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The threats from the Covid-19 pandemic are getting stronger and stronger Wild fire It has sparked interest in air purifiers as a tool to keep indoor air healthy. But experts say they can be just as important to help control indoor air pollution when there's no serious air problem.
Air purifiers bought during the pandemic to filter out airborne coronavirus particles may help reduce the amount of allergens and other irritants linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases, but scientists are still working to understand how to measure their effectiveness more broadly.
Other interventions — particularly indoor ventilation by introducing fresh outdoor air and directly removing the source of indoor air pollution — can have a larger impact on health outcomes and have been the focus of recent federal action.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its ventilator guidelines last year, the first time the federal agency has developed one. Target – Five air changes per hour – How many rooms and buildings need ventilation. And this fall, the US Environmental Protection Agency updated the ventilation system Instruction To prevent the spread of the respiratory virus and was awarded 34 million dollars Gifts Addressing indoor air quality in schools.
What air purifiers can and cannot do
Air filters can't completely remove indoor pollutants, but they help in the process of cleaning indoor air and are less dangerous, say experts.
“I don't think of air purifiers as something to address indoor air pollution,” said Dr. Elizabeth Matsui, a pediatric allergist and director of the Center for Health and Environment: Education and Research at the University of Texas at Austin Dell School of Medicine. However, “even if your home has less air pollution, and you can help improve the health of yourself and your family members, using them will definitely do you no harm.”
People spend most of their time – about 90% – indoors, and indoor air quality is often many times worse than outdoor air.
But indoor air quality is not as regulated as outdoor air quality in the United States, and is the subject of much less research. Although compelling evidence is beginning to mount.
A study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics This month he made a direct connection between air purification and lung health in children. In an area of high air pollution in China, healthy school-age children who had air purifiers in their rooms and bedrooms were exposed to nearly 50% less particulate matter than children who did not—and they also had better airflow. and breathing skills.
A previous study focused on children with asthma who lived in homes with smokers and used air purifiers 60% of the time to reduce indoor air pollution by 25% to 50% and reduce asthma symptoms.
Still, more direct links to different interventions and their ability to reduce airborne particles — and how that translates into health benefits — are lacking, experts say. Drawing these connections can help drive more meaningful policy change.
“The best data point I wish we had at this point is a really good long-term epidemiologic study that tells us exactly how much people are going to lose weight when they do one of these specific recommendations,” Dr. Vito said. Ilacqua is the interim director of the EPA's Center for Scientific Analysis, whose research focuses on indoor air quality. “Seeing a reduction in mortality and morbidity in a really well-done study — that's very compelling evidence.”
Although science can't yet establish a direct link between air purifiers and health benefits, consumers should feel confident that using an air purifier is a practical — and healthy — choice, they say.
“The principle is that you just want to reduce exposure [to particulate matter] As much as you can,” said Matsui. The good thing we have is: indoor PM is bad for you, and if you use these air purifiers, you lower the PM, and the more you lower the PM, the more likely there is some health benefit to that.
Industry standards for air purifiers are under development, but they are not currently regulated in the US, and some companies are showing interest in indoor air quality. Excessive claims About the effectiveness of their products.
Experts say short Checklist It can ensure the choice of a quality product for home use.
The most important thing is that the air purifier is strong enough to work in the room or living area. Most portable air purifiers are rated by their Clean Air Delivery Rate or CDR rating. A higher price means that the product removes more particles and helps to clean a larger area. The rating typically reflects high-speed use, according to the EPA.
Tobacco smoke has smaller particles that are better treated with higher CADR levels, while dust is a pollutant with medium-sized particles, and pollen has larger particles, according to the EPA. Rooms with higher ceilings may require higher CADR ratings.
Products that include activated carbon filters help filter gases, but there is no rating system for this aspect.
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Experts generally advise against products that use ionization technology because harmful ozone is released into the air and can irritate the lungs. And some UV radiation technologies are being further studied to understand the safety of pesticides in non-medical settings.
In general, air cleaners with longer and higher fan speeds filter more air, which reduces exposure to airborne particles and is believed to reduce potential health effects—but there is no exact science on the extent of those interactions. Christmas.
And human behavior can affect how effective an air purifier is, experts say. Appearance and noise levels can be key factors in how well they can be used and have a chance to make a difference.
“I think what often happens is, people buy them, they're interested in using them, and then they don't use them, or they use them on a low setting,” Matsui said. “This is a black box that we don't understand: human behavior and how you actually use a tool or a tool or a tool in a real-life setting.”