Air Purifier News

Avoid air quality hazards - in home

Filters, green cleaners can reduce harmful effects, experts say.

For some, the Chicago area can be a tough place to breathe.

Smoke, dust and mold add to the load of outdoor pollutants that easily make their way into homes -- and lungs. Air fresheners, household cleaners and even kitty litter can make the problem worse.

Simple changes in the home environment can reduce the irritating and harmful effects and create cleaner air quality, said Maureen Damitz, spokeswoman for the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago.

"The first thing is smoke outside," Damitz said. "It's the No. 1 trigger for most respiratory illnesses. It has long-term effects in children and it's a no-cost effort."
Avoid odor-masking air freshening sprays, she said. Find the source of the problem and eliminate it. Wash your dog weekly, change your cat litter more frequently, and, when possible, trade carpeted flooring or cloth furniture for wood or laminate flooring and vinyl or leather furniture, Damitz said.

Some paints, cleaners and other materials such as quick-dry glues often have a high level of volatile organic compounds -- carbon-containing substances that evaporate quickly into the environment and aggravate respiratory functions, Damitz said.

Rooms should be ventilated as instructed by manufacturers, and, where possible, try green cleaners and other environmentally sound products, she added.

Those air-purifying systems with a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter are the only type endorsed by the American Lung Association, Damitz said.

But all air purifiers are not created equal, said Dr. Michael B. Foggs, an allergy expert for the Advocate health care system that serves Chicago and suburbs. He disagrees with those who shun ozone-creating air filters.

Ozone is natural in the upper atmosphere but is considered a pollutant at ground level by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and is a component of smog.

As long as a purifier falls within the level of EPA standards, ozone is fine, Foggs said.

"Ozone is the way nature cleans the air," he said. "If you notice the fresh smell after the rain, that is ozone. The better filters actually produce a small amount of ozone. That's why the EPA has certain parameters for levels of ozone, because ozone is not inherently bad."

Joel Massel, executive director of the Chicago Asthma Consortium, said he suffers from dust and mold allergies. But last summer he made a few changes in his house.

"I have one of those air purifiers in my room, painted the walls, cleaned the carpet, got a new mattress and started using dye- and perfume-free laundry detergent," Massel said. "I'm not perfect, some days are bad. But I swear I feel 80 percent better. And I've been struggling with allergies for 20 years."