Humidifier, dehumidifier or air purifier to improve air quality? Philips sets you right

·         The average Singaporean falls ill between two to five times a year and more than 30% are unsure if their sickness is due to an illness or allergy

·         Fewer than half of Singaporeans who suffer from chronic respiratory conditions are taking active medical action or visiting a specialist

·         Seven in 10 Singaporeans believe poor indoor air quality affects their rest, rating July and September as the worst period for air quality

·         Singaporeans are investing in the wrong tools to address air quality at home, with combined ownership of humidifiers and dehumidifiers at 59% as compared to air purifiers at 39%

Source: Philips infographic. Percentages refer to
the proportion of respondents naming the
pollutant as a top-three concern in the household
(indoors, left) and outdoors (right)
respectively.

Royal Philips, a global player in health technology, in partnership with Rakuten AIP, an Asian market research firm, has found that Singaporeans are passive about their health despite concerns about air quality management through its Healthy Air Survey.

The survey indicates that while air quality is a concern for 77% of Singaporeans, most are passive towards their respiratory health, with fewer than half of respondents visiting a specialist to address respiratory concerns. This stems from a lack of understanding of chronic respiratory conditions as well as misinformation around tools available to mitigate or manage their environments.

It was revealed that the average Singaporean falls ill between two to five times a year and 31% are unsure if their symptoms are caused by an illness or allergy. Despite this, Singaporeans recognise the importance of clean air as part of overall health, with 70% believing that good air quality improves the health of everyone in the household. However, the survey revealed a misconception on useful devices to improve indoor air quality, with more Singaporeans owning humidifiers rather than air purifiers (46% and 39% respectively) with the belief that humidifiers help remove dust and ease respiratory conditions.

As seen from the Philips Healthy Air Survey, one of the main barriers to greater adoption of air purifiers among Singaporeans is the lack of understanding about what air purifiers are for. Nearly half (45%) of respondents said that they do not know about air purifiers, while 44% find it too costly and 41% were doubtful of its results – only three in 10 Singaporeans were willing to invest in an air purifier.

Dr Chiang Wen Chin, President, Asthma and Allergy Association said, “While humidifiers add water into the air, it is not necessary for Singaporeans to humidify their home in this climate – especially since humidity is about 70–80%. Instead, a HEPA air purifier can help to remove these allergens from the living environment and reduce airborne allergens such as dust mites, viruses and bacteria that can trigger allergic reactions and asthma."

Source: Philips. The
Philips Air Purifier Series
3000i (AC3259/30).

Findings of the Healthy Air Survey were released in conjunction with the launch of the Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i (AC3259/30) connected air purifier. The purifier launch also debuts a first-to-market air purifier partnership with Air Matters for an app which can be used with the Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i to manage and reduce exposure to allergen triggers.

With the Air Matters app, users can monitor both real time PM2.5 levels and the Indoor Allergen Index, regulate the settings and the speed of their air purifier, and receive information on the filter status. Additionally, the Air Matters app also stores historical data on air quality levels and provides health advice for users, enabling them to correlate their symptoms with peaks in allergen levels.

“Poor indoor air quality is known to aggravate the symptoms of allergic diseases as long term exposure to allergens can lead to chronic respiratory conditions like asthma,” said Dr Chiang. While many are aware of common allergens found in buildings, mould spores such as Aspergillus can be a trigger for allergies and even asthma**. Choosing an air purifier with a dehumidification function helps to reduce the humidity that encourages allergens such as mould to survive.

“At Philips, we aim to empower consumers with solutions to make it easier and more sustainable to live a healthier life at home. Our heritage in healthcare combined with consumer understanding enables us to bring consumers breakthrough product innovations in collaboration with industry experts to help them take control of their personal health by narrowing the gap between professional and personal healthcare,” said Aw Ee Ling, Senior Marketing Manager, Personal Health, Philips Singapore.

The Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i (AC3259/30) comes with three automatic modes – a General Mode, Bacteria, Virus Mode and Allergen mode, in addition to five manual modes that range from an extra-quiet ‘Sleep’ setting to the Turbo Speed mode. Specially designed for allergy sufferers, the auto Allergen mode features an algorithm to detect and react to potential allergen risks by boosting the air purifier’s airflow to effectively remove harmful airborne allergens, which may trigger asthma***.

