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DARK
CATS CAUSE MORE ALLERGY RESPONSE
 My
hairdresser and I share allergies and an absurd love of cats. Last
week she tells me that dark colored cats cause more allergic reaction
than light colored ones. I thought she was promoting a new myth,
until she sent me a copy of the research. She was right! Research
done recently in a Brooklyn hospital in a subjective self report
study, showed that owners of dark colored cats were four times as
likely to report allergenic symptoms as light colored cat owners.
I have been telling my very large dark Seal Point Siamese "Fudge"
all week he had better behave himself. No more early morning cat
tantrums bellowing for a can of human tuna.
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VACUUM
CLEANER NEWS UPDATE
Lots of interesting
things going on here. Nilfisk have come out with a new product called
the "Family Vacuum". The Nilfisk attention to superior
level of filtration is legendary, BUT yet again Nilfisk seems to
be oblivious to adding consumer friendly features to their vacuums-
not even a retractable cord or tools on board. This is very frustrating.
My only conclusion is that Nilfisk finds it more profitable to stick
to their commercial lines. However, if you just have bare floors
and do not care about whistles and bells, the Nilfisk machine is
excellent. The price is $539.00
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/nilfiskfamilyvac.html
I have been
anticipating with some interest as to what Miele would do about
the gauntlet thrown down by Eureka with their Oxygen challenge.
The first thing they have done is dramatically reduce the price
of the Red Star and White Star. The machines are not EXACTLY the
same as before as Miele made some cost cutting design changes. In
particular, the Red Star no longer has a retractable wand and the
control panel is slightly different. These are minor changes but
the is an explanation as to why they are cheaper. The White Star
has a different control panel but in other respects it is the same.
These machines are now quite the bargain by Miele standards. The
prices are $619.00 and $489.00
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/mielredstars.html
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/mielwhitstar.html
Just arrived!
Miele have come out with a new Solaris 500 line which is closer
in price to the old prices for the Red Star and White Star. They
have adjustable wands and dust bag change indicators.They come with
either turbo heads or powerheads. Prices are $749.00 ("electro"
with powerhead) and $599.00 (with turbo head).
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/solaris.html
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/solaris.html
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A EUREKA OXYGEN AND MIELE
COMPARISON
 I
get asked all the time to compare Miele and Eureka. The attachments
on the Mieles are a little easier to handle than the Eureka oxygen
in some machines. This happens because the Miele attachments are
made out of molded rigid plastic and fit together exactly. Some
of the Eureka Oxygen attachments are pliable and occasionally need
to be "squeezed" to fit together. Otherwise, in terms
of price for performance, Eureka are giving Miele one heck of a
challenge. However, Miele has a great dealer network and an excellent
track record in longevity and quality for their machines. The bad
mouthing between Miele and Eureka dealers at the moment is really
nasty.  Even
nastier are the majority of Eureka dealers who did not get to carry
the Oxygen machines. We carry both so can afford to be dispassionate.
I love my Miele Red Star BUT as a collector of vacuums I do yearn
for a machine, like the Oxygen with a dirt alert feature. I was
not aware until recently that an old carpet can be carrying literally
pounds of dust, debris and allergens and if you do not have a dirt
alert you can merrily go on your way and only have done a half baked
job on pulling all the dirt and allergens out of your carpet. And
with the pollen season coming, or for allergic pet owners, it is
important to really do a thorough cleaning job. Let's get real here.
Are you anything like me and if it LOOKS clean you move on? Here
is the rub. A vacuum cleaner will continue pulling dirt out of your
carpet long after it looks clean.
And as for the
Miele versus Eureka Oxygen? Next month I am going to do a comparison
chart. I will keep you posted.
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/euroxline.html
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VACUUMS
AND DIRT SENSORS
From: "John
Roberts" <engrplus@worldnet.att.net>
"If you
did not have the vacuum with dirt sensor you would never know that
the deep dust was building up in your area rug. I have seen area
rugs that were cleaned with a canister vacuum that had over 4 pounds
of dust in an 8ft by 10 ft rug with 3500 ppm lead in it where there
were small children present."
Thank you, John,
for your message!
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WHY
DO SOME VAPOR STEAM CLEANERS COST MORE THAN OTHERS?
A NEW COMPARISON
CHART. Since we have the largest and most complete line of vapor
steam cleaners anywhere on the Internet and we continually add more
information on them some of you are understandably getting a little
confused. Now we have a comparison chart where you can compare prices
and critical features at a glance.
http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/compare-vps.html
I also get asked
all the time "Why do some vapor steam cleaners cost more than
others?"
Here is why:
1.Actual temperature
of the steam. Residential units generally use steam between 240
and 295 degrees. Avoid anything of lesser temperature. Hotter steam
means a quantum increase in cleaning effectiveness. What's more
it is necessary to start with a much higher temperature than you
would think you might need, as all vapor steam cleaners lose some
temperature on the way to the tip.
2. The very
best machines have boilers made out of stainless steel which heat
up faster, and do not rust.
3.Cheap machines
have no safety caps when refilling water, versus safety caps.
4.The ability
to refill water continuously is more important than you might think.
If you have a continuous refill machine you do not have to wait
for the machine to cool down and heat up again when you want to
refill it[this can be a 20 plus minute wait].It also means that
the machine is lighter as you are not lugging around all that water.
