Our Blog
We spend most of our time indoors. This space focused on sharing information regarding the impact of particles that contaminate Indoor Air Quality or IAQ. Most importantly, we offer solutions to help you improve your IAQ, health, and well-being.
Introducing the Chicago Clean Air Resilience Network
Chicago Clean Air Resilience Network or Chi-CARN’s goal is to transform how communities prepare for and respond to air quality emergencies from an individualized burden to a sustainable, collective, and data-backed preparedness infrastructure. Our shared infrastructure allows any nonprofit, community, or neighborhood organization in Chicago to access equipment such as N95 masks, high-CADR air purifiers, and specialized equipment like PortaCount machines and far UVC lights.
Pollen Allergy Season: Why It’s Changing and How to Protect Your Air
Pollen is an air-quality issue as much as it is a clinical one, and the same forces reshaping weather are shifting when, where, and how much pollen is in the air. We wrote this guide to explain what pollen is, how it affects health, why seasons are changing, and practical ways to reduce exposure.
Radon at Home: Why Testing Matters and How to Fix High Levels
Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause overall in the U.S., with the National Center Institute attributing 15,000 to 22,000 deaths per year to the long-term health impacts of indoor radon exposure
Healthy Indoor Air Gains Global Spotlight with Landmark UN Commission
The UN Clean Air Summit was a landmark event for clean air advocates everywhere, being the first coordinated, international effort to establish healthy indoor air as a human right, and to push for a global indoor air quality standard to guide action on this crucial issue.
How to Prevent Mold in the First 48 Hours After Flood
Research across homes, schools, and workplaces shows consistent associations between damp, moldy indoor environments and increased respiratory symptoms, including wheezing, coughing, and asthma exacerbation. These effects don’t require exotic “black mold”; moisture and visible or hidden growth are the signal to act, regardless of species
Bones Breathe Too: Why Indoor Air Quality Matters for Osteoporosis
Bones need more than calcium to stay strong. New research shows that indoor air pollution—from cooking, gas stoves, wildfire smoke, and even traffic exhaust that seeps indoors—can accelerate bone loss and worsen osteoporosis. The molecules in polluted air spark inflammation, disrupt blood flow, and even leach heavy metals from bone tissue. Cleaner indoor air may be a hidden ally in protecting bone health as we age.
Filtering the Future: HEPA vs MERV 13
At Air Support Project, we focus on MERV-13 based air purifiers to clean the air in schools, homes, and public spaces at an affordable cost. But wait! Isn’t HEPA supposed to be the gold standard for air purification? Not always! Read on to learn how MERV-13 filters can deliver three times more clean air than HEPA through the power of multi-pass filtration, and why our organization loves them so much.
Air Support Project Who are We?
Clean air isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential for our health. That conviction unites our Air Support Project team of public-health advocates, designers, and engineers, who came together to build Vello—a high-performance air purifier anyone can set up in minutes. From classrooms to living rooms, we’re working side by side to make healthier air accessible to everyone.
Microplastics in the Brain: Is COVID-19 Making It Worse?
In just eight years, plastic particles in human brains have surged by 50 %, and COVID-19’s assault on the blood-brain barrier may be helping them slip inside.
Open Air Scholar: Open Access Clean Air Research
Whether you’re a teacher adjusting classroom airflow, a doctor navigating patient exposures, or a policymaker shaping health guidelines, Scholar is designed to meet you at the intersection of science and action. By harnessing AI to make research clearer and faster to digest, we’re helping people not just find answers—but use them.
Learning From Clean Air Leaders on Reducing Airborne Viruses in Schools
Step into a world where visionary leaders are reimagining the very air we breathe in schools. Discover how five trailblazers are driving transformative change in indoor air quality through innovative strategies and actionable solutions. Learn how their pioneering work is creating healthier, more vibrant learning environments—one breath at a time.
Feeling the Chill—Understanding the Impact of Extreme Cold
Extreme cold events aren’t just numbers on a thermometer—they affect how we live, work, and stay healthy. The air feels sharper, your fingers might go numb in minutes, and staying outside too long can lead to serious health risks. To truly understand these risks, we need to look beyond the temperature and consider how the cold impacts our bodies.
