| Allergy
Consumer Review Issue #61 March, 2004 |
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| Editor: Mercia
Tapping, President, Allergy Buyers Club Email: merciamail@allergyconsumerreview.com PLEASE NOTE that references to prices or specials within this archive reflect prices and market conditions at the time of newsletter publication. Prices may have changed since publication.
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Sometimes
just when I begin wondering about what
to write about this month, life presents
something which I feel impelled to write
about. So this is why this issue focuses
on the dangers of second-hand smoke. I
recently received an accusatory letter
from a no-smoke.org representative who
thought that consumers might be lulled
into complacence that 
I am doing my snowflake thing this coming
weekend... as you-know-who says, "Bring
It On."
Miele
Red Velvet - Vacuum Cleaner Review Editor's note: Richard is one of our product specialists but is well known in our team for preferring nothing but the best!
"If you have the means,
I highly recommend picking one up." In the movie, Ferris Bueller wasn't talking about a Miele Vacuum Cleaner, he was talking about the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT convertible he and his friend Cameron "borrowed" from Cameron's father, but he might as well have. Most people might never consider purchasing a $1200 vacuum. But if you've ever driven a Mercedes or BMW or owned a product made by Apple Computer, you will understand why their owners forked over the extra bucks and so adamantly stand by their purchase. Undying brand loyalty is the dream of every manufacturer, although accomplished by few. In order for it to work, the manufacturer has to offer a product that will exceed the expectations of the purchaser. Once you have accomplished that, you've gained a customer for life, and have created free word of mouth advertising for your brand name. Miele has accomplished this in the vacuum world. The Miele Red Velvet has positioned itself as the flagship of the Miele line and is worth every penny. In this review, I'll try to stay away from technical mumbo-jumbo and give you the heads up on why you should consider spending the money for this wonderful new machine. After all, it's just a vacuum. Right? Think for a moment about the reasons you don't like to vacuum. I hate to vacuum, but when I do, I do so in an obsessive fashion. This past weekend was one of those cleaning events not to be missed. Armed only with a Red Velvet loaner, that I am going to hold on to until someone notices it's still missing, and my Apple iPod's voice recorder, I walked around the house talking to myself while I vacuumed so I could recap later and write this review. Gone are the days where you lug that thirty-pound "jet engine" you call a vacuum out of the pantry. It doesn't have to be that way anymore. If you're a smart shopper, and I know you are, you will do a little research first and then speak to one of our product specialists here and find out exactly what type of machine you need. The first thing you'll find out is that good vacuums today offer more effective suction through better designed tools, less noise, fingertip controls and HEPA filters that keep the exhaust from the vacuum from entering your lungs and making you sick. The Red Velvet combines the best of these features in one beautiful looking package (see the full list of Miele Red Velvet features) So we come to the real reason why the Red Velvet is worth the money: Faster, quieter, and healthier cleaning. The Red Velvet is designed to be extremely user friendly. The well-designed tools on the machine are readily available in the smartly designed canister. A big difference between the Red Velvet and other machines are the fingertip controls. Once you've had them, you never go back. There are seven buttons on the handle. Six of them control the suction of the vacuum from high all the way down to off. The last button turns on the motorized power brush that cleans your rugs. Picture yourself being tugged along by a medium sized dog on a leash. What this means to you, is if you have a lot of wall to wall carpeting like I do, that's less work on your arm. If you have a combination of wood and carpets, you just press a button. You only need the parquet floor brush for delicate wood floors. If you have a large house, believe me this will add years to your life. I always wondered why my mom could beat me at arm wrestling. All those years pushing a heavy upright around a 2000-square-foot house. The light on the powerbrush also lets you see under the bed and couch with great ease to let you know you've cleaned everything under there. Also, if you have combinations of wood floors, area rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting, you really don't ever have to change floor tools if you don't want to. I have all those mentioned above and I only used the Parquet floor tool included with the Red Velvet for my tiled kitchen floor. This is a straight suction floor tool 12" wide and 2.5" deep, with dual brush strips and extra long bristles. And even if you do need to change tools, say for a ceiling fan, you just tap on a