We do it fast. We do it slow. Every day, we breathe in and out, thousands of times. In fact, we do it so often that we don't even think about it, nor do we spend much time considering the quality of air that we breathe in. Every moment that we breathe, is every moment that someone or something is pumping harmful pollutants into our air.
Few of us stop to consider the importance of air quality until we reach a point where our health is compromised by the air around us. Dust mites and their feces are considered to be responsible for at least 10% of the population's respiratory conditions and, no matter how clean your house, they always manage to stick around, creeping over your pillows and across your furniture. Pet dander often floats through the air, and we've all heard the harmful risks that tobacco smoke poses. Fortunately, air purifiers provide new relief.
There are numerous types of air purifiers on the market. Coming in all different styles, shapes and sizes, a single air purifier can be designed to clean a single room or an entire house. No matter what the job, there always seems to be an air purification system that will work perfectly for you. Killing germs, viruses, bacteria and removing dust, pollens and pet dander from the air, they can prove a lifesaver to those who suffer breathing problems, such as asthma or chronic allergies.
While most air purifiers are beneficial, some devices claiming to be air ?purifiers? commonly use ozone or other potentially harmful chemicals to clean the air. Ozone is a very toxic gas, far different from the air that we breathe and one should always be leery of purchasing such devices. HEPA air purification units, however, use electrostatic air to clean and are proven to remove 99.97 percent of pollutants. When choosing an air purification unit, it is always best to do a little research, paying attention to consumer reports, warranty of unit and their guarantee status. Also ensure that the air purification device is designed to do what you want; while some will claim to clean the entire house, most units are only designed to clean a certain amount of air space and will need to be moved from room to room.
As millions of Americans suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases, and with the numbers being affected by the same on a steady incline, the awareness for breathing cleaner air at home is growing by the day. What this has led to is an immense growth in the air purifier industry which has now notched up sales of more than $100 million annually.
Growth and innovation comes hand in hand. It was the same with the air purifier industry too. Countless models based on different technologies have been launched in the market. Till date the most effective is believed to be the ones with HEPA filters working in combination with ultraviolet light.
HEPA filters are very effective when we consider particulates of above0.3 microns. But any particulate smaller than 0.3 microns are not trapped by the HEPA filter and there needs to be a back up. The ultraviolet light helps here. The concept is that ultraviolet rays will alter the DNA and RNA profiles of the microorganisms smaller than 0.3 microns. Altering the DNA and RNA profiles would make such organisms sterile and consequently harmless. However, the big issue is, whether the ultraviolet ray is effective enough.
The fact is that it has been proved conclusively that ultraviolet light can successfully sterilize germs, bacteria mold and viruses under suitable conditions. The suitability depends on the intensity of the UV light and the time through which the organism is treated with the light. The dosage and exposure together decide whether the ultraviolet light is effective enough to sterilize the microorganisms.
Question is whether inside a filter the ultraviolet light gets the ideal condition to act on the microorganisms. Since there is a fan inside the filter the organisms never get a chance to settle down. Result is the UV rays do not get enough time to act continuously on the organisms. However, it is not that they are completely ineffective. The lower the fan speed the higher will be the effectiveness in sterilizing the organisms.
Another alternative is to flood the filter with ultraviolet light so that nothing gets the option to escape from the filter. But there is a downside to this as well. Chances are that the materials inside the filter will get severely damaged due to this constant exposure to UV light.
So we can conclude that UV rays do work, but only up to a certain level.
Both James Hunt & Jason Uvios are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
James Hunt has sinced written about articles on various topics from History, Virtual Private Network and Mobile Phone Reviews. James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.Read more at