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IQAir
First in Air Quality
Company typePrivate
IndustryConsumer electronics
FounderManfred Hammes, Klaus Hammes
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Frank Hammes

Jens Hammes

Glory Dolphin
ProductsAir purifiers
WebsiteIQAir.com

IQAir is a Swiss-based company that specializes in technology solutions that protect people from airborne pollutants. IQAir implements this technology in residential, commercial and public buildings. IQAir is known for its room air purifiers, for which it has received numerous awards and recognitions.[1][2][3][4][5] IQAir is also known for international projects that create ultra-clean living and working environments.[6][7][8][9][10] IQAir's vision is to “assist people in living longer, healthier and more productive lives by helping them breathe the cleanest, healthiest air possible.”[11]

History

The company’s history goes back to 1963, when the brothers Manfred and Klaus Hammes introduced an air filter system for residential coal ovens in Germany. The product was initially sold to help reduce the black dust build-up on the walls behind ovens. Soon though, Manfred, a lifelong asthma sufferer, noticed that the filter reduced his flare-ups during the winter months.[12]

Klaus 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 relocated the company headquarters to Switzerland, from which the company continued to expand.

In the early ’90s, Frank Hammes, Klaus' oldest son, joined the family business. After promoting an after-market cabin air filter the company had developed for Mercedes-Benz automobiles, Frank Hammes turned his attention to portable room air cleaners. Dissatisfied with existing products, he set out to build a line of portable air purifiers with medical grade air cleaning performance. Frank Hammes and a small team of Swiss and German engineers worked for four years on the project. In the spring of 1998, IQAir shipped its first HealthPro air purifier from its Swiss factory. IQAir air purifiers were initially available only in Europe and Asia, but became available in the United States in 2000. In 2001, Klaus Hammes' second son, Jens, joined the business and helped the expansion of IQAir in Asia and the Middle East.[13]

Products

IQAir currently has products that fall into four product categories:

1. Portable room air purifiers[14]

First introduced in 1998, the modular design of its portable room air purifiers allowed IQAir to create different models with optimized air filtration technology for the removal of specific groups of air pollutants. One of IQAir’s most popular models is the IQAir HealthPro Plus (HealthPro 250 outside North America), which uses three separate filter stages that are arranged in a modular tower design. In August 2012, the company announced a major overhaul of its portable room air purifiers with the designation “New Edition” or “NE.”[15] The new air cleaners have improved airflow, filter life and reduced sound levels.[16]

2. Large commercial air cleaning systems[17]

In July 2013, IQAir introduced on its website two new commercial air cleaning systems: the CleanZone SL and CleanZone 5000. These two systems are intended for larger commercial spaces such as open plan offices, hospitals and classrooms. The CleanZone SL is a slim, wall-mounted air cleaning system for particularly noise-sensitive indoor environments. The CleanZone 5000 is a large, mobile air cleaning system that is available in various configurations to address specific groups of particulate and gaseous air pollutants.

3. HVAC-based air cleaning systems[18]

In 2006, IQAir introduced its first air cleaning system to work in conjunction with ducted forced-air heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The Perfect 16 derives its name from being the first independently tested residential and commercial air cleaning system for HVAC systems to achieve the highest minimum efficiency rating value (MERV 16) under the ASHRAE 52.2 test format.[19] Other characteristics of the system include very low pressure drop and a filter life of up to 3 years.

4. Handheld laser particle counters

In 2000, IQAir introduced a line of hand-held optical particle counters.

IQAir develops and manufactures all of its products at the IQAir Technology Center in Switzerland.

IQAir’s portable air purifiers have been recognized for best-in-class performance and have received a number of awards:

Stiftung Warentest (Germany) “Best Air Purifier” 1998[20]
Apartment Therapy (USA) “Best Product” 2008[21]
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (Finland) “Best Air Purifier” 2012[22]
Consumers Digest (USA) “Best Buy” Award 2004, 2007, 2011[23]
Reviewboard Magazine (USA) “Best Buy” 2012[24]
Parent Tested/Parent Approved (USA) “Award Winning Product” 2013[25]
ConsumerSearch (USA) “Best Overall Air Purifier” Award 2011, 2013[26]