The air purifier also features VitaShield IPS multilayer filtration technology, which is certified by the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF) and Airmid to remove 99.97% of airborne particles. Air is purified through an extra thick NanoProtect HEPA Filter and an active carbon filter that removes ultrafine particles as small as 0.02 nanometers (100 times smaller than PM2.5 particles), as well as common airborne allergens, bacteria and viruses, and harmful gases such as formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and odour.

Everyday activities such as dusting and vacuuming can cause allergens to become airborne. The Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i (AC3259/30) contains AeraSense, a professional-grade air quality sensor that detects even the slightest changes in air and automatically boosts the air purifier to effectively reduce the level or airborne particles, effectively covering large areas up to 95 m2. AeraSense also indicates real-time PM2.5 and Indoor Allergen Index levels via a large display on a scale of 1 – 12.

Details:

The Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i (AC3259/30) retails at S$999 but is currently available at a special price of S$899 at Philips, as well as from selected electronic stores, major departmental stores and authorised dealers. Philips Air Purifiers start from S$299.

Check out the latest promotions for the #GiftofCleanAir campaign on Philips social media channels including the Philips Home & Living Facebook page.

*The survey seeks to better understand Singaporeans and their attitudes on air quality and allergy awareness. The survey spanned 250 households in Singapore and was executed in two phases, comprising of quantitative and qualitative data collection, targeting households with members suffering from asthma or other respiratory conditions, as well as households with babies or pregnant family members. 

**Richard A. Sharpe et al. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2015; 135:110-22 

***Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: Asthma Facts and Figures. September 2015. 

Outdoor sports gear stores harbour high ranges of PFCs in the air

A Greenpeace investigation has found levels of hazardous polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in indoor air of sports gear stores in Europe and Asia that is up to 1,000 times higher than streetside air. 

According to Greenpeace, different kinds of PFCs are used in a wide range of consumer products, including carpets, textiles and leather goods as well as in fire-fighting foam and paints. A number of studies have shown PFCs such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) may have hormone disrupting properties that could impact both the reproductive system and the immune system of humans and animals. PFCs have also been implicated in cancers in humans.

Blueair, a mobile indoor air purification technologies provider, says the study provides yet more evidence of the surprising, often hidden dangers lurking in indoor air that endanger human health. “It is ironic that sports gear designed to help people stay healthy is helping to create toxic indoor environments that may make us sick by increasing our exposure to extremely high levels of airborne chemicals,” said Bengt Rittri, CEO of Blueair. The company's purification systems can purify the air in spaces up 100 sq m in size.

Titled Hidden in plain sight: Poly-fluorinated chemicals in the air of outdoor stores, the Greenpeace study involved taking air samples in 30 indoor locations, including 13 stores selling outdoor gear in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Norway, as well as in three stores in Taiwan. The store samples were compared to other samples taken at Greenpeace offices, seminar rooms and warehouses in Hamburg and Taipei as well as in other clothing stores not selling outdoor gear.

According to Greenpeace, concentrations of PFCs in the air in outdoor gear stores in Europe were 20 to 60 times higher than air samples collected in Greenpeace’s office and storage rooms in Hamburg and up to 1,000 times higher than urban outdoor air; with concentrations of PFCs in outdoor stores in Taiwan in the same range as those in Europe. "PFCs in significant concentrations were found in the flagship stores of all companies," the report states.

Earlier studies by Greenpeace discovered chemicals such as PFCs in waterproof outdoor gear including jackets and trousers, shoes, sleeping bags, backpacks, tents, in leather gloves, and in swimwear. In its latest study, Greenpeace said the air sampling found volatile PFCs. mainly fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH), which are becoming increasingly common as substitutes for ionic PFCs in outdoor clothes and readily evaporate into the air.

“PFCs have been associated with numerous health effects in humans, including kidney and testicular cancer, and their use in consumer products such as clothing and other gear should be avoided if not totally eliminated so as not to put human health at risk by contaminating indoor air,” Rittri said.

Blueair suggests: 

Use an indoor air monitor to get continuous updates about the current quality of the indoor air and pollution outside on the street

Ensure a room is well ventilated at all times. If it is not possible to keep windows and doors open, create a safe indoor environment with an air purifier with filters that set industry standards for efficiency

Listen to what the body says: If a headache, unexplained cough or red and itchy eyes develop, it's possible the indoor air may be polluted

Interested?

Read the Greenpeace investigation report

YouGov maps haze fallout

Many Southeast Asian countries experienced significant haze – caused primarily by forest fires burning in the region - this year. According to a YouGov survey*, there was high awareness of the haze issue in Southeast Asia within the region.

