Indoor air quality is a major health concern. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pollutant levels are two to five times higher inside the home than out. These pollution include airborne dust and particulate matter such as allergens, lung irritants, unwanted gas, toxic chemicals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Indoor polluting of contaminates the air we breathe every day. Since you draw about 9 out of 10 breaths on the floor coverings, the process under way see why indoor air quality is a top health concern. You typically take a breath about two tablespoons of airborne dust a day.
These pollution put stress on your immune system, which can lead to other health problems. The effects of poor indoor air quality on a person might vary greatly based on age and relative health. However, in general, poor indoor air quality leads to allergy symptoms, respiration problems, and damaged immune systems. Children are specially susceptible to the health risks of infected indoor air since their lungs are smaller and they have to take more breaths throughout the day. If you experience allergy symptoms or asthma attacks in your home, you may have poor indoor air quality. Other sources of IAQ problems can include poor venting, constant odors, environmental changes like recent construction, new furniture, water damage, or a new pet.
Methods of Indoor Polluting of
The EPA suggests three basic strategies for improving indoor air quality:
1. Control the foundation of polluting of.
2. Improve venting.
3. Purchase an cleaner.
Your first step should be an attempt to overpower the foundation of polluting of. If the carbon dioxide stems from a product like mold, smoke, or chemical off-gassing, it may be possible to remove it in your own home; this is most effective and lasting method of improving indoor air quality. However, some indoor air pollution, such as dust and pollen, are too pervasive, and you can't always eliminating the sources.
Better venting will improve your indoor air quality if the bad pollutant is a chemical or gas. In this case, bringing oxygen into the home can be very helpful. However, many indoor air pollution start outdoors, so opening a window on a high pollen-count day or in a smoggy city may not be the best idea.
The third step suggested by the EPA is to purchase an cleaner. With so many types and brands of electronic home air cleaners on the market, it's pretty easy to find one that is well-suited to your residence's particular situation. Quality electronic home air cleaners can work wonders on IAQ. However, some popular air cleaners on the market are not very effective, and many air cleaners actually aggravate some of the very problems they are meant to cure.
Common Indoor Air Pollution
Thousands of different chemicals and protein may be polluting your air. The most common complaints for hypersensitivity sufferers involve airborne dust like pet allergens, pollen, dust, mold, etc. air testing These common allergens range in size from 0. 3 to 100 microns, and they are small enough to be inhaled, but they're too large to be easily exhaled. HEPA electronic home air cleaners represent the best method of removing common allergens.
Many other common indoor pollution are just household odors and unwanted gas. These pollution can consist of cooking smells, tobacco smoke, pet cover, and indoor pesticides. Such chemicals and odors can irritate allergies and asthma.
Chemically reactive unwanted gas and VOCs are also responsible for poor indoor air quality. They are found in common household products like paints, cleaning supplies, disinfectants, and new carpets. They are especially harmful for the young, older people, and the chemically sensitive, and they can be hazardous to your health if they are present at high enough levels, or if your property is inadequately ventilated. VOCs can cause symptoms like headaches, nausea, and throat irritation, and many VOCs are known carcinogens.
How Electronic home air cleaners Improve Your health
A good cleaner will rid your air of allergens, odors, chemicals, and many airborne disease-causing agents. Even if you're not sick now, if you continue to breathe infected air, you will experience detrimental health effects in the future. Many VOCs, for example, are known carcinogens that are likely to cause cancer after continuous exposure. When you purchase a quality cleaner, you will notice the difference. The air will smell fresher, and you will breathe better and sleep better.
Air Purification Technologies
HEPA Air Filtration system
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. A HEPA filter removes airborne dust like pet dander, mold spores, and dust, capturing 99. 97% of all dust 0. 3 microns and larger. Out of every 10, 000 dust that pass through the HEPA filter, only 3 can escape if the filter is certified HEPA. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security recommends HEPA electronic home air cleaners because they're highest current standard in air filtration. If you suffer from allergies, a HEPA filter is a necessary requirement for an cleaner. When looking at a HEPA filter, consider aspects like the size and quality of the filter medium. Top HEPA filter brands include Austin tx Air, Allerair, Blueair, Honeywell, IQAir, NQ Clarifier and Amaircare.
Activated Carbon dioxide Filtration system
Activated carbon dioxide removes unwanted gas, odors, and toxic chemicals. Carbon dioxide is "activated" by treating it with oxygen, which opens up millions of tiny pores, creating a surprisingly large surface area. (One pound of activated carbon dioxide can have a surface area of 60-150 massive areas! ) Chemicals, unwanted gas, and odors stick to the carbon dioxide and are adsorbed by its huge surface area, bonding to the surface through chemical attraction. The more carbon dioxide there is, the more unwanted gas and chemicals it can adsorb. Impregnated carbon dioxide has been treated with an additional chemical, typically potassium iodide or potassium permanganate. These chemicals are known as chemisorbents, and they improve carbon's capacity handle VOCs and chemically reactive unwanted gas.
Electrostatic Filtration system
Electrostatic filtration system use some kind of electrostatic charge to attract pollution. Electrostatic precipitators are air cleaners which charge dust as they pass over an electric cell and trap the dust on oppositely charged collector plates. The main advantage of electrostatic filtration system is that there are no filtration system to; the disadvantage is that the effectiveness of the air cleaner decreases very rapidly as the collector plates fill up with dust. Should you not are willing to wash them frequently, electrostatic filtration system may quickly become ineffective. Also, some electrostatic filtration system may generate dangerous levels of ozone, a powerful lung irritant. The Friedrich cleaner, previously ranked as the top cleaner by Consumer Reports, uses an extremely efficient electrostatic filter.
Charged Media Filtration system
Yet another kind of filter which utilizes electrostatic charge is the charged media filter. Charged media filtration system charge dust before collecting them in a traditional filter. They can trap tiny dust, simply because they combine a filter and a charge. They can also run more privately and cheaply, since the fan does not have to work as hard to draw the dust through the filter. However, like the example above, the charged-media filtration system lose their efficiency pretty rapidly, and some require frequent and expensive filter changes. These types of units can release ozone, but the better ones on the market do not. If you are going to purchase this type of cleaner, make sure that it does not release ozone. The best cleaner in this category is the ultra-quiet Blueair cleaner : and Blueair electronic home air cleaners do not release ozone.
Ionic Air Cleaners and Ozone Generators
Ionic air cleaners operate by drawing in dust and ionizing them (giving them a damaging charge). Then the dust are released into the room, where they are attracted to positively charged surfaces like walls and furniture. Since the dust should never be really collected by a filter, they stick to surfaces and make your house dirty; moreover, the dust can be dislodged and re-enter the air by simple movements like walking or sitting. Most ionizing air cleaners generate ozone, which is a documented health threat and lung irritant.
Yet another kind of machine sold as an air cleaner is an ozone generator. Obviously, these types of machines are not recommended. The EPA has published several documents disheartening the use of ozone generators as air cleaners. Not only do they create a health threat by emitting high levels of ozone, but they are also ineffective at cleaning the air.