TAKE A DEEP BREATH, IF YOU CAN

Have you ever been so frustrated, that you just wanted to scream? You know you want to, but instead you take a deep breath and try to relax. Ah, that’s feels better. A few more slow, deep breaths, the heart stops pounding, the veins stop popping out the side of your head, and you’re okay. But what if you couldn’t—take that deep breath, that is? What if every breath was a struggle? It may be that very thing that’s causing the frustration. We take so much for granted now-a-days and breathing is one of them. It’s an automatic response controlled by the medulla oblongata (great trivia for later). We don’t even have to think about it. But we should! Unfortunately, the old saying, “out of sight, out of mind” directs our priorities when it comes to what we breathe. Example: How many times have you forgotten to change the air filter in your furnace? Did you even know there was a filter? You’d be surprised at the number of people who don’t and those who do, forget to change it until something goes wrong with their heating or cooling system. So should indoor air quality be a priority in our lives? Let the numbers help you decide.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency studies show indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times and in some cases more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels.

• The Global Initiative for Asthma, a collaboration of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Health and World Health Organizations, states that, “The incidence of asthma has increased 50% in the past ten years. Contributing factors include indoor allergens and indoor pollutants.”

• The American College of Allergists has put in writing, “50% of all illnesses are either
caused by, or aggravated by, polluted indoor air.”

• The Asthma and Allergy Foundation named St. Louis as the Asthma Capital for 2009.

Now if the numbers above don’t alarm you, maybe these will.

On average, 42,000 dust mites live on one ounce of dust. The average home contains 6 -7
pounds of dust. Now add the fact that each mite produces 20 fecal pellets per day. You do the math. Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

• The average mattress has 2 million dust mites

• If your pillow is over a few years old, 10-25% of the weight is dead and living dust mites

• You spend at least 1/3 of your life in bed

• Research states that 44 million homes in the U.S. (45% of all homes) have a very serious dust mite problem

• Dust mites are a MAJOR contributor to asthma and allergic reactions

This is why Hoffmann Brothers is adamant about indoor air quality. Ask yourself these
questions:

Do you have allergies or suffer from asthma?
Do you experience frequent headaches, dizziness, and/or nausea?
Do you have mildew, musty, or unwanted odors in your home?

These may be signs of poor indoor air quality. The solution is not filtering your air, but cleaning it. We can help. Call us today and get the solutions to your indoor air quality problems. It’s your and your family’s health that may be at risk.

If you have any indoor air quality concerns, please give us a call or email me at
feedback. So, for the rest of 2009, breathe easy, if you can, and if not, give us a call. We may be able to help!