LA Wildfire Relief: Lessons Learned, Community Heroes, and the Urgent Need for Clean Air Solutions
The recent Los Angeles wildfires have sparked urgent discussions on air quality and community resilience. Amid the crisis, nonprofits, businesses, and grassroots groups stepped up, distributing masks and building DIY air purifiers to protect vulnerable communities. Their inspiring efforts demonstrate the power of collective action in addressing air quality challenges and safeguarding public health.
Guide on How to Use the Airwareness Support App
Curious about whether your office, classroom, or home is getting enough fresh air? Discover how the Airwareness Support App can help you visualize COVID-19 transmission risks and find the optimal blend of ventilation, filtration, and masking for a healthier environment. Dive into our full blog to learn more about making clean, breathable air accessible to everyone!
Using the Airwareness App for Accessibility in Classrooms and Beyond
In today’s classrooms, improving air quality isn’t just about comfort—it’s about creating truly inclusive spaces where every student and staff member can breathe easier and learn without fear. In our latest blog, discover how our new Airwareness Support App– a free browser-based tool that visualizes COVID-19 transmission risks in real time– can be used to help educators, parents, and administrators pinpoint the best strategies for enhanced airflow.
Introducing the Airwareness Support App
Introducing the Airwareness Support App—a free, browser-based tool that simulates indoor air quality scenarios and helps you assess and reduce airborne infection risks. Customize room size, ventilation, occupancy, and pathogens to make smarter, healthier indoor decisions.
Uniting Balvi Kanro Innovators: Meet the Guests of Our Upcoming X Space
Join us on Dec 10 at 9PM EST for a X Space uniting Balvi Kanro innovators in public health. Hear from experts in mask fitting, ventilation, and more as we advance open-source solutions for safer indoor air and global health impact.
From Deductions to Difference: How Your Taxes Can Drive Impact
Transform tax season into an opportunity for impact by donating to Air Support Project, a 501(c)(3) organization. Your tax-deductible contribution reduces your tax burden while funding air filtration systems for shelters, schools, and public spaces. Remember to keep proper documentation for deductions. Redirect your tax dollars to meaningful causes and make a tangible difference.
A Fun Guide to Fresh Indoor Air This Thanksgiving
Preserve your respiratory health this Thanksgiving with our guide to keeping your indoor air fresh during the feast. We’ll explore how the holiday’s cooking frenzy and the influx of family can impact air quality, introducing pollutants like particulate matter, VOCs, airborne pathogens, and elevated CO2 levels.
The Smoky Secrets of Your Favorite Candles
Uncover the hidden impacts of our favorite candles on indoor air quality and health. Together we explore various types of candles—paraffin, beeswax, soy, and more—highlighting how their ingredients and emissions differ. The post discusses pollutants like soot and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released during burning, which can pose health risks, especially to sensitive groups.
Clearing the Air: Engaging Officials for Better Indoor Air Quality on World Ventil8 Day
In honor of World Ventil8 Day, we are excited to join the global conversation on the importance of IAQ, and the role that effective ventilation plays in maintaining healthy indoor environments. This global initiative is not just a day of awareness, but also a call to action for individuals, communities, and especially policy makers who have the power to enact meaningful change.
What is ventilation?
This article discusses the crucial role of ventilation in improving indoor air quality (IAQ) and human health, tracing its evolution from industrial advancements aimed at preventing disease spread. It defines ventilation and examines natural, mechanical, and hybrid methods for replacing stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air to dilute pollutants and reduce disease transmission.
World Ventilate Day 2024: Enabling Action
World Ventil8 Day, observed on November 8th, raises awareness about the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) and effective ventilation practices to protect public health and promote sustainability. The annual event highlights the impact of poor ventilation on health, cognitive function, and productivity, while underscoring the dangers of open-fire cooking and unsafe cooking practices as major sources of indoor air pollution worldwide.