handy foot release and the powerbrush detaches from the vacuum. No wires to un-plug or reattach later. One quick adjustment of the easy to use telescopic wand and I'm cleaning the ceiling fan. Also think of the cost of the unit verses its price. Price is what you initially pay for something and cost is what that unit costs you over its lifespan. You will have this machine for a long time. Much longer than that cheap vacuum you bought at the superstore down the road. You know, the one that lasted you two years and the main reason you're reading this review right now. With cheaper made units, you have repairs, less efficiency, and ultimately replacement in a short amount of time. The Miele Red Velvet uses a 1200 watt 2 fan suction motor system. What this means to you is that the vacuum cleaner uses 2 fans in series, creating more suction than vacuum cleaners using a one fan system. This also means there is less stress put on the motor and that translates to a longer life. That on top of the fact that Miele engineers build all their vacuums with top quality and long lasting parts. Remember, you get what you pay for. Happy & healthy cleaning! Miele Red Velvet Vacuum Cleaner Quick tip: |
Air
Purifiers and Dust Removal  By
Bob Cobe, AllergyBuyersClub.com staff member Many customers buy an air purifier to "remove dust" from their rooms and are disappointed when they still see dust. An air purifier can remove only the particles that remain airborne long enough to go into the purifier. The dust that you and I (and the customers) see consists of large particles that have weight, which will cause many of the larger particles to "land" before they arrive at the purifier. Some particles will make it into the machine, but many, many will not. Air cleaners work best on the tiny particles that remain airborne and float for a long time. These tiny particles, well below what we can see, are the ones that pass right through the hairs and mucus in our noses and lodge in the lungs. They are the size that bother us the most even though we can't see them. So while it may seem that an air purifier is not removing much dust, it is working just fine on the particles that actually bother us. The heavier dust that lands on furniture needs to be dusted or vacuumed with a hepa vacuum cleaner to be removed. |
| Response
Letter To No-Smoke.Org
March 19th, 2004 Dear Mr. Alpert, I am in receipt of your letter of March 10th 2004 in which you take issue with our selling air cleaners for the reduction of smoke, odor and VOCs "Your web site, in describing these products reduce tobacco smoke from the air, leads to a strong presumption that this equipment reduces or eliminates the health risks associated with tobacco smoke. Business owners and the general public, in viewing your website, could presume [our italics] that IQAir, AllerAir, and Austin Air's products will protect hospitality workers, patrons, and the public from the health risks associated with secondhand tobacco smoke". First of all, I was surprised by the tone of your letter since we try and give the public both accurate educational information and correct expectations as to the efficacy of our products. It is in that spirit of integrity, that I will both add some disclaimer about the known safe levels of smoke and other carcinogenic substances to our air cleaner product pages and will publish your fact sheets on our web site, as well as include your fact sheets in our monthly e-newsletter which has a readership in the six figure range. I am a non-smoker myself and believe very strongly in the rights of all human beings to live in a toxin free environment and have access to pure air and water. I have mandated a non-smoking environment for over thirty years; long before smoking was legislatively banned in most workplaces. I have given substantial cash incentives to past employees to stop smoking as well as seeing a grandparent die of lung cancer. I follow the principals of socially conscious investing, and agree with you that there is no definitively proven safe levels of secondhand tobacco smoke. I would go further and suggest that there is no level of any toxin, which is really safe, although our bodies have adapted remarkably and filter out some of the environmental poisons to which they are exposed. It is for that reason I do not drink, and classify alcohol as equally poisonous and potentially carcinogenic substance, although the ingestion of alcohol is more socially acceptable in our society. Now to the subject of air cleaners. Given that we live in a society, that for both economic self interest or protection of individual rights, has a government which is reluctant to ban all known toxic air borne substances and protect its citizens from ingesting them, I believe in our individual right to protect ourselves against the health hazards engendered by such toxic substances including secondhand tobacco smoke. Even though air cleaners can only reduce as opposed to eliminate levels of secondhand tobacco smoke, most often because the rate of recontamination is too high, I would defend people's right to buy them. However, for the exact lab based data on smoke removal effectiveness of each machine, you need to contact