Indoor Air Purifiers
Indoor air purifiers are a common and popular way of getting fresh, clean air indoors. Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage health. However, many do not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant health risks associated with it. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has studied people who have had exposure to indoor air pollutants, and their findings should be enough to convince you that indoor air pollution is a very big deal. They found that indoor levels of pollutants may be anywhere from two to 10 (and occasionally more than 100) times higher than outdoor levels. Considering most of us spend up to 90 percent of our time indoors, poor levels of indoor air quality are definitely of particular concern.
Based on current research, approximately one-half of our nation's schools have problems linked to indoor air. Students are at a greater risk because they are especially susceptible to pollutants and their adverse health effects. The EPA hosts an annual symposium on indoor air quality that attempts to raise the awareness of teachers, parents, school officials, and nurses regarding poor indoor air quality and its effects on children. For families who have allergies and sensitivities to polluted air, an indoor air purifier can be an excellent solution.
Beneficial Effects of Indoor Air Purifiers
A quality air purifier contributes to a healthier and more productive life. You can improve the air quality of your life by eliminating odors, smoke, dust, pet dander, and other pollutants from your home or office. When you breathe cleaner and fresher air, you'll feel more energetic and even healthier. Never has there been a greater demand for air purifiers and cleaners to produce pure, fresh air.
Indoor air purifiers work using internal filtration. A filter will draw air from the inside of your home or office (rather than the outside) and send this polluted air outside. This is also called recirculation filtering. You can place filters in your current air-handling unit or you can add free-standing indoor air purifiers to your home. If you place filters in your current unit, you'll get great external filtration but it's a relatively inefficient approach to filtering fresh air. Using free-standing air purifiers (with both carbon filters and HEPA filters) increases the amount of pollutants you can remove from the air around you.
