IQAir

IQAir is a Swiss air quality technology company, specializing in protection against airborne pollutants, developing air quality monitoring and air cleaning products. IQAir also operates AirVisual, a real-time air quality information platform.[1][2][3]

IQAir
Private
IndustryEnvironmental technology
Founded1963 (1963)
Germany
FoundersManfred Hammes
Klaus Hammes
Headquarters
Goldach
,
Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Frank Hammes
Jens Hammes
Glory Dolphin-Hammes
ProductsAir purifiers
Air quality instruments
Websiteiqair.com

History

IQAir was founded 1963 by brothers Manfred and Klaus Hammes, who introduced an air filter system for residential coal ovens in Germany to help reduce black dust build-up on the walls behind ovens. Manfred Hammes, a lifelong asthma sufferer, noticed that the filter reduced his flare-ups during the winter months. Klaus Hammes continued through the 1960s and ’70s to adapt the air filter for other heating systems such as radiators, baseboard heating and forced-air heating and cooling systems. In 1982, Klaus Hammes relocated the company headquarters to Switzerland.

In the early 1990s, Frank Hammes, Klaus' oldest son, joined the company and expanded research and development as well as in-house manufacturing. In the spring of 1998, IQAir shipped its first high-performance air purifier from its Swiss factory. In 2001, Klaus Hammes' second son, Jens Hammes, joined the business and helped expand IQAir to Asia and the Middle East.[4]

Products

IQAir currently has products in four product categories, namely air purifiers[5], HVAC-based air cleaning, air quality instruments and the global air quality information platform AirVisual.

Technology

IQAir employs a wide range of particulate and gas-phase removal technologies in its air purifiers and air filters. The company has been a vocal opponent of ionizing and ozone-producing air cleaning technologies. IQAir’s air quality information platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) to calibrate and validate thousands of governmental and non-governmental air quality monitoring stations.

Company organization

IQAir is headquartered in Switzerland with major operations in Germany, the U.S., and China. Product development is based in Switzerland. Manufacturing is based in Switzerland and Germany. Field support and installation teams exist in Switzerland, the U.S. and China, in addition to authorized dealers support customers throughout the world.

Research studies

Hospital Infection Control

A 2006 peer reviewed study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection reported that an IQAir Cleanroom H13 air purifier reduced Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) contamination in hospital isolation rooms. The researchers concluded that "This portable HEPA-filtration unit can significantly reduce MRSA environmental contamination within patient isolation rooms, and this may prove to be a useful addition to existing MRSA infection control measures.[6]

A 2010 peer-reviewed study conducted at Singapore General Hospital and published in the American Journal of Infection Control in 2010 found that the use of IQAir portable air purifiers with HyperHEPA filtration reduced the spread of invasive aspergillosis (IA) by 50%. The researchers concluded that "The cost of widespread portable HEPA filtration in hospitals will be more than offset by the decreases in nosocomial infections in general and in IA in particular."[7]

Dental Aerosol Control

A 2010 peer-reviewed study in the British Dental Journal, found that the IQAir FlexVac extraoral air cleaning system significantly reduced potentially hazardous bioaerosols created during dental procedures.[8]

Classroom Air Pollution Control

A 2013 peer-reviewed US government study conducted by researchers from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) published in the International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health found that IQAir stand-alone air purification and HVAC-based air purification was able to lower concentrations of ultrafine particles, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) between 87% and 96%.[9]

In-Vehicle Air Pollution Control

A 2014 peer-reviewed passenger vehicle study funded by CARB (California Air Resources Board), conducted by researchers at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and published in Environmental Science & Technology found that an IQAir high-efficiency cabin air filtration was able to reduce ultra-fine particle exposure by 93% while keeping carbon dioxide concentrations in the range of 620-930 ppm.[10]

School Bus Air Pollution Control

A 2015 peer-reviewed study funded by CARB, conducted by researchers at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and published in Environmental Science & Technology, found that an IQAir school bus air purification system was able to reduce harmful air pollutants by 88 percent.[11]

In-home Air Pollution Control

A CARB-funded study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory investigating reducing in-home exposure to air pollution found that IQAir MERV16 filtration on a supply system provided the greatest reductions in outdoor pollutant levels with indoor time-averaged concentrations that were lower than corresponding outdoor levels by 97– 98% for PM2.5, 97–99% for UFP, and at least 84–92% for BC and at least 97% for ozone.[12]

