Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia is supporting Clean Air Day on Thursday 15 June 2023 and welcomes the theme “Clean up our air to look after your mind this #CleanAirDay”. Clean Air Day is led by environmental charity Global Action Plan and is the UK’s largest campaign on air pollution. It aims to improve public understanding of air pollution, build awareness of how air pollution affects our health, and explain the easy actions we can all take to tackle air pollution, helping protect the environment and our health.
The theme for Clean Air Day 2023 reflects the raft of recent research on how air pollution can affect the brain leading to an increase in poor concentration, anxiety, depression, and dementia. Researchers from the universities of Oxford, Beijing and Imperial College London, found that even low levels of air pollution can cause depression and anxiety over time. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry, followed almost half a million UK adults over 11 years and found that even when air quality was within official limits, those living in areas with higher pollution were more likely to suffer mental health episodes.1 And as air pollution increased, so did cases of depression and anxiety. The findings suggest a need for stricter limits on air pollution.
“We are delighted to once again be supporting Clean Air Day and are pleased that the mental health effects of air pollution are being recognised. At Vent-Axia we know how air pollution affects the health and wellbeing of the whole body and the growing evidence of its effects on our mental health cannot be ignored,” said Lena Hebestreit, Marketing Manager at Vent-Axia. “This year we are supporting Clean Air Day and its theme of “Clean up our air to look after your mind”. We are committed to improving indoor air quality and encourage everyone to take three main actions: Reduce the number of pollutants introduced into the air; Dilute the pollutants in the air by ensuring there is adequate ventilation introducing fresh clean air; and Purify by adding an air purifier to remove the remaining pollutants from the air.”
Indoor air can contain over 900 chemicals, particulates, biological materials, viruses and bacteria. Each of us breathes 9,000 litres of air a day, so poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can affect the health of everyone in our home. Even naturally occurring CO2 can have an impact on our health with high levels of 2,000-5,000 PPM causing headaches, sleepiness, poor concentration, increased heart rate and slight nausea. With this year’s Clean Air Day focusing on how air pollution affects our mental health, the air we breathe indoors is more important than ever.
To help protect health in the home, Vent-Axia has been working hard to provide ventilation solutions to improve IAQ for households. For new build homes, Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Sentinel Kinetic mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system boasts up to 93% heat recovery . A vital part of an MVHR system is its filters. Inside an MVHR unit, fresh incoming air passes through a filter to remove pollen, debris and products of pollution. Meanwhile, the Lo-Carbon Sentinel Multivent Plus HX CO2 provides continuous ventilation with CO2 sensing and control abilities. It can help maintain a healthy indoor space by boosting when CO2 levels reach a 1000 PPM (adjustable) or purge when 1500 PPM is reached to ensure a constant good indoor air environment free from excess CO2 levels. Ultra quiet and energy efficient too, homeowners can control the unit via an app to ensure the ideal home environment.
For private refurbishments, the Vent-Axia PureAir Sense fan is equipped with a pioneering odour sensor that increases airflow when the air quality is poor, ensuring a comfortable living environment. Meanwhile, Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) units, the Lo-Carbon PoziDry Pro and Lo-Carbon PoziDry Compact Pro, are designed to improve IAQ and prevent moisture build-up within social housing properties, providing a highly effective solution to help landlords control condensation and mould as well as offering high levels of air filtration.
Meanwhile, the Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution range is ideal for the deeper refurbishment of properties, including bedrooms and living rooms, and combines continuous ventilation with heat recovery. The range consists of three different dMVHR units, which can be used on a room-by-room basis or used together to help maximise energy savings. dMVHR uses the heat from the stale air that is being extracted to warm up the fresh air that is coming in. Therefore, bringing in fresh but pre-warmed air providing ventilation whilst also saving energy. The range comprises: the Lo-Carbon Heat Save, Lo-Carbon Tempra and Lo-Carbon Calido – by using these units together as a Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution it will help maximise energy savings by introducing heat recovery to the property.
And for advanced air purification in the home, the Vent-Axia PureAir Room air purifier cleanses the air removing harmful particles, neutralising bad smells and removing pollen and pet allergens, for a fresher and healthier home. Designed with an advanced six-stage filtration system, the Vent-Axia PureAir Room filters out mould, dust, viruses, PM2.5, VOCs, pet allergens and odours with its High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter removing 99.9% of particles.
Vent-Axia has also now extended its air purification range with the Vent-Axia PureAir Room 500 X, for larger homes or commercial premises. Partnering with CodiKoat, who have developed the fastest ISO certified antimicrobial and antiviral coating technology in the world, the PureAir Room 500 X features an advanced seven-stage air cleaning system, offering a healthier and safer environment with its ground-breaking CodiKoat HEPA PLUS filter. This medical grade H13 HEPA filter contains an advanced coating, a unique nano treatment, certified to ISO 18184:2019 (determination of antiviral activity of textile products) by independent labs, which kills 99.99% of viruses, bacteria, and fungi within seconds of contact – making it the world’s fastest ISO certified antimicrobial and antiviral HEPA filter.
It is vital to combat air pollution to stay physically and mentally healthy. By making some simple changes you can protect yourself and others by ventilating and purifying your home to improve the air you breathe.
To find out more, visit the Clean Air Day website.
For up-to-date ventilation guidance and further simple tips to tackle indoor air pollution visit: www.vent-axia.com/healthyhomes. For further information on all products and services offered by Vent-Axia, telephone +44 (0)344 856 0590 or visit www.vent-axia.com.