Water filtration has long been a protective practice.

Egyptians who lived 3,500 years ago are thought to be the first practitioners/recorders of a water filtration process (Elkadi, 2024). Today, there are organizations, legislation, by-laws, restrictions, and strict filtration processes in place (especially within most colonized/Western nations), to reduce public exposure to harmful water-borne pathogens. Beyond harmful viruses, the dangers of ‘forever chemicals’ and microplastics are more actively being considered. In fact, the news of the dangers of contaminated water sources has spread so far and wide that in countries such as The United States and India, the use of household water filtration systems (think ‘Brita’-type products) is at an all time high (Harrington, 2026). Though capitalist companies profit massively off of the marketing and sale of these filtration services and products, with a market value of $21.7B estimated by the end of the decade (Harrington, 2026), there is benefit to the public, too.

So, why are we talking water filtration?

The global adoption of water filtration and purification strategies has led to a healthier world. For example, cholera is eradicated in the water purification process (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000), meaning that 70% of the world is regularly protected from contracting cholera through their local clean water source (Shrestha, 2024). While there is still striving to do, to protect the 30% of people still at risk due to a lack of clean water access, there are countless movements dedicated to establishing and maintaining clean water access for all!

Sounding familiar?

Air is just as vital a life source as water. However, we do not have clean air legislation, by-laws, restrictions, and filtration processes that protect the globe from air-borne pathogens. Most funded clean-air initiatives and organizations focus on corporate pollution, green-house gases, and/or cancer-causing air pollutants. We are then left reliant upon grassroots activists, (often) non-profit organizations, mutual aid, and continued scientific rigor, alone, to prove the importance of pathogen-free air for all.

So how do we inform and protect ourselves if the air isn’t safe to breathe? If our values are not those of the dominant culture?

There are many tools that we can still utilize to protect ourselves and others, despite a lack of global infrastructure to support sanitary air policies. I’ve listed a few, below:

IQAir offers virtual tracking of global air quality indexes, considering the impacts of variables such as heat, wind, and fire. This is a great tool to assess whether and when is a good time to spend outside, and how to protect yourself when you do have to be outdoors in less-than-ideal air quality conditions.

Wearing a high-quality air-filtering mask also helps to protect from pathogens and other air-borne contaminants. Determining quality can be done in a number of ways. First, assure that you know the differences between mask types, and the level(s) of protection that you desire. The Canadian government offers an info-graphcic on some common types of masks to help distinguish each for yourself. Second, familiarize yourself with regulations and/or mask-making standards which assure the level of protection or mask quality that you desire. The most protective current regulatory body in the U.S. for air-filtering masks, is The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Here, you can do a ‘Quick Search’ for ‘Filtering Facepiece Respirators’, to peruse the seven classes of NIOSH-approved filters, and their efficacy. Many local mask blocks, mutual aid groups, and still-masking public health advocates also offer access to high-quality masks for free or low cost, globally. These organizations can be a bit more difficult to find, and/or isolated to social media platforms, however.

Air purifying devices are available for purchase, or able to be much more cheaply made, for greater indoor protection from pathogen transmission. Offered at a range of prices and by a number of companies, these devices make everyday spaces more accessible to all. The presence of filters in homes, workplaces, medical settings, public resource buildings, etc., could interrupt the global transmission of RSV, Flu, Covid-19, Strep throat, and more (Alhussain, Ghani, & Eltai, 2024)!

Finally, the presence of multiple protective factors at once make cleaner air an even greater possibility. Air filtering, social isolation when sick or exposed to sickness, testing for illnesses regularly, wearing masks of known qualities, regularly checking local air quality indexes, and informing others of the importance of pathogen-free air actions are just some of the ways to enhance the institution of clean air values in your life.

Community and interpersonal support are also critical in sustaining hope and stamina to continue mitigating air-borne illnesses, while the world catches up. The invisibility of pathogenic illness to the naked human eye has always been its strength, and our demise. Its what prevented water from being purified for more than aesthetic purposes, for hundreds of years (Elkadi, 2024). Still, water filtration is not stigmatized the way air filtration can be. It is probably more likely that you know multiple people who own multiple water purifying devices, than multiple people with a single air purifying device. The invisibility of air-borne pathogens continues to play tricks on us, pushing us towards complacency and comfort, over values and growth. But you need not see the pathogen itself, to witness its brutal impact on humanity.

Are you ready to learn more about your own clean-environment values, receive professional support, or otherwise feeling inspired to attain a new goal through an accountable, structured, setting? Find out how to start your life coaching journey today, FOR FREE, on our website, www.TaylorLifeCoaching.com!

Other resources related to this newsletter:

Track U-S-Infectious Diseases, through waste-water data analysis, here: https://www.wastewaterscan.org/en