Indoor air quality is a big problem for most of the U.S., with over 90% of households having significant levels of allergy and disease-causing dust, dust mites, mold spores, chemical residues, smoke, and other pollutants floating in the air. It's a big enough problem that the EPA put out a statement in 2009 and later reiterated it in 2011 that poor indoor air quality is now in the top 5 major health threats that Americans face today, right up there with heart disease, cancer, etc. Indoor air pollutants routinely contribute to colds, flu, chronic allergies, sinus infections, etc--all of which don't help a musician or artist trying to perform, especially if you're a singer.
And for musicians that routinely play in smoky bars, the problems with indoor air pollution are only compounded. Even if you don't smoke, every hour of second hand smoke you inhale is equivalent to 4 regular cigarettes. So after about six hours, you smoked a pack of cigarettes. Yeah, that's not good, since tobacco is known to contain over 599 chemicals and 43 of those are proven cancer causing agents. And the smoke problem is in addition to all the regular dirt, dust, and other pollutants found in bars, especially those that serve greasy fried foods, all of which becomes airborne, too.
And yes, there are a number of bars and venues that are smoke-free now, which is a good thing, but thousands of places still allow smoke and even if there is no smoke, most of these places don't have good HEPA air cleaners in place--so you're still breathing a lot of stuff that isn't good, including bacteria and chemicals. And it isn't just the bars--hotel rooms are notorious for having a lot of things floating around in the air that you don't want to breathe.
So what can we musicians, songwriters and artists do to protect our health, since we work in these places and spend a fair amount of time in 'not-so-clean' hotels? Though we can't really control the air in the places we play, there is something we can do.
One thing we can do is at least clean up the air at home with a good portable air cleaner from top brands like Aller Air, Austin Air, or Blueair. Getting a portable HEPA air cleaner has the advantage of being able to take it with you when you travel, as well, so you can enjoy clean air in those hotel rooms, too.
This way, by using a quality air cleaner at home and when you travel, you can really cut down on the amount of polluted air you're breathing and eliminate probably two-thirds of any allergy or sinus issues you might be having, as well as cut down on getting sick, which can keep you from working or performing at your best.
A couple of great recommendations for portable air cleaners is the Austin HealthMate Plus Junior or the Austin Allergy Machine Junior--both of these have excellent carbon and HEPA filtration, they're small and portable, and around $400 or less. These are medical grade air cleaners made of high quality materials with filters that last up to 5 years so they're low maintenance, too. You can check them out here: http://www.
Oh yeah--this site offers free shipping on all products, as well as discounts if you're a member of The ASPA (a music association with songwriter competitions and other benefits!)
Rex Murphy
The ASPA
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