Category Archives for "Natural Home"

On a home hunt?  Make sure Air Quality is on your home inspection list!

At HypoAir, we want to give you information that will help you make healthy choices about your existing home or any home you intend to live in (purchase or rent).  Real estate sites have a lot of pretty pictures, but until you step inside a home with critical eyes (and nose), you will not know the impact it could have on your life, because indoor air quality is even more crucial than the school district or neighborhood.  We hope that this checklist helps you make sure that all areas impacting air quality are assessed and addressed.

• Button it up.  It’s 2022, nearly 50 years after the energy crisis that stimulated a myriad of home insulation and building design changes.  If we’ve learned anything, it’s that insulation and sealant against air leakages is good.  The tighter the building envelope, the better air filtering and climate condition systems can do their jobs.  We list some of the points you can check, but for top energy savings, it’s best to hire a professional home energy consultant.  Certification varies by state, and here are two national pages that may help find a consultant: hersindex.com and US Department of Energy.  However, the best place to start looking for a Home Energy Auditer is with your local power company–some even conduct energy audits for free and install energy-saving equipment like lightbulbs for free.  If you need to hire an energy consultant, here are some helpful questions to ask: how do you discover the main air flow patterns in my home?  where will you target your time?  Can you address the discomfort during (winter/summer) in (name room).  What are the average savings homeowners realize with your services?  Energy consultants can perform a blower door test, and use infrared scanners and smoke tools to see the larger leaks that most inexperienced homeowners will miss.  According to energy expert Ken Gadsby, “doors and windows only account for 20-30% of air leakage in most cases”, while it is more cost and time effective to go after the other 70-80% that is coming from elsewhere. (from Solar Age article referenced here).   If you decide to do your own checks with equipment, you may want to buy a smoke pencil to find hidden leaks, you’ll want to find one that is not toxic. This brand uses glycerine, propylene glycol and distilled water to generate a non-toxic white smoke.  There are two main types of air leaks in buildings - direct leaks through the exterior walls or ceiling to the outdoors, and indirect air leaks through interior partition walls, ceilings, or stairwells and plumbing chases. (inspectapedia.com)  
  • Indirect leaks may be part of a larger convective air loop, where void spaces in walls and ceilings can pump warm air out of a house during the winter, or into a house during the summer.  You or the energy consultant may need to investigate penetrations such as ceiling lights and bathroom exhaust fans and uninsulated void spaces like ductwork, soffits (commonly above kitchen cabinets) and firewalls.  It may be that simply installing a physical barrier will interrupt the air loop and stop energy loss.  This can be done retroactively by drilling holes and using spray foam to seal cavities at the ceiling/floor level, sealing plates and void wall tops, etc.  
  • Direct leaks may occur around baseboard heaters, wall sockets and light switches (check out these easy gaskets), around window and door frames/molding, and around penetrations through exterior walls such as cable/telephone wires and gas lines.  These can be resolved with some low VOC caulk.  For larger penetrations like plumbing and drain lines, the only spray foam sealant that is UL GreenGuard Gold Certified is made by FOMO Products Inc., called Handifoam Window & Door.  Some penetrations, like electrical wires, may need a fireblock sealant by code, and Handifoam Fireblock is also GreenGuard Gold Certified.
  • Seal the attic: to vent or not to vent?  Attics are typically very hot or very cold, because the builder chose not to include this space in the conditioned space.  If an attic is insulated on the floor and interior wall boundaries, it will need to be vented so that it acclimatizes to exterior conditions and doesn’t hold excess moisture.  In the case of vented attics, according to the US Department of Energy, just a ¼” gap around the hatch (for a pull down ladder) is equivalent to a ceiling register removing heat from a room.  There are manufacturers of attic stair covers that can seal this difficult opening well.  Secondly, any air conditioning ducts in the attic must be sealed at all joints, which is something you may be able to do yourself.  As for the rest of the attic, this guide has details of all the places to check for undesirable ventilation.  On the other hand, if you live in a hot, humid climate, or want to reserve the attic for extra living space, then it’s wise to move the envelope to the roof line, and make the attic part of your entire’s home conditioned space.  Here is a page that will help you decide between venting and sealing the attic.
  • Seal the fireplace.   In general, it is the fireplace damper that opens or closes the chimney space to your firebox.  It needs to be closed when not in use, but if there is no damper, or it doesn’t seal properly, you can check out this page to decide how to seal it.  Just as importantly, the fireplace surround should be sealed to the stone or brickwork, and vents can be sealed off with magnetic covers.
  • Crawlspaces can be a source of home energy loss or increased heating bills, as well as mold and rot issues (inspectipedia.com)  The old recommendation was to thoroughly ventilate crawlspaces in order to prevent these issues, but now the recommendation is convert the crawl area to a conditioned space with vapor barriers and insulation.  Recognizing air leaks, humidity and mold issues in crawlspaces (and unconditioned basements) needs to be addressed!
• Not location, location, location: Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation!   Tight building envelopes without fresh air ventilation are unhealthy, and leaky building envelopes with the wrong types of ventilation also create problems.  Unfortunately, the average American home has no dedicated fresh air ventilation system. (buildinggreen.com) According to ASHRAE standards (formerly called the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers), homes should receive 0.35 air changes per hour, but not less than 15 cfm (cubic feet per minute) fresh air per person (EPA.gov).  There are 4 types of dedicated mechanical ventilation; we discuss these in our post “How does indoor air pressure affect ventilation and air quality?”  Most home energy consultants recommend a balanced ventilation system that includes an HRV or ERV, however in hot and humid climates additional dehumidification will be necessary, because ERV’s actually raise the humidity level in your home.  
• Humidity.  If the interior stays above 60% relative humidity for long periods of time, it’s not a question of if, but a question of when, mold will become a problem.  Arming yourself with a simple humidity sensor on a home tour can confirm what your senses may already be telling you–does it seem too humid?  Or too dry?  Dry air can cause germs to live longer in the air, posing increased risk of respiratory infection.  You can do an inventory in your own home with our post “Humidity and an Indoor Moisture Inventory”, and HVAC experts in your area can help rectify under or over humidification with the right equipment.  The following graph shows the benefits of keeping it between 30-60%:

• Radon.  According to the EPA, radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.  A colorless, odorless gas that seeps naturally from certain underground rocks, radon can permeate basement walls and foundations, as well as contaminate ground or well water.  It’s best to have the home’s air and water checked for radon levels, and if present, investigate mitigation systems (you can find local qualified contractors through the link on this page, and information on water testing labs here).  
• Mold.  As mentioned in our post “Taking our homes back from mold”, using a home inspector who is equipped with forward-looking infrared radar (FLIR) gives you “x-ray views” of hidden sources of mold.  FLIR is a type of thermographic camera that detects infrared radiation, and while it is used in military and spy applications(!), it is also extremely useful in locating areas behind walls where water intrusion may be present, making a hospitable area for mold.  Such a home inspector will also be intimately familiar with construction methods that can be causing moisture issues now or may cause them in the future. 
• Active Air Filtration and Purification.   Buttoning up the envelope and ventilating properly are non-negotiable basics; filtration and purification step up the breathability and comfort of your air.   Is the only air filtration in your existing or potential home done through the furnace filter?  If so, additional filtration and/or purification in the HVAC or standalone will help with dust, seasonal allergies, viruses, mold spores and mycotoxins, and pet dander. 
• Old House Materials.  Asbestos and lead paint are still out there in older buildings (pre-1978 for lead paint and pre-1989 for asbestos), and disturbing them will bring these hazardous materials into the air.  It’s best to make sure that your home inspector identifies any sources of these materials in case you get the (common) urge to renovate!
• Gas appliances.  Heartbreaking but vital information for foodies: gas stoves can throw quite a bit of VOCs and fine particulates (PM2.5) into the air, in addition to whatever you are cooking and what you are cooking it in.  If you plan on keeping or installing a gas stove, make sure that the ventilator hood is powerful enough for the space (check out our post ‘Humidity and an Indoor Moisture Inventory’) and it works quietly, so that you will be inclined to use it to whisk away harmful chemicals and particles.  In addition, inquire about any other gas appliances such as water heaters, clothes dryers and space heaters.  The inspector should note their age and condition (gas orifices can wear or rust over time, causing poor combustion) and if they are vented properly.  Here’s a good article for those who like to see what I’m talking about! 
• Outdoor sources of pollution.  Does it make sense to include the outdoors in an indoor air quality survey?  Yes–and here’s why.  No matter how tight your home’s envelope, we hope that there will be ample times of the year when the weather outside is just so gorgeous that it’s impossible to keep the windows closed.  At that moment, do you want to be worrying about what kind of air pollution could enter your home?  Although there’s little you can do about these sources, it’s good to know what they are and how often they may affect your ability to open windows, depending on the wind and weather conditions.  Here are just some of examples of outdoor air pollution: living near 
  • a busy thoroughfare or bus station
  • oil wells or refineries
  • trash dump
  • Stagnant farm pond or standing water (like used tire recycling center)
  • neighbors who burn trash or wood consistently
  • farms that crop dust or use aerosolized fertilizers
  • Areas that employ insecticide spray trucks
  • Golf courses and other public areas that use copious lawn treatments
  • Businesses that perform outdoor renovation work like sanding or spray painting
  • Seasonal issues like wildfires, tree pollen, ragweed, etc.
• New house smell.  New homes, just like new cars, can have many sources of VOCs, most dangerous and common among them being formaldehyde.  If you consider a newly finished or furnished home, find out if it has the following:
  • Press-board cabinets (most commonly found in kitchen, bathroom and garage)
  • Paneling 
  • An attached garage (see next point)
  • Whole-home air fresheners: terpenes in air fresheners can react with ozone to create formaldehyde (bustmold.com)
  • New drapery (International Association of Certified Home Inpectors)

Those were the biggest offenders, but new vinyl windows, insulation, drywall, caulks and adhesives can also off-gas VOCs.  This site gives detailed reviews on building products that “cure” quickly or are more tolerable for chemically-sensitive people.

• Attached Garage.  What?  Why is my attached garage a liability?  Attached garages are used for activities that people normally wouldn’t do in the home, AND they usually have air leaks that can infiltrate the home, since they are attached.  That’s why generators, motor vehicles and combustion-driven lawn equipment should never be allowed to “idle” or run continuously in the garage, even with the door open!  Also, although it may be the only sheltered place available to do home projects and hobbies, do realize that the fumes from paints and glues may work their way into the home through a leaky door, vents, and other unseen air passageways.  
• EMFs.  Although their effects are very controversial, electromagnetic fields (such as wi-fi, high-voltage power lines and stations outside and communications towers) can actually contribute to lower air quality in a home that is predisposed to mold issues.  If you have researched this topic and are concerned, you will want to know EMF sources in the neighborhood, as well the types of the wi-fi router and smart appliances, and where they are located.  Studies have found that mold growing in homes or buildings can actually be amplified by EMFs – causing mold to grow more rapidly and spread further. EMFs may also trigger the mold spores floating around in your house or body to release more mycotoxins. (jillcarnahan.com).  See our post ‘Taking our homes back from mold’ for more information.
• Wildlife.  Crazy as it sounds, if you live in an area with certain protected species, you may not be able to evict them without a special permit, or during certain times of the year.  For example, the Florida bonneted bat is a Federally endangered species that cannot be evicted from a home or building without a permit (floridabonnetedbat.org). Bat guano is extremely fragile and can become airborne if it is disturbed. Inhaling bat guano can spread Histoplasmosis, a major respiratory illness, and rabies to you and your family. (skedaddlewildlife.com ; this page also shows a short video of how bats can enter the home through the smallest of spaces!)  We at HypoAir were contacted by a homeowner who was not allowed to evict a family of bats during breeding season, and so sought air purification methods.  

Research on home air quality can help you avoid or mitigate unhealthy living spaces, make your home more comfortable, and even save money in many cases!  Make sure to check the date of any published materials on- or offline, because building codes and theories about air quality change (for example, some of the Building America recommendations made in 2005 have been superceded by newer technology).  Thoroughly inspecting and researching where you and your family will spend most of their time is worth it!

How does indoor air pressure affect ventilation and air quality?

If you’ve read some of our posts, you’ve probably heard how passionate we are about ventilation for indoor spaces.  Most old and new buildings just do not have sufficient fresh air flowing in, resulting in ill health for the building and its occupants!  This post is about the role indoor air pressure plays in ventilation and air quality. 

The air pressure we’re talking about inside your home is relative, meaning, it is higher or lower relative to the outdoors pressure.  Normal outdoor air pressure at sea level is 101,325 pascals, which is also equal to 14.7 pounds per square inch, or 29.92 inches of mercury, and it can go up or down slightly according to the weather.  Now, if the air inside your home has a pressure lower than the outside, then it would be slightly lower than 101,325 pascals, and the relative pressure would be the difference between the two pressures (like 20 pascals).  

If your home is very tightly sealed, it would be able to maintain a pressure differential like this for some time.  However, this is very rare.  Most homes are not tightly sealed, so air will flow from the area of higher pressure to the the area of lower pressure (in this case, from outside to inside).  Air pressure, like water and other sources of energy, tend to flow from high to low pressure: this is the second law of thermodynamics, which is explained well here. 

Air pressure differential has been used to control air movement for a long time.  Negative pressure has been a principle in design of multi-family homes and apartment buildings in order to get fresh air to ventilate the building.  In this case, constant negative air pressure inside the building is needed to continually draw fresh air in from the outside through passive vents or windows.  To generate negative air pressure, architects place exhaust vents in strategic places, like bathrooms and kitchens, where it’s desirable to draw out humid, odorous air anyway, and feed them into ventilation shafts.  This part of the design is not the problem, however; the problem is that the apartments or homes are not tightly sealed, so that replacement air (flowing into the negative pressure space) does not always come from dedicated passive vents or open windows.  If it’s too cold or too hot and windows are closed, air may be drawn in from the neighbor’s (smoky) apartment, or through leaks on the side of the building beside a busy street, or through the corridor and door leading from the parking garage.  

The only way to get negative pressure ventilation to work in a controlled way is to (very) tightly seal the home. During a research project for for the Building America program under the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Steven Winter Associates sealed several apartments manually (using weatherstripping, caulk, etc.–see below “apartment sealed to 0.27 CM50/SF”), and UC Davis sealed several other apartments using an aerosol sealing technology (see below “apartment sealed to 0.08 CM50/SF”).  This is where a fog of sealant is applied while pressurizing the apartment, so that air flowing out of the apartment carries the sealant and “plugs” any leaks along the way.  Of course, this method can only be applied before the apartment is finished, however, the “tightness” of the building envelope achieved by this technology is dramatic, as shown in the graphs of the ventilation tests. 