the manufacturers directly or the AHAM which certifies air cleaners which are effective in the removal of smoke. When customers phone us for advice on this subject, we inform them that direct elimination of the source of any toxin is the best solution, including smoke which means usually contacting your landlord or the health department in the case of secondhand smoke. This is the course of action we took in our own business when a neighboring company sharing our air ducts had employees smoking on the job. When somebody is helpless and does not want to move their residence to avoid second hand smoke[ which often would be the preferred course of action],we tell them that air cleaners are the choice of last resort. We tell them to position the air cleaner as close to the offending communal air vent as possible. We have measured dramatic particulate reduction in these circumstances- but complete 100% elimination is has not been attained to date. Once smoke has entered a customer's house we advise them it is very difficult to eliminate completely. However there are circumstances where smoke is involved, other than cigarettes, as in the smoke case of 911 and West Coast wildfires. The hundreds of people who buy our air cleaners during these times of crisis can exercise some modicum of control and reduce smoke particulates and other toxins to at least a level where they can breathe. I think those people are under no illusion about the level of protection afforded by air cleaning devices but something is better than nothing in circumstances where people have little or no control over their environment. We have tremendously positive feedback from customers thanking us for at least giving them something, which allows them to breathe in such adverse conditions. As I said earlier, despite the way you presented your case in your letter to me, I think we are really on the same side of this issue since we both abhor the health hazards presented by secondhand smoke. I will publish your fact sheets on our web site and in our newsletter and will make even clearer than what we have done already, as to what we deem to be product limitations. May I add in closing, that the man who bought an air cleaner last week from me for his weekly card game in order to reduce the disgusting smell of cigars, had to endure a brief lecture from me about injuring his health and understand that despite opening the windows after his card game and keeping the air cleaner going throughout his card game, that he was merely taking the edge off the problem and not curing it. I hope that makes my position on this topic quite clear and since you already posted your letter to me on your web site, I would appreciate the courtesy of publishing my reply in its entirety. Sincerely, Mercia Tapping |
January 2004 This document may only be re-used with appropriate credit to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. The Science Of Secondhand Smoke (Shs)
Tobacco Industry Attacks On The Science Of Secondhand Smoke
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The
Smoker Next Door January 2002 Secondhand smoke seeping into apartments or condominiums from neighboring units poses both a health risk and a significant nuisance. Unfortunately, there are no fail-proof solutions to this problem. Since personal dwellings are not considered public spaces, they are generally not covered under existing legislation regulating smoking in public places, though some municipalities may restrict or prohibit smoking in common areas of multi-unit dwellings. The record of resolving such conflicts in the courts is somewhat mixed. Nonsmokers have filed lawsuits against landlords or fellow tenants on the basis of nuisance, breach of statutory duty to keep the premises habitable, breach of the common law covenant of peaceful enjoyment, negligence, harassment, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress; courts have ruled for and against nonsmokers in individual cases. However, there are still a number of steps that you can take to protect yourself from secondhand smoke. The following suggestions may prove useful. Clarify your goals.
Do your research.
Try to resolve the situation amicably.
Share information with Property Management.
Find allies.
Get a note from your doctor.
There are always last resorts.
Help protect both yourself and others: Pass a local ordinance. You are not alone. More and more people are complaining of secondhand smoke in multiunit dwellings. Working together, you can make a difference. The best protection comes from enacting a local law that protects people such as yourself from the hazards of secondhand smoke. A local ordinance could do one or more of the following:
A guidebook is available from ANR detailing how to pass a local ordinance. You can order a copy by calling us at 510-841-3032 and requesting Clearing the Air. This information is not intended to serve as legal advice by the ANR Foundation; the law varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. If you intend to file a lawsuit, please consult an attorney who is familiar with the laws in your community.
Carlson, R. Smokefree Air Everywhere.
New Jersey Group Against Smoking Pollution (GASP), 1997.
