandclinic.org for making a safer campfire time:

• Use only untreated wood, because burning treated wood can release toxic vapors.
• If possible, avoid using manufactured logs to start the fire; here are some tips to starting a campfire (#3 on list)
• Don’t use gasoline or lighter fluid to start or maintain a campfire; not only are they dangerous to those around the fire, they can release toxins into the air. 
• Only burn on calm days (winds less than 20 miles per hour) and where there are not burn bans in effect because of forest fire danger.

Our country and roads offer some great getaways and we hope you will take advantage of them safely!