
8 Benefits of Having An Air Purifier | by Al Mahroos (Itemshub)
Air purifiers with HEPA technology filters can remove 99.7 percent of the airborne particulate matter (PM) circulating in your home environment. Removing these pollutants can lead to several immediate and long term health benefits such as better sleep quality and increased life expectancy.
There are eight benefits of owning an air purifier. Those include:
1. Relieves Symptoms of Asthma
Most household air purifiers contain HEPA filters, designed to capture all these pollutants so you breathe clean air. HEPA filters comprise multi-layered meshes made of fine fiberglass threads, thinner than strands of hair. The pollens, dust mites, and pet dander floating in the home environment are trapped in these meshes so you enjoy clean air.
Some air purifiers include replaceable pre-filters for trapping larger particles, so the HEPA filters are preserved for capturing smaller pathogens. This system prolongs the efficiency of your air purifier. An efficient air purifier continues to keep your indoor air free of pollutants, reducing the chances of breathing difficulties caused by asthma.
2. Eliminates Harmful Chemicals from Indoor Environments
Even if you don’t live in large cities with high vehicular traffic, your home atmosphere could still be polluted with toxins from several cleaning agents. Many regular household cleaners contain toxic chemicals such as ammonia, chlorine, and phthalates. Exposure to these chemicals in small quantities may be harmless, but routine exposure can lead to serious health issues like a tumor, cancer, cardiovascular, or neurological disorders.
Air purifiers with activated carbon can cleanse these chemical contaminants, avoiding the risk of several health problems. A highly porous form of carbon is used in this carbon filtering method to trap chemicals, recycling fresh air back to the room.
3. Neutralizes Unpleasant Odors
Some chemicals such as gasoline, benzene, and formaldehyde break down at room temperature causing an off-gassing odor. These chemicals, called Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are commonly found in paints, aerosol sprays, upholstered furniture, or air fresheners. The odor from VOCs can cause nausea, breathlessness, and even affect your cognitive functions.
If you have guests coming over, you don’t have to worry about the smoke or the odor of cooking oil and spices bothering them. The air purifiers absorb all the smell, making your room fresh and clean.
4. Reduces the Chances of Airborne Diseases
Airborne diseases such as the common cold and flu are spread through tiny pathogens floating around. When one family member catches the flu, it’s not uncommon for the rest of the family to get sick as well. This happens because everyone is breathing the same air that’s infected with bacteria and viruses.
Air purifiers with HEPA filters capture these bacteria and viruses. When you remove the cause of airborne diseases, you safeguard yourself and your family from them. If you live with elderly people, children, or anyone with a weakened immune system, air purifiers are a must.
5. Improves Sleep
Indoor allergens such as bacteria, fungi, and dust mites can trigger allergies or hay fever. Hay fever causes a runny nose and can last up to several weeks. Frequent sneezing, coughing, nose congestion, watery eyes, or sore throat are some common allergic symptoms, disrupting your sleep.
Lack of adequate sleep causes daytime drowsiness, affecting your productivity the next morning. To avoid these sleep disruptions, it’s best to use HEPA air purifiers because they filter out most allergens from your room. Cleaner air gives you a better night’s sleep.
6. Removes Harmful Radon (naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.)
The breakdown of naturally-occurring radioactive elements such as uranium found in certain building materials produces radon gas. Radon is a colorless and odorless gas, emitting from building materials like rocks, soil, and granite.
To reduce the risk of radon pollution, use air purifiers. HEPA and activated carbon filters can trap radon particles and radon gas, protecting you from its harmful effects.
7. Eliminates Hazardous Asbestos Particles
Asbestos roofing materials or insulation pipes were common from the 1940s to the 1960s. If you live in an old house or work in an old commercial building you may be exposed to asbestos particles. With age, these buildings shed materials spreading asbestos dust in the ambient air.
If you breathe in asbestos particles, they can cause a lung disease marked by tissue scarring. Swelling in the neck or face, loss of appetite, and difficulty swallowing are some symptoms of asbestosis. This disease also increases the risk of lung cancer.
To protect yourself from asbestosis, use HEPA air purifiers that capture asbestos particles
8. Can Increase Life Expectancy
Indoor air pollution can affect your cardiac, respiratory, and even neurological systems. Chemicals and gases from common household products can accumulate in your lungs. In fact, the airborne particles are so small that they penetrate the blood-brain barrier, impacting your brain and cognitive functions.
A good air purifier traps even the fine particles providing you with better air quality.