Air Purifiers, Do They Work?

Simple Air Cleaners:

Indoor air pollutants are unwanted, sometimes harmful

materials in the air. They range from dusts to chemicals

to radon. Air cleaners are devices that attempt to

remove such pollutants from the indoor air you breathe.

The typical furnace filter installed in the duct work of

most home heating and/or air conditioning systems is a

simple air cleaner. This basic filtering system may be

upgraded by using another filter to trap additional

pollutants or by adding additional air cleaning devices.

Portable Air Cleaners:

An alternative to upgrading the induct air cleaning

system is using individual room, portable air cleaners.

Air cleaners generally rely on filtration, or the attraction

of charged particles to the air cleaning device itself or to

surfaces within the home, for the removal of pollutants.

The use of “air cleaning” to remove pollutants from the

air in residences is in its infancy.

How To Reduce Air Pollutants:

Source Control

eliminates individual sources of

pollutants or reduces their emissions, and is generally

the most effective strategy. Some sources, like those

that contain asbestos, can be sealed or enclosed;

others, like combustion appliances, can be adjusted to

decrease the amount of emissions. Unfortunately, not all

pollutant sources can be identified and practically

eliminated or reduced.

Ventilation

this works by bringing outside air indoors. It can be

achieved by opening windows and doors, by turning on

local bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans, or, in some

situations, by the use of mechanical ventilation systems.

However, there are practical limits to the extent

ventilation can be used to reduce airborne pollutants.

Costs for heating or cooling incoming air can be

significant, and outdoor air itself may contain undesirable

levels of contaminants.

Should I Use An Air Purifier?

Because many factors need to be considered in

determining whether use of an air cleaner is appropriate

in a particular setting, the decision whether or not to use

an air cleaner is left to the individual. As of yet, the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not taken a

position either for or against the use of these devices in

the home.