Copyright 1998, 2001 - The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation
For another article, see our sister
site: |
Guest
Article: What I Know About Noses Pediatricians evaluate and treat many conditions and without a doubt, nose woes are the most common issue presented in the clinic. A greater understanding of nose and sinus anatomy and function can help you make common sense yet informed decisions regarding treatment and prevention. The nose is the body's filter. The nasal cavity is lined with mucus membranes. This lining is covered with cilia, little hairs which function to filter any impurities we breathe. Impurities include but are not limited to pollen or any allergen (particles that can trigger an allergic response), bacteria, virus, smoke, pollution, chemicals. The nasal lining has goblet cells, which produce mucus. These secretions entrap impurities so they can be removed by blowing out or swallowing into the acidic contents of the stomach. Exposure to irritants cause the cilia to get clogged and to not function as intended; the goblet cells produce excessive, thicker mucus which is difficult to remove; the nasal linings swell and block the inner ear opening, the sinus opening and the nasal airway. All of these events result in plugging of the drainage system, post nasal drip, sore throats, ear problems, sinus pressure, excessive nasal discharge, coughing and the inability to smell. No matter what the inciting event is, the end result often leads to the need for over the counter and prescription medications. Medication use has increased to a whooping 276 million dollars per year. More than one third of preschoolers are give an over-the-counter medication in any given month. There are over 800 over-the-counter cold and sinus preparations but only 6-10 different ingredients in varying combination. There is doubt if any of the medications actually are actually beneficial. The overuse of antibiotics is contributing to the development of bacterial resistance and this is a serious threat. The CDC has estimated that treatment of infections due to resistant bacteria costs more than $4 billion annually. Allergy treatments cost 1.8 billion dollars annually. Each year over 850 million dollars are spent on physician visits and 639 million dollars are lost on productivity. This trend is truly amazing and frankly very scary. As a mother and a doctor, washing the nose makes sense to me. Over the years, thousands of patients have told me what I instinctively knew, washing helps. If done daily, patients reduce the number of allergy or infection episodes each year, and if done at the first sign of nasal irritation, washing can reduce the duration and intensity of the illness. If done with medication, it reduces the amount of antihistamines, antibiotics and steroid nose sprays needed. Hypertonic solution has a greater salt concentration as compared to the body's salt concentration without side effects and tolerable, even for children. The cost in nasal washing is pennies for each rinse. Little Brianna used to come in 3-6 times per year, from toddler years to elementary school. She would often need nasal steroids and oral antihistamines to control her allergy symptoms, secondary ear and sinus problems. I began teaching Brianna about washing the nose by encouraging her to fill it with water and squirt it while in taking her daily bath. This helped her get the feel of the pressure needed to spray water out the tip. Both mom and I would applaud her efforts, give her stickers and brag about her efforts while in my office. Next we suggested to her that if she tried to squirt just a bit of water in her nose during bath time, it would help her blow her nose clean. Again, with any of her efforts, we applauded her, told her how proud we were of her and how she is helping keep her nose clean. The next step was to play a game and ask if she could make the water come out of the other nostril. 'Sure' she said, and showed me just how this little girl could accomplish this task. Her mother was instructed to begin adding small amounts of the salt mixture (1/4 tsp per 8 ounces of fluid) and advance the dosage as tolerated. My patients tell me it takes about 4-7 days, depending on ones age and tolerance level. Over a 2 year period, Brianna was able to wash her nose out on her own, just like brushing her teeth. Her office visits decreased in number as she perfect her nasal washing technique. Four year old Sophie had similar problems, although her speech was affected because of her recurrent ear problems stemming from allergies. Of course we looked at environmental controls and her parents did as much as they reasonably could. Sophie was 'trained' much like Brianna. Sophie, now age five, will sometimes wake up with a stuffy nose and ask for 'Dr Hana's wash'. She steps up to the sink, washes her nose on her own, blows, grunts like a grandpa and walks away saying, 'Now that feels good, I can breathe'. The secret to teaching children is a slow introduction, giving the child all the control, praising them frequently for little steps and asking them to demonstrate their technique for me (or dad or anyone else). I always learn something new from each child. We preach the importance of washing your hands to prevent the spread of germs, we preach that brushing your teeth prevents cavities, we wash dirty wounds prior to antibiotics ointment is applied. So why don't we wash our noses? Not glamorous? Not advertised? It is just habit we should get used to, similar to swimming with your eyes open or learning how to place in contacts. Perhaps it is more akin to changing the clothes dryer filter or your cars filter to ensure proper functioning of the machine. Of course, if your nose works well for you, don't wash it. If you have nose problems, why not try the simple safe and ancient old technique of washing first. There is an old saying in medicine, 'first do no harm'. Nasal washing does no harm but may produce great benefit. I invite you email me: drhana@nasopure.com with comments, suggestions or ideas. Be Well, Dr Hana Dr Hana R. Solomon MD 3-13-04 |
Secondhand
Smoke Fact Sheet
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