A two-year study conducted by UC Davis and funded by CARB focused on households with asthmatic children found that the use of high-efficiency filtration improves indoor air quality. Installation of IQAir stand-alone air cleaners and high-efficiency filters in central air conditioning systems were shown to improve indoor air quality across all particle size fractions, with the greatest improvement in the smaller size fractions. The study also found that while participants did not report reduced asthma symptoms, they did have fewer visits to doctor's offices and hospitals for asthma care and slept better if they also kept their bedroom door closed.[13]

Awards

Air Purifiers:

  • Parent Tested Parent Approved (USA) "Award Winning Product" 2017[14]
  • The Gadgeteer (USA) "Best Gadget of the Year Award" 2017[15]
  • International Housewares Association Global Innovation "Award for Product Design Personal Care" 2019[16]
  • TWICE VIP (USA) "Award for Home Care Devices" 2019[17]
  • Parent Tested Parent Approved (USA) "Seal of Approval" 2019[18]
  • Tom's Guide (USA) "Best Air Purifiers" 2020[19]

Air quality monitor:

  • AirParif "AirLab" Microsensor Challenge Laureate 2019 [20]
  • BK Magazine awarded AirVisual "App of the Year" 2019 [21]
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See also

References
  1. "Shareholder Agenda: Tea and Blank Pages". The New York Times. 23 August 2008.
  2. "IQAir Perfect 16". Extreme Makeover.
  3. "Baby Jaelyn Gets a Heart". Anderson Cooper Live.
  4. Hügli, Von Daniel (12 August 2013). "Wir erhalten jede Woche Übernahmeangebote" [Every week we receive takeover bids]. Cash (in German).
  5. "Compact Stand-Alone Air Purifiers". IQAir.
  6. "Reduction in MRSA environmental contamination with a portable HEPA-filtration unit". The Journal of Hospital Infection. 1 March 2006.
  7. "The impact of portable high-efficiency particulate air filters on the incidence of invasive aspergillosis in a large acute tertiary-care hospital". The American Journal of Infection. 1 May 2010.
  8. Hallier, C.; Williams, D. W.; Potts, A. J.; Lewis, M. A. (23 October 2010). "A Pilot Study of Bioaerosol Reduction Using an Air Cleaning System During Dental Procedures". British Dental Journal. The American Journal of Infection. 209 (8): E14. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2010.975. PMC 7091833. PMID 20953167.
  9. Polidori, A.; Fine, P. M.; White, V.; Kwon, P. S. (23 October 2010). "Pilot Study of High-Performance Air Filtration for Classroom Applications". Indoor Air. International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health. 23 (3): 185–95. doi:10.1111/ina.12013. PMID 23137181.
  10. "Application of a High-Efficiency Cabin Air Filter for Simultaneous Mitigation of Ultrafine Particle and Carbon Dioxide Exposures Inside Passenger Vehicles". Environmental Science and Technology. 28 January 2014.
  11. Lee, Eon S.; Fung, Cha-Chen D.; Zhu, Yifang (22 March 2015). "Evaluation of a High Efficiency Cabin Air (HECA) Filtration System for Reducing Particulate Pollutants Inside School Buses". Environmental Science and Technology. 49 (6): 3358–3365. Bibcode:2015EnST...49.3358L. doi:10.1021/es505419m. PMID 25728749.
  12. "Reducing In‐Home Exposure to Air Pollution" (PDF). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 21 May 2016.
  13. "BENEFITS OF HIGH EFFICIENCY FILTRATION TO CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA" (PDF). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 16 April 2018.
  14. "New Edition HealthPro Plus". PTPA. 20 June 2017.
  15. "IQAir Atem Personal Air Purifier". ConsumerSearch. 26 December 2017.
  16. "IQAir Atem 5 in 1 Personal Air Purifier". ConsumerSearch. 2 March 2019.
  17. "IQAir Atem 5 in 1 Personal Air Purifier". ConsumerSearch. 19 August 2019.
  18. "Atem Desk Personal Air Purifier". PTPA. 9 December 2019.
  19. "HealthPro Plus". ConsumerSearch. 7 July 2020.
  20. "IQAir AirVisual Pro". ConsumerSearch. 1 January 2020.
  21. "The BK Awards". ConsumerSearch. 28 February 2020.
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