Tag Archives for " filtration "

Better bedroom ventilation = better sleep quality

Have you ever wondered why you’re not sleeping well?  We have quite a few suggestions for better sleep, but there’s one more (invisible) thing that can negate the others: CO2.  Sleeping in a stuffy bedroom does not enable quality sleep!  It turns out that you need “fresh air” even when you’re not conscious of it.  A new study shows that CO2 concentrations in the bedroom above 750 ppm affect your sleep and as a consequence, your cognitive performance is lower the next day.

In the 18-month study, 36 healthy college-age men and women volunteered to sleep for a week each in furnished bedrooms where their sleep was analyzed.  The levels of CO2 varied during the week: the first night was not included in the study (for adaptation), but then two nights each of three ventilation conditions were used to approximate CO2 levels of 750 ppm, 1,000 ppm and 1,300 ppm.  Sleep quality was monitored with wristband sleep trackers.  Salivary cortisol concentrations were measured upon waking also, as elevated cortisol levels correspond with decreasing sleep quality.  Overall, the researchers found that compared with ventilation causing an average CO2 concentration of 750 ppm (fresh air scenario), sleep quality was significantly reduced at the ventilation rates causing CO2 concentrations of 1,000 ppm and 1,300 ppm.  Sleep efficiency was reduced by 1.3 % and 1.8 % and time awake increased by 5.0 min and 7.8 min, respectively. Deep sleep duration decreased at the ventilation rate causing CO2 concentration of 1,300 ppm as compared to 750 ppm along with a significant increase in salivary cortisol after waking, which suggests increased stress and sympathetic activity. 

The takeaway from this study is to try and ventilate your bedroom with fresh air at night to simulate outdoor CO2 levels (450-500 outdoors is normal, up to 750ppm).  Obviously the best way to get fresh air is to open one or more windows, and windows don’t actually need to be fully open to achieve it.  By using a CO2 monitor near your bed, you can experiment to see how wide open 2the windows need to be.  If you live in a quiet suburb or country setting, it’s not too hard to install insect screens and do this.  However, there are lots of areas and circumstances that aren’t so simple!  We want to suggest some products and ways to help.

What if it’s too hot or humid or rainy outside to open my windows?  

• In this case, the best solution is to install a window air conditioning unit that has a fresh air intake (not all of them do).  If you’re buying a new air conditioner, you may also want to look for one with inverter technology (it dehumidifies the air better and operates more efficiently) and upgraded air filter.  
• If you have an existing window unit with no fresh air intake, you modify the weatherization around the unit (on the sides or bottom) to allow fresh air to “leak” into the room.  
• If you have central air conditioning already, you should only need to open the windows about 1” to get enough fresh air to lower CO2 levels below 1000 ppm.
• If you live in a quiet but rainy area, using a product like the Invisible Awning Rain Guard, $35-40, allows you to open your windows and ventilate, even during a storm.
• If rain is the problem, here are two window fans that will help:
  • Bionaire Window Fan with Twin 8.5” Reversible Airflow Blades, $55, has a water-resistant motor so that light rain won’t bother it.
  • Vornado TRANSOM Window Fan with 4 Speeds, $99, also has a weather-resistant case.

What if I live in an area with a lot of air pollution, like in a city or near busy roads?

While CO2 is not good for sleep, other types of air pollution like NOx (nitrous oxides) and particulates may be just as bad or worse, so we understand the need for outside air to be filtered.  Depending on the severity of your area, we have two products that can help:

• The Window Ventilation Filter, $40-50, has an 11” height and reduces dust, dirt and was tested to remove 94% of ragweed pollen.  It also keeps out rain, snow and mild wind.
• Nanofiber PureAir Window Screens, $40, cover approximately 3-4 average window screen panels.  They are transparent (so your view is not blocked) and use electrostatic adsorption to block particulates.
• Medify has a great selection of HEPA air purifiers which can be sized according to your room.  All units are equipped with a pre-filter, True HEPA H13 or H14, and active carbon filter.  The active carbon filter is what will remove the VOCs in traffic and industrial pollution.

What if I live in an area where it’s not safe to keep the windows open? 

Security, of course, trumps fresh air…but you can have both if you secure a small window opening with a latch or lock.  It can also prevent children from opening the window too far and falling out.  One thing you’ll need to keep in mind, however, is fire safety; if the window is your safety exit in the case of a fire, you’ll need to make sure the key remains nearby if you lock it.

• MiniLatches, $69, are pricey but well-made.  They are sized to allow fresh air in but prevent any indoor cats from going out.
• Stainless Steel Window Chain Locks, $19, are very sturdy
• Window Security Bars, $50 for a pack of 4, are easily adjustable and installed, and can be used on vertical or horizontal sliding windows and doors.

What if I don’t have a window in my bedroom?

“Fresh air” doesn’t always have to come from windows.  If your bedroom is an interior room, you’ll need to either use the central air conditioning system or create ventilation pathways to bring in fresh air from the rest of the house.