Almost eight in 10 (78%) Asian people say they are aware of the haze caused by Indonesian landscape fires. Awareness was lowest in Hong Kong (at 48%) and Mainland China (at 44%), but in the three countries most affected by the haze (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore), only 2% of respondents in each location claim not to know about the haze.

Mask-makers did well during this period. Two-thirds (65%) of those in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore wore a mask when the haze was present. Among those who chose not to wear a mask during the haze, 39% say that they don’t find it necessary, 38% think it’s uncomfortable to wear masks, and 18% think that the mask cannot protect them from the pollution anyway.

Among those who are aware of the haze, 58% of them think palm oil companies setting their plantations on fire are a cause of the fires in Indonesia. Some 48% think the fires are caused by farmers setting their plantations on fire. And 44% think that dry weather causes the Indonesian fires.

When asked who they think is responsible for the resulting haze from the fires, with multiple answers possible, 63% of respondents said the palm oil plantation companies. An almost equal number, 62%, think it is the Indonesian Government. A smaller number, 18%, think it is the brands which use palm oil in their products that are responsible for the haze.

Two in every three people in Asia (67%) think the Indonesian government has not done enough to solve theproblem of the haze, believing the government can do more to reinforce the law regarding the use of fire to clear land for oil plantations. Within Indonesia itself, responses on this aspect are quite diverse: 45% believe the Indonesian government can do more to solve the haze problem, but 44% think their goverment has done enough by enacting legislation that prohibits illegal forest fires to clear land for farming.

YouGov also asked Asian respondents if any other regional country governments (or other parties) can do more to help solve the haze problem. Two thirds (65%) of Asian respondents think governments in other countries can do more in terms of investment in monitoring and enforcing existing bans on the use of fire as a method for land preparation. About half (51%) agree that companies using palm oil in their products should be able to verify that the palm oil used does not contribute to deforestation. 42% agree that consumers should also let manufacturers know that they want to know if the palm oil used in their products is grown on plantations free from deforestation.

Source: YouGov infographic.

One-in-five people (20%) in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore suffered health problems due to the haze. More than half (57%) of Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean respondents said they stay at home more when there is haze. Only 13% said the haze had not affected their lifestyle in any way.

For 69% of people in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, outdoor activities became less attractive. Four in 10 (41%) of them also said they spend less on travel and holidays because of the haze.

While 43% of respondents in the three countries most affected by haze haven’t had any visible health impact as a result of the haze, about one in three (32%) have suffered some haze-related health problems that they addressed themselves, while one in five (20%) suffered haze-related health problems for which they had to see a doctor.

When asked “If haze did not affect your country, how concerned would you be regarding this issue?”, more than half (52%) of respondents in these countries says that they would still care. Only 5% claim they would not care at all.

Upon hearing that the haze would continue on until early next year, 66% of respondents are disappointed, 54% are angry and 53% say they want to do something to help. Some 22% say in this situation, they will be resigned to fate.

Regarding the Pollutants Standard Index (PSI) readings or equivalent produced by the national environment authorities, 57% of respondents in Asia sees the readings as ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ trustworthy. A quarter do not trust the readings and the remainder do not look at the PSI readings at all.

The haze has changed the travel behaviour of people in Asia Pacific. 68% say they would only visit cities/countries that remain unaffected by the haze. Only 7% of respondents would still visit the affected cities/countries and think the haze is not a problem. Another 18% would still visit the affected cities/countries due to business travel, family visits, or because they already paid for the trip.

In fact, regardless of the haze, Singapore is among the top five countries in the Asia Pacific region where respondents would want to visit the most:

1. Japan (50%),
2. Australia (43%),
3. New Zealand (38%),
4. Singapore (33%), and
5. Thailand (25%).

However, the above ranking doesn’t stay the same in some countries. In Mainland China, half of the respondents (50%) want to visit Singapore most, while over 50% of Malaysians want to travel to Australia most.

Interested?

View the full infographic

*YouGov polled 7,536 respondents online across Asia Pacific from 17 to 23 November 2015. All data was collected from YouGov panellists and weighted to be representative of the online population. 

Berkeley Earth sounds alarm on air pollution in China

Source: Berkeley Earth website.

Berkeley Earth has published research in the refereed journal PLOS ONE showing that air pollution kills an average of 4,000 people daily in China, accounting for 17% of all deaths in the country. The air for 38% of the population would be considered "unhealthy" by US standards, said the non-profit organisation, which was set up to study concerns from global warming sceptics.

