Nov 19
2007

Are you tired of vigorous and regular dusting of your home? Are you allergic to dust particles or do you or your loved ones suffer with asthma? Do you want a clean home environment free from microbes? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, it’s time to buy an air purifier.

What are air purifiers?

Air purifiers are electronic devices aimed at cleaning the air surrounding you from contaminators and microbe particles. There are various types of air purifiers available in the market according to your diverse needs.

So, why do you need an air purifier?

It is ‘ok’ to think that you should have an air purifier at home. But that thought alone is not enough. You should know why exactly you need an air purifier.

In fact there could be several reasons why you need an air purifier. The prominent one is cleaning the surrounding air from microbes. The majority of people buy air purifiers because they want a germ-free environment at home. These microbes include bacteria, germs, viruses and mold spores. You can buy an air purifier to cleanse your air and maintain a germ-free environment at home.

Allergens can be another reason why you would need an air purifier. People who are prone to allergic reactions like asthmatics want to stay free from certain allergens. These people specifically want a dust-free, a pollen-free and a dander-free environment at home.

You can buy an air purifier to clean the air from unpleasant odors. Domestic odors generally include stale cigarette smoke, cooking smells, litter boxes and body sprays. Even your pets sometimes produce unwanted smells. You might want to get rid of these odors at once.

Air purifiers will also clean the air leaving it free from gases and chemical fumes. These include formaldehyde, benzene, nail treatment products, cigarette smoke and much more.

Which Air Purifier?

There are different types of air purifiers available in the market. Each type works in its own unique way and is used for the different purposes. Let us take a look at what are the different types of air purifiers available on the market.

HEPA Filter Air Purifiers

HEPA Filters are capable of trapping 99.9% of particles, of at least 0.3 micron in size, from the air around you. These filters use a cloth type filter and are highly effective in clearing almost 100 percent of the harmful particles found in the room air. These purifiers come with an added benefit of replaceable filters.

HEPA Filters last a long time, depending upon the severity of air contamination in your home. These purifiers, however, have one basic flaw. They make some noise and most people prefer silent air purifiers. However, these filters are highly effective and efficient in freeing the air around you of allergens. There are certain advantages to buying this air purifier. It is very effective in trapping allergens. Once trapped, the allergens cannot be released back in the air again.

HEPA Filters do have certain disadvantages; they are not useful for removing chemical fumes, gases or odors from the air at all.

Ozone Air Purifiers

Ozone Air Purifiers make use of ozone gas. Ozone is a highly reactive oxidant. It is capable of destroying certain bacteria and chemicals from the air.

The ozone gas works in a highly controversial way. The ozone gas reacts with air to break the substances present in the air into further pollutants. This can be ascertained as one disadvantage of using these air purifiers. Nevertheless, Ozone Purifiers remains highly effective in ridding the air of unpleasant odors.

Carbon Air Purifiers

Carbon Air Purifiers are used mainly for removing from the air chemicals, smoke and gases. They consist of a system of pores which are tiny in size. These pores readily absorb the chemicals and gases from the air, as they are made up of carbon. They react with carbon and bond with it and get trapped.

Ionic Air Purifiers

Ionic Purifiers work in a unique way. They come with two plates, each having an opposite charge of the other. The air particles with either of the charge get attracted to the plates and they are led out of the house. This process is known as ionizing the air. These purifiers are highly effective in removing fine particles from anywhere in the room.

Ultraviolet Light Air Purifiers

Ultraviolet Light Purifiers are highly effective against the microbes present in the air surrounding you. These consist of ultraviolet lamps which sterilize the micro-organisms such as bacteria and virus. As a result, the microbes are not able to grow and reproduce any longer in the air. These air purifiers are highly effective against disease-causing microbes.

About the author:

Mike writes articles on a number of different topics. For more Air Purifier resources please visit http://www.air-purifier-guide.org/airpurifier/ and for additional air purifier articles please click on http://www.air-purifier-guide.org/airpurifier-articles/

Written By: Mike

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Trackback  •  Posted in Asthma  


Oct 8
2007

What is an allergy?

An allergy is a super-sensitivity to a substance that is not harmful to most other people. These substances are called allergens. The common allergens include pollen, mould, dust mites, cockroaches and pet dander. Some people also have food allergies. Some people have symptoms with strong chemical fumes, odours (including perfumes, fragrances in household cleaners and detergents), smoke and air pollution. These compounds are chemical irritants and not true allergens. The common symptoms of allergy include hay fever, asthma, eczema or food reactions.

How do I know if I have allergies?

Hay fever is the most common allergy problem in Canada. The typical symptoms of hay fever are sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes, a dry cough and itching. Asthma is a lung condition which can lead to shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing. Eczema is a skin condition which often involves a dry itchy rash. True food allergy reactions can include hives, itchiness, shortness of breath, throat tightness, lightheadedness or stomach pain after eating the food allergen. Allergies can be a serious medical condition and you should consult your doctor if you suspect you have them. A doctor may recommend allergy scratch tests (a type of skin testing in which suspected allergens are applied to the skin, scratched and observed for a reaction in 15 minutes). Skin tests should always be done under the supervision of a qualified physician with an expertise in allergy.

How are allergies treated?

The first step in an effective allergy treatment plan is to make some simple lifestyle changes that will limit your exposure to allergens. I would suggest having allergy scratch tests done before any major lifestyle changes are made. After the allergy scratch tests you will know the likely causes of the allergy symptoms. One can avoid pollen by keeping windows closed and air conditioning on during the high-pollen seasons. Most of the mould that causes allergies is from the outdoors. Therefore, keeping the windows closed is helpful. If you notice mould in the house it should be cleaned with diluted bleach. The best ways of avoiding dust mites are to purchase proper dust mite proof pillows and mattress covers, remove carpet from the bedroom, wash the bedding in hot water and to keep the humidity around 40 percent. Vacuuming and duct cleaning are actually not very effective at removing dust mites. The only way to remove pet allergens completely from the home is to keep the pet outdoors or to give the pet away. By keeping pets out of the bedroom, washing pets weekly and removing carpets from the bedroom, you can decrease your total pet allergen exposure. If you have a true food allergy, that food should be completely avoided.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist about which medications would help you manage your allergy symptoms. Antihistamines are the most common medications used to treat hay fever. Antihistamines block the action of histamine released by the immune system and are effective at reducing sneezing, runny nose and itchy, watery eyes. They are particularly effective at relieving the symptoms of seasonal hay fever and should be taken as soon as an allergy attack develops. You may also need a decongestant to reduce nasal congestion. Some antihistamines can cause side effects such as drowsiness and they should be avoided if you have to drive, work or perform tasks that require you to be alert. There are several websites offering good information on allergies, for example, visit www.claritin.ca.

About The Author

Dr. Harold Kim is an allergy specialist based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web. News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

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