• If your house is tightly built, it’s a great idea to add a fresh air intake.  Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) minimize the heat and humidity losses of bringing in fresh air and exhausting stale air (ERV’s are recommended for more humid climates).  That way, fresh air comes into all parts of the home and having a window to open is not necessary.  For more on HRVs and ERVs, check out our article here.
• If your room doesn’t have central air conditioning, you can have privacy and better ventilation by adding grilles in the wall or door.  We discuss four options to do it in this article.
• If you can’t modify the walls or door, you can still have some security by using a Door Chain Lock ($7 for 2-pack) that will allow your door to open slightly and let more air flow in.  

Here’s a pictorial summary of the ventilation recommendations:

Source: Ventilation causing an average CO2 concentration of 1000 ppm negatively affects sleep: a field-lab study on healthy young people

The bottom line is…a lot of our comfort and well-being depends on how well we sleep.  Measure your bedroom CO2 in the morning before exiting (with the door closed) and if it’s above 1000 ppm, research your options for better ventilation.  Ventilate your bedroom tonight for a better day tomorrow!

Summer Cooling: What are our options?

Many places in the US and around the world have broken temperature records this June.  Whether you’re in Minnesota or south Texas, it can be tough to keep your home cool during summer while maintaining a decent air quality.  We’ll go over some of the most popular ways of cooling your home and maybe some you haven’t thought of.  

If you’re not familiar with the different types of air conditioners and how they work, check out this article.  Note that newer air conditioners are also often “heat pumps” that can reverse the flow of refrigerant to provide heating in the winter.   

Central Air:  About 66% of homes in the US have central air conditioning, but this is not spread out evenly over the country.  As one would expect, central A/C is more prevalent in the south (37%), west (22%), and midwest (21%), versus the northeast (17%), and newer homes are more likely to have it.  (How Much Value Does Central Air Add to Your Home?) The best thing about central air conditioning is its distribution system, which allows multiple rooms to receive cooling and filtration from one unit.  With any air conditioning, it’s very important to do the following things:

• Keep your home closed (a sealed system) so that warm, moist air is not introduced.  Letting in humid air from the outside will quickly increase humidity inside, because air at a lower temperature cannot hold as much moisture as warmer air, and humidity climbs.  This applies to windows, doors, and any significant leaks (like the door to an unconditioned attic or crawlspace).   

• Change the filter on your unit regularly!   We can’t emphasize this enough: a dirty filter not only puts extra stress on the machinery like fans and compressors, but it increases cooling costs, and when the filter gets dirty enough, air will start to leak around the filter and get your evaporator coil dirty, providing food for mold.  Using the highest MERV possible for your unit will help keep the system clean and your air clean as well.  You can check out our article here to find out how to get more filtration out of your current AC system. 

• For extra filtration, you can cut filter material to fit your vents, just don’t forget to clean or change these regularly, too. 

• Get your unit serviced regularly.  Here are some things that the HVAC tech will do for you during a service visit:  inspect the inside coils, clean the outside coils and straighten fins if necessary, check the refrigerant levels and add refrigerant if necessary, and test the thermostat.  An HVAC system is a big investment (average $7000), so you’ll want to take care of it!  

• Make sure your insulation is up-to-par: check air ducts to make sure they are not crimped and are fully insulated, and make sure there are no “bare spots” in the home’s conditioned-space envelope (ceiling or roof).  You’ve got to keep that cool air where it belongs!

Mini-Splits have most of the same parts as a central system, but they don’t have ducts to distribute cool air.  Instead, you could have one outdoor unit combined with up to eight indoor units, with the outdoor unit distributing refrigerant, not air.  In this way, you’ll have eight separate fans and filters inside, but these are smaller.  Mini-splits also have filters, so you’ll want to clean or change these on a regular basis.  One disadvantage with mini-splits is that the air filters tend to be similar to window air conditioners, which are cleanable, but they don’t provide high filtration, just large dust capture.  You will also want to get your units serviced regularly by an HVAC technician.  To get additional dust filtration, try adding standalone HEPA filters in the rooms that seem to get the most dust. 

Window Air Conditioners have come a long way in efficiency and looks!  They are one of the quickest installations, too: from buying one in your local home improvement store to having cool air in your space, could take as little as 1 hour.  Window air conditioners are a sort of “plug and play” cooling solution, but they also require regular maintenance of cleaning the filter.  Because the filter is equivalent to a very low MERV, like mini-splits, you’ll want to add a standalone HEPA filter to reduce pollen and dust.  In addition, if your window unit is more than several years old, it would benefit from a deep cleaning (see our article for tips on how to do that).   Some window air conditioners also have a feature that mini-splits and basic central systems don’t: a fresh air vent.  When this vent is open, you can get a small stream of fresh air from the outside, to dilute stale indoor air.  The only problem is that this air is usually not filtered or conditioned:  it’s the same as “cracking the window” without a screen.  To find this feature and operate it correctly, sometimes you’ll need to refer to the owner’s manual.   New window units with “inverter” type motors can be extremely efficient and this “saddle” style unit by Soleus even gives you your window view back, because it hangs below the window on each side.  It also has a dehumidifier setting to lower the humidity in your space. 

