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We
all breath the same air, what you don't know can hurt you...
Welcome to Air Scrubbers International Environmental Technology
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Why do you need ASIET equipment today? To prevent IAQ issues tomorrow! Today’s headlines are someone else’s problem. Tomorrow, they could be yours. Minimize the risks of airborne hazards to the health of your staff and clientele by installing ASIET equipment now.
Jefferson County (Beaumont, TX) had forty-seven buildings placed in jeopardy of being lost to mold infestation in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. Power was out. No HVAC systems were running. Heat and humidity were high. Perfect conditions for the mold spores that were already in place to blossom. Although “mold” had been present in the buildings for years, it had remained dormant due to the presence of light and controlled temperature and humidity. Now, without power for lighting and air conditioning, the “mold” rapidly became an issue. Operations in the buildings could not be relocated due to area wide destruction and a lack of suitable alternate locations. Another problem was a shortage of contractors for remediation and restoration. Critical Jefferson County services could not be put on hold, something had to be done. ASIET mobile air scrubbers were brought in to protect the health of the building occupants and to minimize the amount of remediation and restoration that would later be needed. Only one building eventually required full remediation, the other forty-six were managed as small containment projects by Jefferson County’s own crews with the assistance of local contractors. When people in a building exhibited health problems that were likely mold related, a mobile Airscrubbers was stationed there until the source was removed. The Airscrubbers protected building occupants and allowed county services to continue. Airscrubbers were also operated in buildings prior to and during the containment projects in each building as they were scheduled. ASIET equipment is not meant to take the place of remediation but to be an air purifying system that will allow a cleaned facility to remain “clean” during and after remediation processes. Contractors and in house crews can remain on schedule (and on budget) if callbacks due to positive test results are eliminated or reduced. ASIET Airscrubbers significantly reduce the number of viable airborne mold spores that are the chief reason for positive tests and callbacks. FAQ’s 1. How does ASIET equipment work? ASIET Airscrubbers cause a photocatalytic reaction by using UVC lamps and catalyst coated filter media to make the air hostile to mold spores, pollen, bacteria, virus, VOC’s and smoke. Coatings on the lamps prevent the production of ozone during this process. 2. How much does it cost to purchase and maintain? Costs will vary with each application, but much like your present HVAC system, it depends on how much cubical area you are treating and how you want to do it. An ASIET representative will be happy to discuss the situation with you, explain options and the cost of each option so that you can make a decision best suited for you. Maintenance costs are relatively low, but you can expect to continue to replace air filters on your HVAC system. Lamps will need to be replaced on an annual basis and reactor pads may need replaced every three to four years. If smoking is allowed in your home or facility, the lamps may need to be wiped with alcohol at ninety day intervals. Ballast and switches should be replaced as needed, just as you would in maintaining a florescent light fixture. 3. Is the equipment harmful to the HVAC system? Not at all. Depending on the configuration of the system you choose, it either becomes a part of the HVAC system or works with it. In either case, it will enhance the performance of the HVAC system over time. 4. Is there any energy savings to be gained with this equipment? Yes, Over time the coils and ducts will become cleaner with the continued use of the ASIET Airscrubbers and the original designed efficiencies of your HVAC equipment will be regained. Facilities with economizers on their HVAC equipment can reduce the amount of fresh air needed because ASIET Airscrubbers keep the indoor air fresh and healthful, reducing the need for bringing in hot or cold air and having to change it’s temperature for the buildings occupants. 5. What about VOC’s in our buildings and homes, can Airscrubbers help? Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) in our enclosed environments come from many sources. Plastics, fabrics, finishes, processes such as copying and printing. Nearly all manmade products contain chemicals that tend to drift away as gaseous vapors. The very word ‘volatile’ describes this tendency to change to a gas from a solid or liquid state. Many volatile compounds in the air are detectable as odors, but many are not odorous and give us no warning of their presence. Many voc’s are harmful to us in that some are known to be carcinogenic, others may attack or weaken our immune systems. Some are just irritating or make us ill at the time of exposure. Other sources of VOC's are natural in that VOC's can be produced by mold and bacteria. Whatever the source, ASIET Airscrubbers drastically reduce their presence so that the air we breathe is not doing damage to us. 6. What are the most common molds found in sick buildings? Studies by AIR Quality Sciences, Inc. of Atlanta, GA identify Cladosporidium, Penicillium, Aspergillum and Alternaria to be the most common molds found in problem facilities. 7. Why do I have mold in my building? Mold spores are in the air, all around us, all the time, outdoors and indoors. Under normally lighted, dry and temperate conditions the spores remain dormant. Occasionally areas in our buildings for one reason or another become damp and remain that way enabling mold spores that were already there to begin growing. If other conditions are right, such as temperature and lack of lighting and a ready organic food source such as paper, wood, fabric, shed skin cells, pet dander or anything that once lived (such as decaying plants) mold growth can be astonishingly rapid, pushing airborne mold spore counts much above normal. 