CLEAN, HEALTHY
HOMES & OFFICES:
local
Business Specializes
in Environmental
Products -
Feb. 1999
--
Westfield: The
Eardly T. Petersen
Company at 224 Elmer
Street in Westfield
features products
that will help
ensure that the
indoor environment
at home or in the
office is as clean
and healthy as
possible.
"Indoor air
pollution -- indoor
air quality (IAQ) --
is the leading cause
of environmental
illness in the
United States,"
states Keith
Petersen, spokesman
for the Eardly T.
Petersen Company.
"Allergies and
asthma are at
epidemic proportions
-- the incidence of
asthma among
children is at an
all-time high. The
common estimates are
that the indoor
environment is 5 to
10 times more
polluted than the
outdoor environment,
and the
energy-efficient
homes and office
buildings are so
tightly insulated
that the pollutants
are trapped. Add to
this the fact that
we spend an average
of 90% of our time
indoors, and it is
easy to understand
why these
respiratory
illnesses are
rampant."
The
Eardly T. Petersen
Company has featured
products since 1956
that help solve
environmental
issues. "My Dad
started this
business in 1956 by
selling a
high-quality vacuum
that filtered the
exhaust air to the
tiny, microscopic
size of 3 microns
(the human hair
averages 100 microns
thick). This is the
more amazing because
at that time many
vacuum cleaners
still used cloth
shake-out bags
(shudder), and the
ones using paper
disposable bags
still filtered so
poorly that
prodigious amounts
of pollutants were
being spewed into
the environment."
"Today," continues
Keith Petersen, "the
industry has
highly-engineered
vacuums such as the
Miele from Germany
that boast sealed,
HEPA filtration to
result in absolute
filtering to .3
(3/10) of a micron.
At this size, dust
mite feces and even
bacteria are
filtered from the
exhaust air. Many
manufacturers
advertise effective
filtration; but,
without a sealed
system the
laboratory tests
show that millions
of microscopic
particles are being
emitted in the
exhaust air of these
vacuums every
minute. The consumer
can be considerably
misled."
"Next," says Mr.
Petersen, "the
industry now has
Swiss and Italian
steam cleaning
systems which are
absolutely terrific.
These resemble a
compact canister
vacuum and, using
low pressure steam,
will clean and
sanitize any
cleanable surface in
the house. By means
of a flexible,
slender hose and a
variety of tools,
oneself can quickly
clean -- using clean
water only -- no
chemicals! --
carpets, upholstery,
drapes, windows,
kitchen appliances
(yes, degrease the
stove! and quickly
clean/sanitize the
refrigerator), bare
floors including
wood, toilets,
shower stalls, tile
walls, painted
walls, wallpaper,
outdoor furniture,
engines and
equipment, silk
flowers, toys,
stuffed animals --
the list is endless.
These units are 100%
safe and have been
used in Europe for
many years. They
will destroy mold,
mildew and dust
mites, require no
maintenance and will
last indefinitely."
Also
available are
different types of
air cleaning units.
These fall into
three main
categories: (1)
filters (2) ionizers
and (3) air
purifiers. "Each of
these uses a
different technology
to help clean the
indoor air
environment," says
Petersen. "However,
we see, by far, the
best success stories
from the customers
using the air
purifiers. These are
small, stand-alone
units that combine
the same processes
that Nature uses --
ionization and
oxidation -- to
naturally cleanse
the indoor
environment. They
work on the same
principle as a
thunderstorm -- they
have been aptly
referred to as a
"thunderstorm in a
box"! -- and the
most popular model
can be set to purify
from 100 up to 3,000
square feet (usually
the average house),
making it vastly
superior to the
filters and ionizers
which can only
handle one room."
Today there are also
a variety of good
Drinking Water
Systems (DWS)
available. "Look for
the NSF seal of
approval, or some
other industry
certification,"
advises Petersen,
"as there are
considerable
variations in
quality in DWS. The
water is definitely
an issue today, as
what comes out of
the tap is far from
crystalline clean
and tasty. By
installing a good
DWS at a nominal
price, the home or
office can have
crystal-pure,
sparkling clean
water for drinking,
coffee and tea
(it'll never taste
so good!), soups,
pasta and all
cooking needs, etc.
Pollutants such as
chlorine, asbestos
fibers, lead,
cryposporidium cysts
(which can be fatal
for the young, the
elderly and the
immune-compromised),
algae, mold and
off-tastes,
turbidity and
trihalomethanes
(THM's) can be
removed to 99.97%
levels to .5
microns. It beats
hauling home bottled
water, and it's
cheaper!"
The
Eardly T. Petersen
Company can be
reached at
908-232-5723 for
answers to questions
on the environment;
or, they can be
visited at 224 Elmer
St., Westfield,
e-mailed at
sales@etpetersen.com,
or on the web at
www.etpetersen.com.
