Stockholm, Sweden, December 7, 2015 – As the world holds its breath hoping the United Nations climate summit in Paris will be a watershed moment, Sweden’s Blueair indoor air purification company says it is stepping up efforts to help people create safe indoor havens to combat air pollution consequences at home and work.

Noting Chinese authorities had issued their first-ever red alert in Beijing over severe smog, Blueair founder and CEO Bengt Rittri said people in Asia, North American and Europe need to learn they are not helpless in the face of mounting air pollution. He noted that existing mobile indoor air purifiers with proven technologies can create safe indoor havens at home or in the workplace to protect people from airborne contaminants such as deadly dust particles that seep inside.

“What’s so scary about Beijing’s decision today to issue the capital’s first ‘red alert’ over smog levels as air pollution soared up to 10 times the levels considered safe by WHO, is we probably won’t see the human health consequences for 20 or 30 years,” Mr Rittri said. Calling on world leaders meeting in Paris to accelerate their endeavors to deal with climate change, Mr. Rittri said Blueair will step up its efforts to research, develop and bring to market new technologies to help people breathe as clean as nature intended in their homes and workplaces.

Blueair is already entering the smart home arena with its current introduction of its futuristic-looking wifi connected Sense+ air purifier and always on Aware air quality monitor. Working seamlessly with the Sense+ to help users stop worrying about air quality, the Blueair Aware sensor provides a constant snapshot of what is in the air being breathed, including particulate matter concentration and carbon dioxide levels.

“Air pollution, both outdoor and inside, is like death by a thousand cuts, bringing a host of environmental, social and public health costs. What keeps me awake at nights is the fear about what’s in the air we are breathing and the impact that will have on today’s young generation, not just in heavily polluted cites like Beijing or Delhi, but also in London, Paris or Los Angeles,” said Mr. Rittri.

BACKGROUND

– Children exposed to toxic air at home such as benzene and diesel particulate matter, are more likely to have lower grade point averages, according to a new study in 2015 by researchers at the University of Texas in el Paso. (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11111-015-0241-8)

– A group of scientists at Umeå University have found that individuals exposed to high levels of street pollution have a higher risk of developing dementia diseases such as Alzheimer’s than those who live in places where the air is cleaner.(http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/advpub/2015/7/ehp.1408322.acco.pdf)

– Risks of childhood cancer are increased when pregnant women are exposed to high levels of traffic pollution, according to a 2013 study by researchers at the University of California, los Angeles.(http://www.aacr.org/Newsroom/Pages/News-Release-Detail.aspx?ItemID=321#.VmQS9coWx1Q)