A Breath of Fresh Air: These Shingles Help Improve Air Quality

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter. 

The industry's first shingle with smog-reducing granules means each roof has the pollution-fighting potential of two trees! 

Smog is a significant form of air pollution. It happens when UV light interacts with chemicals in the atmosphere released from things like burning fuel. As a gas, smog is easily inhaled and toxic to humans and animals, leading to health risks that can include lung tissue damage, heart problems and bronchial infections. Air quality is massively important for a healthier community, which is why Malarkey’s smog-reducing shingles have earned their spot in Time Magazine’s top 50 inventions of 2018.   

The 3M™ Smog-Reducing Granules are discreetly blended into every shingle. According to Malarkey, they have a photocatalytic coating designed to harness sunlight which generates the energy needed to break apart humidity into counterparts (ex: H2O breaks into H and OH). This way, the granules help to convert smog into water-soluble ions. The hydroxyl radical (the OH molecule) binds itself to the smog molecules, chemically altering smog into a water-soluble nitrate salt. This form of nitrogen is much more digestible for plants and will wash away with rainwater.  

The 3M™ Smog-Reducing Granules use the power of the sun to make air quality better. In much the same way that trees filter air by trapping pollutant gasses in their leaves and bark, Malarkey’s roofs absorb pollutant gasses. By integrating smog-reducing granules into their shingles, Malarkey reports that they have essentially ‘planted’ 885,000 trees that can help clean the air of pollutants.   

This timely and innovative invention makes our environment better, improving the air quality by mitigating pollution, which helps communities achieve emission reduction efforts and grow healthier.  More than that though, this smart solution helps the roofing industry take a step forward in combatting climate change. 

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