Specific effects of a HEPA air purifier may include throat irritation, cough, chest pain and shortness of breath, as well as an increased risk of respiratory infections. A HEPA or high-efficiency particulate absorber is a super-dense filter designed to capture particles as small as 0.03 microns. HEPA air purifiers are known to be quite loud, and can be so loud that they fall into the category of noise machines. But to be fair, there are different methods of moving air through fans that require several small, quiet fans instead of one or two larger fans.
Headaches, sore throat, cough, asthma attacks and shortness of breath are some of the symptoms that some air purifiers can cause. Your air purifier can aggravate many of the health problems you expected it to solve. Fortunately, not all air purifiers cause these difficulties and some work as advertised. But how do you know the difference? Let's take a look at what makes some types of air purifiers work wonders for your health and well-being, while others can be unsafe.
True HEPA filters are good for air purification, but they leave some scars on their way to purify the air. Most people don't know that real HEPA filters can't be recycled; it takes thousands of years for them to break down. This filter not only harms the environment, but also harms air quality. Another problem with these ionizers is that they can produce ozone, “and this is very bad in an indoor environment” according to Dr.
James Sublett, former clinical professor and head of allergy and immunology at the University of Louisville. Ozone is a type of oxygen molecule produced by electrostatic reactions; although it naturally exists in the air we breathe, its concentrations tend to be very low. At higher concentrations, it can damage lungs and respiratory tissue, Sublett explains. The U. S.
Department of Energy set the HEPA standard; oddly enough that the Department of Energy created an air filtration standard, HEPA was first developed in the 1940s for use in nuclear power plants. Shielding can help keep radiation contained, but irradiated dust and moisture particles could spread radioactive contamination through air ducts and walkways. To keep potentially radioactive particles contained, HEPA filters were developed and have been used in a variety of industries and applications ever since. These HEPA filters began to appear on the consumer market in the 1960s as filters for HVAC units, vacuums and stand-alone air purifiers. HEPA air purifiers purify the air in your home, office or vehicle by removing smoke and other airborne pollutants.
However, it can be difficult to know what is true and what is not when reading about the side effects of the HEPA air purifier. Here's what you need to know about HEPA air purifiers to see if they have any side effects. A lot of advertising that HEPA air purifier companies use to promote air purifiers includes language such as a white noise blanket to help your baby sleep; there are also a few types of these including HVAC filters, portable air purifiers and ceiling mounted air purifiers. Air purifiers have filters, single or multiple, that take in the air, purify it and release comparatively healthy fresh air. Although it is possible and they sell HEPA filters for use in the normal HVAC replacement filter slot. Because ionization doesn't filter airborne particles or kill mold and viruses, these viable particles continue to accumulate in the room. If your home doesn't have a forced air system or if you're looking for something for your workplace, both Sublett and Edwards recommend a portable air purifier that has a built-in replaceable HEPA filter. Although improving outdoor air quality will require extreme effort on the part of all human beings, improving indoor air quality has become quite a lot easier these days.
HEPA may not be right for you if you are concerned about other sources of indoor air pollution such as VOCs, viruses and bacteria. For these reasons both Edwards and Sublett recommend omitting ionizing air purifiers in favor of mechanical purifiers or those that draw air through a filter designed to trap and retain harmful particles and contaminants. Negative ion generators or ionizing air purifiers whatever you call them are used to clean the air of airborne particles such as pollen dust etc. Smart air purifiers use several technologies together to oxidize and filter contaminants in the room based on sensors that measure air quality at all times. The density of the HEPA filter is so tight that it does not allow the free flow of air required by the HVAC to operate efficiently. By using an indoor air purifier you can eliminate most sources of pollution and improve air quality dramatically because a HEPA air purifier is basically a large fan that draws air through a filter there are none of the problems related to electronic air purifiers that create ozone.