Photo of aerosol sealing during installation (energy.gov)

It can be inferred from the graphs that getting sufficient fresh air from dedicated vents is only possible when the apartment or home is tightly sealed–otherwise air is just as likely to come from undesirably-located leaks and other apartments.  Sealing a home to 0.1 CM50/SF or less, as in the second graph, is uncommon even in the best “green” buildings.  Therefore, relying solely on negative pressure ventilation is not an effective strategy–especially if you’re interested in good indoor air quality while looking at buying an existing home.  

Let’s switch over to positive pressure ventilation.  This strategy is used in “clean rooms”, CPAP machines (continuous positive airway pressure), and wherever you want to supplement a space with fresh air in a controlled way, not just allowing outside air to flow in by chance.  The air supplied will come from the outside, but in order to make sure it’s clean and at the right temperature and humidity, it will need to be filtered and “conditioned” if necessary, by the HVAC system.  As an example, the AirCycler g1 (www.aircycler.com) comes with a programmable damper system.  It will open the fresh air intake damper as required and run the air handler fan on a user-specified schedule (typically, for 10 minutes every ½ hour to 1 hour).  This works fine in normal homes, which are leaky enough that the house is not really pressurized to any great extent- air will just flow out of the available cracks and crevices of the home.

Third, with modern technology, we can even get ventilation with no pressure differential, which is called a “balanced” system.  The simplest concept is to utilize a system such as the Aircycler g2 and your bathroom exhaust fan.  The g2 will tell the bathroom exhaust fan to turn on at the same time it opens and turns on the air handler unit, causing your HVAC unit to pull fresh air in through a damper, filter and condition it, distribute it throughout your home, and exhaust stale air through the bathroom exhaust vent.  In this manner, there is no appreciable pressure differential, just 2 fans working to add fresh air and exhaust stale air from your home on a predetermined schedule/volume.

For a practical demonstration of the differences among these 3 systems and how to measure air flow, I suggest this video. 

The next “upgrade” to the balanced system is using an HRV or ERV (heat recovery ventilator or energy recovery ventilator), which works with your HVAC to reduce energy costs of pulling in that fresh but unconditioned air.  When there is a large temperature or humidity differential between the outdoors and indoors, simply dumping outside air into your HVAC inlet causes it to use a lot of energy to bring that air up or down in temperature and humidity.  A heat recovery ventilator will use the temperature of the exhaust air to close the gap in temperature, and an energy recovery ventilator will use the temperature and humidity of the exhaust air to close the gap in temperature and humidity.  UltimateAir, AprilAire, Panasonic, Broan, Honeywell and FanTech are some of the manufacturers of whole-house ERV’s, which have a larger up-front cost than negative, positive, or balanced systems alone, but have payback periods of 3 years or less when you factor in the energy cost savings.  

There is one more consideration when deciding on what type of ventilation to pursue: condensation.  Both negative and positive air pressure will cause condensation in undesirable places if there is an extreme difference in air temperature between inside and outside.  This is most notable in the following situations: 

• With negatively-pressured rooms in the summer, unintended leaks can draw in humid air and cause condensation and mold problems.  This happened on Texas A&M campus in several buildings due to poor design or building change orders during construction (study)
• With positively-pressured homes in the winter, at some point in the air passageway to the outside, the warm moist air from inside encounters a cold surface and condensation and mold can form (ecohome.net).

Here are some pros and cons to these different systems:

There you have it–the 3-½ ways of ventilating your home!  If you want to measure the pressure in your home or a home you are thinking of purchasing, manometers are used to measure air pressure and other gas pressures.  It’s possible to make a simple manometer with some plastic tubing, colored water and a few other supplies, but if you want to measure the pressure of a room, you’ll probably want to use a digital manometer.  This is because very slight air pressure differentials are generated for ventilation purposes within homes, and it would be hard to distinguish them with the homemade manometer.  For example, only 20 Paschals of negative pressure, or 0.08 inches of water, should cause the required 7.5 CFM of air to flow through a trickle vent for dilution ventilation, but this would be difficult to measure on a homemade manometer.  Digital manometers are best suited for this purpose, and ventilation supply companies sell them, or you can rent them in select states from some companies (such as JMTest).

In order to measure the pressure of a room (for example, a negative pressure room like a bathroom) with reference to another room (the hallway outside) with a digital manometer, you will need to: 

• Turn on the manometer and make sure it reads zero differential pressure.  If not, use the owner’s manual to “zero” the instrument.
• Prepare the manometer tubing–make sure it has no kinks in it.  Connect the tubing to the negative port. 
• Turn off the exhaust fan of the bathroom.
• Close all the doors and windows to the room you are measuring.  You will be standing outside in the hallway, which is the “with reference to” room. 
• The positive port will remain open/unconnected to any tubing.
• Place the other end of the tubing under the door of the bathroom and allow pressure to stabilize, then record reading.  There should be very little to zero pressure differential. 
• Open the door and turn on the exhaust fan, then close the door again (remain outside).
• After a few minutes of running the exhaust fan, take a reading and record it.  This should be a reading similar to ‘0.2” w.c.’ which is a slight pressure differential in inches of water column, a standard unit of measurement for ventilation pressures in the US.

Do Trickle Vents Really Work?

In our post “How does indoor air pressure affect Ventilation and Air Quality?” we discussed the pros and cons of negative, positive, balanced and balanced with HRV/ERV ventilation. We really do think that balanced ventilation is the way to go, but not everyone is convinced.  In the UK and Europe, negative pressure ventilation is common through the combined use of trickle vents and kitchen and bath exhaust fans.  Trickle vents are offered on new window frames and there are options for retrofitting them into existing frames.  

It may sound like a drippy register, but “trickle vents” are designed to provide “background ventilation” and remove condensation from a house. They supposedly have several advantages:

• You can ventilate your home during most types of weather, no matter if it’s rainy or not.  The design of most trickle vents does not allow water to be forced in even during windy rainstorms.

• You can ventilate your home more safely than opening the window.  Homes and apartments with first-floor access have considerably more risk of break-ins than higher stories, so opening windows, even with nightlatches, is often a safety risk.  Trickle vents allow safe ventilation, whether you’re at home or away.

• You can control the ventilation with adjustable trickle vents.  Too much draft on a cold day is not nice, so you can open the vent partially or close it altogether on some windows.

• Trickle vents supposedly provide minimal ventilation where homes are built tightly and windows are rarely opened.  This allows toxic chemicals that build up from off-gassing and normal daily activities like cooking and cleaning, to be diluted and vented.

• Trickle vent options include ones that automatically open at preset humidity or temperature levels.

Of course, there are cons to trickle vents.  Complaints most often center on noise and wind.  If the home is located on a busy street which has a lot of car and truck traffic, or is in a windy area, trickle vents break the insulative qualities of the window to let in traffic and wind noise.  Some designs are better than others at attenuating noise, so design of the vent is important to consider when installing new windows. 

