Indoor air pollution is really a serious problem. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution levels are two to five times higher indoors. In certain buildings with a lack of proper ventilation, the indoor air may be 100 times more polluted compared to air outside! This is because modern buildings are constructed with energy efficiency in mind. However, the tight seals that produce a home energy-efficient also trap pollutants inside. On top of that, the typical American takes nine out of ten breaths indoors, so it’s imperative to be sure that your indoor air is without any allergens and other impurities.
Air purifiers eliminate allergens, toxic chemicals, and other dangerous pollutants. This information explains why people use air purifiers, how they work, which air purifiers you ought to avoid, and how to pick the very best air cleanser for the needs.
Common Indoor Air Pollutants
What is the origin of indoor air pollution? When it comes to organic pollutants, mold and dust mites are everywhere – and they’re the 2 most frequent causes of year-round allergic rhinitis (hay fever). Pollen can be a pervasive allergen that always finds its way into your property since it is so small and sticky. If you 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 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, co2, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide may also be contained in your indoor air, in addition to 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 manufactured by the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1940s as a means to filter radioactive contaminants. HEPA filters set the typical 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 are the Austin Air cleaner, available with a HEGA (High Efficiency Gas Adsoprtion) filter, alongside 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 an incredible number of tiny pores to attract and adsorb chemicals. Impregnated carbon filters have now been treated by having an additional chemical, normally either potassium iodide or potassium permanganate; these chemicals, referred to as chemisorbents, increase the carbon filter’s power 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 wish to have to be concerned 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, which can be known to be a strong lung irritant and can be quite irritating to some people with asthma or allergies. The Friedrich air cleanser is, definitely, the very best electrostatic air cleanser, in addition to the overall top-ranked air cleanser in previous Consumer Reports rankings.
Charged media filters give pollutants an electrostatic charge before collecting them in a normal filter. Charged media filters are typically quite effective, but like electrostatic filters, they lose efficiency rapidly-and they may require frequent and expensive filter changes. 反虹吸隔氣 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 cleanser is the best charged media filter, and it doesn’t emit ozone.
Where and How to Use an Air Purifier
In the event that you suffer from allergies (especially if you’re allergic to dust mite allergen), then the very best place for an air cleaner is your bedroom. It’s essential to have clean air in your bedroom because you may spend about a next of your lifetime there. If you’re allergic to animal dander and have pets, then you may want to position an air cleaner in the room where your pets spend most of the time-and keep the pets out of your bedroom! Also, you should not place an air cleaner in the corner of a room; it ought to be at least a couple of feet from the walls for maximum air flow.
You need to run your air cleanser continuously for optimum performance. Most air purifiers have high and low settings. Even although you go on vacation, we recommend that you keep your air cleanser running on low. Otherwise, you’ll go back to a house high in polluted air! If you should be worried about your electric bill, discover how much energy an air cleaner 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, lots of the pollutants are released back into the air, often times ultimately causing dirty spots on nearby walls. Besides the fact that they don’t do a good job of cleaning the air, ozone generators and ionizing cleaners also emit ozone. Ozone, a main part of smog, may potentially lead to 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, regardless of the addition of OzoneGuard, a computer device meant to remove some of the dangerous ozone emitted by the Ionic Breeze.
Consumer Reports points out: “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 to Purchase the Best Air Purifier
The air cleanser market is vast and riddled with confusing and often misleading advertising schemes. If you’re searching for an air cleaner, you then should first consider what kind of pollutants you’re attempting to eliminate. Like, if you have problems with cigarette smoke, then you’ll want to make fully sure your air cleanser has the ability to eliminate fumes, VOCs, and other gases.