Services

IQAir offers a variety of services for residential, commercial and institutional customers:

• On-site air quality evaluations
• Installation services for its air cleaning products
• Air cleaning verification and monitoring
• Filter replacement and on-site maintenance

IQAir has Swiss- and California-based installation teams that carry out large air cleaning projects throughout the world. IQAir calls this operation “Clean Air Team.” For example, during the Beijing Olympics, an IQAir Clean Air Team carried out air-filtration installations for the U.S. Olympic Committee in U.S. athletes’ living and training quarters.[27]

Technology

IQAir employs a wide range of particulate and gas-phase air cleaning technologies. The company has been a vocal opponent of ionizing and ozone-producing air cleaning technologies.[28]

As of August 2013, IQAir is the only manufacturer that individually tests the particle-removal efficiency and airflow of every air purifier it manufactures. IQAir provides a hand-signed certificate of performance with every portable air cleaner it makes, stating the actual performance data for that system compared to the published specifications.[29]

Company Organization

IQAir has headquarters in Switzerland and California. Product development and manufacturing is based at the IQAir Technology Center in Goldach, Switzerland. Field support and installation teams in Switzerland and the U.S. support large commercial customers throughout the world. The IQAir Science and Technology Team supports academic researchers from around the world in health and environmental intervention studies.

Frank Hammes is the IQAir Group CEO.[30]

Glory Dolphin-Hammes is the CEO of IQAir North America, Inc.[31]

Jens Hammes is CEO of Incen AG, which handles international sales in Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia.[32]

Special projects

Hospital projects

IQAir products are used in hospitals around the world for infection control. The Hong Kong Hospital Authority selected IQAir portable air purifiers to help against the spread of SARS.[33] A 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: “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.”[34] Another 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: “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.”[35]

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

In 2004, IQAir was asked by the producers of the American reality TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (EMHE) to assist with its technology to help the show’s designers to create ultra-clean air homes. As of December 2012, IQAir had participated in 12 episodes to create ultra-clean air homes for families with special health issues.

The episodes in which IQAir participated include:

The Grinnan Family – Season 2, Episode 4, Redlands, California: A young girl (Hanna) who received a heart transplant needed a healthy home that protects her from germs, viruses and mold spores. IQAir installed HEPA air cleaners throughout the house and Hanna’s bedroom.[36]
Broadbent Family – Season 2, Episode 10, North Las Vegas, Nevada: A single mom raising three HIV-positive, adopted children was given a new home. IQAir installed air filtration systems to work in conjunction with the new home’s HVAC systems to deliver ultra-clean air to the family’s entire home.[37]
The Sears Family – Season 2, Episode 13, Martinez, California: Teenager Jhyrve Sears was diagnosed with Krabbe Disease and needed a home to protect her from bacteria, viruses and allergens before her doctors would let her go home. The IQAir Clean Air Team installed an air quality sensor and HyperHEPA filtration. [38]
The Lewis Family – Season 3, Episode 8, El Segundo, California: Paulita Lewis was recovering from cancer and was told she needed the healthiest home possible. IQAir to helps the EMHE team make the home as healthy as possible by installing a ducted air filtration system.[39]
The Kubena Family – Season 3, Episode 18, East Bernard, Texas: The Kubena family’s daughter Tara suffered from leukemia and had received a bone marrow transplant. The doctors wouldn’t allow her to leave the hospital until she had a safe, healthy home. Two IQAir hospital-grade air cleaning systems were brought in by crane to provide clean air throughout the home.[40]
The Thibodeau Family – Season 4, Episode 7, Brookings County, South Dakota: A 12-year-old girl born with a hole in her heart had experienced kidney failure and collapsed lungs. Her doctors said only an environment as free as possible of bacteria, viruses and mold spores would be safe for her to live in. IQAir installed two HVAC-based air purification systems in the home.[41]
The Stockdale Family – Season 5, Episode 9, Middleton, Idaho: A family struggling to raise four children with eosinophilic enteropathy, a rare genetic disorder that made the children extremely environmentally sensitive, were given a new healthy home with three IQAir Perfect 16 HVAC air cleaning systems.[42]
The Yazzie Family– Season 5, Episode 5, Pinon, Arizona: A Navajo family was struggling to provide a safe home for a young daughter, Gwendolyn, with severe asthma. IQAir stepped in to provide a green air purification solution.[43]
The Vitale Family – Season 5, Episode 9, Athens, Vermont: Born with multiple birth defects, aspiring artist Louis Angelo Vitale, Jr., was confined to a wheelchair and breathing from a ventilator. His delicate respiratory system was especially sensitive to mold and other pollutants. IQAir’s Perfect 16 gave him clean, medical-grade air in every room at home.[44]
The Woodhouse Family– Season 5, Episode 13, Colorado Springs, Colorado: Kayla Woodhouse, a girl with a rare neurological disorder, allergies and an inability to regulate her body temperature needed a healthy and safe home. The IQAir Clean Air Team supported Extreme Makeover’s designers with the installation of HVAC system that provided a clean and temperature-controlled house.[45]
The Dickinson Family – Season 8, Episode 21, Beaufort, Georgia: India Dickinson’s baby Sophia, was a little girl with breathing problems and a sensitivity to mold. Working with the Extreme Makeover team, IQAir installed a Perfect 16 whole-house air cleaning system in the Dickinson family’s new home.[46]
The Harris Family – Season 9, Episode 20, Wilson County, Texas: A veteran returning from Iraq and recovering from severe burns needed clean air at home to continue recovering and protect his sensitive skin from pollutants. IQAir worked with Extreme Makeover to provide medical-grade air filtration and air-quality monitoring equipment to help the veteran’s recovery in a new home.[47][48]