Now, do they work?  Since they were mandated in the UK for some time (2006-2021 from what I’ve read), it seems to me that they were proven to do the job, but in reality, they probably were not.  According to a research project funded by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as part of the Building America program (here is a summary by one of the authors), fresh-air ventilation like trickle vents usually does not work the way it is intended.  In order for it to do so, the home must be sealed very tightly except for the vent, and rooms must be in constant negative pressure.  In most cases (which are normal or poorly sealed homes) cracks around the main entrance door overwhelmed the amount of ventilation coming through dedicated vents like trickle vents.  Ventilation in multi-family homes in particular is unpredictable, because pressure in the corridors and apartments fluctuate depending on weather, wind, and occupation of the buildings.  The end result is that the theory of exhaust-only ventilation was not working in real life.  According to the theory, “consistent negative pressures of up to 20 Pa are needed to draw air from the vents at the rates desired”.  No wonder there are so many moisture, mold and air quality problems in modern homes!  The air exchange is not working as exhaust-only ventilation plans have been designed.

In the end, the author of the aforementioned research project still advocated for tighter buildings and controlled ventilation via balanced ventilation and energy recovery units and whole-home dehumidifiers (if necessary).  These do have higher up-front costs, but they deliver consistently healthier air, and the paybacks are short (under 5 years).  

Obviously, if I lived in the UK and was required to have trickle vents in windows, I might not be inclined to “do the research” because they seem to be a reasonable source of ventilation.  Living in 2022, even better ways of getting fresh-air ventilation are constantly being designed and with many sources of information at our fingertips, we can choose more wisely.

What the “Right”  Vacation does for us (and why we should start taking them)

It used to be that we booked vacations, even through travel agents.  Not stay-cations, not busman’s holidays (a British term that according to wiktionary, was first recorded in 1893 in the UK. The idea is that a busman, to go off on a holiday, would take an excursion by bus, thereby engaging in a similar activity to his work.)  The (non-refundable) plane tickets were purchased, the hotels were booked, the suitcases were packed, and unless tragedy struck, we were going!  

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans already fell short in taking paid time off (PTO) days, mainly due to the competitive nature of workplaces (often perpetuated by managers), short-staffed work environments, or the expectation to work remotely while on vacation (BBC).   Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American workaholic now has more reasons to leave PTO on the table: 

• Plane and public transportation seem risky
• Popular destinations have reduced availability or limitations that don’t seem fun
• It’s harder to arrange caretaking responsibilities since the pandemic

According to a survey taken in July 2020 ( in the US), over 90% of Americans either canceled, postponed, or simply didn’t book vacations (based on feedback from 2027 people).  However, surveys (Expedia regarding 2021 and Qualtrics taken in January 2022) show that Americans have resumed taking vacations at a rate that is still less than needed, and are still working during vacations. 

Here’s why we need to step up our vacation game (Forbes):  

• Taking time off is “integral to (employee) well-being, sustained productivity and high performance” 
• Vacation time increases mindfulness, which means that being out of our normal routine prevents us from operating on autopilot!
• Vacation time improves heart health by decreasing symptoms of metabolic syndrome (study).  Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes (Mayo Clinic)
• Vacation time reduces stress, which is another boost for good health.  Another post on stress (Increasing our bodies’ resistance to mold) show that stress induces lowered immunity and cell aging, death, and deformation.
• Vacation time increases brainpower, because our most creative ideas are generated when we are in a relaxed state of mind.
• Vacation time improves sleep.  According to a New Zealand Air study,  people on vacation generally sleep one hour longer and continue this schedule when they return home.  

So why do we fall into the perception that taking a vacation will negatively affect us?  It requires changing our mindset.  Contrary to the perception that taking a vacation will put us at a disadvantage, consider these facts from Harvard Business Review:

1. People who take all of their vacation time have a 6.5% higher chance of getting a promotion or a raise than people who leave 11 or more days of paid time off on the table.
2. The right vacation increases positive thinking, which in turn can cause productivity to improve by 31%, sales to increase by 37%, and creativity and revenues can triple.  What is the “right” vacation?  It’s one where travel stress is reduced.   Here are the ways you can plan the right vacation and get those benefits:

a) plan a month in advance and prepare your coworkers for your time away

b) go outside your city (the further the better)

c) meet with a local host or other knowledgeable guide at the location, and 

d) have the travel details set before going.

3. Your manager will perceive you as more productive, because employee happiness is perceived as productivity.
4. Consider that you are giving yourself a pay cut every time you don’t take all of your PTO.  Why?  If you’re a salaried employee, and if paid vacation is part of your compensation package, you’re essentially taking a voluntary pay cut when you work instead of taking that vacation time. 

We at HypoAir would also add that the “right” vacation spot is one with great air quality.  If you are used to working indoors, try booking a vacation in a spot with stellar air quality, like one of these US cities with the cleanest air, or one of these international cities with the cleanest air.  Your lungs and body will thank you!  If you plan on going to a more polluted city, be sure to bring your Air Angel along to get clean air in your hotel room and car.

Be a leader!  Consider your vacation as part of your pay, as a project with payoff, and as part of your own self-care.  Even if the culture in your office is anti-vacation, act as a visionary leader: encourage your co-workers by offering a pact to support one another before, during and after vacations.  You never know; your determination to take your full vacation could change the culture.  The “right” vacations require effort, but it’s effort that is well-rewarded in better health, and happiness at work. It’s a project that really does pay off! 

Why is the Sun in the news so much lately (and what does this mean for me?)

Sometimes with natural disasters and “acts of God” I wonder, was this happening before with the same frequency/intensity while I wasn’t paying attention, or are they really becoming worse?  Hurricanes. Winter storms. Earthquakes. and…Corona Mass Ejections (CMEs).   

This “corona” event refers to explosions that  originate in magnetically disturbed regions of the corona, the Sun's upper atmosphere (UCAR Center for Science Education).  In addition, CMEs tend to originate in or near sunspots–those darkened spots on the sun's surface which are have a high magnetic disturbance and much lower temperature than the surrounding gasses. CMEs and solar flares are similar, however CMEs may or may not occur with solar flares.  Here’s the difference between them, as explained by NASA:  “The flare is like the muzzle flash, which can be seen anywhere in the vicinity. The CME is like the cannonball, propelled forward in a single, preferential direction, this mass ejected from the barrel only affecting a targeted area. This is the CME—an immense cloud of magnetized particles hurled into space. Traveling over a million miles per hour, the hot material called plasma takes up to three days to reach Earth.“ 

We are seeing more news headlines about CMEs because we are nearing the peak of a solar cycle, which happens approximately every 11 years.  The peak this time will be the mid-2020’s.  Already CMEs are causing greater areas of northern lights, when the radiation hits gasses in the earth’s upper atmosphere, as well as satellite damage.  We’re warned that it can cause power outages and communications blackouts on earth, and there are many famous stories of solar storms that wreaked havoc on earth, including the one in 1967 that nearly caused a nuclear war when it jammed anti-missile radars. 

CMEs obviously can do a lot of damage to our technologies on earth.  Yet, most of the news headlines say that CMEs pose no threat to humans on the earth’s surface.  Why is that?

