HEPAiRx Research Published in Peer-Reviewed Scientific Journals

Syracuse, NY (February 16, 2010).  Studies pertaining to Air Innovations and Clarkson University’s research and development of the HEPAiRx® ventilating room air purifier have been peer-reviewed and published in two scientific journals:

Building and Environment (February 2010)—“Effectiveness of heating ventilation and air conditioning system with HEPA filter unit on indoor air quality and asthmatic children’s health” (Xu, Raja, et. al.). Synopsis:  Poor indoor air quality has been linked to the exacerbation of asthma symptoms in children.  Since people spend most of their time indoors, improving indoor air quality may provide some relief to asthma sufferers.  A study using HEPAiRx was conducted in a child’s bedroom to determine if the ventilating room air purified could improve his/her respiratory health.  Results indicate that the HEPAiRx’s air cleaning capabilities in combination with its ventilation features can efficiently reduce symptoms for asthma sufferers.

Environment International (January 2010)—“Re-suspension of indoor aeroallergens and relationship to lung inflammation in asthmatic children” (Raja, Xu, et. al.).  Synopsis:  settled dust and particulate matter samples were collected in the homes and school classrooms of asthmatic children ages 9 to 16 and analyzed for endotoxin and allergens, including dust mite and cockroach allergen, dog and cat dander.  Analyses of results show that exposure to such a pollutants is higher at home and correlates to measured markers of asthma inflammation.

Also of interest (not affiliated with Air Innovations/Clarkson research):

Environmental Health Perspectives (February 2010)—“Effect of Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution on Development of Children Asthma” (Clark, Demers, et.al.).  Synopsis:  There is increasing recognition of the importance of early environmental exposures in the development of childhood asthma.  The study investigated the effect of exposure to ambient air pollution in utero and during the first year of life vs subsequent asthma diagnoses.  The study found that traffic-related pollutants were associated with the highest risks of asthma diagnosis.  This supported hypotheses that early childhood exposure to air pollutants plays a role in development of asthma.

 

Air Innovations Partnering with Clarkson University on Indoor Air/Asthma Research

Syracuse, NY (January 6, 2010)—Air Innovations and Clarkson University's Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science are conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of AI's HEPAiRx ventilating room air purifier in improving the quality of air in the room that children spend most of their time, the bedroom. The study will focus on children's rest time and measure the corresponding improvement in sleep and general respiratory well being. Preliminary work has shown that having the air quality of the child's bedroom cleaned and conditioned leads to reduced asthmatic symptoms.

The test will last for 16 weeks during which the system will be running for 14 weeks. Every sixth day before going to bed and upon awakening in the morning, the child will breathe into a sampling system that condenses his/her exhaled breath. Clarkson will collect and analyze the condensate to test if the clean air has produced less inflammation in the child's lungs. There will be questionnaires and activity diaries to complete. At the end of the study, participants will be given the option to keep the HEPAiRx or receive $150. Clarkson is looking for volunteers for this research study who reside in the Potsdam and Syracuse area. It requires the participation of the child (7 to 16 years old) and his/her family. If you are interested in participating, please contact Theresa Ferero at Clarkson University, 315-268-2390.

Demonstration of how HEPAiRx will be mounted in the window frame of participants' bedrooms

 

Air Innovations Awarded Grant to Commercialize HEPAiRx® Ventilating Room Air Purifier

Syracuse, NY (October 10, 2009)—Air Innovations has been the recipient of a grant from the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Innovations (CoE) to continue product development and research on its ventilating room air purifier, HEPAiRx®.  The $150,000 Technology Application & Demonstration (TAD) award will be use to refine the product’s design, demonstrate the new design’s effectiveness at improving indoor air quality, and evaluate how it reduces the symptoms of asthma as well as the health and productivity costs associated with that disease. “Asthma affects 22 million Americans, including 6.2 million children, and the annual direct and indirect cost of asthma is estimated at $16.1 billion,” explained Air Innovations Chairman Larry Wetzel, P.E..   “Asthma prevalence has increased worldwide over the past 20 to 30 years, particularly in children, and one asthma-related death occurs every 20 seconds according to the World Health Organization.” Air Innovations will collaborate on the TAD grant with Clarkson University, which will optimize performance parameters of the re-designed unit and test the product in the homes of asthmatic children.  An economic and commercial viability study will later be conducted by the University at Buffalo and Applied Healthcare Resource Management.  

