How important is indoor air quality and what is the best product?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air may be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Given the fact that most people spend 90% of their time indoors, the EPA has ranked poor indoor air quality as one of the top five environmental risks.

The most effective strategy for controlling indoor air quality
The new PureAir™ System removes pollen, dust mites and mold spores. And it safely removes and destroys odors and chemicals.

Health improvements
The PureAir Air Purification System helps clean the air and provide respiratory relief by capturing and removing particles and bioaerosols as small as 0.3 micron. This minimizes your customers' exposure to potentially harmful pollutants. (Particles smaller than 2.5 microns pass through the lungs and into the bloodstream, increasing the possibility of illness.)

Plus, the PureAir System is the only single indoor air quality system that can safely remove and destroy odors and chemicals such as tobacco smoke. Of the compounds found in smoke, more than 40 are known to cause cancer, and many others are strong irritants.

PureAir^TM System Components
The revolutionary Healthy Climate™ PureAir™ Air Purification System consists of a MERV 9 pleated filter, four (PCO-12C) or six (PCO-20C) 17-watt UVA lamps and a metal insert that's coated with a catalyst that's activated by light. (For example: The catalytic converter in your car is activated by heat.)

The PureAir System reduces concentrations of pollutants through a process called photocatalytic oxidation (PCO). Similar to the process used by the Department of Defense to combat germ warfare, PCO combines nature's three most powerful air purifiers:

• Ultraviolet light (UVA)
• Titanium dioxide, a nontoxic substance found in the earth's crust
• Hydroxyl radicals, particles derived from hydrogen peroxide

The PureAir^TM PCO process involves three steps:

1. The pleated, 4" MERV 9 filter captures particles and bioaerosols as small as 0.3 micron, removing them from the airstream.
    
2. As the odor- and chemical-filled airstream flows over the catalytic surface (titanium dioxide-coated mesh filter), they are exposed to intense ultraviolet light.
    
3. The light energy activates the titanium dioxide catalyst, which generates hydroxyl radicals. These particles, which are more than twice as powerful as chlorine, break down the odors and chemicals into carbon dioxide and water. The conversion process occurs as the carbon component of the odors and chemicals react with the hydroxyl radicals, creating a permanent bond.

Now that you understand how the PureAir System works, you're probably wondering how well it works. Research has shown that total volatile organic compounds are reduced by 50% within a 24-hour period in a typical residential home. These studies prove that PureAir is the most effective single air purification system on the market.

PureAir^TM System Maintenance
For optimal performance, the UVA lamps need to be replaced annually. These lamps are designed specifically for the PureAir™ unit, so they must be ordered from Lennox.

The pleated media filter should also be replaced annually. If the home's level of airborne particles is high, the filter may need to be changed more often.

The metal insert/catalyst should be rotated every year and replaced after five years of operation. Rotating the insert allows any buildup of carbonaceous material (a yellow stain) on the outgoing side to be burned off by the lamps.