CLEANER INDOOR AIR FOR A HEALTHIER YOU

PURIFY YOUR HOME AIR FOR BETTER HEALTH

With allergy season beginning, you might be looking for air purifiers to help relieve your running and stuffy nose and dry cough. Is an air purifier your answer to better breathing?

Your home is loaded with many pollutants, especially if you are a smoker have pets or have allergies. To improve the air in your home you must eliminate all these microscopic particles. This can be done with an air purifier.

There are three ways to purify the air in your home.

You can purify your home air mechanical, by getting a premises high-efficiency particulate air filter( HEPA), , which uses a filter to retain the particles and pollutants.

Another way is, electronically, by using a purifier, which has an electric field, is that sucks particles into the machine adhering them to the negatively charged filter.

A third way is through ionization, where negative ionized particles are suspended in the air, and become attached to positively charged pollutants in your house making them inactive.

The best way to purify your home:

If you have symptoms of asthma or bronchial problems, ultraviolet purification is the most effective way to clean and remove pathogenic particles from your home. UV light definitely kills bacteria, viruses, molds fungi, and organic pollutants (dust, feces, and standard dust particles). They do this by inducing a chemical reaction in the indoor air pollutants.

These purifiers remove 99% of the dust, pollen, mold, tobacco, and pet dander in the air. All bacteria, fungi, and mold that are in suspension in the air are destroyed. It is ideal for areas such as, restaurants, casinos, prisons, and most smoking areas.

A second choice would be a HEPA air purifier. It will capture most bacteria, but does nothing to remove viruses, since they are too small to be trapped by the air purifier. Since viruses are so small, they can’t be trapped as bacteria are captured. Air purifiers can also accumulate several fungi species. Once present in the air purifier filter, they can reproduce. In an attempt to solve this problem, manufacturers are now using anti-bacterial filter media on their filters.

In areas where there is moisture, food, dead insects, or bug buildup, the HEPA filter can build up with bacteria and reproduce. Several fungal species have been found to accumulate in these air purifiers. In an attempt to solve this problem, an anti-microbial air filter media has been added, with little success.

Sterilization is the only way to completely destroy all microbial species. A big issue is whether an ultraviolet air purifier can successfully sterilize the air in a room or the entire home. In the laboratory, ultraviolet light that is used long enough, with intensity 10,000 times higher than that of sunlight, will result in sterilization.

Ultraviolet air purification systems use lamps up to 40,000 watts. The dosage will vary, depending on the distance the lamp is from the area lit, as well as the chamber design. Lamps lose their power when they become covered with dust.

A conflict results between the need for higher fan speeds to clean the air of particulates, and effective air sterilization. Either the light is less effective, or not enough air is purified.

UV—C light certainly can sterilize in any still environment. However, when air is moving through an ultraviolet air purifier filter system, it must pause under the ultraviolet light. Each machine has a different ability to irradiate bacteria. The light intensity, chamber design, and exposure time all play roles. The bacteria must be exposed long enough for bacterial DNA to be damaged.

Unlike a controlled laboratory setting, once a purification system is put into a home, there is a big difference in its efficiency. Where there is high traffic and pets running around, bacteria grow in crevices and cracks, surface colonies, and protected insulated areas. Here the ultraviolet air purifier can’t capture the bacteria.

Many manufacturers, rather than design air purifiers to solve room distant factors, choose to use the light to just protect their air filters. They use optional lamps that cost another $150 to the purifier price. The life of a light bulb is one year. After that time, even though the bulb still produces light, the ability of the lamp’s germicidal action deteriorates.

Exposure to the UV light, results in temporary skin redness and irritation to the eyes. Wearing eyeglasses and more clothing help solve this problem.

OZONE

Many of these UV-C light systems produce ozone. The larger the lamp, the greater the dosage, and the more ozone created.

These purifiers also have an indirect air cleaning action, by converting molecules of oxygen and water from the air into ozone, hydroxyl (OH), and hydrogen peroxide. These active molecules then react with the air pollutants, destroying and decomposing them into water and carbon dioxide.

Ozone is a very harmful pollutant in itself, and is not needed to effectively clean the air in an UV air purifier. A better alternative would be to use hydroxyl molecules, which can still clean the air and do not have the harmful effects of ozone. Fortunately, hydroxyl and ozone molecules are produced at different wavelengths of the ultraviolet spectrum.

A good UV air purifier minimizes or eliminates ozone formation by operating at a 254 nm wavelength, which stimulates more hydroxyl production to effectively clean the air.

Since the purifier effectively depends on the wattage of the light, you want a high wattage lamp. These lamps lose 15% of their intensity each year, and need replacement.

HOW PURIFIERS WORK

Air purifiers use a relatively short wavelength of 254 nm, which works quite well for disinfection, but not for sterilization. UV damages the e DNA of the bacteria, preventing reproduction. Since germs do not develop immunity, and viruses lack cell walls to protect them, they are both vulnerable to ultraviolet light.

