When we talk about air purifiers we generally restrict our discussion to particulates suspended in air. But it is not just about them. Air inside the home might have odors not particularly pleasing to your olfactory senses. You need to deal with them too. Good news is that there are air purifiers which come with gas purifiers.
Generally carbon is used for gas filters. And it can be anything from coal based filters to coconut shell based ones. The carbon filters work by absorbing gas molecules in their pores. So all the gases that produce those nasty odors are trapped inside the pores and are not allowed to circulate in the air. To remove the VOCs and SVOCs activated carbon filters will be the best solution since they are of higher molecular weight. But there are drawbacks with carbon filters.
They are not that functional when working in humid conditions. The water is filled with large molecules of water vapor and they get absorbed by the pores. Carbon also fails to deliver in case of gases with lower molecular weights like formaldehyde, sulfur and nitrogen dioxide. For such specialized cleaning there has to be dedicated gas control ingredients like Chemisorbers. They chemically remove gases from air. Chemisorbers actually react both with the gas molecule and the water molecule and subsequently produces odorless, harmless gases like carbon dioxide.
The well known Chemisorbers are alumina oxide, alumina silicate, and potassium permanganate. A better gas filter would be on which has more pores as it will mean more gas can be absorbed by the filter. So it will absorb better and last longer. It is only when all the pores are saturated that you would need to change the filter.
A gas filter should be preceded by a pre-filter. Without the pre-filter the gas filter will lose its efficiency significantly. The micro pores in the gas filter, supposed to absorb gases will be filled with air particulates. This will mean that your filter will soon get saturated and it would require a replacement.
To get the best air purifier for yourself is no mean task as there are a variety of them and the technology behind them is also different. The job of an air purifier is to clean the air of all its pollutants and that would include allergens, particulates, gases, etc. following is a comparison between the three main kinds of air purifiers that are ruling the roost in the purifier market.
Also larger the surface area of the filter, the better will be the absorption of the gases.
Now we know, it is not enough to have particulate filters. However good a HEPA air purifier you have, if it doesn't come with a gas filter, you will still be breathing in polluted air from your room.
Asthma is a disease that consists of two main components. These components are constriction and inflammation, both of which occur in the lung passageways. Constriction is when the airways narrow because muscles tighten around them and inflammation is when the airways get irritated and start to swell. When both of these actions occur together, they cause the symptoms of asthma such as difficulty breathing and swelling of the lungs. A person experiencing an asthmatic attack has difficulty catching his or her breath and is usually coughing or wheezing in order to try to breathe.
Asthmatic attacks can occur at any time. Some can be severe and some can simply seem like a shortness of breath. Due to this characteristic of the disease, some people are still unaware that they have asthma and need to treat it. If asthma goes untreated, a person may experience a decrease in lung function. The disease makes a person's lungs work harder and without help or treatment from an outside source, a person suffering from asthma will have weaker lungs. Air Purifiers can help.
There are many contaminants in the air that can be asthma triggers. Some of the contaminants include pet dander, allergens, pollen, dust or chemicals. When these substances are breathed in, asthmatics are sometimes affected and can experience difficulty breathing. An asthmatic affected by seasonal allergies may also find that response to the allergies can lead to an asthmatic attack. The toxins found in indoor air can easily be filtered out of the air indoors with an air purifier.
There are simple things that can be done to prevent asthmatic attacks such as keeping pets outside, not smoking tobacco products in the home or dusting all furniture as much as possible. However, air purifiers are proven to be the most effective way to keep indoor air clean and safe. Most air purifiers are proven to remove 99.7% of all particles found in indoor air. Chemical fumes, tobacco smoke and dust can be absorbed into the filter of an air purifier. With these contaminants no longer present in the air, the probability of an asthma attack is very low for the sufferer.
The High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters, or HEPA filters, that are used in air purifiers are effective in absorbing most toxins in indoor air that can be related to asthma attacks. They are able to remove 99.7% of all particles that are 0.03 microns and larger. These particles can include pollen and dust particles, which are the main cause of asthma attacks among sufferers. If indoor air pollutants are not removed from the air, they can circulate an indoor room with no escape. The pollutants are then breathed in and can cause a severe or minor asthmatic attack. With an air purifier, these particles and pollutants are absorbed and cannot be circulated throughout the air.
What is a 'HEPA' filter?
A 'HEPA' filter is a kind of mechanical filter that means it's a " high-efficiency particulate air" filter. HEPA was invented during World War II to prevent the escape of radioactive particles from laboratories. To qualify as a true HEPA filter, it must be able to capture at least 99.97% percent of all particles 0.3 microns in diameter, or larger, that enter it.
In a 1990 review of indoor air pollutants, published by The American Thoracic Society, it was stated that air purifiers containing the HEPA filter are able to remove a significant amount of particles from indoor air, making the air cleaner and safer to breathe. Asthmatics who use an air purifier in their home are less likely to have an asthma attack since the pollutants that trigger the attacks are no longer present in the indoor air they are breathing.
There is no known cure for asthma and people diagnosed with the disease will have to deal with it for the rest of their lives. However, with the help of air purifiers, people are finding their asthma attacks are becoming a scarce occurrence instead of a daily struggle. By eliminating particles in the air that trigger attacks, air purifiers are helping people with asthma to cope with their daily lives. Asthma may be an uncomfortable disease but people are finding relief in the use of air purifiers.
Ozone generators [not recommended - these types of ?filters? are not reliable since their ozone levels usually exceed acceptable levels]. Although ozone technically clears the air of some particles, most groups do not recommend these. (Note: these are not ion-type filters; see ?Electronic Filters? above.) These devices all exceed the acceptable level for ozone.
If you have concerns about any air filter you own or are planning to buy, remember to talk to your doctor first, to find out if air filtration -- and what type -- is best for you.
Both Jason Uvios & Dan Farrell 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.
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