Sharp Corporation issued a seemingly ordinary press release on 27 August 2008. But I believe the information therein will one day gain global prominence! Incorporated in its ionic air purifier, the Plasmacluster Ion Technology (more on this in a later post) has just been scientifically proven to be 99.9% effective in destroying the bird flu virus known as H5N1.
With increasing regularity, the press reminds us that bird flu is the prime suspect to cause mankind's next pandemic. Pandemic sounds terrifying. It is. That’s when a highly contagious virus goes global, in a very negative sense. History records for us that 50 million people may have died during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic! That deadly killer flu was confirmed on 5 October 2005 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be caused by H1N1, a bird flu virus.
Red Alert! Time to PANIC?
Not just yet. WHO statistics (updated up to 10 Sep 2008) tracing back to 1996 when the H5N1 virus first surfaced in China shows a relatively low death toll of 245. So what’s the fuss? A bird flu virus that attains human-to-human transmission capability is the ultimate horror of the scientific community. Currently, there has been only one probable case of human-to-human transmission recorded in Thailand in September 2004. If indeed the much-feared virus mutation takes place, you can expect pandemonium on a global scale.
Countries around the globe are conscientiously preparing for the worse (more on this in a later post). As protectors of our families and loved ones, we should start doing some homework too.
Ok, so what has the Sharp ionic air purifier to do with all this. Is it not just another ordinary ionic air purifier? Yes, because it takes care of the usual pollutants (dust, dirt, smoke, dander, pollen, cuisine odors, pet odors, allergens etc) that contaminate the air that we breathe and live in. If there is really a tested defence shield against a deadly virus, why not? That's what Sharp is claiming, get the all-in-one package with their Plasmacluster Ion Air Purifier.
If you’re value-conscious like me, the obvious question would be “yes, that makes a whole lot of sense but at what cost”? Sharp claims that it's at no extra cost! They go so far as to say it may in fact be cheaper than any other ordinary ionic air purifier when measured over 5 years. Great value for our hard-earned money! How is it possible in this nothing-is-for-free world?
With the Plasmacluster Ionic Air Purifier Model FP-N40CX as the basis, Sharp contends that it is great value for money as there is no filter replacement costs for the first 5 years. Upfront costs at US$399 for the Sharp model is higher than the typical competitor's US$160. But the latter requires annual filter replacement costs of US$100, adding to a total cost of US$560 over 5 years.
Since I have only started on this study, I would greatly appreciate any feedback on the numbers quoted by Sharp. Feel free to drop me a note if you have actual numbers.
In the meantime, I will study the Sharp Plasmacluster Ion Technology more closely. Especially since bird flu is still not quite at pandemic proportions.
Today is the day to get started. Fear etches itself deep in my psyche. I remember my family, along with thousands of other frantic people, scrambling around town looking for the much-touted N95 face mask when the last near-pandemic scare took place in Asia. The year was 2003. SARS was a much dreaded acronym. The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus started spreading in Asia and infected 8,096 people around the world, resulting in 774 fatalities. Being well prepared is half the battle won.
Watch this space as we track exciting developments in our pursuit of safe, pure and clean air with nothing more than an ionic air purifier.
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