Indoor air pollution is really a serious problem. Based on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution levels are two to five times higher indoors. In some buildings with too little proper ventilation, the indoor air might be 100 times more polluted compared to the air outside! The reason being modern buildings are constructed with energy efficiency in mind. However, the tight seals that produce a home energy-efficient also trap pollutants inside. Along with that, the typical American takes nine out of ten breaths indoors, so it’s imperative to be sure that your indoor air is free of allergens and other impurities.
Air purifiers eliminate allergens, toxic chemicals, and other dangerous pollutants. This article explains why people use air purifiers, how they work, which air purifiers you must avoid, and how to pick the best air purifier for the needs.
Common Indoor Air Pollutants
What’s the origin of indoor air pollution? With regards to organic pollutants, mold and dust mites are everywhere – and they are the two most frequent reasons for year-round allergic rhinitis (hay fever). Pollen can be a pervasive allergen that always finds its way into your property since it’s so small and sticky. If you have pets, they will surely spread their dander to every nook and cranny of your home. Many viruses and bacteria may also be airborne.
Although they are not organic allergens, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) cause lots of people to experience allergy symptoms and other health problems. VOCs include formaldehyde, fragrances, pesticides, solvents, and cleaning agents. VOCs can enter the air through chemical off-gassing from furniture, new carpets, adhesives, plastics, and various building materials. Furthermore, many VOCs are known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).
Environmental contaminants like cigarette smoke, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide may also be contained in your indoor air, as well as toxic heavy metals like airborne lead, mercury vapor, and radon.
How Air Purifiers Work
HEPA air purifiers work with a HEPA air filter, that has been produced by the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1940s as an easy way to filter radioactive contaminants. HEPA filters set the standard for air purifiers: to be classified as HEPA, a filter must capture no less than 99.97% of pollutants at 0.3 microns or larger. Top-selling HEPA air purifiers include the Austin Air cleaner, available with a HEGA (High Efficiency Gas Adsoprtion) filter, along with air purifiers from IQAir, Allerair, Blueair, and Honeywell.
Activated carbon filters remove gases, odors, and chemical toxins. The carbon is “activated” when it’s treated with oxygen, which opens up countless tiny pores to attract and adsorb chemicals. Impregnated carbon filters have already been treated with an additional chemical, normally either potassium iodide or potassium permanganate; these chemicals, referred to as chemisorbents, improve the carbon filter’s ability to trap VOCs and other chemically reactive gases.
Electrostatic filters use an electrostatic charge to attract pollutants and trap them on collector plates. These filters are great for folks who don’t want to worry about changing HEPA filters, but if the collection plates aren’t cleaned frequently, they quickly lose efficiency. Also, beware that some electrostatic filters emit ozone, that will be known to be a robust lung irritant and can be quite irritating for some people who have asthma or allergies. The Friedrich air purifier is, definitely, the best electrostatic air purifier, as well as the general top-ranked air purifier in previous Consumer Reports rankings.
Charged media filters give pollutants an electrostatic charge before collecting them in a traditional filter. Charged media filters are normally quite effective, but like electrostatic filters, they lose efficiency rapidly-and they might require frequent and expensive filter changes. 虹吸隔氣 Some charged media air filter units also emit ozone. The main advantage of charged media filters is that they’re quieter and more energy-efficient than HEPA air purifiers. The Blueair air purifier is the best charged media filter, and it generally does not emit ozone.
Where and How exactly to Use an Air Purifier
In the event that you suffer from allergies (especially if you’re allergic to dust mite allergen), then the best place for an air cleanser is your bedroom. It’s essential to possess climate in your bedroom because spent about a next of your lifetime there. If you’re allergic to animal dander and have pets, then you may want to put an air cleanser in the space where your pets spend most of the time-and keep consitently the pets from your bedroom! Also, you should not place an air cleanser in the corner of a room; it ought to be at the very least a few feet far from the walls for maximum air flow.
You must run your air purifier continuously for optimum performance. Most air purifiers have high and low settings. Even although you go on a break, we recommend that you keep your air purifier running on low. Otherwise, you’ll come back to a home filled with polluted air! If you are concerned about your electric bill, learn how much energy an air cleanser uses before buying it. Typical HEPA air purifiers can use anywhere from 50 watts on low to 200 watts on high. For comparison, a normal lamp uses about 60 watts, while a normal computer uses about 365 watts.
Air Purifiers to Avoid
Avoid ozone generators and ionizing air cleaners. These air purifiers create ions that attract pollutants; however, most of the pollutants are released back to the air, sometimes resulting in dirty spots on nearby walls. Besides the truth that they don’t execute a good job of cleaning the air, ozone generators and ionizing cleaners also emit ozone. Ozone, a principal part of smog, could potentially cause a serious asthma attack.
Moreover, David Peden, researcher at the Center of Environmental Medicine and Lung Biology at the University of North Carolina, has examined how ozone exposure might exacerbate the allergic response of folks who are allergic to dust mites, and his results declare that ozone worsens the asthmatic response. The EPA has warned consumers against using ozone generators, and Consumer Reports recommends against the newest Ionic Breeze Quadra, despite the addition of OzoneGuard, a device meant to remove a number of the dangerous ozone emitted by the Ionic Breeze.
Consumer Reports highlights: “Our air-cleaning tests show that the Ionic Breeze with OzoneGuard does a poor job of removing smoke, dust and pollen particles from the air when new and after 500 hours of continuous use” and “the Ionic Breeze with OzoneGuard still adds ozone to the air.”
How exactly to Choose the Best Air Purifier
The air purifier market is vast and riddled with confusing and often misleading advertising schemes. If you’re buying an air cleanser, then you definitely should first consider what sort of pollutants you’re trying to eliminate. As an example, if you suffer with cigarette smoke, then you’ll want to make sure that your air purifier has the capability to eliminate fumes, VOCs, and other gases.