How Clean is the Air You Are Breathing?
Although the Bunn House was built over 100 years ago, the air cleaning system in place, ActivePure, is top of the line and best in class.
We take for granted the air we are breathing is clean. However, if we stop and think about it, is that really true? These days both consumers and business owners need to know their facts. Although it is easy to hide behind statements such as “state of the art” and “CDC-recommended,” by knowing the basics of airflow you can make a safe and informed decision about whether or not a hotel room, business, or restaurant is a safe place for you and your family.
Sharing a room or enclosed space? You are sharing air.
The New York Times recently published an article documenting airflow models for subway cars and the images are startling. If you are in a shared room, you are breathing recycled air, probably at least 75% and are reliant upon the filtration system present, use of masks by others, and variables such as air exchange rate and fresh air intake. The images below indicate that you cannot be safe in an indoor space where others are not wearing masks.
How good is that filter, really?
Filters are rated by their ability to block the passage of particles and is rated by a minimum efficiency reported value (MERV) scale. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), has generated a useful reference for understanding air filters and cleaning systems in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
More effective is the HEPA filter, an acronym for "high efficiency particulate air" which can theoretically remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns (µm). COVID-19 is reported to have an average aerosolized size of 0.10 microns.2 Technically, therefore HEPA filters and all MERV filters do not filter out COVID-19. However, although HEPA by standard definition, filters out all particles with a size of 0.3 microns, it MAY in fact work better and when used with packed beds of granular material, such as activated carbon COULD be an effective filter for smaller particles. Feel safe? Not yet? Keep reading.
This Air Purifier Cleans the Air and the Surfaces
ActivePure was originally developed by NASA researchers at the NASA Commercial Space Center at the University of Wisconsin where they used it to reduce ethylene gas that interfered with plant growth experiments on the space shuttle in 1995. The basics of the system involve a chamber that contains a wavelength of ultraviolet light that interfaces with a titanium dioxide plate to create hydroxyls which essentially scrub the air in a contained environment. Using ActivePure, the air is fresher and the surfaces cleaner, with an up to a 99% reduction in contaminants on surfaces, like kitchen sinks, keyboards, TV remotes, doorknobs, and carpets. Now that’s impressive. MS2 bacteriophage is a virus commonly used as a surrogate for pathogenic respiratory viruses. Both as an RNA virus and with regard to size, MS2 bacteriophage resembles COVID-19.
ActivePure utilizes technology that has been proven to be effective on air and surface contamination and is close to 100% effective in the elimination of airborne and surface bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus, and volatile organic compounds. ActivePure is backed by science, you can read about it here.
Move that air - Open the window and turn on the fan!
Many hotels do not even allow guests the option of opening a window for fresh air. In addition to having functional windows and doors that open to either a private patio or a private balcony, the Bunn House features Haiku fans, made by Big Ass Fans. Aesthetically pleasing and modern, Haiku Fans offer a variety of settings including a Whoosh mode, which when activated, simulates natural breeze by a random variable speed control.
Although the Bunn House was built over 100 years ago, the air cleaning system in place, ActivePure, is top of the line and best in class. With ActivePure air cleaning, geothermal heating and cooling, Haiku Fans, and the ability to open doors and windows, the air quality at the Bunn House is something that you can feel good about.
1. Grondahl, M. et al. (2020, August 10). What happens to viral particles on the subway. The New York Times.
2. Woon Fong Leung W, Sun Q. Electrostatic Charged Nanofiber Filter for Filtering Airborne Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Nano-aerosols. Sep Purif Technol. 2020 Apr 22;250:116886.