Usually these infectious diseases are passed through direct physical contact however studies of IAQ have identified an unlikely breading ground…the HVAC system.

Remember the deadly Legionnaire’s disease outbreak that occurred in 1976 at a Philadelphia hotel? Within weeks of staying in this particular hotel 100’s of guests came down with a pneumonia type illness. For thirty-four of those the trip to Philadelphia proved fatal. Like many micro organisms the legionnella bacteria (www.mayoclinic.com) is sticky and will easily adhere to surfaces such as the inside of your air handler, duct works or pipes. In the case of the Philadelphia outbreak, the source was traced back to the hotel’s air ventilation system.

The most common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae (www.emedicinehealth.com). Most pneumonia is caused by a bacteria or virus and is easily spread through breathing in infected air droplets. However, like the legionnella bacteria, streptococcus pneumoniae can life and thrive in an improperly cleaned air handler. While changing the HVAC filter on a regular basis or using a HEPA filter will assist in keeping these harmful bacteria from growing, it’s not enough to guarentee they don’t exist further in the system, in duct works or on heating and cooling coils.

Laboratory testing has shown the organic ingredients contained in AirWashIAQ is 99.9% effective in destroying the bacteria responsible for streptococcus pnemoniae. Easily applied by spraying directly into the air handler and air vents, AirWashIAQ is then drawn through the HVAC allowing it to flow through even hard to reach areas such as duct work.

Another harmful bacteria that can thrive in an HVAC system is staphylococcus aureus. This group of bacteria can cause of multitude of diseases both directly, resulting in infection of various tissues of the body (staph infections) and indirectly, by producing toxins responsible for food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. (www.medicinenet.com) Again, regular use of AirWashIAQ has been shown to effective destroy 99.9% of this harmful bacteria as well.