We spend a lot of our time indoors, and the quality of the air indoors can even be worse than what’s outdoors. But building or upgrading a home with improved, cleaner air features can help reduce health risks. Share what you do! How do you protect the air inside your home? Each week we ask a question related to the environment. Please let us know your thoughts as comments. Feel free to respond to earlier comments or post new ideas. The opinions expressed here are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog. Please share this post. However, please don't change the title or the content. If you do make changes, don't attribute the edited title or content to EPA or the author. Pregunta de la Semana: ¿Cómo protege el aire interior en su hogar? Recycle Your Old ShoesBuyer beware is the smart approach Have you had the sad experience of a home air purifier that:

This industry has disappointed and frustrated millions just like yourself. Because most home air purifier marketers and manufacturers have no expertise in air purification. They are taking advantage of market demand by mass producing home air cleaners that simply don't work. You can do better than Oreck "The Oreck XL air purifiers simply don't function as advertised. Poor design, poor manufacturing, poor performance. The only thing that Oreck does well is marketing. I have two Oreck XL units, that I have cleaned and maintained per instructions, and they do not (and never have) done anything whatsoever insofar as cleaning particulate matter from the air in my house. A weak fan with a huge price tag." "These [ozone air purifier] machines are insidious. Marketed as a strong defense against indoor air pollution, they emit ozone, the same chemical that the ARB and the US EPA have been trying to eliminate from our air for decades. More chilling is that some people susceptible to the ill effects of ozone will eagerly bring these Trojan horses home."

Barbara Riordan, acting chairperson of the California Air Resources Board, Jan 2005 Consumer Reports in October 2003 revealed that air ionizers do not perform to the same high standards as HEPA filters. Consumer Reports "failed" the Ionic Breeze and other air ionizers because of their low CADR rating. Sharper Image sued for product defamation. The U.S. District Court for Northern California rejected The Sharper Image's complaint because they couldn't prove the statements made by Consumer Reports were false. The Court ordered Sharper Image to pay $525,000 for Consumer Union's legal expenses. And let us not forget dependence on this product brought financial failure to Sharper Image once the public wasn't hypnotized by it any longer. The air purifier market is unregulated Nothing stands in their way. Nothing except an insatiable desire for money. Nothing but eagerness to use hype and empty promises to sell products that don't clean the air.

Nothing but a bottom line they fatten by manufacturing these so called "air cleaners" as cheaply as possible.cli-mate air purifier 10m2 - black Millions are wasted on poor productsoreck airinstinct hepa large room air purifier reviewsBut protecting yourself against unscrupulous manufacturers and vendors must be your priority.ameren air purifier rebate So, how can you protect yourself and buy an air cleaner that really works? How can you avoid the costly mistakes so many others have made? How effective is your air purifier? Is it possible that an air purifier can be effective against your most pressing concerns and more? Many air cleaners are rated to remove some quantity of these pollutants.

But not enough to bring any discernible health benefit. The most effective air cleaners have a proven ability to deal with these specific health threats: Coarse & fine particles compared to hair What do we mean by ultrafine particles? At left is a photo comparing coarse particles and fine particles to the diameter of a human hair. Researchers categorize particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 to 2.5 microns as PM10 or coarse. Fine particles, or PM2.5, are those with a diameter roughly 2.5 microns and smaller. Ultrafine particles are truly microscopic at 0.1 micron and less. These are the most harmful. Any air purifier capable of removing ultrafine particles is highly effective against larger particles When inhaled, coarse particles usually travel no further than the nose and throat where they cause sinus irritation and allergies. Many home air cleaners claiming allergy relief only target these. Unfortunately, these often give little relief because of poor filtration efficiency and inadequate air changes per hour.

Fine particles are more damaging, passing into the lungs and depositing in the alveoli. Many air cleaners don't come close to trapping PM2.5 fine particles. In fact, the industry AHAM CADR rating doesn't even test for particle removal at this size range and is a gross disservice to consumers. Ultrafine particles can pass through lung membranes and enter the bloodstream. These are the most toxic of all. These can cause systemic damage, affecting every organ and bodily system. Typical home air cleaner marketers are unwilling to even mention the need for protection against ultrafine and fine pollutants. Whether your exposure to fine and ultrafine particle pollution lasts a few hours, days or years, your health suffers. Particle pollution diminishes lung function, causes greater use of asthma medications, increased school absenteeism, emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Medical studies link even short-term increases in particle pollution to: Long-term exposure to particle pollution may cause premature births and serious respiratory disorders even when particle levels are very low as well as:

If you want a home air purifier that really works then you should ignore subjective and deceptive air purifier ratings. What air cleaner reviews don't tell you is that the vast majority of air cleaners can't remove the most harmful fine and ultrafine particles. Is the air purifier you're considering able to remove particles smaller than 2.5 micron including ultrafine particles smaller than 0.1 micron? If not then you're not going to realize the health benefits you need. But which type of home air purifier should you consider? Knowing how well different types of air purifiers perform can help you eliminate 95% from consideration, making your job much simpler. With that in mind I invite you to discover how well these seven types of air purifiers work. 1. Hong, Y.-C., et.al. Effects of Air Pollutants on Acute Stroke Mortality. Vol. 110, pp. 187-191, 2002. 2. Tsai SS, et.al. Evidence for an Association Between Air Pollution and Daily Stroke Admissions in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Epub 2003 Oct 09. 3. D'Ippoliti D, et.al. Air Pollution and Myocardial Infarction in Rome: a case-crossover analysis. 4. Ghio AJ, et.al. Concentrated Ambient Air Particles Induce Mild Pulmonary Inflammation in Healthy Human Volunteers. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2000; 5. Metzger KB, et.al. Ambient Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Emergency Department Visits in Atlanta, Georgia, 1993-2000. 6. Tsai SS, et.al. 34:2612-6. Epub 2003 Oct 09. 7. Van Den Eeden SK, et.al. Particulate Air Pollution and Morbidity in the California Central Valley: a high particulate pollution region. Final Report to the California Air Resources Board, Contract 97-303, July 12, 2002. 8. Norris G, et.al. An Association Between Fine Particles and Asthma Emergency Department Visits for Children in Seattle. Environ Health Perspect 1999;107:489-493 Return 9. Tolbert PE, et.al. Air Quality and Pediatric Emergency Room Visits for Asthma in Atlanta, Georgia. Am J Epidemiol 2000; 10. Slaughter JC, et.al.