Pricey Platinum Pushes the Price of Air Pollution Control Products Skyward

Santa Fe, NM – February 27, 2008 – During Sunday’s CBS broadcast of 60 Minutes, veteran commentator Andy Rooney asked what was all the fuss concerning the recent astronomical rise in platinum prices. Rooney ranted “I don’t really know what platinum is. What do they do with platinum anyway?” When it comes to cleaning up air pollution, the answer is plenty.

Surprisingly, manufacturers of air pollution control products are the top consumers of platinum - not the jewelry industry. Platinum is the catalyst used inside of most catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters to rid exhaust emissions of dangerous soot, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. With ever-more stringent air quality regulations being enforced in the United States and Europe, the demand for platinum has soared with the demand to control air pollution in cars, diesel trucks, construction vehicles, and emergency generators.

A recent shutdown of South African mines caused an increase of 41% in platinum prices since the beginning of the year. As South Africa supplies 78 percent of the world’s supply of this precious metal, even a stoppage of a few days has a worldwide effect on prices.

To put this dramatic rise in perspective:
- On February 21st, platinum reached an all-time high of $2,185 a troy ounce
- During the same month a year ago, platinum averaged $1,207 a troy ounce
- Five years ago, it averaged $684 a troy ounce during February of 2003

With an estimated worldwide shortage of 400,000 troy ounces predicted for 2008, prices may remain a volatile rollercoaster.

What effect does escalating platinum prices have on the cost of reducing air pollution?

Manufacturers of air pollution control products are finding it increasingly more expensive to produce catalytic converters and particulate filters mandated by the EPA, the European Union and the California Air Resources Board. “We used to adjust our product prices twice per year according to the rise and fall of platinum prices,” said Technical Sales Engineer, Ralph Wintersberger of CleanAIR Systems, a manufacturer of diesel particulate filters and oxidation converters. “Now we have no choice but to keep a close eye on platinum fluctuations and make daily adjustments to our prices.”

In the end, the ever-increasing cost of cleaning up air pollution is passed on to the consumer:
- As the price of platinum rises, the price tag on cars and trucks will also increase to cover the cost of catalytic converters made with high-priced platinum.
- Hospitals, schools, and data centers will feel the brunt of escalating platinum prices when they install diesel particulate filters on their emergency backup generators to decrease toxic air pollution.
- Diesel school buses are being retrofitted all over the country with converters to protect children from dangerous pollutants – a direct cause of asthma, bronchitis and other lung impairments. High platinum prices translates into fewer buses being retrofitted for the safety of riders.
- Mining equipment and construction vehicles are equipped with air pollution control technology to decrease on-site emissions of particulate pollution. The increased cost of catalyzed filters is passed on to the public in the form of durable goods, new homes and taxes to cover building and transportation projects.

Yes, Andy Rooney – you may not know what platinum is used for, but you will eventually feel the pinch of unprecedented soaring platinum prices in your pocketbook.

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About CleanAIR Systems:
CleanAIR Systems is a technology-based corporation manufacturing emissions control systems with worldwide distribution. Our products are designed to control air pollution such as diesel particulate matter and NOx, for on- and off-road vehicles, as well as stationary machinery and power generation. Visit CleanAIR Systems online at http://www.cleanairsys.com/.

Cleaning Up Dirty Generator Exhaust with CleanAIR’s Big Stainless Steel Box

Diesel emergency generators made “greener” using emissions control technology

Santa Fe, NM – February 14, 2008 – In today’s “green” economy, there’s a dirty little secret hiding behind many hospitals, colleges and data storage centers. It’s the diesel emergency generator.

Belching soot, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, diesel exhaust created by back-up generators is a proven cause of cardiovascular and pulmonary health problems. The National Air Toxics Assessment estimates the cancer risk from exposure to diesel emissions is ten times higher than the combined cancer risk from all other hazardous air pollutants. Diesel emissions also contribute to atmospheric haze, smog, acid rain and global climate change.

Although a necessity when the power grid fails to deliver, industrial diesel generators create an unhealthy situation, particularly when operated next to hospitals and schools. Back-up generators are also a little-known “ungreen” reality of today’s giant data storage facilities.

When sooty generator emissions are clouding the horizon, there is a solution. Turning brown emissions “green” can be done with a big shiny, stainless steel box developed by CleanAIR Systems. When attached to an emergency generator, brown smoke and toxic emissions are almost eliminated.

What’s in this mysterious box that makes emissions disappear? Is it all just smoke and mirrors? Hardly. The answer can be found in multiple self-regenerating diesel particulate filters enclosed in a sleek, stainless steel, ultra-quiet silencer shell manufactured by CleanAIR Systems, a leader in emissions control technology. The CleanAIR PERMIT™ Filter/Silencer system dramatically reduces dirty soot (particulate matter) from generator exhaust by more than 85%. The amount of smelly hydrocarbons and deadly carbon monoxide also plunges by 99%.

How many emergency generators are in use pumping toxic emissions into our atmosphere? Taking into account that the majority of hospitals, colleges and data centers require back-up power to operate in case of a power failure, consider these statistics:
- According to the American Hospital Association, there are over 5,700 registered U.S. hospitals. Critical care facilities rely heavily on back-up generators in the event of a power outage.

- The American Association of Community Colleges lists 1,195 community colleges. Most colleges have at least one emergency generator (and some have several) on campus to keep buildings up and running in case of a blackout.

- AFCOM (Association for Computer Operations Management) counts 3,600 of the world’s largest data storage centers as members, representing every major industry. Back-up generators are a critical element of every data storage facility in order not to loose crucial data when the power goes out.

When other commercial and public facilities such as mining operations, semiconductors, and credit card companies are included in the count, there are an estimated 100,000 industrial standby generators currently operating in the United States alone.

What’s being done to control emissions on thousands of emergency generators? In California, air quality regulations for emergency generators are stringent and well enforced, many times requiring emissions control technology such as CleanAIR’s Filter/Silencer to be installed by the facility, especially if a generator is in operation within the vicinity of a school. But regulations in other parts of the country have more leeway, allowing many emergency generators to be operated without air pollution controls.

With thousands of large, emergency generators spewing harmful air pollution into our environment, maybe it’s time we clean up our dirty little secret.

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About CleanAIR Systems:
CleanAIR Systems is a technology-based corporation manufacturing emissions control systems with worldwide distribution. Our products are designed to control air pollution such as diesel particulate matter and NOx, for on- and off-road vehicles, as well as stationary machinery and power generation. Visit CleanAIR Systems online at http://www.cleanairsys.com/.