Portable Air Conditioners have become popular because like the name suggests, they are the most portable.  They can cool spaces without a window, as long as you have a place nearby to send the heat through the exhaust duct (through a sliding door with an adapter kit, for example).  You will also need a drain to collect condensate, or you will need to empty the reservoir every so often.  Portable air conditioners have the minimal filters similar to window air conditioners and mini-splits, so they are not able to filter smaller particulates.  It’s really important to clean these filters on a regular basis to keep your air conditioner working well!  Another downside to portable air conditioners is that they are less efficient than window air conditioners, and they have bulky hoses that aren’t the most attractive.  

Fans are the most common cooling systems we have, and many are cheap, at less than $50.  Fans cause evaporative cooling, where the circulated air carries heat away from our bodies in the form of water vapor.  Fans work well to cool us down if there is some humidity in the air.  (See our article about the detrimental effect of fans in extreme dry heat.)  You can use a combination of ceiling fans and portable fans to move air from cooler to warmer areas of your home.  Dreo Air Circulators are very powerful, efficient, and quiet because of the fan design, and because they use brushless DC motors that have a large range of speed with low energy consumption.  Since most fans don’t have filters, you can add standalone HEPA filters to cut down on dust, or add cloth filters to your tower fans. Filters for box fans (20x20”) are mainly the replaceable type, not cleanable, but $45 for a 4-pack of MERV-13 filters could help your space stay a lot less dusty.

Opening the windows is an option if you live outside of polluted urban areas, wildfire smoke, or excessive heat and humidity.  In these cases, it’s best to leave the windows closed and curtains drawn to preserve coolness as long as possible in the day.  If inside temperatures start to equalize with outdoors, however, you can use regular window screens in pristine areas, and Window Ventilation Filters in more polluted areas.  Although the filters restrict airflow slightly, they provide a good buffer against dust and pollen.  Here again, standalone HEPA filters will also help reduce dust in your home. 

Evaporative coolers, also known as Swamp Coolers, began to be popular in the 1920’s and 30’s when electricity was available, but residential air conditioning was not affordable/accessible. (Window air conditioners were invented in 1931 and central air conditioning was offered in 1931 but many Americans could not purchase them due to the Depression).   Swamp coolers use a fan to blow air over a wet membrane, which, if not cleaned regularly, begins to grow algae and smell like a swamp!  This older type of membrane is definitely not something we would recommend for air quality, but newer models like those made by Big Ass Fans uses a proprietary resin coating on the media that resists the growth of algae and mold to keep your airflow clean and people healthy.  Following the cleaning and maintenance guidelines are very important, too.  Another downside of this type of cooling is the massive airflow that could kick up a lot of dust.  However, if you have a large outdoor or unconditioned space and adding humidity into the air is not a problem, then an evaporative cooler could help you stay cool.  It would even help to cool a porch, from which you can open up air to your home to take in cooler air.

Heat Pump Water Heaters can actually cool your space.  It sounds counterintuitive–til you consider what this machine is actually doing.  Instead of creating heat by an electric coil or gas furnace, this type of water heater pulls heat from the surrounding air–in effect making the room in which it’s installed, cooler!  If you have the water heater installed in the garage or another unconditioned space, you can still reap the benefits by using ducts to bring warm air from your house to the heat pump, and cool air from the heat pump back to your house.  Heat pump water heaters do cost more than the basic electric or gas varieties, but according to the Department of Energy, they can be two to three times more efficient than a regular electric water heater.  However, when you consider you’re getting free cooling during the summer, you can deduct this cost from your cooling bill.  Another consideration is the size of room where it is installed.  It must be installed in a room at least 12’x12’, or have ducting to access larger areas, so it can pull the heat it needs from the ambient air.   If it’s time to replace your water heater, check with your plumber to see if a heat pump water heater would work for you!

There are many ways to move cool air from the basement into your home, but consider the quality of basement air before you make this move.  If it’s musty or moldy smelling, you’ll definitely want to get rid of that mold before trying to move that air upstairs.  For this reason, we can’t recommend circulating basement air in the rest of your home.

Whichever way you decide to cool your home, make sure that air quality doesn’t suffer.  Our Germ Defenders, Mobile Air Angels and Whole Home Ionizers sanitize air using bipolar ionization, killing microbes and agglomerating dust and pollen so it’s easy to filter or clean.   Extreme heat tends to lead to increased air pollution, so be conscious of air quality when you open the windows, or even when they are closed and outdoor air seeps in (as it always does except in the tightest of homes).   Check out our article to find out how to ride out a heat/air pollution wave safely!

How can I get more filtration with my current HVAC system?  It’s a tug of war!

At a staff meeting one day, one of our team members related how the HVAC company which installed the central AC system in his new home recommended using the lowest MERV filters available.  I was shocked!  Well, after thinking about it some more, I hypothesized they were waiting for his evaporator coil (the part that transfers absorbs heat from the air by transferring it to the cold refrigerant) to plug up so they could sell him a new system.  In this day and age of availability of every type, face size and thickness of filter, a good HVAC company should be able to work with your existing system to get good filtration.  Period.

