Herkimer in the news 9/30

There has been a lot going on this week where we are located in Herkimer, NY and we thought it would be a great opportunity to feature some of this news on the blog. The most noteworthy news is related to the Herkimer ARC going under their rebranding.

According to the press release, the rebranding focuses on:

• Increases awareness of the agency’s mission, programs, and services.
  Presents Arc Herkimer with a positive, unique and consistent public identity to strengthen relationships
  and develop new partnerships.
• Galvanizes relationships with affiliates such as The Arc of the United States, NYSARC, Inc., and other
  national and state organizations as Arc Herkimer seeks financial support and political influence. There is strength in numbers which is needed now more than ever to advocate for the individuals and families supported.
• Opens avenues for new product and innovative program development, as well as the promotion of those initiatives, under the banner of the new brand.
• Provides opportunities to engage in contemporary promotional strategies including social media, web design, various forms of advertising, and publicity……read the full press release

In other news, there has been a lot of talk recently in regards to the Herkimer sign ordinance. There will be a public hearing allowing anyone and everyone to voice their opinions on the ordinance on Monday, October 3rd at 7pm in the courtroom of the Village Hall on the 2nd floor. A bit of background on the sign ordinance from the Utica OD:

The current fuss began after Carpenter, who is running for re-election against former Herkimer County DA Michael Daley, claimed Daley’s signs were too big. Daley said he thought the ordinance had changed — and maybe it did.

In the wake of confusion, Mayor Brindisi did the right thing. He sought a recommendation from the New York Conference of Mayors and was advised to revisit the law and have a hearing.

That happens Monday.

The board should listen to the people, specifically define signage requirements, enact an ordinance and enforce it.

The ordinance also should include specific time limitations as to when political signs need to be taken down. There’s nothing worse than political signs littering the landscape as we approach the holidays……continue to read the full article

Here are some driving directions and a map for those interested:

Best of luck to all the local sports teams competing this weekend!

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Public Health Clinics in Herkimer Co.

For those of you interested in attending, Herkimer County Public Health will be holding flu clinics on Thursday September 29th.  There will be two locations, one in Herkimer and an additional clinic in Ilion.  The clinics will be for adults only, and you are required to bring your current insurance card with you. See WKTV for more information.

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Three Tips to Control Eliminate VOCs in Your Home

MAB Air Solutions LLC is a clean air company, focused on helping individuals improve their quality of life through improving the conditions of their environment. We achieve this through our HYLA products that offer air purification and filtration services along with our complimentary air cleaning.

We have compiled three tips that you can utilize to improve the air quality of your home or business.

What are VOCs?

VOCs are volatile organic compounds. Denise Mann writes:

Some cleaning products, including those with chlorine and ammonia, contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some paints, shellacs, and floor polishes may also contain VOCs. The compounds then go into the air as gases.

You can cut down on VOCs by choosing products that say “low VOC” or “no VOC” or buying fragrance-free cleaners. Harold S. Nelson, MD, professor of medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver, advises considering liquids or pastes instead of sprays for cleaning because they disperse fewer particles into the air.

VOCs aren’t the only particles affecting air quality. Mold spores that start off in a damp basement can float up into the rest of the house. “Areas of leakage and dampness should be addressed throughout the house,” Nelson says……read the full article

Aside from the VOCs found in cleaners and fragrances, there is another tip with regards to paint. Good House Keeping suggests:

“Paints release trace amounts of gases for months after application — even though they appear to be fully dried and the smell is gone. These gases are called VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, and can include highly toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.

Use “low-VOC” paints, varnishes, waxes and other chemicals, and open windows and use exhaust fans to remove gases when you paint. Do not store open paint containers indoors. ” See more tips from Good House Keeping

Finally, Sarah Mahoney offers another tip to help with VOCs in the home. Many of us simply vacuum quickly to get the job done and move on. Our complimentary carpet cleaning service will show you exactly the best way to vacuum and clean your carpet/floors. Why? Sarah writes:

“Dust is a leading source of air pollution because it absorbs toxic gases, including VOCs and radon, says Mark Sneller, PhD, a microbiologist and author of Greener, Cleaner Indoor Air: A Family Guide to Healthier Living. “Vacuuming slowly and methodically captures the most dust,” he says. “The faster you go, the more dust you’ll raise, which defeats the purpose.” Vacuum at least twice a week, he recommends, and step outside to empty the vacuum cleaner bag. That’s because bacteria can multiply 100-fold inside a vacuum, says Charles Gerba, PhD, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona. “When you empty the bag, it may release a big cloud of E. coli and salmonella into the air,” Gerba says.” read additional tips at Prevention.com

We now have three more tips that you can easily put into place to help with your indoor air quality in regards to VOCs.  Hopefully the information provided from these sources combined with the tips in our indoor air quality article will give you a great start to improving the environment in your living and work space.