Air purification for Team USA

IQAir provided air purification to Team USA during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.[49] The U.S. Olympic Committee was concerned about the impact of local air pollution on athlete performance, and asked IQAir to provide air cleaning to U.S. athletes living quarters in the Olympic Village and at the main training facility in China. IQAir also provided air purification to the USA Cycling team headquarters during the Olympics.[50]

Air purification at the Los Angeles Zoo

The IQAir Clean Air Team assisted the LA Zoo to create a pressurized clean air cage for Minyak, a rare Bornean orangutan with a long history of respiratory problems. Minyak recovered and became a successful member of the zoo’s breeding program.[51]

Air purification for schools

IQAir was selected by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and other air quality agencies to provide high-performance air filtration for classrooms in schools close to major outdoor air pollution sources. As of June 2013, IQAir’s air filtration technologies were installed in more than 1000 classrooms in California. A study published in 2012 in INDOOR AIR reports that IQAir air cleaning technology is able to protect classrooms from up to 96% of outdoor diesel soot, PM 2.5 and ultrafine particles.[52]

Educational Work

EU Green Week

In 2013, IQAir supported the European Commission, by producing a series of scanning electron microscope images of diesel soot, mold spores and other airborne particulates. The images were displayed at the Green Week 2013 Conference in Brussels.[53]

American Lung Association

Since 2004, IQAir has been the exclusive educational partner of the American Lung Association for the air purifier industry.[54]

