Surge in orders for anti-terrorist air filter

American Safe Room, Inc., an Oregon corporation formed in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has seen an incredible surge in orders for their "Safe Cell" this past week.

American Safe Room, Inc., an Oregon corporation formed in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has seen an incredible surge in orders for their "Safe Cell" this past week. The avalanche of orders started early in the week when the threat level for terrorism was raised. An ABC affiliate, KEZI from Eugene, Oregon sent a crew down to American Safe Rooms new production facility in Sutherlin, Oregon to do a segment on the Safe Cell and the new interest it has received lately.

Nationally, stores have run out of duct tape and plastic sheeting as people do what they can in response to the government's warnings about a terrorist event in this country. Many people have come to realize that duct tape and plastic are insufficient for sealing a room in their house, and that the only way to guarantee that toxins are prevented from entering their safe room is an "overpressure" of safe, breathable air.

The existing stock of Safe Cells were snapped up in under a week. They were ordered by Americans in every part of the country. The two types of customers that were most represented were women who are concerned about protecting their families and contractors who had an existing customer base that was asking them about building a "safe room." Most of the contractors ordered, "as many as you can ship." Currently, American Safe Room is planning to ship the next batch around the first week of March. Because of the demand, they are accepting a $500 deposit at this time to secure the order, with the balance owed due at time of shipment. This may be the last batch shipped before a possible war in Iraq.

You can find out more about the ASR-48 and the ASR-100 on American Safe Room's website at: www.americansaferoom.com or call them at 541-672-0807. There is still time to get your order and deposit in for shipment in early March. The next batch after this will ship in late March or early April.

There are two models of filtration systems manufactured by American Safe Room. The original ASR-100 is designed to produce 100 cubic meters of filtered air per hour. It features a continuous-duty electric blower and a battery back-up blower that will run off of a user-supplied battery if the electrical grid goes down. The filter assembly consists of a gross pre-filter, an industrial nuclear-grade HEPA filter, and military-grade activated carbon gas adsorber. This filter combination is rated to handle all known nuclear fallout, warfare gas chemical, and weaponized biological agents. About 3 months ago, a few Israeli companies started contacting American Safe Room about designing a filter to meet the current specifications that the Israeli Defense Forces demands for safe rooms in residential buildings to protect their citizens in case of another Scud attack by Iraq. The 2 current suppliers of certified filtration units in Israel could not, and still cannot keep up with the demand. Safe Cell inventor, Len Henrikson designed a unit specifically to meet these stringent specifications. The result is the ASR-48 Safe Cell. This unit will produce 48 cubic meters of filtered air per hour. It features an integrated power supply that charges an optional battery backup automatically and a hand-powered bellows pump to use after the battery is exhausted in case of a power outage.

The options for civil defense against warfare gases, weaponized biological agents, and nuclear fallout are very limited. At the bottom end is "duct tape and plastic." One step up from the bottom are gas masks. Both of these "solutions" have serious limitations. Sealing up a room is almost impossible without an overpressure (a relative atmosphere of higher pressure inside the room) and the inherent problem of replenishing the room with oxygen and discharging the carbon dioxide that people exhale. This is the same system employed by the military in their collective protection shelters and armored vehicles to keep toxin out of the crew compartment. Gas masks, if used correctly, will protect a user from most all toxins, but they have nearly the same time limitations that a sealed room has. People simply cannot function wearing a gas mask any longer than a few hours at the most. Presently, there are about 5 manufacturers of overpressure filtration systems for civilians in the world, one of which is American Safe Room, Inc.

The Department of Homeland Security states that "all of us should be able to survive comfortably on our own for at least a three-day period, the amount of time you may need to remain in your home until the danger from a biological, chemical, or radiological attack has passed." The Red Cross states that, "health and mental health resources in the affected communities can be strained to their limits, maybe even overwhelmed. They go one to recommend, "using duct tape, seal all cracks around the door and any vents into the room," when describing how to "shelter-in-place." Many Americans have realized that surviving at home for this critical three-day period following an event starts with having the ability to breath safe, clean air. The panic that will follow an event will clog every possible escape route with people trying to survive. Having the ability to sit tight, knowing your family is safe from airborne toxins is one of the best forms of insurance that can be purchased.