Like many other dangers we face everyday (mold, toxic chemicals from the products we use, EMF radiation), this is a case that the majority of people will not feel differently because of a peak in the solar cycle.  Those who have heart-sensitive conditions, however, may notice it. Several studies over the last few decades show that geomagnetic activity (GMA) and geomagnetic storms (GMS) do affect our physiology.  Most interestingly, a meta-study published in 2021  shows the following:

• According to a Bulgarian study, mean arterial systolic and diastolic pressure (key blood pressure measurements) increased statistically significantly during increased GMA and decreases in CRI (cosmic ray intensity).  The same research concluded that stress and the ability to concentrate and work can be affected by GMA.

• Cardiovascular disease is affected by space weather.  The most important and statistically significant results for myocardial infractions (heart attacks) and strokes are observed on days of geomagnetic disturbances accompanied by FDs (Forbush Decreases, which occur right after CMEs reach earth and sweep cosmic rays away from the earth). 

• In Sofia, Bulgaria and Baku, Azerbaijan, the frequency of acute myocardial infarction increased from one day before to one day after the occurrence of geomagnetic storms of different intensities.

• In Lithuania, the total monthly number of deaths (total, stroke, suicide, and deaths due to non-cardiovascular causes) was significantly correlated with solar and geomagnetic activity and is significantly correlated with cosmic rays.

• An increased risk of different subtypes of stroke may be related to geomagnetic storms, very low GMA, and stronger solar flares and solar proton events.

• Systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity may be influenced by geomagnetic disturbances, including the level of geomagnetic activity, sunspot numbers, and high proton flux events.

• For the studies that included both sexes, women were more sensitive/impacted by GMA than men.

• There is a point at the peak of the solar cycle when the sun’s magnetic field reverses polarity.  This event was correlated to the sign and the value of the relation of the patients’ number with the types of arrhythmias and the solar, cosmic ray, and geomagnetic parameters. 

These types of trends can only be seen when analyzing large groups of people and correcting for seasonal, demographic, diet differences, and so forth.  However, it’s not “in our heads” that cosmic rays affect us here on the earth’s surface.  They do, unfortunately for the most sensitive, have an effect.

Amazingly, almost all recorded influenza/possible pandemics have occurred in time frames corresponding to sunspot extremes, or +/- 1 year within such extremes. These periods were identified as important risk factors in both possible and confirmed influenza pandemics (2016 study).  The inference is that maximum and minimum sunspot activity (and thus geomagnetic field activity on earth) actually causes viruses to mutate and cause epidemics or pandemics.  This is a very interesting topic on its own!

Figure source: Revealing the relationship between solar activity and COVID-19 and forecasting of possible future viruses using multi-step autoregression (MSAR)

How then do we prevent negative effects of geomagnetic storms on us?  By examining the ways in which these storms can disrupt our lives, we can prepare for them, and subsequently be less stressed emotionally and physically.  Here are some points that lead to how GMS are hypothesized to affect us. 

• Cryptochromes are …blue-light photoreceptor flavoproteins, first identified in plants in 1993 and since found in bacteria, insects, and animals. It is known that animals navigate primarily via 2 systems: permanent ferromagnetic crystals found in vertebrates’ sinuses, and/or a cryptochrome-mediated radical-pair based paramagnetic detection located in the eye (2012 study).   Similarly, humans have been found to have a weaker magnetosense involving both ferromagnetic crystals and cryptochrome genes, and experiments investigating humans’ magnetosense have been replicated.

• The 2012 study acknowledges the two functions of cryptochrome (one is to act as a geomagnetic compass, the other is to act as a circadian oscillator), and further proposes that GMS interfere with our circadian rhythm through the cryptochrome genes, which control the hormone melatonin.  

• Besides regulating our circadian rhythm, melatonin has an even more important function: as an antioxidant protecting cells from oxidative damage (2015 study).

• According to this 2019 study, “cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death worldwide with several conditions being affected by oxidative stress. Increased reactive oxygen species lead to decreased nitric oxide availability and vasoconstriction, promoting arterial hypertension.”

The takeaway from this reasoning is that the most likely method geomagnetic storms cause adverse health is that they disrupt our melatonin levels, leaving our bodies more stressed not only from disruptive sleep, but also from increased oxidative stress.  Contrary to covering your home or head in aluminum foil, there are practical ways to protect your body from the effects of GMS.    Novel methods have been attempted with positive results, such as supplementing melatonin for at-risk cardiovascular patients (2007 study).  Without drugs, we can practice all the good ways of maintaining healthy melatonin levels and adequate sleep, to “beat the odds” (see our post on Maximizing your sleep).   Also, we can increase our bodies’ resistance to mold and viruses naturally (read our post here).  

The “other” stress factor of GMS: if you are reading this, chances are high that the internet and electricity play a big role in your life.  Large solar storms can knock power grids, cellular communications and internet services out, so even if you haven’t experienced a prolonged power outage in your life, it’s smart to plan for one by having essentials prepared.  Weather.gov has some good tips about preparedness, but also be sure to visit their link at ready.gov to build your emergency kit.  (Maybe you’ll want to add some melatonin and sleep masks in there!)

Obviously, solar storms and the solar cycle are not within our control, but the way we respond to them can be!

Maximizing Your Sleep

For many of us, sleep is the “margin” in our day; everyone and everything that needs more time usually sucks it out of our sleep time.  It’s not supposed to be that way, but until you can put a lock on your sleep time, there are ways to maximize the hours you do get.

There are several critical and some helpful factors in maximizing sleep: air, light and noise.

Air: Of course, you can’t sleep well when you can’t breathe well.  Spending 7+ hours in one room of your house with the intention of “recharging” your body, deserves a hard look at your sleep environment and what you are breathing in.  Here’s the facts, some of which are from the The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA):

• Keep pets out of the bedroom
• Wash bedding once a week in water that is at least 130 deg. F
• Use bedding that is hypoallergenic, such as organic cotton and silk for sheets, and synthetics such as memory foam, latex and polyester fiber for durables like pillows, mattress toppers and mattresses.  See our related posts on The Matrix of Mattresses and Bedding for Better Sleep.
• Encase the mattress and pillows in hypoallergenic casings to protect from dust mites and allergens infestation. Vacuum the bedroom floor and mattress weekly with a HEPA vacuum cleaner (see our recommendations on Vacuums)
• Shower and put on clean nightclothes every night if possible, to remove pollen.  If you don’t shower every night, you can do a quick wash with a wet washcloth.   Cover or wash your hair at night.  (Using shampoo every day is not good either, but you can try a quick “rinse” with or without conditioner, to remove most of the pollen.)  
• Remove wet or damp clothing to another room (but don’t let it pile up anywhere!)
• Replace your mattress every 10 years, and pillows every 2 years, to reduce allergens in bedding and air
• Off-gas (air out) new furniture in another room (see our FAQ about Off-gassing)
• Remove scented candles and potpourri
• Use a certified air cleaner (HypoAir has not been certified by the AAFA, but our units definitely reduce allergens and VOCs, as proven in numerous studies).
• If you have a connected bathroom: 
  • Run a bathroom fan at least 15-20 minutes after showering
  • Fix leaks
  • Clean the shower, sink and tub often to prevent mold (see our related post on non-toxic cleaners)

Darkness:  No matter what the sun is doing outside, our bodies need darkness to enter into the “sleep mode” of our circadian rhythm.  Darkness also cues our pineal gland to produce melatonin, an important sleep-inducing chemical.

