Tag: HEPA for ultra fine particles Nowadays, it is a common site to see 3D printers in homes, schools, offices, labs, and workshops. The ability to quickly and economically print objects and prototypes make 3D printing one of the fastest growing technologies today. The process of creating three dimensional printed objects is actually quite interesting. “The majority of commercially available 3D… When a driver cranks up her car heater or air conditioner, a cabin air filter blocks dust, pollen, and particulate matter from vehicle exhaust from blowing into the car. But these filters struggle to catch super-tiny exhaust particles that may contribute to lung and heart disease. Now researchers report that a new cabin filter with small fibers can trap large amounts of particulate matter, especially possibly damaging ultrafine particles (Environ. Sci. & Technol. 2014, DOI: 10.1021/es404952q). Scientists know that micrometer-diameter particulate matter poses cardiovascular and pulmonary health risks.

But a growing body of research suggests that smaller particulates from vehicle exhaust can also lodge in people’s lungs, enter the circulatory system, and cause inflammation, which may trigger asthma attacks or worsen heart disease. Ultrafine particles (UFPs), which are less than 100 nm in diameter, can penetrate deeper into the lungs than other particulate matter can. They also dance around the pollution-trapping fibers in current cabin air filters. Many people may not know that such tiny particles exist, much less that they pose health risks, so automakers may not feel the need to install better filters, says Yifang Zhu of the University of California, Los Angeles. To curb exposure on their own, passengers could turn off the cars’ open-air ventilation and set the cabin air to recirculate. But over time carbon dioxide levels can build up to five or more times the outdoor concentration as passengers exhale. Some research, Zhu says, suggests that CO2 at that level impairs reaction time and decision-making in drivers.

Zhu and UCLA colleague Eon S. Lee sought a way around this CO2-versus-UFP dilemma. air purifier ionizer ukThey thought the solution could be high efficiency cabin air filters. cab 001 air purifierThe researchers obtained two types of custom-made filters from Switzerland-based firm IQAir. alen air purifier ionizerBoth filters are made from glass and polymer fibers smaller than those in conventional filters. Zhu and Lee figured that the smaller, closer-packed fibers would block more UFPs. To test that prediction, they put a dozen passenger vehicles through four separate test drives each involving a different filter scenario: They drove the vehicles on local roads and a freeway with the already installed conventional filter, each of the two new IQAir filters, and no filter installed.

The researchers monitored in-cabin and outdoor air quality through several standard methods, including condensation particle counters. The new filters far outperformed the manufacturer-installed ones, the researchers found. The custom filter with the smallest fibers kept UFP levels in the cabin 93 to 99% lower than outdoor road levels. Conventional filters achieved just 35 to 70% reductions. The researchers caution that these tests are short-term ones. They don’t know yet if the new filters can maintain that performance in the long term. Moreover, the custom filters’ smaller and denser fibers cause air to flow into the cabin somewhat more slowly than conventional filters do. Also it’s not yet clear how much these filters would cost to make and install, Zhu says. Still, this proof-of-concept study, she says, shows the filters’ promise at letting drivers keep outside air flowing in, while keeping UFP out. Doug Brugge, a professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University, agrees that the study is a good demonstration of the benefits of the new filters.

He suggests that the team also study the filters in a more real-world context. For example, some passengers may roll down their windows, hurting the filters’ effectiveness, he says. 3000 series Air Cleaner Combi air purifier and humidifier “The air quality in my home has improved drastically. I could observe less odors as well, including the typical smell from my kitchen which is next to the lobby where the purifier was placed.” “The HEPA filter removes ultra-fine particles larger than 20 nanometers… Viruses get trapped and removed. The final stage of filtration removes odors and harmful gases. Even germs and mould are eliminated.” “When I first plugged it in within a minute it felt as if I am transported to a hill station. Surroundings suddenly feel fresh and even the temperature drops down a bit. The effect is superb. The freshness is something you can feel and enjoy. When it is left overnight and I get up in the morning I feel more energized than usual because of the sound sleep.”

Air Purifier & Humidifier - Contact and FAQ Get 10% off MRP on all Air Purifiers and Filters on the Philips India eStoreMicroscopic metals and chemicals spewed from the tailpipes of vehicles traveling on highways are likely to harm the health of people who live nearby and spend significant amounts of time outdoors or with their windows open, according to a study released Wednesday by local public health researchers.The study of so-called ultrafine particles is part of a growing body of evidence of the dangers of living near highways and other high-traffic roads. It suggests that those who live within 1,500 feet of a highway have a greater likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease than those living twice as far away. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 45 million Americans live within 900 feet of a major road, railroad, or airport. The study, by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston University School of Public Health, used special mobile labs in 2009 and 2010 to look at the impact of such microscopic pollution on residents of Somerville.

The dangers of ultrafine particles are less understood than the impact of fine particles emitted by power plants and vehicles, which have been shown to increase asthma rates and are regulated by the EPA. There are no government limits on ultrafine particle emissions.The authors said their study, which will be published this year in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, is among the first to link cardiovascular risks to prolonged exposure of ultrafine particles, which include hydrocarbons and metals such as iron and nickel.“The takeaway is that we need to begin to develop policies that protect people from these exposures, through improved air filtration, improved community design, decking over highways, and not putting children’s playgrounds and bike paths near highways,” said Doug Brugge, a professor of public health at Tufts University School of Medicine, who served as one of the authors. The researchers took blood samples and interviewed 140 people from Somerville who live as close as a few hundred feet and more than a half mile from Interstate 93 and Route 38.

They also adjusted for age, gender, body fat, and whether someone smoked, among other factors. The researchers found that 115 subjects who lived within 1,500 feet of the highway had a median of more than twice the amount of C-reactive protein in their blood than the 25 who lived more than a half-mile away. Higher amounts of the protein indicate a higher likelihood of a stroke or heart attack. The small scale of the study reflects on the need for more research and a wider sample size, said Kevin Lane, a research associate at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, who conducted much of the research as part of his dissertation at the BU School of Public Health. But Lane said he hopes the findings of his work prod lawmakers to take action.“This is an important study, because we don’t have ultrafine particle standards, and if we want to get them, we need studies like this,” Lane said. “This is the first of what needs to be a growing body of literature to drive this conversation.”

Brugge said the findings also suggest that ultrafine particles could also pose a danger to people living near busy city streets.He said the study found that the health risks of ingesting ultrafine particles are greater in the colder months, especially when the air is stagnant and blowing downwind during rush hour. Further research is needed, he said, into whether it’s counterproductive for people to exercise outdoors in such conditions.Among the politicians paying attention to the study is Mayor Joseph Curtatone of Somerville. “I think we should all be concerned about the health risks,” Curtatone said.He said he hopes the findings will influence development decisions in Somerville, where he said the study should provide incentives to remove a major overpass on the McGrath Highway, improve air filtration devices in homes, and add highway sound barriers.The data from Somerville, collected with a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, are part of a broader study that looks at exposure to ultrafine particles of residents in Dorchester and Chinatown.