Posts Tagged ‘environmental issues’

The Use Of Air Purifiers To Help With COPD

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Although various health organizations have different definitions of COPD, it is generally agreed that it is a progressive lung disease where the airways, the tiny tubes which carry air in and out of the lungs, are partly blocked which makes breathing in and breathing out more and more painful over time.

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are two of the diseases which fall under the umbrella of COPD and often occur together. It is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and many people don’t even realize they have it. Many think of the disease only in relation to smokers, but in reality, even people who don’t smoke but are around smokers can have problems with COPD.

Genetic influences, pollutants in the air or a history of respiratory diseases can expose people to the risk of COPD. Although 12 million Americans have been found to have some form of COPD, twice of that are believed to actually suffer from it. Air cleaners provide clean air and can ease breathing if you suffer from this disease.

You can avoid suffering from this disease by placing air purifiers in your home or workplace. If you live in a polluted area or around a smoker, this can prevent damage to your lungs and airways.

For those of you suffering from COPD, air purifiers make breathing easy by relieving the airways of increased stress of filtering harmful particles and chemicals.

IQAir and Blueair brands of HEPA air purifiers are mostly recommended for COPD. They are 99.9% efficient at filtering particles of .03 microns size and 99.7% efficient at filtering particles of .01 microns and even smaller sizes. AllerAir Air Purifiers have some models which are suitable for those living in polluted areas and with smokers as they can handle large amounts of smoke and larger particles.

We can help you choose the air purifier suitable for your needs since we are familiar with the problems faced by COPD sufferers. All air purifiers do not work in the same manner. A COPD sufferer has particular needs which can only be met by purifiers which do more than just cleaning the air which is enough for non-sufferers.

It is important to note that babies and little children have more delicate lungs than adults. So it is necessary to supply clean air indoors so that their lungs do not suffer damage by breathing unclean air. Smoking should not be allowed around children and air purifiers should be fitted in their rooms so that their airways and lungs are not stressed.

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Are There Any Health Benefits To Drinking Bottled Water?

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Over the last ten years, bottled water sales have been steadily growing at an average rate of 7 - 8% each year. The amount of bottled water consumed globally has doubled in the period from 1997 to 2005.

Around 200 billion bottles of water are consumed every year. The biggest market by far is the USA, which makes up about 25% of worldwide sales.

Recently, there has been quite a backlash against bottled water. The main are of concern is the environmental impact of the bottles themselves. These are manufactured from Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Although this is a material which can be recycled, the actual number of bottles which are recycled is estimated to be less than a quarter of the total.

The energy needed for the manufacture, shipping and eventual disposal of the plastic bottles is also a source for concern from an environmental perspective. In comparison with ordinary tap water, the carbon emissions generated by bottled water are greater by a factor of 5,000 times per litre.

In spite of the marketing of bottled water as healthy, there is no evidence to support the assertion that bottled water is, in developed countries, any better for your health than ordinary tap water. In fact, some bottled waters have been found to contain uranium and estrogenic chemicals. Most bottled waters contain sodium - which is not good for your blood pressure.

Likewise, when it comes to the taste of the water, there is little evidence to support the notion that bottled water is better than tap water. In the USA, a 2007 episode of Penn and Teller clearly demonstrated that restaurant diners couldn’t differentiate between water drawn from a hose at the back of the restaurant and bottled water. Over in the UK, London tap water (hardly famed for its flavor) came third in a blind taste test of 24 different varieties of water - some of which were expensive bottled brands.

The variation in cost between bottled and tap water will vary from brand to brand. However, as a rule, bottled water will cost several hundred times more per litre than ordinary tap water.

So, in terms of environmental impact, health, taste and cost, bottled water really doesn’t have a lot going for it. If you really dislike the taste of your tap water then you could always try some type of home filtration system. The cost will be greater than for tap water, but very much less than bottled water. If you go for a solution such as the Brita water filter jug then you will know that it’s better for the environment as all parts of the filters are recyclable.