The sun’s light during the day is a very powerful, intense light (estimated at up to 10,000 lux, which is a measure of light intensity).  This is way more intense than office lighting (around 500 lux), or artificial lighting at home.  However, even just a little light can disrupt our circadian rhythm, so it’s best to sleep with as little light as possible.  Try to leave electronic devices that emit light (phones, tablets, televisions) out of the bedroom so that these don’t delay dim light melatonin onset (DLMO), the time when your body starts to produce melatonin.

There are many products that help us avoid light in the few hours before and during sleep:

• Use blue light filtering glasses in the hours before sleep: https://www.swanwicksleep.com/
• Replace white light bulbs with red or amber ones in the lights you may use at night, such as in the bathroom or hall nightlights, because red and amber light does not cause disruption in the sleep cycle.
• Using a sleep mask that’s comfortable will eliminate residual light because just closing your eyes is not enough, unless your room is pitch dark.  This study showed that light transmitted through the eyelids reduces melatonin production significantly, and also delays the timing of DLMO.  Sleep masks used to be a one-size fits all, flimsy device that ended up on the floor or around your neck; I know because I have used them for a long time!  However, there are some great ones out there now that:
  • Are weighted to provide gentle pressure around the eyes
  • Have contoured eye cups to allow eyes to move during sleep
  • Are large and stay on better than other masks

Noise:  It’s tempting to listen to music at night to “wind down”, but it actually has the opposite effect, and surprisingly, instrumental music (without lyrics) interrupts sleep the most!  "Almost everyone thought music improves their sleep, but we found those who listened to more music slept worse," Scullin said. "What was really surprising was that instrumental music led to worse sleep quality -- instrumental music leads to about twice as many earworms." (Michael Scullin, Ph. D, in his study on how earworms, those songs that replay in your head even when the music stops, affect sleep).  

Being a “light sleeper”, college dormitory rooms were crushing my ability as a late teen to sleep deeply.  That’s when I discovered ear plugs.  The right ear plugs do not block out fire alarms or even loud cell phone rings, but dampen noise just enough to allow your body to get that sleep it so desperately needs.  Many people claim they cannot stand something in their ears while sleeping, but like sleep masks, earplugs have evolved too!  Here are some choices beyond the usual foam inserts:

• Happy Ears, designed in Sweden, come in different sizes so you can find the right size for you.
• This mask/ear muff combo is good for those who don’t want anything in their ears during sleep.
• Taking the combo a step further, this comfy mask offers 3 levels of white noise in the ear section to cancel outside noise.

So, we've got the basics: air, light and noise.  Check out our posts on The Matrix of Mattresses and Bedding for Better Sleep to keep maximizing your sleep.

Why selecting and sizing your HVAC system is critical for healthy air (and what to do when it’s not sized or balanced correctly)

A home’s HVAC system may seem like a commodity when building a new home, but it’s one of the most important selections you can make for your health.  When purchasing an existing home, it becomes apparent very quickly if the HVAC system “fits” the needs of the home!  An HVAC system needs to be (health effects are prioritized first!):

• Sized correctly:  This means that the main equipment (compressor, evaporator and air handler) are not too large or too small for the cooling and heating needs of the home.  Having excess capacity in an HVAC system is just as bad, or worse, than having equipment that is undersized, because the units may cool, but not adequately dehumidify the space.  HVAC contractors should be able to calculate the thermal needs of your home in order to specify this equipment.
• Balanced correctly:  Even if you are living in a large studio apartment, there can be hot or cool spots if the system is not balanced well.  This means that ducts take into account the distance and routing from the unit, and some dampers may be needed in order to direct the air flow more evenly.  In addition, more twists and turns in the ducts cause pressure drop, restricting air flow.  
• Ventilated correctly:  Although this is not a requirement in the lists of Forbes and Consumer Reports, we at HypoAir argue that fresh air ventilation needs to be incorporated into any new or older system for healthy air quality.  Period.
• Be efficient: Electric costs are increasing, just like costs for everything else.  With new inverter technology, it’s possible to get the same cooling and heating capacity at less cost. 
• Maintained easily:  Will your system require custom filters that are hard to find (especially in this age of shortages) and does the installation company also offer maintenance plans?  
• Not be the center of attention:  I’m talking about noise!  With older units, you can sometimes hear a distinguishable knock when the compressor kicks on. Maybe the “whistle” of air through vents is distracting for our ever-increasing home time. 

If you are building a home from the ground up, these are reasonable requirements for any HVAC contractor to fulfill.  You can see a range of HVAC solutions here.  What’s more difficult is transforming an older system into a healthy system!  Here are some ways to do just that, sourced from our own customers’ problems.

• I live in a hot, humid area, and have a 2-story house that stays too hot upstairs.  In this case, pulling in humid air from the outdoors is not an option. What can I do?  

We found a really helpful video that explained it well:  how to get the right temperatures in the right parts of the house!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufLOd4eIjsc  Basically this is a problem when you have 1 zone cooling/heating.  The part of the home where the thermostat is installed (usually downstairs, if that is where the main living space is) gets cooled to the correct temperature, but since the upstairs shares the same thermostat and heat rises, it ends up being 5 degrees or more warmer.  Here’s what you can do while keeping the existing equipment: 

1. Insulate the attic really well, if this has not already been done.  In existing homes, blown-in insulation is an easy way to increase the insulation.
2. Check for other leaks in your building envelope, such as windows, doors and other penetrations on exterior walls.
3. Have an HVAC technician install a manual damper (or series of dampers) in the duct to adjust airflow.  This will route more cold air to the “zone” that is warmer, and in general is better than shutting off registers manually, which can cause too much static pressure for the air handler.   
4. To get more fresh air into the house, we advise adding an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV).  See our post on Adding fresh air through the HVAC system.

If you have the option to replace equipment, variable-speed equipment can give you the opportunity to add a second zone while providing for better cooling and constant dehumidification, as well as energy savings (inverter technology uses variable speed compressors).

• I live in the southwest, where it can get scorching hot during the daytime and cool(er) at night. How can I reduce my electricity bill?  

Whole-house fans are useful to cool down the house at night, but if you don’t have one, you can still use the principle of “stack ventilation”, or the way heat rises through your home, to your advantage.  If you have a basement, use it as the “ground floor” of your stack–that is where the coolest air is.  Close all exterior windows and doors except for a window in the top floor, and place a box fan in it facing out.  This will be the “exhaust”.  Next go down to the basement, and open a window or door–this is the “intake”.  Open interior doors between these two windows so that air can flow upward through the house.  Even if the air outside is warmer than the basement, it will be cooler by the time it exits the basement and makes its way through the house.  You can also turn on ceiling fans near stairwells to help move air.