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Benefits to Using an Air Purifier In the Home

We know now that fall allergies are underway and many people struggle to cope with the symptoms. Many times we are left with the solution to take over-the-counter medications that can leave us feeling drowsy throughout the day. MAB Air Solutions is a clean air company, with a focus on improving your health through improving your living environment.

Installing an air purifier in the home can seem like a simple task, and it is, but many people are simply uneducated about the benefits of air purifiers. Because of this, we have compiled a few resources to help explain some of the benefits that can change the way you live.

In this article by Janet Miller that discusses the surprising benefits of air purifiers she writes:

Household surfaces contain many dangerous bacteria, which can be transferred to any part of our body that comes in contact with the surface.
• Airborne flu virus particles move from person to person through sneezing and coughing and failure to wash hands afterward.
• Bacteria thrives in warm, humid areas of the home and can cause serious illness to young and old family members alike.
Using carbon filtration to eliminate odors and return clean, fresh air you will breathe easier knowing your home has reduced pollution. Your family’s risk of these germs and subsequent illness will be substantially lower and much healthier.

To achieve this on a daily basis, an ionic air purifier which includes a UV-C sanitizer with electrostatic purification to remove all allergens, unpleasant odors, dust and airborne irritants is an ideal option. It removes allergy causing pollution with an ozone power of (03) < 0.05ppm eliminating allergy causing infection. The O-Ion B 1000 takes care of this. This unit also has UVGI technology to kill those nasty germs, viruses and bacteria that cause sickness…..read the full article

With the changing of seasons, comes back to school, allergies and……illness. Your children bring back excellent stories of their days at school and with them, new sets of germs. A complimentary air scrubbing service can help show you how to rid your home of those germs and keep your family healthy.

Once the weather cools and we no longer utilize an AC system or open windows to keep the house comfortable, air particles can become trapped inside to make us sick.

This article by Max Mechanical explains some additional benefits of an air purifier system:

Avoiding Colds and Flu
When the temperature dips, windows need to be closed, trapping in air particles. Living with others means that you have no control over their coughing and sneezing, which expels bacteria. Breathing in such germs speeds up the likelihood of coming down with a cold or flu, thereby offering a pertinent reason for having a purifier installed for all residents.

Keeping Lungs Clear
Older people may suffer from breathing conditions like COPD or emphysema, while younger individuals sometimes fight a daily battle with conditions like asthma or cystic fibrosis. Both need the particle-free air that a purifier can deliver, since if you don’t have an HVAC unit that covers the entire home, that can mean having to close windows in warm weather.

Protecting the Immune System
Individuals who are undergoing serious treatments such as chemotherapy or who otherwise have an immune system that needs to be protected can benefit greatly from having a purifier installed. Infections tend to breed because of the particles that can circulate within air that don’t affect the average person.

Improving Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
Air pollution has been shown to raise blood pressure, which within a home can be related to the presence of such things as a smoker, dogs, or cats. Having a purifier neutralizes the negatives connected with those issues, offering a more relaxing aspect—which translates to a greater sense of serenity. In addition, it can limit the chances of coughing spells that raise a person’s blood pressure…. learn more

Fall is the perfect time to inquire about an air purfication system for the home prior to the weather changing. Feel free to contact us to learn what MAB Air Solutions can do for your home or business!

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Is Indoor Air Quality Hurting Your Business?

Is your indoor air quality hurting business productivity?

There might be more to indoor air pollution than just experiencing uncomfortable, flu like symptoms. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety writes that common symptoms of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) are as follows:

It is common for people to report one or more of the following symptoms:

Dryness and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin
Headache
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Hypersensitivity and allergies
Sinus congestion
Coughing and sneezing
Dizziness
Nausea
People generally notice their symptoms after several hours at work and feel better after they have left the building or when they have been away from the building for a weekend or a vacation.

Many of these symptoms may also be caused by other health conditions including common colds or the flu, and are not necessarily due to poor IAQ. This fact can make identifying and resolving IAQ problems more difficult…...read more here

Aside from the obvious health concerns, Lydia O’Connor noted that a recent study performed by Harvard University showed how reducing indoor air pollutants can impact decision making in the workplace. Lydia writes:

Running into mental blocks at your desk job? A new Harvard study says you may be able to blame it on the air quality in your office.

In a paper published Monday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, a team of researchers found that people working in well-ventilated “green” buildings with below-average indoor air pollution and carbon dioxide, or CO2, showed better cognitive functioning than workers in “non-green” offices with typical pollutant and CO2 levels.

“These results suggest that even modest improvements to indoor environmental quality may have a profound impact on the decision-making performance of workers,” lead study author Joseph Allen, the director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard Center for Health and the Global Environment, wrote.

The findings, Think Progress notes, provide “an entirely new public health impetus for keeping global CO2 levels as low as possible.”

