Improving your Air Quality With an Air Purifier

Did You Know?
According to a 2002 survey by the American Lung Association and 3M, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks poor indoor air quality among the top five environmental risks to public health. Interestingly enough, five out of ten Americans are not aware of this fact.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has greatly deteriorated over the years due to stringent laws enacted during the 1970s in response to energy shortages throughout the nation. As a result of these conservation efforts, homes and offices alike have been constructed to be air-tight, therefore trapping dangerous pollutants such as dust, pollen, gases, and microorganisms into homes and offices. Because of this, indoor air is contaminated, and this, in combination with the fact that Americans are now spending up to 90% of their time indoors, has resulted in an alarming increase in symptoms associated with asthma, hay fever, and other respiratory problems.

Indoor exposure to contaminants in the workplace, tobacco smoke, mold and biological pollutants, hospital pollution, and pet dander and odors can trigger disorders like multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), as well as asthma and allergies.

In fact, exposure to airborne particulates is one of the primary triggers for asthma attacks. Indoor air pollutants have also been shown to cause and exacerbate symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat irritations; headaches; fatigue; and dizziness. Long-term exposure to such pollutants can even cause heart failure, cancer, and other severe, debilitating, and/or even fatal diseases. Because of this relatively recent evidence showing the effects of indoor air contaminants, air purifiers have become increasingly popular for both home and commercial use. Even the EPA has noted that air purifiers and cleaners are an effective way to remove particles and pollutants from indoor air.

Consequently, with this increased interest in air purification technology, there has been a surge of air purifiers flooding the market, and choosing an effective air purifier may seem like a daunting task. With several air purifiers utilizing technologies such as HEPA filtration, ionization, ozone, and ultraviolet (UV) light, it is not surprising that many consumers may feel overwhelmed when shopping for an air purifier.

Generally, air purifiers clean the air by any one of these three ways or by a combination of these methods: by attracting and collecting particulates using either mechanical or chemical filters, by emitting ions via an ion generator to charge and attract particles, or by passing airborne particles through a UV lamp to change the DNA of microorganisms, which render them harmless and unable to reproduce. When deciding on an air purifier, it is important to choose a purifier with a filtration system that is designed for your specific problem, such as allergies, pet dander, tobacco smoke, or mold/mildew. As well, the noise level of an air purifier, the energy the purifier consumes, and the square footage of the area being purified should also be considered.

Whether you're an asthmatic looking to decrease the amount of dander in your home, or whether you need to maintain germ-free air for your clean room, an air purifier can help keep the air you breathe contaminant-free.