If you’ve never heard of MERV, it is an acronym that stands for minimum efficiency reporting value, developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in 1987.    The range is from 1 to 20, and designates with what efficiency the filter removes small particles between 0.3 and 10 micrometers in diameter. (check out this post for more information on MERV).   Generally you’ll want to get the highest rating possible (more filtration) for your system, without causing too much pressure drop, because in general, increasing the MERV increases pressure drop across the filter, while HVAC equipment manufacturers want you to stay with a low pressure drop of around 0.10 inches of water column (i.w.c.) across the filter.  That’s the tug of war–but why aren’t HVAC installers figuring out how to give consumers, the ones who pay for new or upgraded systems, both?  It’s like selling a delicious drink in a cup with a straw that’s too small to get it out at any satisfying rate (like a coffee stirrer).  Sure, you could take out the straw and lid and risk getting it all over yourself as you drink it.  However, even fast food chains and gas stations figured this out years ago: larger straw and cup= convenient way to drink, more satisfaction, more sales.

In this case, though, the consumer is left to bow to the advice of greedy or ignorant HVAC installers, or do research to figure it out himself.  Yes, there is a way to get both high MERV and low pressure drop!  You just need to install a larger filter.  It sounds simple, right?  Yet, because many installers are trained to recommend standard size, 1” filter frames, you’ll probably have to do the math and specify one yourself.  Don’t get scared yet!  We’re here to help with that calculation.  

Here’s a diagram of the typical HVAC system so you know what we’re talking about/aiming for:

Image source: RemoveandReplace.com

The part we’re talking about is outlined in blue.  The filter can be installed on the side of the HVAC closet door, in a ceiling or a wall.  In the diagram the air is flowing through the filter, up through the air handling unit, through the evaporator coil, and out to various room registers/grilles.  The whole system “sucks” air through that filter, and if it’s too small, it’s like sucking a Big Gulp through a coffee stirrer–the pressure drop or suction pressure is too much!  Making the “face” of the filter larger will allow the velocity of the air through the filter to drop, which makes the pressure drop go down.  

So, what is the magic size of filter that makes the pressure drop go down?  That depends on the size of your HVAC system.  This very helpful article from industry expert Allison Bailes gives the secret requirement:  

Filter Area = 2.0 square feet (or more) for each 400 cfm of air flow

Since most filters are measured in inches, we can convert that formula to:

Filter size (sq. inches) = System Air Flow(cfm) x 288/400    OR  

Filter size (sq. inches) = 0.72 x System Air Flow (cfm)

Like in any interesting math problem, this one has a formula with some knowns and some unknowns.  The unknown is the filter size, and the known is the System Air Flow.  To find the system air flow, you can do several things: 

• Look at the HVAC air handler information specifications.  If you don’t have the system specs, go to the air handler, take a photo of the sticker with the model number on it, and search for this model’s manual online.   For example, I replaced my air handler recently with a variable-speed unit.  It will shift fan speeds according to the heating or cooling load, with maximum 1200 cfm, 640 cfm intermediate, and 400 cfm minimum.  Since the pressure drop will be maximum at the maximum air flow, I’m going with 1200 cfm.
• Approximate the air flow using the system tonnage: cooling units are often measured in the US by “tons”.  According to HVACtrainingsolutions.net, 350 to 400 CFM per ton of cooling is required for proper air conditioning system operation. We’ll use 400 cfm to be conservative.  If you know you have a 3 ton system, then 1200 cfm is the maximum airflow.  This lines up with the specifications on my unit.  (This equivalent of 400 cfm per ton can vary because of relative humidity, dry-bulb temperatures, wet-bulb temperatures, air density, mass flow rate, and elevation; if you want to “get technical”, check out this article!)

After you determine the cfm of your system, plug it into the filter size formula above.  In my case, 1200 cfm x 0.72 = 864 square inches of filter.  Yikes!  My own filter (24”x24”) was undersized by a third, and when I measured the pressure drop at maximum fan speed (1200cfm) it was 0.25 inches water gage, which was fairly high for a clean filter. However, if I “upgraded” to a 24x36” filter that size fit my requirements exactly (864 square inches).  The problem is that I don’t have room for such a big filter.

If you find that space or filter availability for bigger filters is a problem, you can solve it in a different way: add another return with another filter.  Many homes have 2 returns, such as one upstairs and one downstairs.  In this way, you’re getting the area and the filtration you need.  Adding a second return lowers the airflow per return, and also changes the air circulation in your home.  At the minimum, high MERV and high airflow will not be a problem!  In my case, the easiest thing to do was look at the return air duct and add another grille in the only place I could: my bedroom.  I ended up adding a 20x20 return air grill there, which lowered the pressure drop to 0.09 inches water gage for a clean filter, which eased the work of the fan unit and gave me more filtration.

