May 24, 2022
When the news broke that several cases of monkeypox have recently been reported, it left a lot of the general public wondering “what now”. News of a rare virus spreading has certainly raised alarm for those already on edge from the Covid-19 pandemic. Monkeypox is a rare disease with close relation to that of smallpox, […]
May 23, 2022
Climate change can be an unsettling topic to discuss for some. Many tend to think of the consequences of rising temperatures and the increasing severity of weather patterns. One topic that is not usually discussed is how climate change will impact Indoor Air Quality, the focus of today’s blog. Climate Change Projections According to NASA, climate […]
April 12, 2022
Have you heard about the EPA’s Clean Air in Buildings Challenge? In March 2022, the Biden administration announced this challenge as a call to action to building owners and operators to meet recommended guidelines to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) and reduce the spread of airborne pathogens. By following the guidelines, buildings will promote health and well-being and […]
April 5, 2022
Having a neighbor who smokes can be irritating when you live in a multi-unit building. This secondhand smoke can cause short term effects such as triggering asthma, eye and respiratory irritation, and hoarseness. Long term exposure has been documented to cause the development of lung cancer. It can be especially irritating if the neighbor is trying to […]
April 1, 2022
In major cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Milwaukee and others, lead contamination in drinking water has been a lingering issue. In Chicago specifically, the city formed a tentative plan to remove all lead water lines. However, as of September 2021, only three out of more than 400,000 lead water lines had […]
March 28, 2022
The coronavirus pandemic has changed our overall awareness about how infectious diseases work, how to be more health-conscious, and how we behave in public and in gatherings. While the vast majority of attention has been on airborne transmission when it comes to COVID-19, recent research (which, in all fairness, has yet to be peer reviewed) […]
November 29, 2021
On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized a new variant of the coronavirus — strain B 1.1.529, also known as the Omicron variant. Governments around the world are scrambling to collect data and make preparations for lockdowns; and while the variant is in its early stages, there are some insights to […]
September 23, 2021
Indoor air quality has quickly become an important aspect of our health, in no small part due to the coronavirus pandemic. As studies about airborne hazards continue to find irritants and allergens that may leave us more susceptible to contract respiratory diseases, it’s becoming more and more important to understand how to protect oneself. Here […]
August 3, 2021
Despite vaccination rates increasing and life returning to a more normalized state, a new strain of COVID-19 has hit the scene: the Delta variant. You’ve probably heard about it in the news by now, but in case you haven’t, the Delta variant is a mutated version of the virus causing COVID-19. It originated in India […]
June 8, 2021
How Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Affects Illnesses It has been concluded by the scientific community that those with underlying conditions such as chronic lung diseases, heart disease, diabetes, and more, are at risk of developing more serious illness if they catch COVID-19. But what is seldom discussed is that indoor air pollution, which impacts people […]