The importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) is never lost on Canada’s healthcare community. If anything, the last two years have only reaffirmed the value of technologies and practices that contribute to fresh, hygienic environments.
“Our biggest daily exposure to pollutants is airborne,” says Dr. John Molot, an expert in environmental medicine, in a 2021 Panasonic Tech Talk . “90% of our time is spent indoors, so the majority of exposures we have to outdoor pollutants that everyone is worried about is indoors, and these things put us at risk.”
The source of these pollutants can vary but are primarily borne from human behaviors (eg, chemical usage, scented products), pollution, or poor ventilation or filtration within homes, offices, and public facilities. Over time, exposure to these pollutants can result in serious health risks – especially to more vulnerable individuals in healthcare facilities.
Watch the Panasonic Tech Talk below:
No doubt, in the age of COVID-19 and mounting airborne pollutants, the ability to provide clean, comfortable air is more than a “nice to have.” This is especially true in healthcare, where quality outcomes rely on hygienic environments.
The good news is that HVAC innovators are meeting this demand head-on. Panasonic’s Breathe Well campaign , for example, was designed with the sole intent of providing holistic and long-term IAQ solutions for all environments. This includes relatively new products such as its ClimaPure ™ cold climate mini-split heat pump series and an air purification device called WhisperAir Repair ™, with nanoe ™ X ionization technology .
“Nanoe ™ X is an invisible technology that is working continuously in the background to purify the space, eliminate those odors, and provide clean, crisp air that gives people confidence when they enter a space,” says Sonny Pirrotta, National Sales Manager, HVAC Solutions, Panasonic Inc.
The technology works by expelling 4.8 trillion negatively charged ions (OH radicals) per second into the environment which then works to remove the hydrogen from harmful elements, leaving only H20 to dissipate into the air.
Importantly, adds Pirrotta, nanoe ™ X’s ionization tech is verified through Intertek’s Zero Ozone Certification program, explaining, “The intent of our IAQ technologies is to make spaces safer, so we’ll never put out something that has a chance of harming the health of occupants. Not only does nanoe ™ X have that ozone certification by the most reputable ozone testing organization out there, but it falls below allowable limits. ”
IAQ tech in action
IAQ technologies are already making a difference in healthcare. Recently, for example,
Dr. Jennifer Pearlman, Medical Doctor and Owner of PearlMD Rejuvenation, a women’s health clinic in Toronto, Canada, was proactive in her approach to pandemic proof her clinic to protect her staff and patients alike. She installed multiple nanoe™ X generators in her clinics – in every treatment room and common area. This was the first large-scale application of the products in North America.
Says Dr. Pearlman: “I already had high-quality air filtration and vent installed when we opened here ten years ago, as well as diligent cleaning and sterilization, all of which we increased through the months of the pandemic. Still, it was amazing after our devices were activated to have patients come in and say ‘Wow, the air is fresher!’ “
“They actually notice there is just something different about the air quality just in terms of pureness, lack of any odour, and just the quality of the air,” she continues, adding, “I feel safe, my staff feels safer, and my patients are being made aware of the technology sitting on top of them in the ceilings and very grateful for that added step.”
Stories like this give Pirotta and the team at Panasonic confidence that their IAQ technologies are making a difference, not only in Canadians’ homes and places of work but throughout their healthcare services.
“It’s nice to know that innovations like nanoe™ X are helping people breathe well or breathe easier,” he says. “That’s really the goal of our Breathe Well technologies; to provide comfortable, fresh, clean air that contributes to our customers’ health.”
Learn more about Panasonic’s Breathe Well campaign and IAQ solutions for Canadian healthcare facilities here .