Breathe Easy This Halloween: Enhancing Indoor Air Quality with Air Cleaners and Ventilation
Discover practical solutions to maintain clean indoor air during your Halloween festivities, including the use of MERV 13 fan-and-filter air cleaners and effective ventilation strategies. Learn how to enhance your indoor environment, keep your guests safe, and embrace healthier Halloween traditions with tips from the Air Support Project Team.
Air Support Project’s 2024 Quarter 3 Update
Air Support Project Q3 2024: Partnered with ATOM Inc. on an open-source air purifier, beta testing in 2025. Advanced our Airwareness Support App for easy IAQ monitoring. Submitted 501(c)(3) application, pending approval in Q1 2025. Welcomed new board members and expanded community outreach. Tremendous thanks to all of our supporters, especially our grantors Balvi/Kanro!
Welcoming New Board Members to Air Support Project: Driving Innovation in Clean Air and Public Health
Air Support Project announces the addition of three new board members. The project also thanks its supporters, Balvi and Kanro, and reaffirms its commitment to open-source collaboration by sharing all research under a Creative Commons license.
Hurricane and Flood Preparation: Safety, Health, and Air Quality Tips You Need
The aftermath of a hurricane brings more than just physical devastation. It unleashes hidden dangers—airborne pollutants, mold, and toxic floodwaters—that can linger long after the storm has passed. Discover essential tips to protect your health and safety as you rebuild in the wake of nature’s fury.
Heat Illness vs. Heat Stroke: How Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Affects Your Health
When the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature rises, the heat isn’t just uncomfortable—it becomes a silent, dangerous threat to your health. Discover how to protect yourself and your loved ones during extreme heat events.
Getting the Recommended ACH With More Affordable Fan-and-Filter Models (COVID-19 Series, Part 7 of 7)
In this final installment of our series, we will introduce an accessible and cost-effective solution to the COVID-19 problem: MERV 13 fan-and-filter air cleaners. Join us as we leap into the science behind these models, their effectiveness, and how you can create and implement them in your spaces to protect against airborne viruses.
Why At Air Support Project, We Strive for 6 to 12 ACH (COVID-19 Series, Part 6 of 7)
This blog post focuses on the importance of achieving a specific target for air changes per hour (ACH) to enhance indoor air quality effectively. At Air Support Project, we strive for 6-12 ACH as the gold standard for reducing infection risk in various settings.
The Interplay of Time, Viral Density, and Filtration (COVID-19 Series, Part 5 of 7)
In this post, we examine the complex interplay between time, viral density, and filtration, examining how exposure duration and the concentration of viral particles influence the effectiveness of preventive measures.
Does One-Way Masking Work? (COVID-19 Series, Part 4 of 7)
In Part 4 of our series, we will take a closer look at optimizing masking as a form of air filtration. Whether it is to filter allergens, wildfire smoke, or airborne pathogens like COVID-19, we will look into how masking makes a difference in the air we inhale.
Powerful Ventilation and Filtration: Key to Reducing Viral Density (COVID-19 Series: Part 3 of 7)
In this part, we advance this discussion by examining how specific ventilation and filtration strategies can effectively decrease the presence of virus-laden aerosols in indoor environments.
The Hidden Dangers of Poor Ventilation: Understanding CO2 and Its Impact on COVID-19 Infection Risk (COVID-19 Series, Part 2 of 7)
In this Part 2, we will focus on ventilation, specifically understanding its relationship to carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as how CO2 monitoring can be used to assess infection risks, and what actions we can take when those CO2 levels are too high.
Defining the Problem: COVID-19 in the Air We Breathe (COVID-19 Series, Part 1 of 7)
COVID-19 is transmitted primarily by exhaled respiratory particles that can move like smoke through the air, travel distances much greater than 6 feet, accumulate in buildings, and remain infectious for hours.
Thinking Outside the Box: An Introduction to Our 7-Part COVID-19 Series
Air Support Project is kicking off our Know Better, Breathe Better campaign with our new blog series , “Thinking Outside the Box: How to Solve the COVID Problem.” This seven-part series explores the roles that preventative measures such as ventilation, filtration, and masking play in combating the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne diseases.