This is the dilemma homeowners often face: accept the “expert” opinion of their contractor, or start doing their own research and demand equipment or installations that at least safeguard the equipment they are installing!  Many installers mean well, but by not using standard equipment like manometers (pressure-sensing devices) they have no idea what the pressure drop over the filter is.  They also don’t know what pollutants like dust, human and pet dander, and microbes are allowed  into the new system by specifying low-grade MERV filters.  Their ignorance or bad advice costs homeowners BIG when the air, and consequently the system, stays dirty.  Just like we sometimes must do with our health and doctors, we hope that you take this information to your HVAC company and specify what you need to win the tug-of war and keep you and your family healthy!

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity air pollution!

Decades ago, when the meteorologists predicted extreme heat, it seemed they only advised on the necessity to stay out of the sun, drink more water, and cool off more frequently (stay in the pool, yayyyy!).  Now, heat advisories come with more sinister warnings about air pollution levels, and the outdoors are less fun.  How did that happen?  The answer lies in meteorology and chemistry, all cooked up in our atmosphere.

Low-pressure systems are quite famous for moving rapidly across the US and bringing devastating weather like severe thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes.  They can also sweep pollutants like smoke and smog to other states.  High-pressure systems, on the other hand, typically cause stagnant air, which can concentrate pollutants over one area.  (scied.ucar.edu)  A “Heat Dome” is an area of high pressure that parks over a region like a lid on a pot, trapping heat. (National Geographic) A Heat Dome caused about 600 deaths in June 2021 in the Pacific NorthWest as a 1-in-1000-year event.  The heat, which broke Portland’s all time record of 107 degrees, was bad enough, but extreme heat combined with stagnant air during a heatwave increases the amount of ozone pollution and particulate pollution. (metone.com)  Here is where the chemistry comes in.

“Ground-level ozone pollution forms when heat and sunlight trigger a reaction between two other pollutants, nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds — which come from cars, industrial facilities, and oil and gas extraction. High temperatures therefore make ozone pollution more likely to form and harder to clean up. Drought and heat also increase the risk of wildfire, which can make air quality worse as smoke drives up levels of fine particulate matter — also known as PM2.5, or soot...Both ozone and PM2.5 carry major health risks. Ozone can cause acute symptoms, including coughing and inflamed airways, and chronic effects, including asthma and increased diabetes risk. PM2.5 exposure can lead to an increased risk of asthma, heart attack, and strokes. Globally, long-term exposure to PM2.5 caused one in five deaths in 2018, including 350,000 deaths in the United States.” (Heat waves can be life-threatening for more reasons than one)

Because of the increase in cars and industry, extreme heat forecasts are not just requirements to have bottled water and popsicles on hand and check that our elderly neighbors’ air conditioning is working.  It’s a time to make sure that those who have asthma, heart and vascular conditions stay indoors, and that you take the proper air pollution precautions, too. 

Unlike outdoor air filled with wildfire smoke, ozone and smog are not as visible and may not affect everyone immediately, but they are dangerous pollutants and shouldn’t be allowed in our homes.  Here are some steps you can take to prepare for that heatwave, and the resulting air pollution that often accompanies it!  

• 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 filters for your HVAC system, to be used on poor air quality days (caution: read our post on HVAC filters first, as using a filter with too high MERV rating can damage your system). 

• 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.  The filter material can prevent smaller particulates in smog from entering.  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.  The use of a HEPA filter will take much of the damaging fine particles out of the air you breathe!  Whenever there is bad air quality outside, run the cleaner/purifier on high for an hour and thereafter at "quiet"/medium setting (Wirecutter).  You can check out our post on standalone HEPA filters as a purchase guide.  If you can't purchase one, make one: there are many videos and instructionals online for DIY air cleaners; most only require one or more filters, a box fan, and some cardboard and tape.

• Keep a stash of N95 respirator masks on hand.  These are a good source of protection if you have to go outside, or if power is cut to your home and indoor air quality gets bad as well.  The “95” means it blocks out 95% of particulates.   

• Keep canned and non-perishable food on hand, so that you don’t have to cook during periods of bad air quality.  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.

• If air quality is very poor (check next point), you’ll want to evacuate to a place with clean, filtered air, like indoor malls, libraries, community centers, civic centers and local government buildings (sfgate.com). 

• Check your local air quality and receive updates from airnow.gov . Using an Air Quality Index (AQI) as a measuring tool ranging from 0-500, your local forecast and larger maps can be color coded to show whether an area is good (green), moderate (yellow), unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange), unhealthy (red), very unhealthy (purple), and hazardous (maroon).

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!

Actinobacteria: Another danger lurking in Water Damaged Buildings

Avoiding mold and mycotoxins has taken a major share of the spotlight in healthy home discussions, and for good reason, because they can elicit major allergic responses in many people and disabling immune responses in very sensitive people.  However, there is another organism that grows right along with mold in moist environments, and it’s often overlooked even though it can produce the same types of reactions.  Some types of bacteria are unique enough to be in a class of their own, called actinobacteria.  

