
Asthma and respiratory diseases are two of the leading causes of illness and death in New Zealand. One in six Kiwis has a respiratory disease, with the condition the third most common cause of death in New Zealand. Meanwhile, one in seven New Zealand children has asthma making it one of the biggest health issues for our young population.
Statistics like these are of concern to us all, and particularly to the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand. So, in a bid to reduce the occurrence of asthma and respiratory diseases in family homes all over the country, the Foundation has teamed up with the National Asthma Council of Australia to promote the Sensitive Choice programme. This initiative aims to help consumers identify asthma and allergy-aware products that have been given the official Sensitive Choice seal of approval.
Both the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand and the National Asthma Council of Australia have made it clear that Sensitive Choice products are no miracle cure for asthma and respiratory diseases. However, they do believe these products should be recognised as ones that help to cleanse and purify the personal environments in which we all live and breathe.
To identify asthma and allergy-aware products, approved companies are allowed to use the Sensitive Choice blue butterfly symbol on their packaging. These products cover a wide range of things we use every day: bedding, building products, cleaning products, carpets, air purifiers, vacuum cleaners…and even paint!
Another product we use on a very regular basis, during both winter and summer, is a heat pump. We often turn it on during a cold day and wait for it to warm us up without giving a second thought to what it might be doing to the state of our respiratory health, particularly in younger members of the family. But a Daikin heat pump in Auckland is a different proposition, thanks to Sensitive Choice.
Daikin split system heat pumps have received that all-important Sensitive Choice approval from the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand. Air-purifying filters that trap airborne particles and help to keep the air fresh and clean are a feature of Daikin inverter split system heat pumps while most models have an air-purifying filter with a photocatalytic deodorising function. This traps microscopic particles, decomposes odours and neutralises bacteria and viruses. All of these features combine to create a cleaner, safer and healthier environment.
An Auckland supplier and installer of Daikin heat pumps say they’ve received an increasing number of enquiries about the brand in recent years, with many of them asking about Daikin’s association with the Sensitive Choice programme. As families become more aware of how everyday products can affect respiratory health, they have begun to seek out products that can make breathing a little easier. A Daikin split system heat pump is just one of them, which goes a long way to explaining their surge in popularity in the New Zealand market in recent years.