See also

Air Purifiers
HEPA
Indoor Air Quality

References

  1. ^ "IQAir HealthPro® Plus Air Purifier Wins Top Consumers Digest Rating". http://www.iqair.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  2. ^ "IQAir New Edition HealthPro Plus: Best Overall Air Purifier". http://www.consumersearch.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  3. ^ "IQAir News Edition HealthPro Plus Review," Best Buy Award, Reviewboard Magazine". http://www.reviewboard.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  4. ^ "Dust Busters: IQAir HealthPro Plus," Wired Magazine". http://www.wired.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  5. ^ "Stiftung Warentest "Test" Magazine, September 1998 Print Edition". http://www.test.de/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  6. ^ "Scrubbing the Beijing Air," The New York Times". http:// www.nytimes.com/.
  7. ^ "IQAir Perfect 16 Extreme Makeover". http:// www.youtube.com/.
  8. ^ "Esquire House: One of America's Healthiest Homes". http:// www.iqair.com/.
  9. ^ "Esquire House Beverly Hills: Old World outside, IQAir inside". http:// www.iqair.com/.
  10. ^ "Baby Jaelyn Gets a Heart". http:// www.andersoncooper.com/.
  11. ^ "IQAir Assists the LA Zoo With Air Purification" (PDF). http://www.lpag.org/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  12. ^ "." History of Air Cleaning, Floor Care Professional Magazine, June 2006, Pages 6-7". http:// www.vdta.com/.
  13. ^ [http://www.cash.ch/news/front/wir_erhalten_jede_woche_uebernahmeangebote-3111727-449 0 ""Every week we receive takeover bids.""]. http://www.cash.ch/. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); External link in |work= (help); line feed character in |url= at position 85 (help)
  14. ^ "IQAir Compact-Stand-Alone-Filtration". http://www.iqair.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  15. ^ "IQAir's New Edition Redefines High-Performance Air Purification". http://www.marketwatch.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  16. ^ "The World's Best Air Purifiers Just Became the Quietest". http://www.vdta.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  17. ^ "High-Capacity Stand-Alone Filtration". http://www.iqair.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  18. ^ "IQAir Perfect 16 whole house air purifier". http://www.iqair.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  19. ^ ""Test of One IQAir Perfect 16 ID-2225 Air Filter," ETL SEMKO". http://www.ssuu.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  20. ^ "Stiftung Warentest "Test" Magazine, September 1998 Print Edition". http://www.test.de/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  21. ^ "Best Product: IQAir HealthPro Plus". http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  22. ^ "Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Presentation, HealthPro 150" (PDF). http://whm12.louhi.net/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  23. ^ "Consumers Digest Best Buy Winner, Air Purifiers, December 10, 2010". http://www.iqair.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  24. ^ ""IQAir News Edition HealthPro Plus Review," Best Buy Award, Reviewboard Magazine". http://www.reviewboard.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  25. ^ "PTPA Award Winning Product: New Edition HealthPro Plus". http://www.ptpamedia.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  26. ^ "August 20, 2013: "IQAir New Edition HealthPro Plus: Best Overall Air Purifier,"". http://www.consumersearch.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  27. ^ ""IQAir: The Secret Weapon of the 2008 Beijing Olympics," Floor Care Professional Magazine" (PDF). http://www.vdta.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  28. ^ "Ozone: What Air Cleaner Advertisers Don't Tell You". http://www.swedeclean.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  29. ^ ""IQAir HealthPro: Bringing a Breath of Fresh Air Indoors,"". http://voices.yahoo.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  30. ^ "A 45+ Year Pursuit of Air Cleaning Excellence". http://www.iqair.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  31. ^ ""Forty under 40," The Network Journal". http://www.tnj.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  32. ^ "A 45+ Year Pursuit of Air Cleaning Excellence". http://www.iqair.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  33. ^ "Hong Kong Hospitals Get New Tool for the Fight Against SARS". http://www.thefreelibrary.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  34. ^ "Reduction in MRSA environmental contamination with a portable HEPA-filtration unit". http://www.sciencedirect.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  35. ^ "The impact of portable high-efficiency particulate air filters on the incidence of invasive aspergillosis in a large acute tertiary-car hospital". http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  36. ^ "Extreme Makeover Home Edition -S02E03 - Grinnan Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  37. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – Broadbent Family". http:// http://ww2.abc.go.com/.
  38. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Sears Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  39. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Lewis Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  40. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Kubena Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  41. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Thibodeau Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  42. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Stockdale Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  43. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Stockdale Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  44. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Vitale Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  45. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Woodhouse Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  46. ^ "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Dickinson Family". http://www.youtube.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  47. ^ "IQAir teams with "Extreme Makeover" to help wounded hero". http://www.iqair.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  48. ^ "Wounded warrior's new home unveiled". http://www.mysanantonio.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  49. ^ "IQAir: The Secret Weapon of the 2008 Beijing Olympics" (PDF). http://www.vdta.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  50. ^ "IQAir Chosen by USA Cycling to Provide Ultra-High Efficiency Air Cleaning in Beijing". http://www.reuters.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  51. ^ "A Breath of Fresh Air" (PDF). http://www.lpag.org/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  52. ^ "Pilot study of high-performance air filtration for classroom applications". http://www.ssuu.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  53. ^ "Visualizing the Invisible". http://www.reuters.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  54. ^ "IQAir and American Lung Association Unite to Fight Indoor Air Pollution". http://www.lung.org/. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
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