Would you drink muddy water? Eat food covered in dirt? Of course, you wouldn’t! But how much thought do you give to the quality of the air you breathe?
What exactly is in the air we breathe?
- Dust and dirt: Did you know that an average home produces nearly 40 pounds of airborne dust and dirt every year?
- Skin cells: The next time you’re watching a sunbeam, think about this – over 80% of the material catching the light is likely to be dead skin cells!
- Allergens: Allergen levels can be nearly off the charts, especially during spring and summer.
- Mold, bacteria, fungus and viruses: Dust and dirt are visible to the naked eye, but they only make up 10% of pollutants in the air. The other 90% includes tiny organisms like mold – common throughout the year in Portland and a leading cause of respiratory distress.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Perfumes, air fresheners, and other man-made chemicals aren’t natural! Also known as VOCs, these chemical compounds can make breathing difficult and cause systemic illness.
What happens when we breathe in something other than clean air?
We have many natural defenses against dangerous particles in the air. The hairs in our nose and our mucous membranes are very effective at filtering out larger dust particles and debris. But breathing in potentially toxic materials adds stress to our bodies. This can lead to health problems in our respiratory systems and throughout our bodies.
Our Immune Systems
Our immune systems- when working properly- fight off most common bacteria and viruses. But when weakened by disease or stress, our immune systems aren’t as efficient and we’re more susceptible to disease. It’s a vicious cycle that can begin with breathing polluted air.
According to the World Health Organization, as many as 3 MILLION people die from the effects of air pollution every year.
Northwest Center for Prosthodontics Investments in Clean Air
At Northwest Center for Prosthodontics, we’re always looking for ways to help our patients’ health and wellness. Recently, we’ve added Surgical Clean Air Purifiers in all our treatment areas and patient lobby. The clean air they create helps assure that our team and our guests breathe only clean, germ-free air.
Surgically Clean Air Purifiers have been proven by independent lab testing (RTI) to remove 99% of indoor air pollutants (i.e. bacteria, fungus, and viruses). In practice, more than a thousand dental offices, hospitals, dental labs and commercial offices are implementing the new school of thought on the use of our standalone air purifiers.
These new purifiers offer a medical-grade, multi-stage filtration system (far beyond what’s found in common commercial and residential air filters). It’s a powerful tool that protects the team and our patients at our practice from illness, infection and disease. Look for them at your next visit to Northwest Center for Prosthodontics!