Fall 2009 Volume 7 /Number 3

Fall is here and students are back in school. Only half

are going back to class with good indoor air quality
(IAQ). Approximately 50% of 120,000 school buildings
have been diagnosed with poor IAQ. Aging buildings,
tight operating budgets and environmental conditions
could inhibit learning and pose health risks to the
children and staff.
Research has
shown that
children who
attend a school in
poor condition
score 11 percent
lower on stan-
dardized tests
than students
who attend
schools in good
condition.
More than 53
million children
and about 6
million adults
spend the majority of their day indoors in school build-
ings across the United States. Problems that could arise
in a school with poor IAQ range from short- or long-
term health problems to creating potential liability
problems. Absenteeism is a problem that increases in
poor environments for both the students and teachers.
The leading cause of absenteeism is asthma. The Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention estimates
approximately 14 million school days per year are lost
due to asthma exacerbated by poor indoor air quality
in schools.
There are many causes of poor IAQ. Schools represent
a denser population than a commercial office building.
Viable and non-viable particulates are brought into the
building through open windows and doors and on
peoples clothing. The increased activity level of most
young people, cause the increased shedding of skin
cells and other particulates. The cleaner air in the morn-
ing had all night to filter but at the end of the day the
school is filled with
the dirty air that was
created by a full day
of particulates and
odors.
Schools can improve
IAQ by doing just a
few easy steps.
Ensure there is
adequate ventilation.
Adequate ventilation
is essential for good
IAQ. Many ventila-
tion problems in
schools are caused
by simple and inex-
pensive problems
such as blocked intakes and vents. Adequate ventila-
tion will decrease the energy costs and can improve the
health associated with good ventilation. Upgrade air
filters to high efficiency filters. Many schools will use a
MERV 1-4 filter, due to tight budgets, but they will only
remove minimal levels of particulates. The particulates
that remain in the air will eventually be inhaled by the
children and staff some of the particulates eventually
accumulate in the lungs causing illness.
Replacing the low efficiency filters with high efficiency
filters can save energy, remove allergens and irritants
from the air, and greatly improve IAQ, providing an
improved learning environment for our students.
In early July, U.S. Representative John Spratt visited
Filtration Group/Filtrair's operations in York. Congress-
man Spratt, a Democrat, has served
in the U.S. House of Representatives
for 26 years and currently chairs the
Budget Committee. His 5th congres-
sional district of South Carolina
includes both the city of York and
York County.
The Congressman has a special inter-
est in York given that he grew up in
the city and continues to maintain
his home there. We at Filtration
Group were honored
to host his visit. Congressman Spratt has supported the
company in our efforts to work with governmental
agencies. His interest in the company and its employees
was further demonstrated by extending his visit from
the one hour scheduled meeting
to almost three hours.
Filtration Group began operations
in York in 1996 with two facilities
totaling 120,000 square feet and
50 employees. Today, we have
over 275,000 square feet and over
250 employees when combining
the Filtration Group and Filtrair
York operations. Approximately
50 new jobs were created in the
summer of 2009 in York due to the
expansion of HEPA products. Filtration group plans on
being part of the York community for years to come.
Pictured from left to right Sean Moore, Larry Ost,
John Spratt and Charlie McDow
U.S. CONGRESSMAN VISITS YORK FACILITY
IAQ IN U.S. SCHOOLS GETS A BAD GRADE
Poor IAQ can cause illness
requiring absence from
school, and can cause
health symptoms that
decrease performance
at school.
Environmental Protection
Agency
Every child and school
employee should have
the right to an environ-
mentally safe and healthy
school that is clean and in
good repair.
American Public Health
Association
When the buildings
air filters do not remove
the particulates from the
air, the occupants lungs
become the filter.
H.E. Barney Burroughs -
ASHRAE Fellow
Research reports suggest
that students attending
schools in poor condition
score 11 percent lower on
standardized tests.
Environmental Protection
Agency
The Filtration Group Newsletter
www.filtrationgroup.com
filtertalk@filtrationgroup.com
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Or Current Resident
KERMIT
WAS
WRONG
Its Easy Being Green
With The New
Series 400 Pleat
Fall 2009
Years before the famous frog crooned, Its not
easy being green, Filtration Group challenged
the notion by producing air filters for maximum
performance and energy efficiency.