The study of 24 people exposed to different indoor environmental quality conditions over six full work days showed that participants’ cognitive scores were an average 61 percent higher on days working in buildings with low pollution levels than on days working in a conventional building. The results held true across all cognitive abilities that were tested: basic activity, applied activity, focused activity, task orientation, crisis response, information seeking, information usage, breadth of approach and strategy.

When lowered CO2 levels were coupled with lower pollutants in buildings, cognitive scores were a whopping 101 percent higher than in conventional buildings. That finding was significant, the study noted, as CO2 is not typically thought of as a direct indoor pollutant.

The largest improvements were seen in participants’ cognitive abilities relating to strategy, information usage and crisis response….read the full article.

In knowing how improving your air quality can potentially improve both the health and performance of your employees, what can you do to help? MAB Air Solutions offers a complimentary air cleaning to show you exactly how simple the process can be.

Jonathan Choquel provides a quite obvious but often overlooked tip:

Before starting this list of « not so obvious » tips to improve indoor air quality, let’s talk a little bit more about the most obvious tip: opening the windows. Having this habit is good. It’s a good start as it helps lower concentrations of toxic chemicals as well as carbon dioxide (CO2).
Indeed, indoors, the quality of the air is typically several times poorer than the air outdoors.
Certain everyday situations can suddenly degrade indoor air quality. In theses cases, you shouldn’t wait until the next morning to open the windows.
Pollution peaks might happen when you bring home a new piece of pressed-wood furniture or add a coat of paint on the walls. The air your breath indoors can also be degraded by the lack of cleaning.
• Open the windows 5 to 10 minutes. Do it on an everyday basis, even if you don’t know exactly how polluted the air is inside your home. You should also do it when you or someone else engages in an activity prone to deteriorate indoor air quality. Learn 6 more tips here

If interested in learning more about indoor plants that can improve air quality check out this related post!

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Plants to help improve your indoor air quality

Looking to for some tips to improve your air quality in the home? Aside from our complimentary air purification services in Herkimer, we have compiled a few other tips that you can use to improve your indoor air.

Why not kill two birds with one stone and improve the comfort and look of your home with plants? In the infographic from Jana Flor she outlines 6 different plants to grow in your home to help air quality.

Some additional information that you might find useful….Cat lovers beware, it appears that the spider plant is the only plant listed that isn’t toxic to cats.

In this article by Janice Lim, some of the more specifics of the plants are outlined. She writes:

While plants in general are able to purify air, research in the United States and Australia has shown that there are some plants that perform this function better than others.

The plant called mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata), for example, has a special air purifying ability to go along with its unusual name – it can absorb harmful substances, such as benzene and formaldehyde, which could be present in the air.

These toxic particles are known as volatile organic compounds and are usually found in paints or new furniture. Long-term exposure to these substances is potentially harmful to human health.

Other plants with similar abilities include the peace lily, the Boston fern and the money plant. Besides absorbing toxic particles, these plants also provide fresh oxygen to the environment and release negative ions which are beneficial for one’s health.

Mr Peter Cheok of Far East Flora said Singaporeans are always looking for plant types suitable for an indoor environment.

“Particularly because Singaporeans are usually very busy with work, we are using plants which are suitable for indoor and do not require much maintenance, easier to take care of and yet will still grow well. This range of plants has always been popular with our customers,” said Mr Cheok.

One biotech company in Singapore, In Vitro, has found that injecting microorganisms into the soil can increase the plants’ air purification abilities by up to 10 times……read the full article here

The peace lily is of special interest due to the fact that it is the only flowering plant listed. If you prefer flowers in the home then the Peace Lily is going to probably be your go-to choice when it comes to a plant. Combined with one of our HYLA systems, you would be well on your way to taking the necessary steps to improve air pollution within the home.

How exactly do plants improve the quality of your air?

According to Facts@Web, these three plants can help most in the upcoming fall/winter season:

Boston Fern: A natural humidifier, it is an excellent plant to have if one suffers from dry skin problems. Also it helps maintain air moisture level in dry winter season. It absorbs the commonly found toxin formaldehyde, a chemical related to neurological diseases.
English Ivy: The most effective at filtering out formaldehyde and benzene, English Ivy works wonderfully for both home and office. It is ideal for those who have pets as it removes airborne allergens such as mold and fecal-matter particles. An evergreen climbing plant, English Ivy is adaptable and thus easy to grow.
Spider Plant: A usual sight, Spider Plant is easy to grow and maintain. One of the best air-purifying plants, it gets to work quickly, removing up to 90% of toxins in two days time. It effectively removes carbon monoxide, benzene and formaldehyde from the air. The plant also does well at removing mold and other allergens, being an added advantage for those with common allergy symptoms…..learn more on their youtube page

These plants are all readily available and can be a nice change to help improve both the appearance and comfort of your home. If interested in a complimentary air cleaning call MAB Air Solutions LLC today!

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