Berkeley Earth analysed hourly measurements of 1,500 ground stations over four months, and found that the source of PM2.5, particulate matter 2.5 microns and smaller, is most likely to be coal. PM2.5 penetrates deeply into lungs and can trigger heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer, and asthma.

"Beijing is only a moderate source PM2.5; it receives much of its pollution from distant industrial areas, particularly Shijiazhuang, 200 miles to the southwest," says Robert Rohde, coauthor of the paper. Since the sources aren't local, reducing pollution for the 2022 Olympics may prove difficult, Berkeley Earth says. 

Worldwide, air pollution kills over three million people per year – more than AIDS, malaria, diabetes or tuberculosis. 

"Air pollution is the greatest environmental disaster in the world today," says Richard Muller, Scientific Director of Berkeley Earth, coauthor of the paper. "When I was last in Beijing, pollution was at the hazardous level; every hour of exposure reduced my life expectancy by 20 minutes. It's as if every man, women, and child smoked 1.5 cigarettes each hour," he said.

Elizabeth Muller, Executive Director of Berkeley Earth, said that solutions include greater use of scrubbers, increased energy efficiency, and switching from coal to natural gas, nuclear power, and renewable energy. "Many of the same solutions that mitigate air pollution will simultaneously reduce China's contribution to global warming. We can save lives today and tomorrow," she said.

Berkeley Earth hopes to expand geographic coverage to include more of Asia, the US, and Europe, and to study how sources of air pollution change with time.

Interested?

View the data set

Protection from UV, pollution key consumer demands for beauty care

Many are turning towards beauty products to protect themselves from the impact of pollution, according to analyst firm Mintel, particularly in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

Mintel revealed that between 2011 and 2013 there was a 40% rise in the number of beauty and personal care products launched carrying a claim that it could treat or protect against the effects of pollution. This has raised APAC’s share of global beauty and personal care launches holding anti-pollution claims from 22% in 2011 to 27% in 2013.

Furthermore, Mintel’s research shows that many consumers are looking to wash away the effects of their surroundings in particular, as the number of soap and bath products launched in the APAC region carrying an anti-pollution claim grew 63% between 2011 and 2013. In addition, hair product launches carrying anti-pollution claims have grown 61% while skincare launched with anti-pollution claims grew 46% over the same time period.

Speaking at in-cosmetics Asia 2014, Emmanuelle Moeglin, Global Fragrance and Colour Cosmetics Analyst at Mintel, said: "We are seeing the expansion of beauty products that shield from its effect across regions, categories, occasions, ages and gender. As awareness of the effects of pollution grows, we are seeing the expansion of beauty products that shield from its effect across regions, categories, occasions, ages and gender. With an increasing number of consumers living more urbanised lifestyles, we expect to see a rising number of beauty and personal care products launched carrying more specific anti-pollution terminology that specify the sources and composition of the pollutants.”

Whilst the APAC region has seen particularly strong growth of anti-pollution beauty products, this claim has also posted strong growth globally. Between 2011 and 2013 there was a 10% rise in the number of beauty products launched carrying this claim around the world, with a 60% rise in the number of soap and bath products launched with this claim, a 31% rise in hair products with this claim and a 22% rise in skincare launches carrying this claim.

Although demonstrating smaller growth in comparison to other categories, skincare products are still the most likely category to carry an anti-pollution claim, with 3.7% of skincare products launched globally in 2013 including such a claim, up from 3.2% in 2011. Moreover, there are a growing number of eye care products being launched carrying an anti-pollution claim with 7.2% of eye-care products launched so far in 2014 carrying this, up from 3.9% in 2012.




In addition, Mintel’s research has also revealed an increase in the number of skincare products launched with a UV protection claim. Whilst 13.6% of skincare products launched globally carried a UV protection claim, this rose to 15.4% in 2013. Looking forward, the popularity of this positioning looks set to continue to grow as 16.4% of skincare products launched globally so far in 2014 offer UV protection.

Finally, Mintel has identified growing consumer awareness of pollution and emissions to be a key trend for 2015. Richard Cope, Senior Trends Consultant at Mintel, said: “In 2015, pollution will become a key media focus. The cosmetics industry in particular has been awakening consumers to the immediate, visible, personal effects of pollution. 

"As a result, we can expect protective claims against PM 2.5 and others to grow in product marketing in skincare and cosmetics in general. In addition, consumers are already embracing apps that scrutinise a product’s environmental credentials and we anticipate more brands to become increasingly transparent in the coming year.”