| Air Purifiers are all the rage now, everybody has | | | | Air cleaners using mechanical filters or electronic |
| them and everybody sells them. | | | | technology can perform particle removal. Mechanical |
| There are Ionic Air Purifiers, regular filter Purifiers and | | | | home air purifiers are units that can draw the indoor |
| HEPA filter purifiers. | | | | air through a metal or fibrous filter that is designed to |
| The Journal of the American Medical Association now | | | | trap the particles. |
| suggests that the air pollution existing today in the | | | | Because filters have different size pores they are |
| US raises the risk of lung disease to a point where | | | | able to catch these particles. is able to catch these |
| more than half of the US population is breathing | | | | particles with its different sized pores. Different |
| unhealthy amounts of air pollution . More than 50 | | | | types of filters may be pleated , square, round, with |
| million Americans seem to be suffering from allergies | | | | different levels of efficiency. |
| and more than 20 million battle asthma. There is such | | | | Mechanical filters in general are very efficient in |
| a thing as Sick Building Syndrome, a worldwide | | | | eliminating contaminants from the air as long as they |
| phenomenon, when chemical substances used in | | | | are cleaned regularly. There are 3 diferent types of |
| office construction such as glue, insulating materials, | | | | electronic purifiers: |
| cardboard, and fiberglass are steadily released into | | | | Electrostatic purifiers pull air into a chamber and |
| the atmosphere from electronic equipment, carpeting, | | | | charge the particles electrically. The air is then let |
| furniture and fittings. That is why the air inside | | | | through wafers which are negative ion generators, |
| buildings or residential structures may be many times | | | | give particles a charge and cause them to stick to |
| more polluted than the air outside, according to the | | | | the nearest solid object.These purifiers are not as |
| EPA. | | | | effective as the other electronic or mechanical |
| Because of all these reasons Air Purifiers have | | | | purifiers because they do not eliminate particles but |
| become very important. The different types of air | | | | move them to another location. |
| purifiers include mechanical purifiers, electronic air | | | | Ionizers do the same thing but create ozone which in |
| purifying systems, hybrid purifiers and gas phase | | | | itself may be bad for your health. Ozone is a lung |
| purifiers. Most of these systems remove particles | | | | irritant produced by ion generators and some other |
| and harmful toxins from the indoor air. | | | | electronic air cleaners and ozone generators. While |
| The HEPA Filter is a High Efficiency Particulate | | | | indirect ozone production is of concern, there is even |
| Arrested Filter designed to remove 99.97% of all | | | | greater concern with the direct, and purposeful |
| airborne pollutants 0.3 microns or larger from the air | | | | introduction of a lung irritant into indoor air. There is |
| that passes through the filter ( including tobacco | | | | no difference, despite some marketers' claims, |
| smoke, household dust and pollen). | | | | between ozone in smog outdoors and ozone |
| There are also filtering technologies that operate by | | | | produced by these devices. Repeated exposure to |
| using ozonation. The most popular air purifier on the | | | | ozone pollution may cause permanent damage to the |
| market today uses ozone. These purifiers actually | | | | lungs. |
| produce ozone which is an irritant that can worsen | | | | Hybrid air cleaners use both mechanical filters and |
| asthma and decrease lung function. | | | | electronic technology in order to clean the air of |
| The removal of particles from the air is what is | | | | particles. Ozone emissions may be present from the |
| measured when the efficiency rate is trying to be | | | | use of electrostatic air purifiers and negative ion |
| achieved. The fraction of particles that is removed | | | | generators. High levels of ozone may be harmful but |
| from the indoor air being measured is what | | | | cleaning the units as specified by the manufacturer |
| determines the amount of efficiency an air purifier | | | | may mitigate the possible bad effects of ozone to |
| possesses. | | | | some extent. |