Vent-Axia is delighted to be supporting Breathe Easy Week 13-19 June 2016, the annual awareness week which focuses on lung health and is run by the British Lung Foundation (BLF). Every year the BLF holds the event which is designed to highlight the widespread effect of lung disease which affects about one in five people in the UK.
The theme for this year’s Breathe Easy Week is ‘breathlessness’. Millions of people ignore being out of breath in situations where they would not expect to be, like taking a short walk, unaware that it is one of the most common symptoms of lung disease. This Breathe Easy Week, the British Lung Foundation are encouraging anyone who experiences this kind of unexpected breathlessness to visit their GP.
The BLF’s Breathe Easy support groups will be holding events across the country to help raise awareness of lung health and offer support. Throughout the week the BLF aims to communicate the seriousness of maintaining lung health and the risk factors that can affect lungs causing a number of major lung conditions, for example, lung cancer, asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and many more. With 230 Breathe Easy support groups around the country, people can locate their nearest group and see what they are doing by visiting the BLF’s Breathe Easy website: https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/breathe-easy.
“Vent-Axia is delighted to be supporting Breathe Easy Week this year. The British Lung Foundation’s aim is that one day everyone will breathe clean air with healthy lungs. At Vent-Axia we support this and are committed to helping to achieve this by providing effective, energy efficient ventilation to help provide good indoor air quality in our homes,”says Jenny Smith, Marketing Manager at Vent-Axia.
Indoor air quality is an important issue to lung health. The Royal College of Physicians recently published the report,“Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution” which states that around 40,000 people are dying in the UK every year due to air pollution. Exposure to indoor air pollutants such as kitchen products, faulty boilers, open fires, fly sprays air fresheners and second-hand smoke further add to these figures and impact on indoor air quality. And with health problems such as lung disease, cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, diabetes, obesity and dementia all linked to poor air quality, it’s clear that this needs to be urgently addressed in every household.
This new report backs up the findings of other recent research, including the new BEAMA survey “My Health My Home” which revealed that over one third of UK homes are at an elevated or severe risk of having polluted indoor air. It follows on from the IAQ research “The Future of Indoor Air Quality in UK Homes and its Impact on Health”. This found that as new and refurbished homes become ever more air tight to meet the Government’s carbon emission targets for 2050, the number of people suffering with asthma could increase by 80% from current levels. It also found that indoor pollutant levels could increase to the upper end and beyond of World Health Organisation recommended limits. The report suggests that the solution for good IAQ is continuous ventilation and, in new build homes, continuous mechanical ventilation, preferably with heat recovery (MVHR) is the most efficient and effective option.
Designed to work with the natural air infiltration, continuous ventilation systems control the air path through the home. As a result, they prevent the migration of damaging humidity and pollutants, providing near silent energy efficient ventilation. There are a number of options available, both for new builds and for retrofitting and the latest continuous ventilation systems also offer heat recovery.
For new build homes there are continuous whole house Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) solutions, such as Vent-Axia’s Sentinel Kinetic Advance– an MVHR system which boasts an impressive 93% thermal efficiency. For refurbishments, there are continuous Decentralised Mechanical Extract Ventilation (dMEV) systems, such as Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Response. In addition, there are also dMEV single room heat recovery units available, such as Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Tempra, which can be simply retrofitted through a 100mm diameter hole in the wall allowing standard wet room extract fans to be easily replaced.
For up-to-date ventilation guidance and an overview of the research visit www.vent-axia.com/healthyhomes. For further information on all products and services offered by Vent-Axia telephone 0844 856 0590 or visit www.vent-axia.com.
Notes to editors
The British Lung Foundation aims to prevent lung disease by campaigning for positive change in the UK's lung health. It raises awareness about lung disease, the dangers that cause it, and how to look after your lungs.
The BLF’s breathlessness information helps you find out what causes it, and how you can keep on top of it https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/breathlessness. To speak to the British Lung Foundation helpline telephone: 03000 030 555.