Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

In 1958 the Platters released a new song titled, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.” This song has since been recorded by hundreds of artists over the years. It has been used in more than 50 movies as either the main theme song or one of the tunes as a way to emphasis a certain feeling or emotion. The Platters went on to record a number of other hits, but this one tune has had more impact than all their other well-known songs.

Whether it’s smoke from a cigarette, leaf fire, charcoal grill or exhaust fumes from an oil burning car, smoke will quickly and substantially irritate your eyes; with symptoms ranging from mild irritation to watering eyes, burning sensations, partial or complete blindness that can linger for long periods of time. These symptoms don’t include the choking, coughing, respirable irritation that accompanies the watering eyes. Anyway you slice it, ( and sometimes smoke is so thick you can slice it with a knife), exposing your eyes to smoke is not a good thing.

Interesting that in industrial facilities or manufacturing facilities where respirators are required, often the only eye protection is from safety glasses. While these protect the eyes from large flying particles, they do nothing to keep fine, airborne dust or smoke particles from entering your eyes. Small amounts of contaminants over long periods of  time can be just as damaging as large concentrations over short periods of time. Protection from or removal of the smoke particles is critical.

Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA and Carbon based commercial grade, fan powered air filtration systems since 1985. Removal of very high percentages of very tiny, sub-micron particles is their primary function. The HEPA systems offered by Pure Air Systems ( PAS) have an initial efficiency of 99.99% removal of all particle 0.3 microns or lager. And, approach 95% removal of all particles 0.12 microns and larger.  Since smoke is fairly visible with the naked eye, one assumes that smoke can be easily removed by the  HEPA units. While this is mostly true, it is not what you can see that hurts you, it is what you don’t see, and there-in lies the problem.

The visible smoke is extremely large, measuring more than 20 microns in size up to and over 100 microns in size. These larger particles are normally aspirated in and then expelled from the lungs. These larger particles are also more easily washed away by the tears that form in your eyes when subjected to high concentrations of smoke. However, the smaller, invisible smoke particles; those less than 20 microns in size, are easily ingested into the body and are not as easily removed by the tear ducts in your eyes. It is these smaller particles that cause all the damage and the majority of them can be removed by the use of HEPA filters.

Smoke is an irritant and should be treated as one. Even smoke from candles can be a problem when used in small, confined areas. The black soot-like particles that come from the wick ( both old and new styles ) is also very tiny and should be considered a threat to your body.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems offered by PAS please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com or follow us on Twitter  @pureairsystems. You can also follow us on Facebook or call us anytime on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

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