8. Are there any health effects from mold? When flourishing mold begins it’s natural reproductive cycle and begins to produce more mold spores, the levels of mold spores in our enclosed environments begin to increase in numbers. Then we begin to notice the adverse health effects of the higher mold spore counts. The nature and intensity of the adverse health effect vary widely depending on the type and amount of mold spore, and one’s immune levels and tolerance levels. Allergic reactions are the most common health problems associated with biological pollutants such as mold. Symptoms often include watery eyes, runny nose and sneezing, nasal congestion, itching, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, headache, dizziness and fatigue. We seldom realize that ‘where we live’ or ‘where we work’ may hold the source of our current illness. 9. What is formaldehyde and what is it doing in my house? Formaldehyde is a chemical compound that has been around for many years now, and industry has found many uses for it. It is a good preservative and has been used in many adhesive (glue) formulas. Many of the building industry products and furnishings industry products contain formaldehyde. The problem with this is that formaldehyde has a high volatility level and escapes from the products we build and furnish our homes and workplaces with in the form of a gas. This gas forms part of the odor we associate with ‘new’ such as the smell of ‘new’ furniture or a ‘new’ car. However, many of formaldehyde’s characteristics that make it a good thing in industry make it a ‘bad thing’ for us to breathe. ASIET Airscrubbers deal with this airborne VOC quickly by chemically reducing it to harmless compounds. 10. Why are air filters alone not enough? Normal air filters trap larger particles in the airstream but do not catch the much smaller particles and organic contaminants typically found in a building’s air envelope. High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters will catch many of the smaller particles including virus, bacteria and mold spores, but they are expensive to replace (often), require higher horsepower motors to force the air through, and can themselves become the source of additional indoor air pollution by trapping colonies of bacteria that release poisonous mycotoxins (gases). Filters also do nothing for problems lurking further downstream in the chill water or evaporator coils where moist dark conditions encourage the growth of mold and bacteria. Air filters do not ‘treat’ the air but only capture organic particles (and some inorganic) that are in suspension in the air, such as lint, dust, pet dander and do nothing at all with gases unless an activated charcoal filter is in use and it also requires frequent changes. Filters certainly have their place, but the do not treat the air and neutralize it as do ASIET air scrubbers. 11. What about ultraviolet light alone? Placing ultraviolet light in the HVAC system near the cold water or evaporator coils is effective on biologicals (mold, bacteria) growing where the light is. The UV light will clean up that spot where the light shines but will have no effect on, hazardous materials in the air, or sources of hazardous biologicals in the building. ASIET equipment treats the air and the air then treats every corner and recess of the building. 12. What is UVC light? UVC light is part of the sun’s electromagnetic spectrum. Ultraviolet light is just beyond the violet band of the visible part of the spectrum, and is usually designated in three wavelength groups by the letters A, B, C. The UVC band being the part of the spectrum responsible for sunburns, paint flaking, plastic becoming brittle, decomposition of plant and vegetable matter, and the sun’s purifying effect on the earth. Through the use of UVC light and photocatalysts found in nature, ASIET is able to replicate one of the earth’s natural purifying process and bring it into our indoor environments. 13. How often do the UVC lamps need to be changed? Annually if they are under constant use, somewhat less often if only used periodically. The lamps are rated for about 9000 hours of effectiveness. ASIET recommends cleaning the lamps each time filters are changed and reactor pads are rotated. 14. Is ozone an air purifier or an indoor air pollutant? Ozone is an unstable oxygen molecule with three, instead of two oxygen atoms combined. The third atom is loosely attached and will readily combine with other molecules to form a volatile organic compound for instance. Ozone is an effective deodorizer and purifier and has many beneficial industrial applications, but according to the U.S. Food And Drug Administration “Ozone, to be effective as a bactericide or deodorizer, must be present in concentrations far greater than can be safely tolerated by man or other animals.” According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ozone is a toxic gas with vastly different chemical and toxicological properties than oxygen. When inhaled it can damage the lungs and relatively low amounts can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation. Ozone has been used effectively for years to clean wastewater. In water containing organic material it is used up rapidly – before it reaches the air. In recent years some companies have been ordered to remove their air purifiers from the market because of the excessive amount of ozone the produced. ASIET air scrubbers use non-ozone producing UVC lamps to minimize the possibility of producing ozone.
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Telephone (806) 438-5598General Information:
asietinfo@asiet.net
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