Latest news with #cleanair
Associated Press
15 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Food and Beverage Air Filtration Guide by Camfil Canada Exposes Risks of Poor Indoor Air Quality
06/01/2025, Toronto, ON // PRODIGY: Feature Story // Camfil Canada, a leading provider of premium clean air solutions, has unveiled vital insights into the danger of inadequate air quality in food and beverage production facilities. In a newly released article-- The Hidden Threat of Poor Air Quality in Food and Beverage Production Facilities --Camfil Canada emphasizes the critical role of effective air filtration in safeguarding product quality, employee health, and environmental sustainability. Airborne contaminants such as fine particulate matter, bacteria, allergens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and mold spores pose significant risks to food safety and staff productivity. These risks are exacerbated by environmental challenges, including wildfire smoke and increasingly humid conditions in Canada. Left unchecked, these contaminants can lead to product spoilage, foodborne illnesses, and even supply chain disruptions. 'Effective air filtration plays a major role in extending product quality and shelf life, inhibiting fat oxidation, and reducing food waste,' said Berni Baier, Camfil Canada. 'By removing airborne contaminants like fine particulate matter and allergens, we not only improve workplace conditions but also mitigate the environmental impact on surrounding communities.' Camfil's research highlights how proper air filtration systems, such as MERV 14-A and HEPA filters, can address these challenges by maintaining high purity standards required in critical processing areas. Advanced filtration systems reduce product recalls, ensure compliance with regulatory standards, and provide a cleaner, safer workplace for facility staff. The article also shines a light on the industry's growing regulatory gaps regarding air quality. While the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) establishes robust guidelines for food safety, explicit standards for air filtration in food processing facilities remain limited. This gap leaves room for inefficient air filtration practices that could compromise product safety and worker well-being. Recognizing this need, Camfil Canada advocates for proactive investments in robust air filtration technologies. By employing a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis to select appropriate air filters, businesses can identify energy-efficient filtration systems that reduce long-term costs and deliver significant operational benefits. For food and beverage manufacturers and health professionals seeking to enhance production standards, Camfil Canada offers tailored air filtration solutions designed to address the unique challenges of the sector. Interested parties can learn more by accessing the full article here. About Camfil Canada For more than 60 years, Camfil has been helping people breathe cleaner air. As a leading manufacturer of premium clean air solutions, we provide commercial and industrial systems for air filtration and air pollution control that improve worker and equipment productivity, minimize energy use, and benefit human health and the environment. Read more about Camfil Canada. For media inquiries, please contact: Phillip Ilijevski Camfil Canada Inc. Phone: 437-929-1161
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NAACP calls on Memphis officials to halt operations at xAI's ‘dirty data center'
The NAACP is calling on local officials to halt operations at Colossus, the 'supercomputer' facility operated by Elon Musk's xAI in South Memphis. As reported in NBC News, leaders from the civil rights group sent a letter Thursday to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water criticizing the organizations' 'lackadaisical approach to the operation of this dirty data center' and calling on them to 'issue an emergency order for xAI to stop operations completely' — or if there's no order, to at least cite and stop the company from allegedly violating clean air laws. The letter expressed particular concerns around the gas turbines that xAI runs to power Colossus. The company has applied for a permit to continue operating 15 gas turbines at the facility, although the NAACP said authorities have 'allowed xAI to operate at least 35 gas turbines without any permitting' over the past year. City officials have previously said xAI did not need permits for the turbines' first year of use. These turbines reportedly emit hazardous air pollutants, including formaldehyde, at levels exceeding EPA limits. The NAACP's letter also pointed to the turbines' nitrogen-oxide emissions. Noting that the Colossus facility is located near South Memphis' Boxtown neighborhood, which the letter described as a 'historically Black community,' the NAACP said the location perpetuates 'the trend of industries adding pollution to communities who do not cause the problem.' 'Instead of [the Shelby County Health Department] working to reduce health issues known in the area including that cancer risks are already four times the national average, it has allowed xAI to operate above the law,' the NAACP added. The NAACP's letter is addressed to Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor, as well as Memphis Light Gas and Water's commissioners; Taylor is leaving her role in Shelby County to become the commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. TechCrunch has reached out to the NAACP and xAI for comment. A spokesperson for Memphis Light Gas and Water told NBC News that it had not yet received the NAACP letter.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NAACP calls on Memphis officials to halt operations at xAI's ‘dirty data center'