5.Holding water
tank capacity. Very small water tanks can drive you crazy when you
have to refill them every 15 to 20 minutes.
6.Having the
ability to regulate the steam outflow with pressostat is important.
Some tasks require a finer more concentrated jet of steam. This
can be important when you want to avoid the splattering of dirt
particulates all over the place.
7.Ability to
regulate the steam temperature. Some fabrics and surfaces require
a cooler temperature.
8.Length of
warranty on boiler and other parts. It is usually 3 years on a good
residential machine and 5 years on a commercial machine.
9.Good handle
for easy lifting up stairs. Somebody needs to have really paid attention
to this design feature.
10.Decent sized
castors allow for easy maneuverability.
11.The accessories
included for special cleaning tasks, and optional accessories available
add to the cost of the machines. Size of the cleaning brushes is
also an added expense. The better machines have bigger sized tools
which allow for the cleaning to be done faster.
12.Quality of
toweling covers and whether they can be attached and removed easily
makes a difference. The better machines have easy clips to attach
the toweling covers.
13. There are
a greater number of steam outlets and larger orifices in more expensive
machines. And my personal favorite? The "Ladybug"at $1099.00.
Best deal? The TidyVap at $799.00, the Ladybug's cousin.
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/ladvapsteamc.html
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/tidyvap.html
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HUMIDITY
ON AIRPLANES BY WAYNE DEAN
From: radonwin@aol.com
[mailto:radonwin@aol.com]
"Several
years ago I had occasion to travel long distance on a 747. Out of
curiosity, I used a portable relative humidity meter to give me
a clue as to what was happening, as my hair went absolutely wild.
The lower limit of my meter was two percent relative humidity. And
that is what it read. I have since been advised that pilots on such
aircraft are required to drink water in specific minimum quantities
at regular and specific intervals."
Thank you, Wayne,
for your message!
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A
COMPARISON CHART FOR AIR CLEANERS
I know I have
drowned you all with so much information about air cleaners that
you now phone me up all the time and ask…so which one should
I choose and is best for me? So just in time for the Spring allergy
season we have put together a chart which attempts to give you a
birds eye view of all the air cleaners on our site.
http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/compare-air.html
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THE
REAL CAUSE OF ASTHMA BY RICHARD PRESSINGER
From: "Chem-Tox"
<research@chem-tox.com>
The largest
cause of asthma is a damaged immune system which is then not able
to handle dust mites and other "triggers." Dust mite allergies
and asthmatic reactions are only a symptom of what happens when
the immune system is damaged. You can thank our myriad of petroleum
based chemicals for causing a relentless wear and tear on the 200
genes (out of 100,000) inside our cells responsible for controlling
the immune system.
When it has
been shown* that 15% of all homes built before 1988 have worrisome
air levels of the pesticide chlordane with dioxin containing vehicle
exhaust and petroleum based fragrance products - etc. it should
come as no surprise that a child's immune system can't handle exposure
to dust mites and other allergens and triggers which are innocuous
to everyone else.
* http://www.chem-tox.com/chlordanecombined
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PARTICLE
SIZE
From: Steven
Temes AirwaysEnv@compuserve.com
If the nasal
sinuses are the site of an allergic response, you can still breathe
through your mouth; if the inflammatory response is in the upper
respiratory tract, the air passages are wide enough to accommodate
some swelling (wheezing); when you get into the lower respiratory
region (bronchioles and alveoli) where the diameter of the air passage
is narrower, inflammation can result in more complete obstruction
of air flow and reduction of gas exchange.
Factors that
come to mind with regard to allergic response are the degree to
which a mucous membrane is protected from direct contact with an
allergen or irritant (why allergies can be worse in low RH) and
the blood supply in the local tissue required to produce the full-
blown immune response.
The discussion
of surface-to-mass ratio of allergenic particles is also important
to consider. In any case, it seems that the greater the surface
area within the respiratory tract that allergens or irritants can
come in contact with, the greater the potential health risk.
On the topic,
of sensitization and the apparent coincidence that the most affected
individuals live in the dirtiest houses, I would like to add that
it is the very specific allergens or chemical sensitizers in an
individual's environment that produce the hypersensitivity response.
Chronic exposure to low levels of a particular species of mold,
for example, can result in a hypersensitivity reaction to this one
particular species. I was told by clients who had to move out of
their house due to a child's asthmatic reaction to major mold contamination
that, surprisingly, the child could tolerate his grandmother's moldy
basement without similar effects. If he went back into the first
mold-contaminated house, he could not breathe.
Exposure increases
when particles stay suspended longer and when there is more contact
with the "immune system" on surfaces in the respiratory
tract, and so does the potential to become sensitized or react immunologically
(antigen-specific antibodies) or with an irritant inflammatory response
(RADS). It isn't just coincidence that many people with allergy
problems live in dirty houses - it may be causative. Of course,
who actually becomes sensitized is genetically pre-determined which
is why lots of people live in dirty houses without any problems
and don't really learn how to clean thoroughly until they do have
problems.
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Good
to be in touch with you all again!
Regards,
Mercia Tapping,
President
Allergy Consumer Review - Issue #17
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It
seems so long since I wrote to you but after 2 months, after
flood and fire damage, we are finally back into our offices.
I have had two jobs - the second being general contractor.
At the moment, I just want to forget the last two months.
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