Here are some other ideas for extremely warm climates (some from SFGate.com)

• If your basement does not have a cold air return vent, you can have one installed. This will enable your central AC to suck cool air from the basement and circulate it throughout your home.  If your basement smells musty, you’ll want to dehumidify and tackle mold issues first.  Similarly, make sure that you don’t have high radon levels coming in through the basement, so that you’re not circulating unhealthy air.
• If your community water laws allow it, plant bushes and bushy trees around your home (but not too close to the foundation) to provide insulation all year round.
• Install heat reflecting film on south and/or west-facing windows (check out our post on Low-E window films).
• Make sure your attic has working ventilation.  Heat that is trapped in the attic is like wearing a wool hat in the summer–your body heat cannot be expelled through it!  It puts a strain on your HVAC system.  Ventilation can be accomplished via a passive soffit and ridge-vent system (outside air floats up through the soffit vents and pulls hot air from the attic through the ridge vent), or an active roof vent (a fan pulls out air through the roof) or through gable vents (active with a fan or passive).    
• Lighten up the exterior:  There are a lot of white paints on the market, even ones that claim to reject more heat than others (like InsulAdd and Rainguard Cool Coat), but according to a cnet test, they perform similarly to plain white paint, which stays close to ambient temperature.  On the other hand, a brown stucco can be 25 degrees warmer than white paint, so although dark and black exteriors are trendy right now, you will pay for them if the summer heats up!    A new paint developed at Purdue University reflects 98% of sunlight (average white paint reflects 80-90%), cooling down buildings by 19 deg F (at night).  This means that the paint and building lose more heat than they absorb!  Traditional white paints are made with titanium dioxide, which heats up by absorbing UV rays of the sun.  The new paint uses barium sulfate and reflects the heat out of the earth’s atmosphere, to deep space. (Greekreporter.com)

Are there any virus-detecting air sensors out there?

This is the stuff of movies: virulent strain of pandemic arrives and infiltrates everywhere except the safehouse, where a super-sophisticated detection system alerts the ventilation to shut down with sealed doors and pinpoints the germ(s), trapping them in a sticky filter and eradicating them with a non-toxic (to humans) bioweapon.  

Is there such a detection system?

Surprisingly, there are promising sensors, one developed by Smiths Detection of the UK, which had already developed sensors for ricin and anthrax bacterium for government and courier use.  Building on a technology developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Smiths Detection made a BioFlash Biological Identifier that uses genetically engineered cells to bind to a toxin or antigen (like anthrax or the virus that causes COVID-19).  When the cells bind to the toxin, they glow with bioluminescence, mimicking a jellyfish.  Cloned jellyfish cells were the original indicators used in MIT’s CANARY technology.   Smiths Detection has reported two real-world tests, in a locker room and a research facility, that showed their BioFlash SARS-CoV-2 detector is able to detect the virus that causes COVID-19 within 2-3 minutes of sampling the ambient air. 

In addition, 

• Baltimore company Opteev offers ViraWarn, which can be placed in offices and homes and detects dangerous spike protein viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza (it cannot distinguish between the two). 
• ThermoFisher Scientific has released its AerosolSense Sampler and pairs it with PCR testing (the current gold standard for identifying SARS-CoV-2 in individuals) to verify containment of the virus and support facility reopenings. 

The principle of using specific agents to bind with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and causing a change in their electrical property to signal the presence of the virus, is also used in other sensors.  

• One is the MedTech Actuator, in development at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a biomedical startup Soterius since 2018, can detect up to eight pathogens in one sensor.  This sensor, known as “The Scout”, could be worn or placed on a wall in a reception area, for example.  
• Recently researchers at the Yale School of Public Health released a wearable clip that can detect low levels of SARS-CoV-2, to alert the wearer if they’ve been exposed.  It’s called the “Fresh Air Clip” and it’s not available publicly yet.
• Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratory have developed a thermal and optical-based sensor that uses gold nanostructures on a glass substrate, to mimic DNA receptors to identify the virus in the air. (medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com)

While virus-detecting-air-sampling equipment is not widely accessible yet, leading air sensor companies like AirThings are taking steps to determine the next best thing: the risk of virus transmission in buildings.  If the presence of a virus is unknown, the risk of transmission is something that can be managed.  It is known that virus particles are transmitted by direct contact, but also through microdroplets, or aerosols.  Microdroplets are expelled with every breath of a person and can float in the air for extended periods of time.  These droplets are so small–on the order of a hundred millionths of a meter–that they are too small to be seen by the naked eye, and much smaller than the “spray” that is seen when someone coughs or sneezes.  Microdroplets are able to float on currents of air in our space, in the right conditions, for hours.  The longer the microdroplets persist, the more concentrated they can become in a space, and the more people they would have the opportunity to infect.  Airthings’ sensors are therefore arranged to measure the supporting conditions allowing the microdroplets to persist: carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, and humidity.  

CO2 levels are a direct measurement of the number of people in the space and its ventilation.  If CO2 rises with constant ventilation, then the sensors would know that more people have entered the space.   According to ohsonline.com, the normal level of CO2 outside is 250-300 parts per million (ppm), and up to 1,000 ppm CO2 can be considered a good air exchange for buildings.  When the level rises above 1,000 ppm, people start to sense that the air seems stale and/or they become drowsy.  This is when there are simply too many people, or too little ventilation, or both.  If an infected person is in this poorly ventilated space, this type of condition will allow microdroplets of virus to build up, increasing risk of infection.

Other than CO2, two more factors are considered: temperature and humidity.  The higher the temperature, the less likely viruses are to survive for longer periods.   Likewise, low humidity helps microdroplets to float even longer, because it makes them lighter.  Viruses need very little moisture to survive and remain encapsulated, so the less moisture in the microdroplets, the lighter they become and more easily moved by air currents.  Here is where the risk doubles: cooler, dryer air also lowers our own ability to fight off infection.  Cold air, dry air causes an inflammatory response in the lungs of people with COPD and asthma, even with changes as little as 2-3 degrees (like walking into a building with air conditioning in the summer).  Even in people with no respiratory conditions, breathing in dry air tends to evaporate the airway surface liquid (ASL), which is an important defense against infection.  

Having identified the ranges of these risk indicators, then a smart system with sensors can also be programmed to suggest ways to lower the risk.  These could be to lower the number of people in the space, or increase the temperature and humidity, or a combination of all three.  No matter if the risk is COVID-19, or flu, the rewards of being cautious can be precious.

Why wear my sunglasses at night?

More people are sporting yellow-tinged glasses indoors.  They’re not rock stars.  Those “in the know” have discovered that some types of artificial light, specifically “cool” or “bright white” lamps, emit more UV radiation than others, which can be a cause of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  This Australian study notes that the safe range of  light appears to be between 2000 and 3500K, which is a warm-medium range.  Despite being most energy efficient, many fluorescent lights fall outside this range, which “may increase UV-related eye disease up to 12%”.  However, the jury is still out.  Healthline.com notes that research has not confirmed that blue-light exposure causes eye damage or increased rates of AMD.

What is blue light?

You may have learned the acronym ROYGBIV in grade school, which is the range of visible light which includes colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.  Red light is of much lower energy (due to longer wavelength) than blue and violet light, which are on the Ultra-Violet end due to shorter wavelength.  Ultraviolet light is the most common damaging component of sunlight, hence we wear sunglasses and wear sunscreen.  But because many of us spend up to 90% of our time indoors, we should consider if our indoor lighting needs the same precautions, because blue light in the range of 400nm -465 nm wavelength, can cause eye damage long-term.  However, blue-turquoise light (tending more to the green) in the 470-500nm range, is actually good for us and helps our bodies to maintain their circadian rhythm. 

Erring on the safe side, what kind of lights are safe for our eyes then?  

• Incandescent bulbs: these take more energy, but if you stay in the “warm-medium range” of color, they will not give off blue light. 
• Compact fluorescent bulbs do emit minimal amounts of UV light
• LED’s do not emit UV light, but they do emit lots of blue light and do not have the “near-infrared” spectrum that is used for healing purposes (sunlight has this).  LED’s also have an imperceivable “flicker”, that is, switching on and off due to their digital nature. 