HEPAiRx is a unique combination of a ventilator with energy recovery, an air purifier and a heating and cooling unit.  The system is designed to take complete environmental control of a room, such as a bedroom, where people spend much of their time, and reduce airborne particles and gaseous contaminants.  By doing so, the bedroom can be isolated from the rest of the house, where contaminants are being generated and distributed, to allow the occupant relief at night.  According to Wetzel, Air Innovations will produce the unit in its factory in North Syracuse and seek international distribution of the product.
   
Earlier studies funded by the CoE and New York State Energy Research and Development Agency were also conducted by Clarkson and determined that the unit significantly improved the indoor air quality and reduced asthma symptoms.  Results of these studies were presented last year at three international symposia (European Aerosol in Greece, Indoor Air in Denmark, and American Association for Aerosol Research in Florida) and have been peer reviewed by Building and Environment (publication pending).  Most recently, HEPAiRx was showcased the 7th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation, and Energy Conservation in Buildings (Healthy Buildings 2009), which took place in Syracuse in September, and was sponsored in part by Air Innovations.  More than 1,700 delegates from 45 countries attended.

HEPAiRx is a registered trademark of Air Innovations and is patent pending

 

HEPAiRx® Results Presented at International Conferences

Technical papers about HEPAiRx's effectiveness in improving asthma-related symptoms and the quality of life for children with asthma were presented by AI research partners from Clarkson University at the European Aerosol conference in Greece and the Indoor Air conference in Denmark in August 2008.

The HEPAiRx®is an integrated energy recovery ventilator air purifier and an air conditioning unit designed to control temperature in the room while ventilating the room with approximately three air changes per hour of fresh outside air. The outside air is mixed with room air and then re-circulated through a HEPA filter approximately twelve times per hour.

The HEPAiRx proved to be effective for reducing particle and gas concentrations and for controlling the temperature in participants' bedrooms. The most notable improvements were in reduced particulate matter (PM) concentrations. Significantly lower exhaled breath (EBC) concentrations and high peak expiratory flow (PEF) rates point to improvement of the children's asthma symptoms during the day and night with the use of the HEPAiRx in their bedrooms.

Posters prepared for these conferences detail the study's experimental methods and protocols: "Investigation of the Effect of Indoor Particles on Lung Inflammation in Asthmatic Children" and "Air Cleaner Effects on Indoor Air Quality and Asthmatic Children's Health".

 

Carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds before and after
HEPAiRx installation at a representative home

Temperature and relative humidity and particle concentrations
before and after HEPAiRx installation at a representative home

 

 

HEPAiRx® EFFECTIVE AT IMPROVING ASTHMA SYMPTOMS

Asthma prevalence has increased worldwide over the past 20 to 30 years, particularly in children, and one asthma-related death occurs every 20 seconds according to the World Health Organization (2005).

Results of a clinical trial designed to measure the effectiveness of Air Innovations' HEPAiRx® air purifier and ventilator show the unit improved indoor air quality and reduced indicators of airway inflammation in asthmatic children.

HEPAiRx® dramatically and quickly improved indoor air quality when installed in asthmatic children's bedrooms

 

Air Innovations Chairman Larry Wetzel and Clarkson University principal investigator Andrea Ferro reviewed the study in detail during the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems annual symposium in Syracuse in late September 2007.

Asthmatic children's sleep comfort was significantly improved when HEPAiRx was operating

A summary of their findings includes:

-- HEPAiRx® proved to be effective for reducing particle, gas, and indoor allergen concentrations.
-- Asthma symptoms improve with the use of the HEPAiRx in the bedrooms of the asthmatic children.
-- A short-term, carryover effect is evident.

• Night samples show improvement with HEPAiRx use although participants spend daytime in other environments (e.g., schools)

• Participants show improvement even weeks after the HEPAiRx® was shut off.
  

Future studies will include:

-- Computer modeling to predict indoor air quality for different air cleaner/ventilator configurations;
-- Developing a smaller, window mounted version of HEPAiRx®; and,
-- Conducting a larger study to include urban environments and separating out various factors, including placebo effect.

Another Clarkson University study presented during the symposium related to children's exposure to allergens at home and in schools. Preliminary results show that exposure to allergens and endotoxins is higher in homes than at school, with the children showing higher respiratory inflammation as a result.

