More and more Americans have or will develop an IAQ-related illness, according to major US health organizations.

• According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), allergic illness is epidemic, with 1 in 5 Americans suffering from allergies to airborne triggers such as pollen, mold, dust mites or animal dander.
• Asthma, triggered or aggravated by airborne dust, has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with 23 million Americans afflicted, according to the American Lung Association.
• According to Dr. Neil Schachter MD, one of the most respected chest physicians in the United States and Professor of Medicine at the New York Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, asthma can lead to chronic lung diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema (known collectively as COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder). COPD afflicts 35 million Americans and is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States.

While persons suffering from asthma or other lung illness can take control measures in their homes, they often feel vulnerable at their place of employment.

A study conducted by Dr. Manolis Kogevinas and his research associates at the Respiratory and Environmental Health Research Unit in Barcelona (published in 1999 in The Lancet, a British medical journal), analyzed data from 15,637 people in 12 industrialized countries who were asked about their asthma symptoms and their employment.

"Excess asthma risk was associated with high exposure to biological dusts, mineral dusts and gases and fumes," Kogevinas said in The Lancet medical journal. "We showed a consistent excess risk for farmers and cleaners in nearly all countries in our study. The group of cleaners was the largest of the 16 occupational groups to show an increase in asthma of more than 30 percent."

According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, (OSHA): "An estimated 11 million workers in a wide range of industries and occupations are potentially exposed to at least one of the numerous agents known to be associated with the development of occupational asthma. Occupational factors have been associated with up to 15 percent of the disabling asthma cases in the United States."

"This presents an opportunity for FSPs (facility service professionals) to address and market Cleaning for Health to their customers," said Jim Harris, Sr., cleaning consultant and principal of Concepts IV.

Cleaning for Health must become a practical approach with measurable benefits rather than just another marketing slogan, experts say.

Vacuuming with proper filtration is an important factor in controlling airborne dust that triggers or aggravates asthma and other lung ailments.

To further its mission of Cleaning for Health, Boise-based ProTeam has formed an alliance with the American Lung Association to educate the public about indoor air quality issues.

ProTeam's vacuums have also been tested by numerous independent labs and have been awarded the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Green Label for soil removal, indoor air quality and carpet appearance retention.

For more information, please call 800-541-1456.