Breathing Innovation: Air Support Project’s Fan-and-Filter Open Source Prototype Receives Funding from the Balvi Foundation
Air Support Project is proud to announce that we have received a grant from the Balvi Foundation, an organization initiated by Vitalik Buterin that focuses on funding high-impact, open-source COVID projects.
Sniffing Out Volatile Organic Compounds
What are VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds? VOCs are wide-ranging chemicals in the air that we can inhale. Some have short- and long-term adverse health effects.
How a Nondescript Box Has Been Saving Lives during the Pandemic – and Revealing the Power of Grassroots Innovation
The story of the Corsi-Rosenthal box is part of a broader story of the grassroots response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indoor Air Quality, COVID-19, and Wildfire Smoke
As more parts of the world are being forced to deal with wildfire smoke and COVID-19 simultaneously, it is important to discuss how these health threats interact, and how to maintain good indoor air quality (IAQ) in the face of these dual disasters.
What Is Dust? And Where Does It All Come From?
Everything in our homes gathers dust. But what exactly is it? Where does it come from, and why does it keep coming back? Is it from outside? Is it fibers from our clothes and cells from our skin?
How Hot Is Too Hot For The Human Body? Our Lab Found Heat + Humidity Gets Dangerous Faster Than Many People Realize
The answer goes beyond the temperature you see on the thermometer. It’s also about humidity. Our research shows the combination of the two can get dangerous faster than scientists previously believed.
How to Create a Wildfire Smoke-Free Space
Wildfires can significantly affect air quality, both outdoors and indoors. As the wildfire season approaches, it’s crucial to prepare and protect yourself and your loved ones from the harmful effects of its smoke
What is PM2.5?
PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter that is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter or μm, making it incredibly small and, consequently, a significant health risk as it can land in the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
Human Exposure to Wildfires Has More than Doubled in Two Decades – Who is at Risk Might Surprise You
Over the past two decades, a staggering 21.8 million Americans found themselves living within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of a large wildfire. Most of those residents would have had to evacuate, and many would have been exposed to smoke and emotional trauma from the fire. This article was originally published on July 3, 2023 in the Conversation US. Authored by Mojtaba Sadegh. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Clean Indoor Air Quality: A Human Right
Clean indoor air quality is a human right. Today humanity spends more time indoors than ever before. At Air Support Project, our mission as a social startup is to tackle this overlooked issue.
Wildfire Smoke Changes Dramatically as it Ages, and That Matters for Downwind Air Quality – Here’s What We Learned Flying through Smoke Plumes
Wildfire smoke changes dramatically as it ages, and that matters for downwind air quality – here’s what we learned flying through smoke plumes Sampling wildfire smoke
Wildfire Smoke FAQ: What’s Happening with Air Quality Right Now and Why? What are the Risks? How do I Protect Myself Short-Term? What about Long-term Protection? Is this the ‘New Normal?
With wildfire smoke affecting most of North America, what are the best ways to minimize the health impacts of air pollution under climate change? Here are answers to some key questions about the ongoing air quality problems.
Reading Between the AQI Lines
We need a clear understanding of the EPA’s Air Quality Index or AQI. Wildfires may not be at the door, but the smoke can sail thousands of miles, contaminating your air. You will want to get into action and this post guides you on what to look out for and when to start your wildfire smoke precautions.
How Sustainable is Air Purification?
Dive into the pivotal discussion around the sustainability of air purification, exploring its environmental impact and the future of clean air technology. Learn about innovative solutions from reusable filters to IoT, and join the journey towards making air purification sustainable.
How To 3D Print An Air Purifier
The article offers a cost-effective and efficient solution for air purification with a step-by-step guide on building an open-source and 3D printable air purifier. It also explains the benefits of using air purifiers in reducing the risk of respiratory infections.
Thanking Our Heroes Who Focused Us on the Air
Air Support Project owes its success to the experts and enthusiasts of the clean air community, who have shaped, moved, and inspired us to build something better. We have been forever changed by their strength, knowledge, and dedication to speaking the truth and documenting their stories.