Today, with more than 65 years of experience, FGI
remains on the forefront of thinking green,
producing more than 40 million filters annually.
One the many reasons for FGIs success is its
desire to provide its customers with the very
latest filtration technology at competitive prices.
Enter FGIs latest state-of-the-art offering: the
Aerostar Series 400 Pleated Air Filter. Rated an
unprecedented MERV 10, the new Series 400
high capacity pleat is unique because it utilizes
100% synthetic media without artificial surface
enhancement to achieve exceptionally high
levels of efficiency with the lowest resistance to
air flow available on the market.
Designed for use in commercial buildings, hotels,
industrial facilities, airports, schools, universities
or any application desiring higher levels of air
filtration, the filter is effective in removing many
airborne irritants such as pollens, molds, dander
and dust. In addition, the filter can protect cool-
ing coils, ductwork, and other components of the
HVAC system from dust and dirt.
With the High Capacity Series 400 Pleated filter,
youre getting a breakthrough level of efficiency
at much lower resistance, explained Phil Win-
ters, Director of Product Development at FGI. At
MERV 10 it is the best performing pleated filter
available, it is a bit like getting more miles per
gallon.
Given todays tumultuous marketplace, the
Series 400 comes at an opportune time for build-
ing designers, owners, operators, and decision-
makers looking for opportunities to reduce
energy costs. The combined annual energy costs
for U.S. commercial buildings and industrial
facilities is $202.3 billion, according to
Energystar.gov. The portion of energy in build-
ings used inefficiently or unnecessarily is
reported at 30 percent. The improved Series 400
pleat is designed to reduce a buildings energy
footprint, lower cost and improve IAQ.
Bringing the Series 400 filter to the marketplace
required a dedicated research and development
effort, one that began with a challenge. We
were tasked by our distributor network to
improve the Series 400 MERV rating, said
Eugene Beck, Business Unit Manager, Commer-
cial & Industrial, FGI. What made the challenge
unique, he added, is that no one in the industry
had ever achieved such a high rating with a com-
parable filter.
The R&D Department accepted the challenge,
but knew it would have to push the envelope to
meet it. The process, led by Shelby Calvert, was a
rigorous one. Before determining the factors
required for developing the desired product,
Calvert said, R&D assessed FGIs own non-woven
capabilities. It also worked with multiple
vendors. In all, the department performed in
excess of 300 ASHRAE tests on more than 30
unique material candidates. In the end, the
results were worth it.
The Series 400 high capacity jumped from a
MERV 8 rating to a remarkable MERV 10 rating,
said Beck. The HC initial resistance has been
lowered from 0.27 to an industry leading 0.17.
The 37% lower resistance provides considerable
energy savings for our customers.
Consider the impact the improved Series 400
pleats can make on one commercial building in
San Francisco. Using 500 high capacity pleats a
year in a variable-speed drive system, the build-
ing will save nearly $16,000 per year in energy
costs, using the national average of $0.10/kWh.
Since the cost of electricity in California is 35%
higher than the national average, the total
savings would actually be much higher. At the
same time, the building would reduce green-
house gases by about 125 tons per year.
Whats next in filter development from FGI? In
support of the companys commitment to excel-
lence, new innovations are in the works. In the
meantime, FGI will continue its legacy of think-
ing green by seeking new opportunities that
protect the environment and ensure its products
provide maximum performance and energy
efficiency.
COMPARING A MERV 10
FILTER TO A MERV 8
MERV 8 filters only deliver efficiency of
greater than or equal to 70% on 3.0 - 10.0
micron particles.
MERV 10 requires a minimun of 50% efficiency
on much smaller particles in the 1.0 - 3.0
micron range and an efficiency greater than
or equal to 85% on 3.0 - 10.0 micron particles.
Particle Size
1.0 - 3.0 (E2)
3.0 - 10.0 (E3)
N/A
70 < E3
MERV 8 MERV 10
50 <E2 < 65
85 < E3