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Reasons To Buy An Air Purifier.

Posted: Tuesday, December 29, 2009

by Daniel Sullivan
Air Purifying and Filters

Air pollution is a serious threat to your health. Pollutants exist indoors and outdoors, and while we spend most of our time living and working indoors, it is crucial that the air you are breathing in is the cleanest possible. While you cannot do anything regarding breathing in outdoor air pollutants, indoor air pollutants are something that can be effectively prevented by the use of air purifiers .

According to the American Lung Association, there is a checklist of things that you can use to tell how polluted your air is:

Is anyone smoking indoors?
Can you see or smell mold or mildew?
Is the humidity regularly above 50 percent?
Are there leaks or standing water anywhere-kitchen, basement, attic?
Are all fuel-burning appliances (gas stoves, water heaters, fireplaces) fully vented to the outdoors?
Is there an attached garage or basement where cars, lawnmowers or motorcycles are stored?
Are household chemicals, paints or solvents stored indoors or in an attached garage or basement?
Have you recently remodeled or added new furniture, carpeting or painted?
Do you use odor-masking chemicals or "air-freshening" devices?
Has kitchen or food garbage been covered and removed?
Have you used pesticides recently?
Have you tested your home for radon? Although radon doesn't cause noticeable, physical symptoms, you should test your home for this dangerous substance.

After going through this checklist, your best bet would be to consider getting an air purifier. Air purifiers are used to reduce the concentration of indoor airborne contaminants, leading to cleaner air circulating through the respiratory system. Various indoor air contaminants such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and mold spores can act as allergens and trigger allergies in sensitive people. Air purifiers have been used to reduce the amount of these particles in the air, and are useful to people suffering from asthma and allergies.

Several different types of professes are used to purify the air, including the ultraviolet germicidal irridation (UVGI), filter-based purification traps, and ionizer purifiers. UVGI is a sterilization method that uses ultraviolet lights to break down microorganisms. UVGI can be used to sterilize the air that has prolonged exposure time to the UV light . This method is most commonly used in government facilities and hospitals.

Filter-based purification systems trap airborne particles by size exclusion. Air is forced through the filter and the particles are trapped. The most common of these filters is a high efficiency particle air (HEPA). HEPA filters remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 micrometers in diameter. HEPA filters do not generate ozone or other harmful byproducts . Air ionizer attracts airborne particles to an electrode in an effect similar to static electricity. These ions are then de-ionized by seeking earthed conductors, such as walls and ceilings.

If you've discovered the air you're breathing in is unhealthy, getting an air purifier is a big step that you can take to not only breathe in cleaner air but prevent allergens from posing health risks to your family.

[1] http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html#Intro1

[2] http://www.calutech.com/uv.pdf

[3] http://www.hss.energy.gov/csa/csp/hepa/

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