An asthma air purifier may be, in truth, an absolute necessity for your home if you, or someone in your family, is suffering from this debilitating condition. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness and is the second most prevalent respiratory condition causing confinement at home for adults. Further highlighting the seriousness of this disease, each year, asthma causes more than 18 million days of restricted activity, and millions of visits to physicians’ offices and emergency rooms.
In considering the acquisition of and asthma air purifier, there are some important things you should know. In this article, you will become acquainted with the essential facts.
Asthma Air Purifiers - Four Steps to Take So They Really Work
If an asthma air purifier is to be effective there are four steps to take when identifying the air purifier that will help the most. First, decide what the offending airborne triggers are for your asthma. Second, know the micron size of the particulate(s) that cause your breathing difficulties. Third, choose a high efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air purifier. And fourth, determine the size of the area that you need to clean. Taking these 4 steps before you start to look for an air purifier insure that your air purifier will be effective in improving your indoor air quality, thereby improving your quality of life.
Identify the trigger(s).
Asthma can be triggered by one specific particulate, or a combination of particulates such as dust, dust mites, pollens, mold spores, tobacco smoke, chemicals odors, pet dander, and many more to numerous to name here. Knowing which of these particulates trigger a reaction is crucial in selecting the best air purifier for your asthma. Some purifiers do really well at removing dust and dander because they are designed for particulates, but not so well with airborne chemicals and odors. Other air purifiers may be designed to remove gases and odors, but may not do as well at removing particulates.
Know the micron size of the particulate(s) you want to remove.
A micron is defined as one-millionth of a meter. The following list of common pollutants gives you a better idea of micron measurement. A 1 inch postage stamp is 25,400 microns, and the period at the end of this sentence is 615 microns. A human hair is 40 to 300 microns. A mold spore is 20 to 30 microns. Pollens are 10 to 1,000 microns; tobacco smoke is .01 to 1 micron. Dust mites are 100-300 microns. Pet dander is 12-100 microns. Viruses are .005-0.3 microns.
Choose a high efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air purifier
HEPA air purifiers are designed 99.97% of airborne particulates down to .3 microns. So matching your particulate size to an air purifier designed to remove those size particulates is crucial. Also, determine which kind of pollutant the HEPA is best at removing. For example, if your asthma is triggered by smoke, focus on HEPA air purifiers designed to remove smoke.
Choose an air purifier that is built to clean the square footage that you need.
This suggestions sounds like a no-brainer. But the best HEPA air purifier in the world will not be effective if put in a room that is bigger than it is designed to clean. So measure your space accurately, and also account for ceiling height. 700 square feet with 8 foot ceilings is a lot less square footage than 700 square feet with 12 foot ceilings.
Taking these four steps will put you well on your way to finding an air purifier that really helps with your asthma.
Author, Debbie Davis, is President of PurerAir.com which offers Austin Air HEPA air purifiers for the improvement of indoor air quality. Click on the following link to see the Austin Air JR HEGA HEPA Air Purifier.
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April 16 2008 | asthma | No Comments »
The need for asthma air purifiers is on the upswing because the incidence of asthma is increasing at such a steep rate, some are calling it an epidemic. In fact, as many as 6 million kids in the United States have it. Asthma is closely linked to persons suffering from some type of allergies. Most, but not all, people with asthma have allergies. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease characterized by recurrent episodes of breathlessness, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness, termed exacerbations. The severity of exacerbations can range from mild to life threatening.
One way of controlling asthma attacks is by using a good Asthma Air Purifier. The article that follows provides detailed information about these devices and the need to use them in the home where there is an asthma sufferer.
Asthma Air Purifier - An Essential Tool to Reduce Attacks in Your Home
Asthma is a prevalent modern disease that appears to be on the rise. The causes are not entirely known, but many asthmatics and parents of asthmatic children have learned some of the triggers that lead to an attack. A good asthma air purifier in the home can help reduce the level of these triggers, and thus help prevent further asthma attacks.
Asthma is a kind of allergic response in which the airways in the lungs become irritated and swell up, restricting airflow. It can be a very frightening experience, when getting a breath of air feels nearly impossible. Young children in particular can be traumatized by asthma attacks, because it is difficult to get them to calm down when the reaction is occurring, and calm is important in mitigating the seriousness of the attack. Unfortunately, asthma is becoming more and more common in our industrialized world.
Although we tend to think of our households as being safer than outside our doors, in the case of air quality indoor air can often be worse, even in urban centers. This is because not only is the air inside essentially the same as outside, there are often trapped components that help create an unhealthy atmosphere. Some of the most common triggers for asthma attacks are house dust, mold spores, pollen, and pet dander.
Another category which is known to trigger asthma is volatile organic compounds, or VOC’s. These are a by-product of the manufacturing process of much of our household products, including carpet, furniture, paint, lacquers, all kinds of plastics, and cleaning supplies. Sensitivity to VOC’s varies, but many people experience symptoms without being aware of what the cause is.
The good news for asthmatics is that controlling many of these triggers is easily possible with a good home air purifier. Because most of the triggers can be categorized as particulates, these can be filtered out of the air flow using a good HEPA filter. HEPA filters are capable of filtering particles as small as 0.3 microns, meaning it can even catch bacteria, which are generally 0.2 to 20 microns in size. A good asthma air purifier should have a pre-filter which catches larger dust and hair first, then passes the air through a second filter to grab the most minute particles.
It is important that the filters be changed regularly, as the filters will clog up and the amount of air that can then be passed through the filter will drop. Replacement of the filters will depend on the unit, its amount of usage, and of course the condition of the air that it is filtering. Be sure to monitor the filter, especially when first using the unit, to get an idea how often it should be changed. Many units come with a filter alert system, that reminds you when it is time to change the filter.
Unfortunately when it comes to VOC’s it is much more difficult to remove them from the air due to their often minute size. The good news is that VOC ‘off-gassing’ or ‘out-gassing’ as it is known, usually only occurs for a short period of time, when a product is new. The passage of time and regular exchanges of air (with an open window, for instance) can often reduce the problem considerably.
There is a new kind of system on the market called photocatalytic air purifier which uses a sophisticated ultraviolet method to create free radicals which actually breakdown VOC’s completely. The manufacturer claims for these units are outstanding, however, even with this kind of system in place, for the asthmatic it is still important to remove irritating particles from the air as well.
The home should be a sanctuary, but unfortunately much of our modern lifestyle comes at a price. The sharp rise in asthma-sufferers is testament to this. But at least with an asthma air purifier in place, we can make our homes healthy and comfortable for all.
To find out more about the asthma air purifier and other home air purifiers, please visit:
http://www.HealthyHomeFacts.com
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allergies,
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asthmatics,
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April 15 2008 | Air Purifiers | No Comments »