The world’s first Virus Index launched for the uHoo Indoor Air Quality Monitoring System
Monday 8 June, 2020uHoo’s unique “Virus Index” technology analyses indoor air quality data to reveal the extent to which air quality at home or at work sustains or impedes the survival of viruses, including COVID-19.
Already one of the world’s top indoor air quality monitors, uHoo assesses nine (9) parameters - temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, PM2.5, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and air pressure.
Alongside the Virus Index, uHoo’s monitors provide instant data, alerts, insights, and recommendations via the uHoo mobile app, accessible through any smartphone that’s connected to the internet.
uHoo recently published an important white paper “Using Indoor Air Quality Data to Create the uHoo Virus Index”
The uHoo Virus Index works on a 10-point scoring system categorised into four levels: Good, Mild/Moderate, Bad and Severe.
Each level provides insights about air quality, the risk of sustaining viruses and how to improve the environment to reduce that risk.
The uHoo Indoor Air Quality Monitoring system is marketed in the UK by AirProfiling Ltd. based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, on behalf of uHoo Limited, Hong Kong.
AirProfiling’s Managing Director, Graham Mills said “Research has already shown that there is a strong correlation between air quality and the survival of COVID-19 and other viruses. We can utilise uHoo’s air quality data within our homes and workplaces to create an environment that helps to deactivate viruses and, at the same time, enhance our immune system.
“The uHoo Virus Index is a fantastic, thoroughly worthwhile and pertinent development – its goal is to inform, empower and encourage people to manage and control air quality with confidence. It helps people and businesses to understand how indoor air quality can directly influence the risk of viral infections such as Covid-19.
“There are so many places where the Virus Index will be an invaluable asset – homes in lock-down, offices, nurseries, primary schools, doctors’ surgeries, nursing and care homes, hairdressers and many more”
To access our MEDIA KIT, please click here.
Attached – Appendix “The uHoo Virus Index – BACKGROUND”
For more Information, please contact:Graham MillsManaging DirectorE: gmills@airprofiling.com M: +44 (0) 7850 503 076Tel: +44 (0) 1636 555 007AirProfiling Ltd.Aura Business CentreManners RoadNewark-on-TrentNottinghamshireNG24 1BShttps://www.uhooair.co.uk
APPENDIX
The uHoo Virus Index - BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic forced people to spend more time indoors where the air quality might be two to five times worse than outside air. As governments slowly lift COVID-19 restrictions, many will still stay at home while some charge ahead to go back to their workplace.
In both cases, there is an increased focus and need for living and working in healthy buildings which reduce the risk of virus spread. In either environment, people are unknowingly exposed to sub-optimal air quality, if not managed properly.
uHoo recently published an important white paper with information drawn from a number of international research papers.
They explain the link between air quality and COVID-19 death rates as well as explaining in detail how the “uHoo Virus Index” works. The “Using Indoor Air Quality Data to Create the uHoo Virus Index” white paper can be found here.
"Research shows a strong correlation between poor air quality and higher COVID-19 death rates. In addition, long-term exposure to pollutants weakens immune systems and exacerbates other health conditions.
COVID-19 has increased the focus on health and well-being, air quality and the need for ‘healthy buildings’, especially, as we gradually return to our workplaces.
uHoo has seen increased demand globally from governments, enterprises, building owners and consumers. uHoo has launched this unique patent-pending “uHoo Virus Index” to help minimise the spread of viruses”, says Dustin Jefferson S. Onghanseng, Co-Founder and CEO of uHoo Limited.uHoo – Better air quality to reduce deaths and improve lives and well-being globallyBuildings have always been focused on being energy efficient, usually at the expense of people’s health. This has resulted in people getting sick inside their offices, viruses and bacteria being passed to each other, feeling discomfort (too hot/too cold), having smells or odours inside workplaces, and other factors not clearly visible to the eye, but affecting our general health and well-being.
These are symptoms of a sick building and primarily caused by the air people breathe indoors. This has led to the rise and demand for “healthy buildings”. Professors Joseph Allen and John Macomber from Harvard’s School of Public Health and Harvard Business School, recently co-authored a book focused on how buildings and surroundings impact health, well-being, lung health and higher order cognitive functions.
COVID-19 has put air quality top of mind. A recent survey showed that 88% want air quality data to be publicly displayed on a large screen inside offices, building lobbies, restaurants, hotels, and any public establishment as a means to assure guests that the environment is being managed properly and is safe for them to enter. COVID-19 has indeed accelerated the movement from energy-efficient buildings to healthy buildings. A healthy building is now the new normal, it is the new minimum.
Research published in the American Society of Microbiology showed that SARS-COV surrogate viruses, a coronavirus genetically very close to SARS-CoV2 /COVID-19, survive longer and can become airborne in specific combinations of temperature and humidity.
The air you breathe indoors can also be a vector for viruses. Particulate Matter, also known as “Particle Pollution”, is a complex mix of small particles and liquid droplets.
Particulate Matter at 2.5 microns can stay suspended in the air and become vectors of viruses
A study published in the journal of Genome Biology showed that PM2.5 accommodates rich microbial communities that have potential health consequences.
Scientists from Harvard University also reported that long-term exposure to PM2.5 increased the death rate of COVID-19 cases. uHoo measures PM2.5
in real-time and sends alerts when it reaches unhealthy thresholds so you can immediately take action.
Busy streets and combustion sources creating nitrogen dioxide also contribute to poor air quality in your homes/workplaces. Inside buildings, ambient infiltration of nitrogen dioxide occurs due to the building's structural imperfections which can be worsened by poorly designed or poorly maintained ventilation systems.
Exposure to raised levels of nitrogen dioxide inflames the lining of the lungs which may reduce our immunity to fight COVID-19 due to lung infection.
Aside from nitrogen dioxide, continuous exposure to high levels of carbon dioxide can also cause lung-inflammation and put vulnerable people at a higher risk. Having sufficient ventilation not only dissipates high levels of CO2 inside your home/workplace but also flushes out particles that may have viruses latched onto them.
uHoo makes these invisible problems in the air, visible. It provides you with accurate air quality data that help you identify problems and take appropriate action.
The uHoo Virus Index goes the extra step of analyzing your air quality as a whole, instead of in silos, to help you properly create an environment to effectively deactivate viruses and strengthen your immune system.
uHoo is used by tens of thousands of families and almost 200 governments and enterprises globally today – with deployments in office buildings, hotels, airports, shipping ports, local government buildings, offices and homes.
Over the last 3 months, uHoo has witnessed a spike in demand and expects this to be a “new normal” trend, with the increased focused on health and well-being.Learn More About Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and VirusesPoor air quality is linked to higher virus survival and infectivity. Various research projects have shown the correlation between viruses and air quality. Suboptimal air quality not only affects the ability of viruses to survive in an indoor environment but also affects our immune system.
All of this is quantified in the uHoo Virus Index and uHoo at the same time provides you with specific recommendations on what you can do to improve your air quality and create a healthier and safer indoor environment.
To learn more about how the uHoo Virus Index works, check out our whitepaper.
To access our media kit, please click here.About uHoo LimiteduHoo Limited is a leading global air quality management company. Its vision is to help reduce deaths and improve lives and well-being globally through proper air quality management. uHoo was founded by Dustin Jefferson S. Onghanseng and Brian Lin. Both have respiratory conditions and wanted to improve the environmental conditions in which people live, work and play so sickness and disease can be prevented and health improved.
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