Articles

COPD Air Purifiers

Breathing Easy: Air Purifiers Can Help COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a result of the bronchial air passages narrowing over time due to other chronic pulmonary conditions such as bronchitis or emphysema. The most common cause of COPD is toxic gases or fumes that create inflammatory responses in the lung tissue. The biggest culprit of lung inflammatory responses is exposure to tobacco smoke, either first or second hand. COPD is one of the leading causes of death: third in the US and fifth worldwide. A person with COPD will find themselves short of breath. In fact shortness of breath or dyspnea is one of the most common symptoms. At first, a COPD patient will be short of breath during rigorous exercise, then over time, during light exertion, then as time passes and Read more [...]

Charcoal Air Purifier, Charcoal Filter, Chemical Air Purifier

The Truth about Charcoal Air Purifiers A charcoal air purifier or charcoal filter, also commonly known as an activated carbon air filter, works by absorbing the gases and odors in the air. However, the cost and size of a charcoal purifier filter varies considerably. Charcoal that is marketed as activated carbon has been treated with oxygen to open up millions of pores in between the carbon atoms. This works so well because the millions of tiny cells that are in the charcoal in addition to being very porous also attract and capture odors and gases. A carbon air filter is also often used in military gas masks and water purifiers. This is because it is capable of absorbing toxic gases in air as well as chlorine and other chemicals in water. When the available cells are full of absorbed Read more [...]

Nail Salon Air Purifier, Chemical Air Purifier

Cleaner Air in Your Nail Salon Many people are exposed to chemical fumes on a regular basis. Some are sensitive to the molecular pollutants that are floating around in the air and suffer asthma attacks, allergic reactions or other respiratory issues when exposed to pollutants in the air, such as those found in a nail salon. A nail salon air purifier helps to keep the air free of the molecular pollutants that cause adverse respiratory reactions. When unclean air is trapped indoors where it circulates, it becomes dangerous, even more so for people with an acute sensitivity to fumes and other air hazards. Since nail salons are public places, they must be cautious about the quality of air within their spaces. Anyone who enters the salon will be exposed to the contaminated air, causing a Read more [...]

VOCs and Indoor Air Quality

VOCs are volatile organic compounds. This simply means they are chemicals that will evaporate into the air at room temperature. Depending on the concentration, their presence may be noticeable, as when you smell gasoline, or they may be scentless or at a low enough concentration to escape notice. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),  In the factory, several commercial, custom air cleaner solutions exist. Manufacturers are required to remove toxic substances with a fume extractor or air extractor to prevent or minimize release into the environment. This doesn’t help with volatile chemicals that may be trapped in the product when it is sold to the public. What is outgassing? The classic example of outgassing is what we call the “new car smell.” Although clever auto Read more [...]

Air Purifiers Remove Office Chemicals

We tend to think of the office environment as neat, tidy and clean. With regular janitorial services, to the eye it certainly appears so. However, there are often undetected chemicals in the office environment, but that do have health effects. In fact, it is enough of a concern for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (a department of the CDC) to devote an entire section of their website to the problem. And, unfortunately, it isn’t enough for building management to use air duct cleaning or normal air filter systems to fix all the problems. Air filter systems installed as part of the air handling equipment for a building will help reduce dust accumulation, as will regular air duct cleaning. What these procedures will not do is remove most chemical contaminants from the Read more [...]

Industrial Fumes

In the US, the agency responsible for worker health and safety is OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They set levels for worker exposure to fumes and the safety equipment needed. Once these fumes escape the facility, they become the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency. An air purifier system may be mandated, depending on the regulations in place. Commonly, the EPA will require a fume extractor to keep volatile chemicals out of the environment. Industrial fumes are those products of manufacturing which make it into the air, either inside the plant or outside. Some are generated by the manufacturing process itself, while others are a consequence of using highly concentrated chemicals during production. In industrial applications, chemicals are often Read more [...]

Formaldehyde Exposure

Formaldehyde is a very small molecule, about the size of a single molecule of water. However, even though it is extremely tiny, it packs a big punch. It’s probably best known to the public for its preservative properties – solutions containing formaldehyde have been used to preserve biological specimens and even in embalming. The reason it is so effective at stopping bacterial growth is the same reason we don’t want it in our air; it is extremely poisonous. The cells in our bodies can be killed by formaldehyde as easily as bacterial or fungal cells are. Of particular importance is the concentration of formaldehyde in the air. Measurements are given in parts per billion (ppb). One ppb means one molecule of formaldehyde in a billion molecules of air. The section below on formaldehyde Read more [...]

New Home Chemicals

In 2001, a phenomenon hit the news that had been largely hidden until that time. Drywall, imported from China and used in new home construction, was releasing sulfur compounds into the air. The toxic gasses – carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide and carbonyl sulfide – were generated by the drywall itself. The high sulfur content of the gypsum was reacting with moist air and releasing these chemicals. The Consumer Product Safety Commission got involved, and finally, in early 2012, a settlement has been reached. However, this example was just the visible tip of a huge iceberg, a gourmet menu of problems with new home construction and the materials used. And homeowners were under the mistaken impression that a high quality furnace air filter would help – it doesn’t. Only a carbon air Read more [...]

Asbestos

Asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally. It is composed of silicon in glass-like threads. The properties that make it dangerous are also the properties that made it useful in construction and manufacturing. Primarily, asbestos fibers are inert. They will not naturally degrade from chemicals, sunlight or even high heat. This is also why they are so dangerous when inhaled. Because the human body cannot break down the fibers, they can accumulate in the lungs, causing irritation and eventual damage. Asbestosis and mesothelioma are two of the serious consequences of chronic exposure to asbestos. Asbestosis is a progressive lung disease caused by the physical damage and scarring that the sharp fibers can cause. Mesothelioma is a type of cancerous tumor that is triggered by exposure to asbestos. Read more [...]

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities – MCS Air Purifiers/Air Cleaners

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is often considered a fringe disease – a diagnosis that doesn’t have clear and compelling evidence in the medical community. The reason for this is the individual nature of the symptoms. Although MCS mimics symptoms of allergy, and is thought to share some of the same mechanisms, different people show different levels of sensitivity and quite often, it is impossible to narrow down a specific cause. Further, symptoms of MCS are not those of a classic allergy (although there may be some overlap): Runny nose, watery or stinging eyes Wheezing or breathlessness Nausea Fatigue, poor memory, inability to focus/concentrate Headache, migraine, dizziness Only the first of these are symptoms of allergy. Many physicians will approach MCS in the Read more [...]