It’s impossible not to be aware of air quality these days as we brace for smoke. While we all understand the benefits of exercising, exercising outdoors during periods of unhealthy air quality can do more harm than good. Breathing through our noses offers some protection, but when we are under physical exertion, we inhale deeply, and often through our mouths.
Smoke in the air is made up of tiny particles which are small enough to get into our lungs. While this has a greater negative impact on those of us who have respiratory challenges, it can negatively impact all of us regardless of our age or health.
In 2020, looking for ways to alleviate the risk of Covid and airborne pathogens in general, we invested in Aerus Air Scrubbers utilizing ‘ActivePure’ technology’ in each of our 7 HVAC units. We also upgraded our air filtration system to MERV 13 air filters. While this has been extremely successful in keeping sickness out of the club (since installing this system, there have been no Covid outbreaks or infections linked to Island Fitness), we also have realized the added benefit of filtering out smoke and other air particulates such as pollen.
This past Sunday when the air quality on the island reached 191, the air in Island Fitness was clean and clear, without a hint of smoke. You can read about the Air Quality Index here.
What isn’t caught in our filters (it’s all about particle size measured in microns), is neutralized by a process called ionization where particles are attacked and removed from the air within the ductwork before they can reach the air we breathe,
During the early years of Covid, those of us who work here felt that Island Fitness was the safest place to be. Now, as Covid returns and we have air quality concerns, we’re reminded of that and welcome the respite from smoke on bad air quality days. We want you to have the confidence to continue to exercise indoors here, even when the smoke gets really bad, and the Covid news resurfaces. As always, we encourage our members to not visit the club if they have been exposed, are not feeling well, or know they are ill.
When you have to be outdoors during days of bad air quality, consider wearing a well-fitted particulate respirator mask such as an N95. N95 masks filter most of the smoke particles.
Here’s an overview of the air filtration at Island Fitness.
Aerus Mid-Range Blaster with ActivePure Technology Unit Testing
Testing was done at MRIGlobal, a 3rd-party unaffiliated laboratory with no connection to ActivePure or its affiliates. Reduction percentages were measured incrementally over natural degradation of SARS-CoV-2. Outside of control group – over 99.9% reduction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
ActivePure Is Proven Against a Wide Range of Pathogens
- SARS-CoV-2 (virus)
- Staphylococcus Aureus (Gram+ bacteria)
- Aspergillus Niger (endospore; Toxic Black Mold surrogate)
- H1N1 (Swine Flu; Influenza A virus)
- H5N8 (Bird Flu; Influenza A virus)
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA; Gram+ bacteria)
- Bacillus Globigii (bacterial endospore; Anthrax surrogate)
- MS2 (RNA bacteriophage virus)
- Staphylococcus Epidermis (Gram+ bacteria)
- Phi-X174 (DNA bacteriophage virus)
- Erwinia Herbicola (Gram- bacteria)
- Listeria Monocytogenes (Gram+ bacteria)
- Murine Norovirus (virus)
- Escherichia Coli (E. Coli; Gram- bacteria)
- Candida Auris (fungus)
- Botrytis Cinerea (fungus)
- Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum (fungus)
- Legionella Pneumophila (Gram- bacteria)
- Aspergillus Versicolor (fungus)
- Clostridioides Difficile (C. Diff; endospore)
- Salmonella Enterica (Gram- bacteria)
- MPX-HUG-2 (Monkeypox; virus)
ActivePure Technology has been proven effective against a broad spectrum of clinically relevant pathogens. Every pathogen has a different level of resistance which is outlined in the hierarchy of pathogens below.
Be in the know. Washington Smoke Blog provides information and updates on local smoke monitoring and forecasts.