Air purifiers use a photocatalytic method to make the ultraviolet rays attack fungi, bacteria, viruses, mold, and mildew odors. Passive negative ions pass through warm air that enters the purifier. This results in a reaction between super oxide ions and hydroxyl radicals. As the negative ions move very fast, dust and airborne particles are displaced from your breathing area, and polluted air is prevented from entering the purifier.

This process reduces pollen and dust allergens. It also helps reduce viruses, bacteria, and molds from the air. Look at the CADR rating (clean air delivery rating), to determine your purifier’s capacity, the volume of air that it will clean, and the size of the unit you will need.

You often can’t be sure if ionic technology is used in your hybrid air purifier. Manufacturers use words such as “electrostatic precipitate” instead of saying that low amounts of ozone are created inside the unit.

Ultraviolet air purifiers decontaminate 100 to 2000 times faster than other air purifiers. When shopping for an air purifier, read the fine print if you are looking exclusively for ultraviolet technology, as opposed to filter purifiers. These purifiers improve air quality reduce respiratory infections, and asthma. They destroy bacteria, fungi, and molds. They purifiers are use everywhere smoking occurs-- bars restaurants casinos prisons. UV purifiers can be used in small rooms as well as large areas, as hospital operating room's and sterile manufacturing processes.

Disinfection means, reducing the bacterial population count. This is the correct term for air stream and error cleaning applications. However, to achieve sterilization, complete disruption of all bacterial species must occur. An ultraviolet light that is 10,000 times stronger than sunlight is enough to result in sterilization.

PROBLEMS

When you place these purifiers in high traffic areas where a lot of people pass, bacteria can grow in cracks surfaced colonies or protected areas as insulation for organisms don't circulate through the ultraviolet air purifier.

Ultraviolet air purifiers use up to 40,000 µW per second in their bulbs. The larger the lamp, the more power will be lost. These purifiers use fluorescent low-pressure mercury- vapor lamps that produce UV-C radiation by releasing low-pressure mercury gas. They emit 86% of their light at 254 nm, which is the best germ-killing wavelength. Often these glass mercury bulbs break, easily releasing mercury.

Ultraviolet C. can sterilize any environment that's still enough, but air moving through as air purifiers filter, must pause under the ultraviolet light. The effectiveness of the machine the fans on light intensity chamber design and exposure time. The bacteria must be exposed to light long enough to have their internal structure of DNA, and RNA damage.

The higher the fan speed the less the error is cleaned up other particulates. And the less effective it is the air sterilization. A conflict results between the two. Either the light is less effective or not enough air is purified. Many manufacturers look for light that will just protect the air filter.

If you are continuously using the radiation, the life of your filter will be shortened. The HEPA material in the filter becomes brittle develops cracks and replacement time is short.

Since the purifier effectively depends on the wattage of the light, you want a high wattage lamp. These lamps lose 15% of their intensity each year, and need replacement. Most bulbs last one year. If the bulb is still producing light after that time the quality of the germicidal light deteriorates.

Ultraviolet-C can penetrate your skin and irritate your eyes. You are safe by wearing eyeglasses and clothing since ultraviolet light does not penetrate either.

These fluorescent lamps that produce ultraviolet-C. radiation by emission, do so from low-pressure murky gas. These low-pressure mercury vapor lamps emit 86% of their light at 254 nanometers. This is the best germ-killing wavelength.

Many ultraviolet systems have a glass mercury bulb that are not protected from breakage make sure that your shield your bulb is sealed so that mercury is not released.

Ultraviolet systems can reduce the incidence of bacteria in indoor environments. However, they are not completely effective. Ultraviolet light works by stimulating chemical reactions and have a strong indirect air cleaning action. They convert molecules of oxygen and water into ozone, hydroxyl radicals, and hydrogen peroxide. These active molecules react with air pollutants, destroy them, and decompose them--turning them into harmless components of water and carbon dioxide.

A good ultraviolet air purifier should minimize or eliminate ozone formation, have a wavelength and intensity around 254 nm, and stimulate hydroxyl production for effective air cleaning.

COMMENTARY

If you have in your home an infant, an elderly person, or someone immune suppressed, they are susceptible to infection, and you must be particularly careful about ozone purifiers. I don't know why anyone would want an air purifier that produces a hazardous air pollutant

None of these ultraviolet systems completely remove bacteria from your home. Hospitals also find these ultraviolet lights do not add to the effectiveness of HEPA air purifying equipment.

My motto is: success equals failure minus one. Why not first remove the humidity in your home, second hand smoke, pet pollutants, and dust all your furniture. Remove from your counter space all those pictures, vases and souvenirs that are dust catchers.

Remember, that indoor air is 2- 5 times more pollutant than outside air. Spend more time enjoying our beautiful summer outdoors and you will be reducing your pollutant air by 500%. Take that saved money, and invest it in the rising stock market. Hah!

Visit www.drneedles.com for more discussions of controversial medical subjects. And as always, your comments are always appreciated.