Here’s a short refresher from an article about bacteria, endotoxins and exotoxins:  bacteria can be classed into two different groups: “Gram-negative” or “Gram-positive”.  These classes are based on a test developed by scientist Christian Gram in 1884, which differentiates the bacteria using a purple stain.   According to webmd.com, bacteria either have a hard, outer shell, or a thick, mesh-like membrane called peptidoglycan.  The hard outer shell will resist the purple stain, and show up as a red color.  These are called “gram negative” because the purple stain did not show.  Bacteria with the peptidoglycan absorb the purple stain much more easily and are called “gram positive”.  The stain also tells many more characteristics about the bacteria and the way it interacts with treatment. 

Going back to actinobacteria (also called actinomycetes), they are a diverse group of gram-positive bacteria, meaning they have that mesh-like membrane called peptidoglycan. However, they resemble molds (fungi) because they are adapted to life on solid surfaces and they can produce mycelium (branching structures) and dry spores like most fungi. Actinomycete spores are known to be important air contaminants in occupational environments, such as agriculture and waste composting facilities, and have recently gained special attention as indicators of mold problems in buildings. They do not belong to the normal microbial flora in indoor air but have been found in buildings suffering from moisture and mold problems. (Characteristics of Airborne Actinomycete Spores)  One class of actinobacteria, called mycobacteria, include the types of bacteria responsible for tuberculosis and leprosy.   These actinobacteria require iron for growth, and in the human body, will destroy red blood cells in order to acquire the iron it needs.

Actinobacteria, which occur in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats, are among the most common groups of gram-positive microorganisms in nature.  Living in soil, actinobacteria decompose organic matter and display antagonism against other bacteria and fungi, with which they compete for nutrients. Actinobacteria have incredible abilities to survive under extreme conditions in their natural environment and have been found in strongly saline soils, soils with a high content of exchangeable sodium and/or magnesium ions, and heavy clay soil which is submerged by water.  (Discovery of Actinomycetes from Extreme Environments with Potential to Produce Novel Antibiotics).  If they can live in these extreme environments, it’s not too much of a stretch to find them indoors in water-damaged buildings (WDB) and indeed, they thrive there too.  In a 2017 study of an office building in the northeast US which had a history of water incursions via roofs, walls, and pipes, actinobacteria were detected in 74% of dust samples, and thermophilic actinomycetes (unique high-temperature aerobic bacteria) were most predominant (81%) among the three types.   In analysis of building occupants who participated (105 participants out of 136 occupants), the increasing thermophilic actinomycetes levels in floor dust were significantly associated with decreased pulmonary function and increased odds of having symptoms reflecting possible granulomatous disease, particularly shortness of breath on exertion, flu-like achiness, and fever and chills.  Prevalences of the three granulomatous disease-like symptoms among the occupants were similar to those reported in another study of a large office building with eight hypersensitivity pneumonitis and six sarcoidosis cases, a long history of moisture incursions, and high fungal and bacterial contamination.   

Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, an expert on mold illness and CIRS, published the paper Exposure to Actinobacteria resident in water-damaged buildings and resultant immune injury in Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in 2021.  In it, he details some of the interesting facts about actinobacteria that many people do not know:

• Geosmin is a VOC that accounts for the characteristic musty smell found in many WDB, and many actinobacteria also produce this VOC, creating the logical fallacy that the smell found in WDB buildings is only due to mold growth.  
• Certain species of actinobacteria live on humans: on our skin and in mucous membranes and genitourinary tracts.  He denoted these HH actinobacteria (for human habitat), as opposed to SH actinobacteria (for soil habitat).   The interior of WDB are usually colonized by HH actinobacteria much more than SH actinobacteria; this is not the same for fungi, because WDB are easily colonized by outdoor (SH) fungi.  (Airborne Bacterial Communities in Residences: Similarities and Differences with Fungi)  
• Dr. Shoemaker developed indices for exposure to actinobacteria showing differences in subsequent immunoreactivity in Chronic Immune Response Syndrome (CIRS) patients for actinobacteria from human skin carriage, HH, as opposed to SH actinobacteria.  
• He theorized that the “toxin” that causes the immunoreactivity is not exotoxins, like normal gram-positive bacteria, but extracellular vesicles of 20-150 nanometer size that carry potentially inflammatory molecular signaling compounds from inside the cell wall to the outside. Vesicles are known to contain a variety of charges including nucleic acids, lipoproteins, enzymes, and toxins.  

“Better Health Guy” Scott Forsgren, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner interviewed Dr. Larry Schwartz, an indoor air expert with a specialty area is assessing, testing, and creating solutions to make homes and workplaces environmentally safe for patients with inflammatory illnesses, about actinobacteria.  According to Dr. Schwartz, one can get treated for symptoms of CIRS (of which there are 37), but not necessarily get to the root cause.  However, if their blood is tested by GENIE (Genomic expression: Inflammation Explained), root causes for CIRS can be discovered.  “We found over 2,000 patients that have taken the GENIE test. About 42% of them are being triggered by Actinomycetes. The next largest percentage was endotoxins. The least percentage was the mycotoxin.”   (podcast: Episode #171: Actinomycetes with Larry Schwartz, BSME, MBA, CIEC)  Some background on GENIE:  this test was developed by Dr. Shoemaker and Dr. James Ryan, a molecular biologist, who have collaborated on genetic testing since 2011. GENIE is a gene expression assay composed of 188 genes that is performed on a single blood specimen. It reveals gene expression abnormalities found most often in patients facing CIRS illnesses. Typically it's done repeatedly, once before treatment for CIRS, after the first eleven steps of the treatment protocol, during or after VIP treatment. (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide). VIP is a naturally occurring human neuropeptide which affects multiple pathways in the brain and throughout the body, and it’s given as a low-dose nasal spray to benefit patients with severe CIRS.  GENIE results will show if the patient's metabolism is improving as their treatment progresses.