 

HEPAiRx® PRAISED FOR ITS ENERGY-EFFICIENT VENTILATION SOLUTIONS

Picture Courtesy of Distributed Energy

"If one letter is neglected in HVAC it is the 'V,'" writes Paul Hull in Distributed Energy: The Journal for Onsite Power Solutions (May/June 2008). "HVAC is all about our comfort, so the 'V' is most important. In this area, I came across a program going on in New York that intrigued and pleased me ..." Hull describes Air Innovations' energy-efficient HEPAiRx air purifier and ventilator, currently undergoing clinical trials in the homes of more than 30 asthmatic children, ages five to 16, in northern New York, with the help of Clarkson University. The study's "preliminary findings show that the product has reduced concentrations of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide that trigger respiratory response."

 

 

HEPAiRx® room air purifier and ventilator results promising

Syracuse, NY--During the 7th annual Symposium on Environmental and Energy Systems that took place here in October, Air Innovations Chairman Larry Wetzel, P.E. presented results from a pilot study on the effectiveness of AI's new room air purifier and ventilator. This study was conducted during the summer of 2007 by Clarkson University and Canton (NY) Hospital. He reported that HEPAiRx™ improved air quality dramatically, and health improvements were reported via heart rate, peak flows and exhaled breath condensate results. Mr. Wetzel also noted that improvements in indoor air quality were achieved through dilution with fresh air only and not from specific chemical filtration, which makes the findings even more important to those suffering from asthma, allergies and chemical sensitivities.

Currently HEPAiRx is undergoing clinical trials in the homes of more than 30 asthmatic children ages 5-16 in Northern New York. Preliminary findings confirm the pilot study results: HEPAiRx reduces concentrations of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide that trigger respiratory response and subjects are sleeping better when they use HEPAiRx at night in their bedrooms.

Results are expected to be announced spring 2008.

HEPAiRx research is sponsored by the Syracuse Center of Excellence Office of Industry Collabration, with monies provided by the U.S. EPA, and by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

HEPAiRx® is a registered trademark of Air Innovations and is patent pending.

Click here to view the summary of the pilot study results.

For more information on the HEPAiRX room air purifier and ventilator, email info@airinnovations.com.

 

HEPAiRx® installed in subject's bedroom

 

HEPAiRx® room air purifier and ventilator in the news

Air Innovations newest product, HEPAiRx®, a portable room air purifier for control of asthma and allergy symptoms, was recently featured:

--on WNYTV7 "For your Health" broadcast (December 8, 2007)

--in CNY business exchange magazine's first annual "green" issue (October 2007);

--in Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems' 2007 progress report;

--at fuse 2007, a business acceleration event held in Syracuse (October 2007) which was attended by NYS Governor Eliot Spitzer;

--and, at the 7th annual Syracuse Symposium on Environmental and Energy Systems.

 

Assembling HEPAiRx® pilot units

in Air Innovations Factory

Syracuse to host major international conference on healthy buildings in 2009

The International Society for Indoor Air Quality (ISAIQ) has selected the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems and Syracuse University as hosts of Healthy Buildings 2009, a premier international conference held every three years. The conference in Syracuse is scheduled for September 13-17, 2009, and is expected to bring more than 1200 registered conference attendees from around the world. The conference and accompanying exhibitions, at which multinational corporations showcase their latest technologies attract manufacturers, architects, practicing professional and academic researchers from around the world. The first Healthy Buildings conference was held in Stockholm in 1988. Subsequent conferences have been held in Washington (1991 and 1997), Budapest (1994), Milan (1995), Helsinki (2000), Singapore (2003) and Lisbon (2006).

Syracuse was chosen on the basis of international recognition and reputation gained by area environmental systems firms like Air Innovations and the Syracuse CoE, a federation that includes more than 140 businesses, academic, research and technology development organizations that specialize in the fields of built and urban environments. Air Innovations is a Charter Member and Silver Patron of the Syracuse CoE.

 

Air Innovations prepares for test of new HEPAiRx®

by Kevin Tampone, CNY Business Journal Staff

07/20/07:CICERO - For someone with asthma, airborne irritants can spring up practically anywhere - even from inside the home. "One of the biggest culprits is the kitchen," says Cheryl A. Gressani, director of business development for Air Innovations, a developer and manufacturer of specialized air conditioning and environmental control units. Cooking releases tiny particles into the air that can then easily migrate to other areas, she explains. Air Innovations is working on a new product to help those with asthma and other respiratory problems find some relief inside their homes.

