Will Cleaner Indoor Air Help Us Live Longer?

Cleaner, pollutant-free air adds almost 5 months to our lives. So say the results of an interesting study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, headed by an epidemiologist at Brigham Young University (BYU), tracked the correlation between particulate pollution levels and life expectancy over 2 decades in 51 U.S. cities. Researchers say it’s the first to illustrate that reducing air pollution can translate into a longer lifespan.

During the course of the research, which spanned from 1978 to 2001, 51 metropolitan U.S. cities reduced their pollution levels by one-third, slashing the amount of small airborne particles from 21 micrograms per cubic meter to 14 micrograms per cubic meter. All the while, the life expectancy in these cities saw an average increase of 2.7 years, from 74.3 to 77 years of age. According to the findings, as much as 4.8 months of this increase can be attributed to cleaner air. Although environmental health experts point out that BYU’s report doesn’t exactly prove that cleaner air contributes to a longer life, many agree that it makes a strong scientific argument to continue reducing air pollution.

Residents and office-dwellers should note that reducing the amount of harmful airborne particles indoors is just as important as tackling them outdoors. After all, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the air inside our homes and buildings is roughly 10 times more polluted than the air outside. While we may not have a lot of control over the amount of pollution we encounter outdoors, we can definitely control how much is present in our indoor environments day after day.

Things like regular house cleaning, vacuuming with a CRI certified vacuum, cleaning your air ducts and reducing exposure to cleaning chemicals all will help improve your indoor air quality.

Improve IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) and Clean Better With A CRI Certified Vacuum

CRI, the Carpet and Rug Institute, uses science based research to certify carpet cleaning products, equipment and methods. Proper carpet cleaning is critical to extending the life of carpet, keeping it looking beautiful and maintaining a healthy indoor air environment within your home or facility.

Carpet cleaning products, methods and equipment improve all the time, but not all cleaning products clean equally well. The Seal of Approval testing program, overseen by independent labs, is designed to ease concerns about the perceived difficulty of cleaning carpets. This Seal helps homeowners, facility managers, janitorial staff and professional carpet cleaners identify superior cleaning products, including spot removers, pre-spray/in-tank solutions deep cleaning extractors/systems and vacuums.

CRI uses NASA-enhanced x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology to measure the precise amount of soil removed from carpet by deep cleaning extractors and residential and commercial vacuums cleaners. Soil removal efficiency is rated on three levels: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Manufactures receiving these ratings can also apply to use the seal of the Space Foundation, signifying use of space technology for earthly applications.

As a Seal of Approval green product, carpet cleaning solutions also ensure they are environmentally friendly by providing documentation from one of CRI's nationally recognized green product certifiers.

To earn the CRI Seal of Approval/Green Label certification, vacuums must pass the following independent laboratory tests:

Soil removal — CRI uses NASA-enhanced x-ray fluorescence technology instead of traditional gravimetrix testing to measure the precise amount of soil removed from carpet — either 30 oz/sy commercial cut pile carpet or 30 oz/sy loop pile carpet.

Dust containment — The vacuum must not release more than 100 micrograms of dust particles per cubic meter of air, keeping dirt and dust locked tight in the vacuum — not escaping back into the air where it can be breathed.

Carpet fiber retention — The vacuum must not affect the texture of the commercial cut pile carpet (900 passes with sample rotated every 50 passes) more than a one-step change based on one year of normal vacuum use.

Partners In Grime uses only CRI Seal of Approval/Green Label Certified vacuums. This is their highest level of certification.

We use vacuums manufactured in the USA in St. James, MO by Tacony Corporation under the Riccar and Powr-Flite labels.




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Partners In Grime services these cities: Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood, Lee's Summit, Mission Hills, Mission, Roeland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, Olathe, Merriam, Westwood.