Indoor air pollution is just a serious problem. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution levels are two to five times higher indoors. In certain buildings with deficiencies in 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 make a house energy-efficient also trap pollutants inside. Together with that, the average American takes nine out of ten breaths indoors, so it’s imperative to be sure that your indoor air is free from 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 need to avoid, and how to select the most effective air cleaner for the needs.

Common Indoor Air Pollutants

What’s the foundation of indoor air pollution? In terms of organic pollutants, mold and dust mites are everywhere – and they’re both most common factors behind year-round allergic rhinitis (hay fever). Pollen can be a pervasive allergen that always finds its way into your house since it’s so small and sticky. When you yourself have pets, they’ll surely spread their dander to every nook and cranny of one’s home. Many viruses and bacteria may also be airborne.

Even though they’re not organic allergens, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) cause many people to have 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 present in your indoor air, as well as toxic heavy metals like airborne lead, mercury vapor, and radon.

How Air Purifiers Work

HEPA air purifiers use a HEPA air filter, that has been produced by the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1940s as a means to filter radioactive contaminants. HEPA filters set the conventional for air purifiers: to be classified as HEPA, a filter must capture at the least 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 side air purifiers from IQAir, Allerair, Blueair, and Honeywell.

Activated carbon filters remove gases, odors, and chemical toxins. The carbon is “activated” when it is 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, called chemisorbents, improve the carbon filter’s capability 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 people who don’t want to worry about changing HEPA filters, if the collection plates are not cleaned frequently, 辦公室空氣清淨 they quickly lose efficiency. Also, beware that some electrostatic filters emit ozone, which can be considered to be a robust lung irritant and can be quite irritating to some people who have asthma or allergies. The Friedrich air cleaner is, definitely, the most effective electrostatic air cleaner, as well as the overall top-ranked air cleaner in previous Consumer Reports rankings.

Charged media filters give pollutants an electrostatic charge before collecting them in a traditional filter. Charged media filters are usually quite effective, but like electrostatic filters, they lose efficiency rapidly-and they may require frequent and expensive filter changes. Some charged media air filter units also emit ozone. The main advantage of charged media filters is they are quieter and more energy-efficient than HEPA air purifiers. The Blueair air cleaner is the best charged media filter, and it 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 most effective area for an air cleanser can be your bedroom. It’s essential to possess climate in your bedroom because spent about a next of your life there. If you’re allergic to animal dander and have pets, then you might want to position an air cleanser in the room where your pets spend most of their time-and keep the pets from the bedroom! Also, you ought not place an air cleanser in the corner of an area; it should be at the least a couple of feet from the walls for maximum air flow.

You should run your air cleaner continuously for optimum performance. Most air purifiers have high and low settings. Even if you go on holiday, we recommend that you keep your air cleaner running on low. Otherwise, you’ll go back to a home high in polluted air! If you should be worried 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, an average lamp uses about 60 watts, while an average 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, many of the pollutants are released back in the air, often times leading to dirty spots on nearby walls. Besides the fact they don’t execute a good job of cleaning the air, ozone generators and ionizing cleaners also emit ozone. Ozone, a primary element of smog, might cause a significant 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 suggest that ozone worsens the asthmatic response. The EPA has warned consumers against using ozone generators, and Consumer Reports recommends against the most recent Ionic Breeze Quadra, inspite of the addition of OzoneGuard, a tool meant to remove a few 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 Buy the Best Air Purifier

The air cleaner market is vast and riddled with confusing and often misleading advertising schemes. If you’re buying an air cleanser, then you should first consider what type of pollutants you’re trying to eliminate. For instance, in the event that you have problems with cigarette smoke, then you’ll desire to ensure that your air cleaner has the ability to eliminate fumes, VOCs, and other gases.