Hi Laura and everyone.

Austin Air was sold...?! Do you know anything more about who, what and when this happened, or where I could get more information?

I had a HORRIBLE experience with Austin Air earlier this year, and I urge everyone to stay away from them! I got one of their machines, the Healthmate (not Healthmate Plus, since it contains something extra that can make sensitive folks react), and it immediately made me ill. My lung function was reduced to about half or a third of normal.

I called the company, wondering if it could be the HEPA, because I've heard that some people react to it. I never had before, but their version of HEPA is "medical grade" rather than the cheaper, "true" HEPA sold by many of the smaller companies (like Holmes, which are encased in plastic). I was told that it couldn't possibly be the HEPA, that it must be the carbon I'm reacting to. They told me that they automatically put anthracite carbon into the machines, and that coconut shell carbon costs extra. The fact that there is a choice was never mentioned anywhere on any distributor's site I've ever seen in all the years I've researched air purifiers, or I would have ordered the coconut carbon from the start.

So they convinced me to get the other kind of carbon, the coconut shell, the same kind I'd been using for around 8 years in a discontinued machine I had that finally broke. The new filter also made me ill immediately. This time my eyes and sinuses were burning, and that lasted for days. I tried to air out the contamination with fans pointed out my window, and that took hours to become somewhat manageable, but it lingered for days after, as did the burning.

I called the company again to find out what's up with the HEPA, because it became clear that it couldn't be anything else. There's only so many components in this machine. No one knew anything. There was some suggestion that maybe the HEPA is bleached, but that was denied later. I asked for a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), and was given the runaround for weeks. Finally I was told I could get the MSDS for $100, plus $20 shipping... Most MSDS sheets I've seen are just a few pages long, and that's for the really poisonous stuff, like pesticides... What could possibly be in this filter that would justify $100 worth of copying and $20 worth of shipping...?!! Needless to say, I never got any MSDS from them, and hence, no further information about what poisoned me. I can only say that I found their machine to be dangerous, and their business practices dishonest!

I've since done some more research into HEPA in general, which I will be compiling, along with more details of this saga, and sending to this list and elsewhere as soon as I get a chance. HEPA doesn't refer to a specific material, but to a specific ability of a material to filter particles. So HEPA filters vary a lot. There are some, particularly marketed to hospitals (!), that contain biocides to filter out germs, which then are released into the air. I would be very careful trusting anything that is called medical grade HEPA especially. And be aware with any HEPA filter that they are glued into the frame, and the glue itself can be toxic.

HEPA is all about particles, and does nothing for chemical fumes. For chemical fumes carbon (aka charcoal) is the answer (and don't trust the ionizer hype - those things are virtually useless, plus they can make some pollutants more toxic). Some people also use zeolite (Austin's 15 pounds of carbon is actually a much smaller quantity, since they mix it with about one third zeolite), but I've not found it as effective in an air purifier as carbon. Zeolite is great in a container in your closet though, where it soaks up all sorts of bad smells, and as soon as it doesn't work anymore, you have to expose it to the sun for a day or so, and it's as good as new.

I finally got an Airpura C600, which does not contain HEPA, though does have a fabric that performs similarly. The C600 is carbon only, 26 pounds of it in a 3 inch bed, and mine is 100% coconut shell. I've had mine running for a few weeks now, and am slowly re-adjusting to the carbon smell, which never bothered me before, but which I was apparently sensitized to after my horrifying exposure to the Austin Air. A catastrophic sensitization, since I rely on carbon both in my air purifier in my apartment, and in the mask I wear outside...

I've not tried any of the Foust machines. But I would recommend getting samples of any filtration media they may use, so you can test it. Though sometimes a small sample may not tell you what will happen if air is forced through a larger quantity of it, so it's not a fool proof way to test, but will give you some idea. I think all their large machines use HEPA, but I may be wrong. I know they sell smaller machines with carbon only, but my sense is that they are too small, with too little carbon to make a dent in any environment that has a lot of chemical contamination coming through.

The Aireox is also a nice little machine, carbon only, no motor exposed, but a very small amount of carbon, and I didn't find it useful even for my small studio apartment. Allerair machines are comparable to Airpura, though not as well made, less carbon, and much more expensive. All other air purifiers I've come across are encased in plastic, and they offgass for some time after, so I've only mentioned machines here that are encased in metal.

I recommend calling the companies and asking lots of questions:
E. L. Foust 1-800-353-6878
Airpura 1-866-505-7872 (C600 for people with MCS)

In terms of cleaners, I would caution a bit about Ecover and Planet, the only two you mentioned, Laura, that I've tried: Some of their products are great, others have a very strong scent to them. Ecover dish soap has a subtle smell to it that bothers me when I'm under the weather (I use the lemon version), and their marigold version pushes me over the edge. Some of the more hardcore cleaning products especially have a strong smell, and I wouldn't recommend them.

Here are a couple of links to cleaning product recipes from simple, safer components, explaining what each of them accomplishes, any part of it you might consider printing out for your building manager:
http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm
http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/safe-fs.html
http://www.ebmud.com/wastewater/residential_pollution_prevention/CleanItGuide2003.pdf

I've never used Botanic Gold, but would love to hear what your experience is. Sounds like it's an enzyme cleaner of some sort, though with anything botanic I would ask how it's extracted. There is alcohol in this product, and I wonder about whether it dissipates quickly and if there's a chemical reaction with the enzymes that either make them useless or smell stronger. Please do share if you have any experience with this product.

Good Luck, and Be Well

Isis


Valerie Igl <valigl@...> wrote:

Bon Ami makes a good cleanser, and it seems to be pretty readily available.
My housecleaner uses only vinegar and Bon Ami to clean most anything. For
air cleaners, I like using Holmes HEPA models. I have seen the smaller
models in stores, but you can also order from the company 1-800-5-HOLMES

VALERIE IGL, MFT
www.FeministTherapyAssociates.com
VALIGL@...
510-527-5662 x3

Therapy, Consulting, Training & EMDR
Scent-free office near El Cerrito Plaza BART
Sliding scale / Medi-Cal
Abuse survivors, sexuality, addiction, disability
Sexual minorities (trans, bi, lesbian, kink, poly)

----- Original Message -----
From: "lauradorala"
To:
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 10:39 AM
Subject: [BayCanaryGrapevine] advice on air purifiers/ cleaning products for
work?


> Hi,
> As school is starting agan, and I am fresh with more energy, I've
> decided to ask if the cleaning crew can use unscented, nontoxic
> cleaners.
>
> the building manager asked me for a list of what they could use, and
> I offered her this:
>
> 7th generation (non lavender scented), Ecover, Planet, white vinegar,
> something called botanic gold on foustco.com
>
> Does anyone have any additional ideas?
>
> In addition, they painted the office (and unfortunately did not
> follow my request to use no VOC paint) so I am energized now to get
> an air purifier that works. (And, being a teacher, I can spend most
> of my time out of the office, and in the classroom, which is probably
> the healthiest way to deal with it)
>
> I suggested the largest room Foustco.com air purifier. (the school
> will pay for it). Has anyone used this, and do you have any feedback
> on this model or others? (I hear the old austin air purifiers work
> well, but that the company was sold, so I didn't get any info on the
> newer models)
>
> Thanks,
> Laura
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>




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