The NAACP is calling on local officials to halt operations at Colossus, the 'supercomputer' facility operated by Elon Musk's xAI in South Memphis. As reported in NBC News, leaders from the civil rights group sent a letter Thursday to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water criticizing the organizations' 'lackadaisical approach to the operation of this dirty data center' and calling on them to 'issue an emergency order for xAI to stop operations completely' — or if there's no order, to at least cite and stop the company from allegedly violating clean air laws. The letter expressed particular concerns around the gas turbines that xAI runs to power Colossus. The company has applied for a permit to continue operating 15 gas turbines at the facility, although the NAACP said authorities have 'allowed xAI to operate at least 35 gas turbines without any permitting' over the past year. City officials have previously said xAI did not need permits for the turbines' first year of use. These turbines reportedly emit hazardous air pollutants, including formaldehyde, at levels exceeding EPA limits. The NAACP's letter also pointed to the turbines' nitrogen-oxide emissions. Noting that the Colossus facility is located near South Memphis' Boxtown neighborhood, which the letter described as a 'historically Black community,' the NAACP said the location perpetuates 'the trend of industries adding pollution to communities who do not cause the problem.' 'Instead of [the Shelby County Health Department] working to reduce health issues known in the area including that cancer risks are already four times the national average, it has allowed xAI to operate above the law,' the NAACP added. The NAACP's letter is addressed to Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor, as well as Memphis Light Gas and Water's commissioners; Taylor is leaving her role in Shelby County to become the commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. TechCrunch has reached out to the NAACP and xAI for comment. A spokesperson for Memphis Light Gas and Water told NBC News that it had not yet received the NAACP letter. Sign in to access your portfolio
TechCrunch
2 days ago
- Health
- TechCrunch
NAACP calls on Memphis officials to halt operations at xAI's ‘dirty data center'
The NAACP is calling on local officials to halt operations at Colossus, the 'supercomputer' facility operated by Elon Musk's xAI in South Memphis. As reported in NBC News, leaders from the civil rights group sent a letter Thursday to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water criticizing the organizations' 'lackadaisical approach to the operation of this dirty data center' and calling on them to 'issue an emergency order for xAI to stop operations completely' — or if there's no order, to at least cite and stop the company from allegedly violating clean air laws. The letter expressed particular concerns around the gas turbines that xAI runs to power Colossus. The company has applied for a permit to continue operating 15 gas turbines at the facility, although the NAACP said authorities have 'allowed xAI to operate at least 35 gas turbines without any permitting' over the past year. City officials have previously said xAI did not need permits for the turbines' first year of use. These turbines reportedly emit hazardous air pollutants, including formaldehyde, at levels exceeding EPA limits. The NAACP's letter also pointed to the turbines' nitrogen-oxide emissions. Noting that the Colossus facility is located near South Memphis' Boxtown neighborhood, which the letter described as a 'historically Black community,' the NAACP said the location perpetuates 'the trend of industries adding pollution to communities who do not cause the problem.' 'Instead of [the Shelby County Health Department] working to reduce health issues known in the area including that cancer risks are already four times the national average, it has allowed xAI to operate above the law,' the NAACP added. The NAACP's letter is addressed to Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor, as well as Memphis Light Gas and Water's commissioners; Taylor is leaving her role in Shelby County to become the commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW TechCrunch has reached out to the NAACP and xAI for comment. A spokesperson for Memphis Light Gas and Water told NBC News that it had not yet received the NAACP letter.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Lighting up on a French beach will cost more than £100 under national smoking ban
Tourists looking to light up on the beaches of the French Riviera this summer face being slapped with a fine after nationwide ban on smoking in most outdoor areas comes into force. France is outlawing smoking on all beaches and other public outdoor spaces, and introducing a hefty penalty for those who do not comply with the new rules when they take effect within weeks. 'Tobacco must disappear where there are children,' French health minister Catherine Vautrin told French newspaper Ouest-France on Thursday. "From July 1, beaches, public parks and gardens, school grounds, bus shelters, and sports facilities will be smoke-free throughout France." Those who don't comply with the ban face a fine of €135 (£113.60), Ms Vautrin said, adding that the freedom to smoke "ends where children's right to breathe clean air begins." The ban does not include cafe or bar terraces, and will not apply to e-cigarettes, but Ms Vautrin said she was not ruling out making any changes in the future. One in four French people aged over 15 (25.3 per cent) smoked on a daily basis as of 2021, according to the most recently available figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The President of the Alliance Against Tobacco Loic Josseran welcomed the ban, telling Le Parisien he believed the new rules would help 'gradually remove cigarettes from our environment'. "We urgently need to change the image of tobacco, which costs French society €156 billion a year and is a health and environmental disaster,' he said. Lung specialist Frederic Le Guillou told Le Parisien that the ban on smoking in public spaces was about encouraging people to stop smoking. 'The idea is not to make smokers feel guilty, because smoking is a real addiction, but the fact is that the more constraints we put on them, the more it encourages them to stop,' he said. The national ban follows bans already enacted by some local authorities around France. Smoking was banned in Saint-Malo in Brittany in 2015, it was banned in 2018 in Ouistreham in Calvados, Le Figaro reports. The mayor of Saint-Malo, Gilles Lurton, told the publication officials had never had to issue many fines. 'We advocate education above all,' he said. On the Cote d'Azur in the south-east of France, about 10 towns have also already banned smoking on certain beaches, including Menton, Saint-Laurent-du-Var , Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Cannes. Cannes Lord Mayor David Lisnard told Le Figaro: "We made this choice almost ten years ago for reasons of hygiene, the environment and also public health.'
