Breathe easy with air purifiers
What are air purifiers? These are appliances designed to purify the stale air in a certain place by using a filter or multiple filters to capture dust and other contaminants. Who doesn’t want to breathe clean air, right? Given that there is still an ongoing pandemic and air pollution just getting worse, it’s only right to come home to clean and fresh air.
Breathing clean air does a lot for our health from minimizing risks of getting sick to reducing the allergens that we inhale. Using air purifiers also protects our skin from itch, toxins and acne. You can avoid spending on doctors’ consultations and medicines once you reap the benefits of owning an air purifier.
Let’s take a look at some air purifiers in the market today:
HEPA filter air purifiers - HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air and is a type of mechanical air filter that works by forcing air through a fine mesh that traps harmful particles such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and smoke. The most common, these purifiers claim to remove 99.7% of airborne germs circulating your home. Removing these germs can give you a lot of benefits like a better than usual quality sleep and increases life expectancy.
UV purifiers - These purifiers use UV light technology to capture air and pass it through a filter to clean the air before releasing it back to the room. While UV air purifiers usually have a quiet operation and can remove bacteria from the air if a person uses them with HEPA filters, these devices can emit ozone. If you’re considering purchasing this type of air purifier, make sure that it doesn’t release ozone.
Ionic purifiers - An air ionizer releases negative ions into the air that attach to tiny particles, like those in tobacco smoke. This gives the particles an electrical charge, causing them to clump together and land on surfaces that can then be cleaned up. While highly effective against viruses, they also have drawbacks such as being unable to remove large particles from the air, ineffective for odors and gas,and emitting ozone.
Plasma Air purifier - Plasma air purifiers are not very well known but it doesn’t mean they’re less effective. Plasma, which is known as the fourth state of matter, is basically electrically conducive neutral gas, which can be produced through heat or electricity. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma is considered effective in biodecontamination and when used properly, it can reduce microbes and particulates.
(OH) Hydroxyl Radicals Air Purifiers - Around the 1990s, NASA researchers generated hydroxyl radicals and other superoxides to prevent organic compounds accumulating on the spacecraft during space missions. Since then, the interest in safety and efficacy of these molecules against Volatile Organic Compounds -VOCs-, bacteria and viruses has grown steadily. This type of purifier is effective in the removal of existing allergens, odors, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on surfaces and in the air.
For the past two years, people have been more conscious about the quality of air they breathe in their homes and workplaces. In addition to good ventilation, these appliances are seen as essential nowadays and fortunately, as more and more companies develop their own technology, air purifiers are becoming affordable and accessible. Regardless of how effective they are, air purifiers provide an added layer of protection against air-borne diseases and peace of mind for whoever is using the space.
Works Cited:
https://www.webmd.com/allergies/hepa-filters-for-allergies
https://www.airtecnics.com/technology/safety-of-long-term-exposure-to-hydroxyl-radicals
