What Are the Benefits of Air Purifiers?

Causes of Poor Air Quality

• Indoor pollution comes from sources inside the home, as well as sources outside. Radon gas comes from the ground beneath the home. High heat and humidity inside the home may also cause pollutants to build up in the air. Furnace and heater fuels such as oil, kerosene, coal and wood release contaminants into the air, as do carpets that remain wet or damp for too long. Some of the coatings used on wood furniture and floors, such as varnish, may release harmful pollutants. In older homes some carpets and paneling may contain formaldehyde, a respiratory irritant. Pesticides, pollen and other outdoor pollutants carried indoors through open windows or doors reduces indoor air quality and can aggravate or cause health issues such as asthma.

Air Purifier Types

• Before you purchase an air purifier for your home, take into account what type will best suit your needs. Air purifiers may be portable, room-sized devices or whole-house devices that work with central heating and air conditioning units to filter pollutants from your entire home. Some devices remove particulate pollutants such as animal dander, tobacco smoke, viruses, pollen and dust. Others remove gaseous pollutants that emanate from building materials, paint, varnishes, cleaning products, vehicle exhaust and adhesives. Air purifiers do not remove carbon monoxide, a highly poisonous but odorless and tasteless gas sometimes released by faulty heating systems.

  Mechanical filtration air purifiers such as HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) devices remove only larger particulates from the air, like dust and pollen. UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) cleaners use ultra-violet light to kill biological pollutants such as viruses, airborne mold and allergens. PCO (photocatalytic oxidation) systems add a catalyst to UV light to render gaseous pollutants harmless. However, the PCO systems do not remove the pollutants.

Benefits

• People who suffer from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), allergies or asthma may benefit from a reduction in airborne particulate pollutants.While no single air filtration system can remove all pollutants -- some viruses are too small to capture with air purifiers -- air purification devices are helpful in reducing the amount of pollutants in your home, thereby reducing your family's exposure to the risks they pose.

  Those suffering from an upper respiratory infection or a cold, or who are returning home after having surgery, may experience a reduced risk from indoor contaminants through the use of an air purifier.

  Air purifiers that collect pollen and dust help reduce their accumulation in the home, which results in a cleaner environment overall. Typical "dust collectors" like venetian blinds, light bulbs and knickknacks stay clean longer, making housework a little easier. Air purifiers may also reduce the amount of dust and lint that can build up in a home's duct work and create a fire hazard.

Warnings

• According to the EPA, ozone purifiers are not significantly useful in purifying the air inside your home and may even cause health problems, since ozone is a lung irritant. Ozone purifiers combine UV light with an electrical discharge to generate ozone. Ozone produced at levels that do not exceed EPA standards are not efficient enough to remove pollutants in the air.