BREATHE EASY

Sahar Kanishka and Pipiena Malafu

10th grade
Academy for Math, Engineering, and Science (AMES)
2016

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Hypothesis:

Pollution is everywhere. It has affected the world for centuries by causing global
warming, deforestation, and horrible air quality. Pollution has made living conditions for
populations worldwide extremely hazardous and difficult causing many health issues.
The problem is we cannot get rid of pollution immediately, it will take time and energy,
but we cannot sacrifice our health any longer, which is why we are proposing the idea of
“Breathe Easy,” a filtration device that is fashionable, inexpensive, and reusable.

The filter prevents the small hazardous pollutant molecules from getting through, and can
be custom made for specific pollutants in a certain area. Research shows that the time
when pollution is at its highest is during winter time. This directly influences the design
of our device from neck socks, hoodies, scarves, turtle-necks, and more, that are
fashionable and appealing.

Thesis:

We want to be able to create a product that is not only cost efficient and appealing, but
also serves a purpose of filtering out the hazardous particles in the air, so that people will
be able to breathe easy.

Summary:

Our project is a temporary solution to the big

problem, of air pollution, and the effect of it on
the people’s health. The way that our product
works is that the overall design is filtering out the
unsafe particles in the air, while at the same time
being appealing and cost efficient. There are
masks that serve the purpose of filtering out the
hazardous chemicals and particles, yet they are
costly as well as unappealing due to the very
clinical look. Our product will have easy access
throughout many different regions due to simple
marketing in vending machines. The vending
machines will also serve a dual purpose of not
only vending the devices, but also displaying the
air quality and the weather of that region on a
monitor located at the top of the vending
machine, so that the people will know how
hazardous the air is that day. Our project design
can be incorporated in clothing, an accessory, or
the “redesigned mask” that is fashionable and
can be appealing to many audiences. The main
purpose of our project, Breathe Easy is to be able
to have an alternative of clean, filtered air, for

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people living in areas condensed with a air pollution and to also be stylish and cost-
effective.

Marketing:

The masks that are already available are simplistic and unappealing, and at the same time
they can be effective or non-effective as well as costly. We can make it appealing,
fashionable, and inexpensive. It can either be on element or a composite. The filters are
disposable, and the main device is reusable, as any other fashion clothing/ element, for
example: scarves, neck socks, turtle necks, hoodies, etc. Where the filter element can be
inserted and replaced.
Vending Machines can be used to vend the product, and also be used as a public service
by displaying the weather and air quality that day.

Appealing Does not have a clinical appearance, stylish and can be worn in a
variety of ways
Inexpensive Does not cost as much as particulate and pollution masks cost
today, much more cost effective due to the assortment of ways that it can be worn
Reusable Can be worn over and over again and the only piece that has been to
replaced is the filter itself.

Audience:

The audience using our product consists of any age range. This product is meant to help
protect people’s health worldwide. Our product, Breathe Easy, can be used by anyone,
anywhere, due to its appealing appearance, and inexpensiveness.

Breathe Easy Fashion Filters:

Outline
Disposable Filters Custom made for specific pollutants in a certain city or area

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 Replaceable Inserts
Seasonal (whichever season is the most polluted in a region)
Inexpensive
Easy Availability

Research:

Air Pollution & Health Problems

With rapidly evolving technology,

the necessity of energy increases. This
means that maintaining a modern lifestyle
(that evolves along with society) requires a
great amount of energy. As energy becomes
more entailed, there’s an increase in air
pollution. According to an analysis by the
Utah Department of Health, there were 15
winter days in January 2014 where pollution
had been at an unhealthy level in Salt Lake
City causing an average of 420 people going
to emergency rooms. The analysis also
showed a correlation between Salt Lake
City’s polluted air during the winter time

and respiratory problems.

On bad air days there were 34-40

percent higher visits for respiratory issues
such as asthma. Researchers found that
for obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) emergency visits increased by an
estimated 90 percent on bad air days. Two
years passed since then and there’s been
even more reports on the air quality of
Utah. Professor Erik Crosman of the
Department of Atmospheric Sciences with
the University of Utah has been studying
the Utah inversions for the last ten years.
He said on February of 2016 that the
inversion was “the worst inversion [he’s]
ever seen in the middle of February” (Boyd). Dr. Denitza Blogev of Intermountain
Medical Center states that people living in high air pollution areas with more pollution
exposure have higher risks of developing asthma, chronic lung disease, and other
problems that increase the risk of dying. The inversions in Utah caused by its bowl-like

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valleys and temperatures pushes in PM 2.5 levels (pollutant particulates 2.5 microns and
under in diameter). The pollutant particles are so tiny they can lodge themselves deep in
the lung tissues.

Globally speaking however, there are regions such as Beijing, China that have
unhealthy PM levels, or air pollution. A 2015 study from Germany’s Max Planck
Institute led by Jos Lelieveld, says that there has been 1.4 million premature deaths due to
air pollution in China. In addition to the study, it’s estimated that every year 3.3 million
people worldwide prematurely die from the effects of air pollution. March of 2016 in
Mexico, authorities banned cars from roads and limited outdoor activities due to the air
quality. The problem is that air pollution is prevalent in the world today which has an
effect on the health of many people in many different regions.

