Are Air Purifiers Safe?
Before we take a closer look at air purifiers or air cleaners that use alternative technologies, let's consider air purifier safety in the context of conventional devices that use HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters. In time, all filters will get dirty (assuming the unit is working properly) and will need attention.
Therefore, you need to clean or change these filters regularly. If you do not, the air purifier effectiveness is significantly reduced. People use home air purifiers such as HEPA air purifiers to address indoor pollution concerns, and so dirty filters defeat the purpose.
But what about the HEPA filter cleaning and replacement process? Does this not expose the homeowner to these pollutants that the filters have trapped? Are air purifiers safe? There is no completely maintenance-free solution if you want clean air. So, strive to keep these filters clean and well maintained and learn proper maintenance techniques.
- Use a mask or face covering when changing filters
- Replace filters outdoors if possible
- Stay true to the recommended filter maintenance schedule
In reality, the time spent in maintenance mode is a fraction of the total time you get the benefits of air purification, so it is a worthwhile tradeoff that is safe when precautions are taken.
Are Ozone Air Purifiers Safe?
Many people appreciate that indoor air quality is often worse than outdoor air quality, so they decide to use air purifiers in the first place. Ozone concerns arise from air purification technologies that are either outright ozone generators or designs based on ionization which employ charged particles such as negative ions. Typically, modern ionizers do produce ozone to some degree, but what amount of ozone is too much?
While research indicates no ozone is the best, there are compromises based on levels that are so small they are considered safe. Since California has the most stringent environmental law, an excellent general rule is to compare an air purifier with a list of potentially dangerous ozone producers marketed as air purifiers. By checking this list, you can be more confident of your air purifier choices as they relate to ozone.
For more information, check out California Certified Air Cleaning Devices.
Ozone Air Purifier Safety - Health Effects
Ozone air purifiers have been the subject of a lot of controversies in recent years. Several brands, which many manufacturers have cited as a safe and effective way to remove odors from home, have been targeted by some authorities as not meeting the ozone safety standard. For the manufacturers of air purifiers that emit ozone, the burden is on them to meet the recommended safety limits.
Although many of us may not understand how an ozone air purifier works, we are all familiar with the term related to the Earth's natural protective shield. While this substance is a significant component of our planet's outer atmosphere, this does not necessarily mean that it is suitable for human exposure.
Ozone (O3) produced by air purifiers is an unstable oxygen atom; a volatile molecule and tends to combine with other substances. The ozone molecule combines with indoor pollutants and eliminates their effects. But the instability of the ozone molecule means that it is non-discriminatory of what it binds with, which means inhaled ozone may cause internal organ damage.
Thus, while indoor air purifiers can improve the home's air quality, an ozone air purifier can be harmful. So, if you want to improve your quality of life by removing pollutants from the air, it makes good sense not to create other harmful pollutants in the process.
Air Purifier Safety - Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air purifiers are more popular than ever, as the number of pollutants and airborne particles in the air we breathe continues to increase. Despite the growing presence of smog and other contaminants in the outside world, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the air we breathe outdoors is often less polluted than the air we breathe in our homes. Hence, indoor air purifiers can help you reduce this pollution and provide your family with a safe and comfortable home environment.
Our homes are often our refuge, and so should provide a safe environment for our families. An indoor air purifier can help eliminate dangerous particles and odors that enter our homes and neutralize these pollutants' harmful effects. The type of indoor air purifier you choose will depend on your specific needs, like allergies, asthma, or other respiratory system issues.
However, selecting indoor air purifiers with more modern technologies does not automatically mean that the net total of harmful substances will be lessened. Indoor air purifiers can beneficial, but one should always be an educated consumer. When answering the question: "Are air purifiers safe"? we should answer that the ones we choose are.
Where to Shop for Safe Air Purifiers
If you are concerned about any alternative technologies and would like to stick with HEPA and Activated Carbon solutions, we invite you to visit our "Best Activated Carbon With HEPA Air Purifier" collections at Think Air Purifiers Activated Carbon With HEPA Collection
However, we can also recommend other technologies such as Needle Point Ionization used by LightAir IonFlow air purifiers that are able to harness the positive effects of ionization without the toxic by-product of ozone. Needle Point Ionizers are tested in conformance to Underwriters Laboratory (UL) regulations which limits ozone to .05 parts per million (PPM)