Dr. Schwartz’ research exposed that the major “factory” of actinobacteria (he calls them “actinos” for short) is the bedroom, because of the time we spend under covers (warm temperature) and the amount of skin cells that are deposited in the bed.  He also characterizes showers, crawlspaces and basements and drains as places where actinobacteria tend to multiply because of constant moisture.  He has a bedding protocol for cleaning bedsheets, and drain “protocol” on how to clean drains on a regular basis so that actinobacteria will not continue to proliferate in them.  (check out minute 59:17 of the podcast for these protocols).  Dr. Schwartz also advocates for use of HEPA filters, PCO devices (like the Air Angel Mobile) and bipolar devices (like the Mold Guard).  We would also add that the use of bathroom exhaust fans and humidity control are paramount for lowering relative humidity.  

Dr. Schwartz acknowledged that similar to the way pathogenic mold makes mycotoxins,  many pathogenic species of actinos often create a chemical called mycolic acid, which may be the allergy trigger for CIRS patients.  Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker also found that mycolic acids played a role in inducing T-cell responses (Exposure to Actinobacteria resident in water-damaged buildings and resultant immune injury in Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome)  According to the physicians with which Dr. Schwartz consults, although actinos can trigger inflammation and CIRS, they are not necessarily triggering histamines, and mast cell activation, because mast cell activation is primarily a histamine-driven effect. 

As for testing, EnviroBiomics is the only lab known by Dr. Schwartz that does next generation sequencing (NGS) to determine levels of actinos in home samples. Using special lab equipment called NGS processors, they give the in-depth degree of data on the speciation of actinos and their concentrations.  Dr. Schwartz can analyze the results of these test reports, in conjunction with at-home or virtual visits, to determine what may be exacerbating CIRS symptoms.  In one case, a client who lived in a farmhouse on 3 acres had CIRS, but the cause was not in his home.  It turned out that a neighboring property had a dilapidated barn with rotting hay in it (“farmer’s lung” disease comes from the actinobacteria in rotting hay), and correction of the ventilation in his home significantly improved his symptoms.  

Now for the good: despite its ability to cause illness, scientists and researchers have discovered how to harness actinomycetes for healing purposes.  Antibiotics are a class of molecules used for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections.  These bioactive compounds are produced naturally from different species of fungi and bacteria, but the most attractive class of microorganisms that are able to produce these secondary metabolites are actinobacteria, in particular, actinomycetes. The importance of this order is due to their abilities to produce different classes of antibiotics in terms of chemical structure and mechanisms of action. Moreover, different genera and species of actinomycetes are able to produce the same class of antibiotics and, in few cases, the same chemical compound.  Thanks to antibiotics and the research developed in this field, many infections are now treatable, and life-quality/life expectancy are better than in the past.  (Actinomycetes: A Never-Ending Source of Bioactive Compounds—An Overview on Antibiotics Production)  

In short, actinobacteria can be confused with mold because of many similarities: how they grow, the environmental conditions they prefer, what they smell like, and what symptoms they cause in humans.  The good thing is that regular cleaning of areas like the bedroom, bathroom and drains to remove dust and allergens also removes food for actinobacteria.  In addition, a whole-home approach also examines the ways that toxins from actinobacteria inside walls and even outside can enter the home via leaks and negative air pressure.  When cleaning protocols are introduced and these air pathways are addressed, actinobacteria numbers start to dwindle and the homeowner’s health increases.  Sometimes it takes a trained eye to discover where they are flourishing, but by knowing their preferred habitat and via testing, they are not completely “in the dark” anymore! 

Taking care of your body’s air filters

A little bit of knowledge about our bodies really makes us appreciate all their functions and complexities!  Take for example our respiratory system starting with the nose.  It’s important to understand how our nose and sinuses work.  If you’re not an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor and you want to learn how air gets to your lungs, here is a very helpful video.  (It’s made by a clinic on the US west coast that does not do surgeries, yet they are able to help their patients by thoroughly examining and diagnosing the nasal structure and breathing and recommending treatment from there).  The video also illustrates the point that we need to utilize ALL of the area and defenses in our nasal passages to help us breathe, fight infection, smell and taste, and to be careful about removing or reducing any one spot so that nasal flow is not redirected too radically.

Here are the main defenses that are built into our body to prevent contamination by particulates in the air:

1. Hairs in your nose entrap larger particles, which can be blown out 
2. Mucus in the nasal passages entraps smaller particles as air bounces off mucus-lined surfaces
3. Moderate resistance from undulating passages in the nose causes the air to be slightly turbulent and capture more particles
4. Tiny hairs, called cilia, along your air passages move in a sweeping motion to keep the passages clean.
5. Sinuses produce the mucus and warm and humidify the air going down to your lungs.