With help from Clarkson University and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, the company is preparing to test the system starting this month. The center awarded the company a $150,000 federal grant earlier this year to fund an 18-week study of the product - an air heating, cooling, and filtration unit designed for use in a single room known as an integrated energy-recovery ventilator.

The ventilators are designed to be energy efficient as well. Air Innovations will install the units in the bedrooms of 45 asthma patients during the study and, with help from Clarkson researchers, record detailed information on their health and the effectiveness of the system throughout the course of the study. In addition to heating, cooling, and filtering indoor air, the product brings fresh air in from outdoors. It also pressurizes the room to help stop airborne irritants - such as those created during cooking - from entering.

The bedrooms of the study subjects will be completely sealed off from the heating and cooling system in the rest of their homes. Vents will be closed off and all the air-handling will be done by the in-room unit during the study, Gressani says. In addition to recording the air quality and particle concentration inside the room during the test, university researchers will collect exhaled breath samples from the asthma patients throughout the study, according to Clarkson.

The samples will be frozen and sent back to the university for detailed analysis. The live study comes after two years of development work on the new product, Gressani says. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provided more than $197,000 to Air Innovations for early research on the unit. The overall goal of the product is to improve the air quality in an asthma patient's bedroom, thereby improving the person's overall quality of life and health. "Ideally, what we would like to do is prove that thesis with this study and then replicate it with a larger population," Gressani says.

After the 18-week in-home testing is finished, Air Innovations and Clarkson will analyze the collected data and produce a final report by March 2008. The company will develop sales, marketing, and distribution plans after research and testing are finished, Gressani says. Air Innovations was founded in 1986 as Floratech. It changed the name to Air Innovations in 2000 to reflect the company's broader product line.

The firm manufactures a variety of air handling systems including floral cases for some of the largest supermarket retailers in the world. It also creates cleanroom systems for medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. One of its systems is even used to cool the machines airports use to screen baggage for explosives. Lawrence Wetzel, chairman of the board, co-owns the company with his son, company president Michael Wetzel.

Air Innovations employs 45 in its 40,000-square-foot facility at 7000 Performance Drive in Cicero. Air Innovations generates between $8 million and $10 million in annual revenue.

Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com

U.S. Congressman Jim Walsh (R) tours

Air Innovations factory with Chairman Larry Wetzel

 

Technical articles related to Indoor Air Quality

"Indirect Health Effects of Relative Humidity in Indoor Environments," Anthony V. Arundel, Elia M. Sterling, Judity H. Biggin, Theodor D. Sterling, Environmental Heath Perspectives, Vol. 65, March, 1986 (Mar., 1986), pp. 351-361

ABSTRACT: A review of the health effects of relative humidity in indoor environments suggest that relative humidity can affect the incidence of respiratory infections and allergies. Experimental studies on airborne-transmitted infectious bacteria and viruses have shown that the survival or infectivity of these organisms is minimized by exposure to relative humidities between 40 and 70%. Nine epidemiological studies were examined in the relationship between the number of respiratory infections or absenteeism and the relative humidity of the office, residence or school. The incidence of absenteeism or respiratory infections were found to be lower among people working or living in environments with mid-range versus low or high relative humidities. The indoor size of allergenic mite and fungal populations is directly dependent upon the relative humidity. Mite populations are minimized when the relative humidity is below 50% and reach a maximum size of 80% relative humidity. Most species of fungi cannot grow unless the relative humidity exceeds 60%. Relative humidity also affects the rate of off-gassing of formaldehyde from indoor building materials, the rate of formation of acids and salts from sulfur and nitrogen dioxide, and the rate of formation of ozone. The influence of relative humidity on the abundance of allergens, pathogens and noxious chemicals suggests that indoor relative humidity levels should be considered as a factor of indoor air quality. The majority of adverse health effects caused by relative humidity would be minimized by maintaining indoor levels between 40 and 60%. This would require humidification during winter in areas with cold winter climates. Humidification should preferably use evaporate or steam humidifiers, as cool mist humidifiers can disseminate aerosols contaminated with allergens.

Results of study showing HEPAiRx® substantially

improves indoor air quality in subject's bedroom