When you’re at home, a home filtration system is ideal - but if you want to have something portable to drink when you’re out and about why not use a bottle which you can fill and refill before you leave. Irish designer Orla Kiely partnered with Brita to produce the “Wottle” - the world’s first designer reusable bottle, manufactured from 100% recycled materials. On the other hand, why not save even more money and do a bit of your own recycling by using and old Seven Up or Pepsi bottle?

Save money with a Brita filter jug - and check out Orla Kiely’s Wottle - it looks fantastic and is better for the environment.

How Hemp Can Reverse Global Warming

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Hemp is the most versatile plant on the face of the earth. Its uses seem completely unlimited, and new applications are continuously being discovered. By fully taking advantage of hemp, we can make great gains in a multitude of fields.

An extremely important goal that hemp must be applied to immediately is the reversal of global warming. Upon first hearing such a statement, it may seem ridiculous that one thing could solve a world problem. However, utilizing hemp on a massive scale could indeed achieve this objective.

We are heading towards a period of climate change due to the actions of the past one hundred and fifty years. The vast amounts of fuel that we have burnt has put a lot of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, which has caused heat to be concentrated inside the planet.

The problems with rising global temperatures relate mainly to water levels around the world. Rising temperatures cause ice caps to melt, which can increase water levels in far-off places. This leads to flooding, the destruction of crops, and the eventual submersion of entire villages and cities.

When you are young, you learn that for plants to grow, they must photosynthesize. This involves taking CO2 from the air and converting it to oxygen. The nature of the hemp plant enables it to absorb incredible amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, much more than all other plants.

Hemp can not only absorb carbon dioxide, but it puts much of it into the soil. This not only permanently removes it from the atmosphere, but it enhances the soil. Few other plants actually leave the soil healthier after they have grown, rather than depleting it.

Hemp’s green attributes do not stop during its growth; far from it. When processing basically any hemp product, the process is much better for the environment. For example, with paper, no toxic chemicals are needed to dye and protect the paper.

There are dozens of other benefits to using hemp in addition to stopping global warming. Due to misinformation and propaganda, most people do not know how good this plant is. The best thing you can do is work to inform others of the truth, and try to make change!

Do you want to know how you can personally benefit from hemp protein? Then visit Hemp Protein Health, which features a multitude of articles about hemp.

Green Energy - Alternatives To Fossil Fuels

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

We live in a world where the need for energy is continually growing. But how will we be able to meet the ever-growing demands, if we primarily depend on non-renewable resources? Today, fossil fuels supply more than 85% of the world’s energy. Sooner or later we will have to look for alternatives. It’s always better sooner than later.

There are two main reasons - energy supply problems and environmental problems. As we know, fossil fuels are in limited supply. They are non-renewable and will eventually be depleted. They were formed millions of years ago from dead plants and animals and cannot be replenished. When they run out, they run out. By some estimates, they will be depleted by 2050.

One of the biggest problems with fossil fuels is pollution. Coal fueled power plants are the largest source of air pollution in the U.S. Burning fossil fuels produces many pollutants - carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and many other harmful compounds. This causes many health and environmental problems - acid rain, smog, ozone hole, and global climate change just to name a few.

Fossil fuels definitely don’t have a bright future. We know that the future belongs to renewable energy sources that do not pollute the environment. Not to mention they come in unlimited supplies. Solar, wind, and hydro are the main forms of renewable energy today.

Our overly dependence on non-renewable energy sources is, as we know, not sustainable. We should put in serious efforts to reduce it. There are renewable eco-friendly alternatives all around us.

The main drawback of renewable energy is the cost. It’s true, low fossil fuel prices made it difficult for alternative sources to compete. But this is changing. Technologies are improving and the cost of green energy has fallen dramatically over the last few years.

Alternative energy sources are definitely the way of the future. But how smooth will the transition from fossil fuels be? That’s up to us and is certainly something to consider sooner rather than later.

You can start using renewable energy today and greatly reduce or even eliminate your power bill. Learn how to generate electricity at home and see earth4energy manual. It’s easier and cheaper than you think.

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