A lot of peoples’ breathing problems originate in the sinuses. 

Sinuses are admittedly a bit of a mystery (nysinuscenter.com).  We do know that they generate mucus to moisten our nasal pathways, and they give resonance to our voice (with a plugged nose our voices sound very different).  We each have 4 sets of sinuses, which are normally empty except for warm, moist air and a small amount of mucus.  There are small pathways into and out of each sinus cavity, called ostia.  Knowing these few details, then, tells us that we don’t breathe through our sinuses, yet, when they get plugged with mucus or inflamed with infection, they can swell and severely obstruct  nasal passages.  Here is a diagram of the sinuses and how blocking the ostia can promote infection and swelling:

Source: Navage.com

There are several non-medicated ways that doctors may suggest to take care of your sinuses and nasal passages, to keep them performing well and protecting our respiratory system.  Some of these are nasal sprays, nasal irrigation, humidifiers, steams and saunas, and staying hydrated.

Nasal sprays at the minimum are saline solutions packaged in a spray bottle.  To use a nasal spray, block off one nostril by applying gentle pressure to the side of the nose, insert the tip of the bottle into the other nostril, and squeeze the bottle forcefully while inhaling through your nose.  Then spray the other side, making sure to block the opposite nostril.  The saline solution moistens the nasal passages and helps the mucus to stay thin so that it flows down the back of your throat and doesn’t plug the ostia. Various chemicals are added to some nasal sprays to shrink membranes and provide longer-lasting moisture, but in general these are not necessary for a healthy individual.  It’s a great idea to use nasal sprays when the humidity is low, or you’re traveling in close proximity to other people, to keep your nasal passages moist and able to discharge microbes easily.  

Nasal sprays with essential oils (EOs) have been observed to lessen symptoms of allergenic rhinitis (AR).  Rhinitis is when a reaction occurs that causes nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and itching. Most types of rhinitis are caused by inflammation and are associated with symptoms in the eyes, ears, or throat. (hopkinsmedicine.org)  In a 2021 study using Puressentiel® Respiratory-Decongestant Nasal Spray (PRDNS), which is a spray containing 4 essential oils, 43 patients with persistent mild or persistent moderate-to-severe AR used the spray 1x in the morning and 1x in the evening for 30 days.  They were tested at Day 0 (before treatment) and Day 30 for Allergic Rhinitis Control Test (ARCT) scores. The proportion of patients with controlled rhinitis after 30 days of treatment with intranasal PRDNS administration was 69.8% versus 14% before treatment.

This is great news, and you can even DIY your own Essential Oil nasal spray to fight mold and microbes.  This video by Dr. Jill Crista, a naturopathic doctor and one of the leading experts in mold-related illness, shows how to do this.  Personally, I buy a generic 1.5 oz plain saline spray, pop the top off, add only 1 drop of food-grade teatree oil or 1 drop of oregano oil, replace the top and shake to make a strong mold killer for those days when I’ve been exposed to too much mold or start to feel a cold coming on.. 

Why irrigate?

Irrigation does several things: 

• it gets the harmful particles like viruses, bacteria and mold out more quickly than your body can do it alone, reducing the chances of infection

• It can help clear the ostia so that sinuses can maintain natural drainage and not become blocked

• it clears the cilia so they are not overloaded with thick mucus or particles.

• The salts in the sinus rinse shrink inflamed sinus tissue by pulling out water.

According to navage.com, a nasal irrigant manufacturer: “There is no clinical evidence that saline from nasal irrigation devices of any type consistently enters into and rinses inside the frontal, sphenoid, and ethmoid sinus cavities. Nasal irrigation can and often does penetrate the maxillary sinuses with saline.”  So, although many irrigations are marketed as “sinus rinses”, they technically only go into 1 out of 4 sets of sinuses. 

There are several nasal irrigation systems, some of which are called Navage (a powered suction saline system), neti pots, and a nasal squeeze bottle. Here is an excellent video on how to irrigate your nose using a squeeze bottle.   

Humidifiers, steam and saunas do help to open nasal passageways temporarily.  Warm moist air causes the blood supply to your respiratory mucous membrane to improve. This means they are better able to purify themselves, which in turn strengthens your natural defense mechanisms. Your bronchial muscles also relax in the warm air – a great benefit for those suffering from asthma or bronchitis. (klafs.com)  If you do use a humidifier, take care to clean it regularly, as it can breed mold and bacteria.  In addition, ultrasonic humidifiers can actually increase the PM2.5 levels in your indoor air (see our post here). 

According to healthline.com, besides using moisture in the air, make sure you help your body from the inside by staying hydrated.  Drinking plenty of fluids like water or tea — especially if you have a dry nose during a cold — can help moisturize your nose from the inside out.

Just like any filter, occasional maintenance is needed, and your body is no exception!  We hope that you stay well throughout the year and keep those nasal passages clean and moist for your best breathing.