This table, found in the Australian study, was adapted from Sizes.com.  These “color temperature” numbers are found on lightbulb boxes, and correspond to a temperature in Kelvin, which is absolute temperature.  There is a way to convert these K numbers to wavelength, to show what the peak wavelength is (however lower and higher wavelengths will be found there too).  Wien’s Law tells us that the peak wavelength in nm (Lambda max) can be found if you divide 2,898,000 by the color temperature in K.  Before I learned about the possible dangers in blue light, “Daylight” was my preferred lighting color (can’t go wrong with daylight, right?).  However, with this new information, if I do the temperature / nm conversion, the peak wavelength of “Daylight” at 6300K color, is 460 nm.  This is very close to the end of blue-turquoise light and the start of blue-violet light, so that much of the wavelengths of this color lamp fall in the dangerous range.  I think I need to retrain my brain to like warmer colors! 

Eye doctors have given some suggestions to help avoid possibly damaging blue and UV light and use more friendly ranges of light.  

• Remove fluorescents from everyday spaces if possible (they work great for lesser-used spaces like an outdoor shed though). 
• Replace fluorescents with incandescents or CFLs in the warm-medium color range. 
• You can use light-blocking stickers to cover blue indicator lights.  Consider replacing small appliances with blue digital readouts that are used often (like alarm clocks) with other shades of light.
• Replace small nightlight bulbs with red or gold bulbs. 
• Consider using blue-blocking sunglasses if you have to do a lot of computer work, or place blue-light filters on your favorite electronic devices.
• Consider using blue-blocking sunglasses during the 2-3 hours before bedtime.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule: after every 20 minutes of computer work, look up at a distance about 20 feet away for about 20 seconds.  This will allow your eyes to refocus.
• Follow the 007 rule for legibility: try to keep character height 0.007 times or more viewing distance.  Therefore if your screen is about 20” away, a 12 point font (about 0.14”) is approximately .007 times the distance (no wonder I like 12 point fonts!)  

Here are some products that we found help reduce these UV light waves in the products we use everyday:

• Cristal Prevencia glasses are based on a roundtable discussion by nine eye doctors, which determined that the most damaging visible light is only found in a narrow band of blue-violet light.  Thus, these glasses do not block all blue light (like yellow-tinged glasses), and let in blue-turquoise light, which is necessary for our vision and sleep cycle. You can buy these glasses through optometrists; scroll to the bottom of this page to see local outlets.
• Ocushield.com makes screen filters for your laptop, tablet, phones, and they also have blue-light blocking eyeglasses (clear type lens) and a small reading lamp. 
• Lowbluelights.com have a similar array of products and their price for a computer screen/small TV was less.  This website advocates wearing their glasses (yellow type lens) about 2 hours before bedtime, as the absence of blue light will trigger your body to make melatonin, preparing for a restful night’s sleep. 

Bedding for better sleep

Ah, there’s nothing like laying down on clean, soft sheets.  It goes beyond the feeling, though, because the cleanliness and material of our bedsheets really do make a difference in our sleep! 

A 2012 study by the US National Sleep Foundation found that 73% of us sleep better on fresh (clean) sheets.  How often should we wash?  Once a week and even more often (3-4 days) if your pets sleep with you or you have allergies. 

Can the right bedsheets really improve your quality of life?  If you struggle with allergies, insomnia, night sweats, dermatitis, eczema, acne or bedsores, one company has developed a fabric that was proven to reduce symptoms of all of these conditions, and is actually the only FDA-cleared bedding.  The sheets are a class 1 medical device for those who have atopic dermatitis, or pressure ulcers, since studies have shown that patients using the sheets have reduced symptoms.  The patented DermaTherapy fabric is woven specifically to reduce friction, wick away moisture (allow it to escape from skin), and is treated with an antimicrobial coating that does not allow germs to grow and releases soil through many washings.  The company also has a 90 day money back guarantee, which is more than sufficient to see results (most patients see improvements within 2-3 weeks).  

Of course, there are hundreds, if not thousands of other bedsheet companies out there.  The top eco-conscious and healthy materials are usually traditional cotton, linen (made with flax) and hemp as this review shows.  Why not bamboo? It turns out that due to its incredible strength, bamboo is very difficult to process into a soft fiber for clothing and sheets.  These types of fibers can only be achieved by mechanical (expensive) or chemical (dangerous for the environment) means, moving bamboo down the list as a top choice for healthy and sustainable bedsheets. This is a great article about why you should do your research if you are set on purchasing bamboo bedsheets.  

I went to the Sleep Foundation for information on that holy grail of sheets, thread count.  Thread count is the combined number of lengthwise (warp) and widthwise (weft) threads per square inch of fabric.  Generally speaking, the higher the thread count, the more comfortably soft sheets are, and thread counts between 200 and 600 are a great choice (except for linen, which ranges from 80-140).  Specific materials, like Egyptian Cotton, and weaves, like percale, also have “best” thread count ranges too.  

Mattress covers: The right mattress can be a significant financial investment, so protecting it from stains, infestations and allergens is a good priority.  Some mattress covers fit over the top and sides like a fitted sheet, which is ideal if you need to wash it frequently due to spills and accidents.  The ideal mattress cover to protect against dust mites, however, should completely encase the mattress.  For this purpose, allergen and dust-mite covers will be made of coated fabrics or microfiber fabrics, to prevent the mites from passing through.  The microfibers are so tightly woven, that they exclude everything larger than 8 microns, yet with modern technology both the coated and microfiber fabrics can offer breathability so that it doesn’t reflect sweat and heat back to your body.  With all mattress covers, it’s a good idea to wash and dry them before using (according to manufacturer’s instructions), to reduce the amount of VOCs in the cover.  Here are several that have great reviews by consumers:

• SureGuard Mattress Protector, $45 for queen size: non-toxic, free from Vinyl, PVC, Phthalates, fire retardants and other toxic chemicals
• Saferest Premium Mattress Cover, $38 for queen: most economical
• UltraBlock Waterproof Mattress Protector, $41 for queen: best for accidents, spills
• Mission: Allergy Dust-Mite-Proof Mattress Cover, $165 for queen: best for protection against dust mites

Pillow covers:  Being close to your face and where you breathe means that pillows are a very important player in air quality.  Although pillows are recommended for replacement every 2 years, they can become stained and invaded by allergens in just a few months if not properly protected.  Pillow covers do this as the first thing you put over your pillows, before the outer pillowcase.  Here are a few choices that help your pillows to last longer while you sleep more comfortably:

• Bedcare All-Cotton Pillow Protective Covers: certified friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, these are about $23 per queen cover.
• Made of polyester and nylon, these are Amazon’s best seller and best rated. Allerease Maximum Allergy Pillow Protectors are more economical at about $15.50 for a 2-pack. 
• Hospitology Products Pillow Encasements ($19 for 2 queen covers) are waterproof, dust-mite proof and bed-bug proof.  Designed by a doctor, the microfiber (polyester) is said to be cool to the touch and breathable (but may not allow for easy “fluffing” of pillows as down pillows require) due to the tight weave.  Hospitology also makes mattress and box spring encasements (protectors).