Air Pollution & Solution

Air pollution can’t be fixed globally in just one day. There are so many different
factors that contribute to the pollution including natural to man-made sources. As
pollution continues there are many who are
affected. To avoid any further health issues a
solution to greatly decrease the amount of people
being affected by air pollution is our product, the
fashionable filter. A filter that’s designed
particularly for air pollution as well is appealing to
society; people will be able to continue their days
as normal. It’s affordable, fashionable, and useful.
With simple surgical masks, they’re able to prevent
germs and reduce the amount of pollution
depending on the person. However, they’re not
designed to protect the individual from breathing
small particle aerosols, or much of the particulate
matter in the air.

The mask will include a disposable filter cartridge for a respirator that can be
refilled with new filters, that way when the individual inhales, the air will flow through
the inlet through a particulate filter, an activated charcoal filter, then another particulate
filter. When the particulate filter clogs, or the activated charcoal becomes saturated, the
cartridge will need to be replaced. The filters will remove poisonous chemicals and
deadly bacteria from the air and allow the individual to breathe comfortably. It’d have a
filtering face piece respirator (N95 to P100, each having different values based on how
much of the matter’s filtered). Different amounts of airborne particles can be filtered at
different rates, P100 being the most and N95 the lowest amount. P100 filters at least
99.97% of airborne particles and is strongly resistant to oil. N95 filters at least 95% of

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airborne particles and isn’t resistant to oil. An adjuster will be included for the nosepiece
so that it can be adjusted to the consumer’s comfort.

On top of the mask’s efficiency,

it’ll be able to be styled that way the
individual can stay healthy and look
nice. It won’t be as big as the gas masks
but instead a very similar size compared
to the surgical masks. The individual
will be able to pick between a variety of
masks based on its filters as well as
style. Picturing people with big masks
seem to be abnormal, or it may seem
unfashionable to the young audience.
With a variety of different styles to
choose from, the mask is targeted
towards all ages, genders, and groups.
The solution to avoiding any further
health problems due to the bad air
quality is to wear our product, BE
(breathe easy), while allowing the individual to feel and look their best.

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 WORKS CITED

Boyd, Robert. "Inversion Conditions in Utah Worse than Ever; Area Hospitals See Spike in
Patients." Fox News 13 Salt Lake City. 12 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

Brain, Marshall. "How Gas Masks Work." How Stuff Works. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

Dovey, Dana. "Does Wearing A Surgical Mask Really Keep You From Getting Sick?" Medical
Daily. 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

McCombs, Brady. "Study Shows Spike in ER Visits on Utah's Bad Air Days." The Salt Lake
Tribune. 12 Mar. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

Penrod, Emma. "Utah's Bad Air Is the Worst It's Been in Years -- and It's Likely to Stick
around." The Salt Lake Tribune. 10 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

Sinicki, Adam. "Why Do Asians Wear Surgical Masks?" Why Do Asians Wear Surgical Masks?
Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

Wong, Edward. "2 Major Air Pollutants Increase in Beijing." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 03 Apr. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

"Air Pollution Kicks into High Gear in Summer Months." Air Pollution Kicks into High Gear in
Summer Months. Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

"Air Quality Maps Archives." Web.
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=20160212&tab=1>.

"Baldwin Filters." Baldwin Filters. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.baldwinfilter.com/TechTips201403.html>.

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2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

"Choked Mexico City Bans 1m Cars in Air Pollution Alert." The Guardian. Guardian News and
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"Clean Room Equipment and Sterile Supplies." Disposable Face Mask Ratings: N95, P2, BFE,
CE. What Does NIOSH Approved Mean. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<https://www.cleanroomworld.com/articles/Disposable Face Mask article.pd>.

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"More Deaths Due to Air Pollution." Every Year 3.3 Million People Die from the Effects of Air
Pollution Worldwide. 16 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

"Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT - American Lung Association | State of the Air 2015."
American Lung Association. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. <http://www.stateoftheair.org/2015/msas/salt-
lake-city-provo-orem-ut.html#pm24>.

"Study Says U.S. Consumers to Blame for Some Air Pollution from China | The Japan Times."
Japan Times RSS. 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

"Tahmini Teslimat Zamanı." Aliexpress.com. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
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50pcs-lot-Free-Shipping/32612630424.html?spm=2114.49010408.3.56.TsFXZ5>.

"The National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particle Pollution." United States
Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

"There Won't Be Major Relief from Northern Utah's Inversion until
Thursday."Standard-Examiner. 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

"Tips on Dealing with the Haze." Jentrified Citizen. 23 June 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

"U.S. Food and Drug Administration." Masks and N95 Respirators. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/GeneralHospitalDevicesan
dSupplies/PersonalProtectiveEquipment/ucm055977.htm>.

"When Air Quality in Beijing and Shanghai Is Least Awful." The Wall Street Journal. 3 July
2014.
Web. 30 Mar. 2016

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