Households Should be Prepared Inside And out as Air Pollution Stretches Across the Country, Says Fellowes

LONDON, April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

INDOOR AIR QUALITY CAN HAVE FIVE TIMES MORE POLLUTANTS  

This week has seen the Government issued health warnings as high levels of air pollution spread across England. High pollution levels have been recorded in regions across the country and it looks set to continue until the end of the week. For both allergy sufferers, and non-sufferers alike, this means added discomfort.

New estimates released by The World Health Organisation confirm that air pollution is now the world's largest single environmental health risk and its reduction would save millions of lives.

The current pollution we are witnessing here in the UK is a mix of local and European emissions and dust from the Sahara. Those suffering from asthma and allergies, as well as those who aren't usually affected may experience a noticeable increase in discomfort, such as sore eyes and throats.

It is a stark warning to the UK population that this could be an early sign that air quality is set to get worse. It is not only outside where air quality is affected, households should also look inside their homes and strive to improve the air quality. We can spend up to 90% of our time indoors, as a recent Fellowes report  revealed that the air inside homes and offices  maybe two to five times  more polluted than the air outdoors*.

UK households who are worried about the impact of poor air quality on their families' health could benefit from a range of three new air purifiers from Fellowes for the home.

The AeraMax ™ range can actively reduce the number of harmful airborne particles that could be severely affecting the health and wellbeing of families in homes across the UK.

Allergies and respiratory illnesses are a growing concern in the UK. Trends indicate that by 2015, half of all Europeans may be suffering from an allergy. 45% of people who took part in a survey for Fellowes said someone in their household suffers from airborne allergies**.^[1]

Fellowes AeraMax™ Air Purifiers use a four-stage purification system that filters airborne pollution, helping to reduce the risks of allergy and illness in the family home. The AeraMax™ Range has been scientifically proven to reduce exposure to allergen and is endorsed by Allergy UK, the British Allergy Foundation.

Each of the three machines in the AeraMax™ range features a True HEPA filter. This is an EU certified level of 'High Efficiency Particulate Absorption', which removes 99.97% of airborne impurities as small as 0.3microns.

Darryl Brunt, sales and marketing director for Fellowes, said: "This week has given us a clear warning that pollution is an escalating issue and people suffering with allergies in particular, are looking to make concentrated efforts to improve the air around them.

"First port of call should be within the home and taking steps to ensure the air in their homes is as clean as it can be.  The AeraMax™ range from Fellowes helps to prevent bacterial and viral organisms in the home and therefore reduces the risk of infection as well as allergy."

Click here to find out more about Air Purifiers from Fellowes.

Footnotes and additional information: 

1 According to http://www.efanet.org

*An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). United States Protection Agency. Last modified July 9 2012. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

**Research was conducted for Fellows by Dynamic Markets in the UK in January 2013. This independent market research examines the quality of an individual's personal comfort requirements. This is in the face of a growing awareness of health and well-being. This report was commissioned by Fellowes and details quantitative research with 1,000 people who spend at least 25% of their working week sitting down using a computer, laptop or tablet.

About Fellowes: 

Fellowes, Inc. offers an extensive range of products to equip the workspace, including paper shredders, binders, laminators, desktop accessories and record storage solutions.

Founded in 1917 by Harry Fellowes and headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, Fellowes, Inc. employs more than 1,200 people throughout the world and has operations in 15 countries. Visit fellowes.com for more information.

About Allergy UK 

Allergy UK is the operational name of the British Allergy Foundation; the leading national medical charity providing advice, information and support to people with allergies and food intolerance. Allergy UK acts as the 'voice' of allergy sufferers, representing the views and needs of those affected by this multi organ disease. Allergy UK is a certified member of The Information Standard, which is an independent certification scheme for health and social care information supported by the Department of Health. For further information and to see a list of all certified members to the scheme, please visit: http://www.theinformationstandard.org

SOURCE Fellowes