Can air purifiers make you sick?
Air purifiers are important, and play a major role in improving the air quality in the home, office or your indoor environment – as long as they are in the right condition. The same purifiers that serve you so well can also be the reason you get sick. You might be wondering if air purifiers can actually make you sick, which is likely why you are reading this right now.
There are many brands and models of air purifiers in the market today. This makes it challenging to figure out what the best one is. All of them make very good claims, and try to impress you with the cleaning technology that they use. But the real question is, can they actually contribute to worsening your own health? Read on to find out.
Why Are They Important?
Despite the claim that they lead to illness, air purifiers have many benefits in the world of today. They will purify and cleanse the air within your home through a range of different methods. This is why there are several different types of air purifiers.
The ones you can use within your home are ‘stand-alone’ units. However, if the house is very big or requires a bigger filter, then you use the system within the AHU, or the Air’s Handler Unit. In the case of commercial establishments and buildings, then they will require specialized kinds of filters that are installed within the HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) unit.
Keep in mind that the general classification of air purifiers is in two categories: passive and active. The passive ones have in-built filters, while the active ones use special technologies to filter the air, such as UV light, ozone and ionization techniques.
What Are The Benefits?
Before making judgments on whether air purifiers do you harm or good, it is important to know their benefits first. These include:
Purification of the air you inhale
You would want to feel relaxed and comfortable when you get home, not dealing with allergens and their aftereffects. The purifiers will remove various pollutants from your indoor spaces, which helps to aid this comfort, as they can remove air-borne particles even as minute as 0.03 microns.
They can play a role in reducing respiratory-related illnesses
If you happen to experience seasonal allergies (which happens to the best of us), the cause could be inhaling allergens that are triggering the conditions. Depending on the specific model you are using, it can remove almost 100% of pollutants, which decreases the chances of having allergies.
Some filter systems also have additional systems that will increase their efficiency, such as the incorporation of activated carbon filters to HEPA systems. These will allow them to eliminate odors as well, and other small-sized pollutants such as smoke.
Removal of pet dander
Pets are awesome to have and can be the greatest companions. However, that is quickly forgotten when you remember you have pet dander to deal with. This means they are quite high-maintenance. It is even worse if you own cats or dogs, since they tend to shed very frequently. They can even bring in odors, dust and germs from outside.
When you have an air purifier, though, it will take care of removing the dander that the animal leaves behind and any smells in the home. Just make sure to choose the correct filtration system for your pet, as there are some filters that can endanger their health and lives.
What Are The Problems That Result?
The question is, can air purifiers make you sick? The answer is both no and yes. The existence of air purifiers in your home can make you sick, but this has nothing to do with how the air purifier is structured or functions. And no, it cannot just make you sick without any reason. If you are feeling sick after the use of these, filters though, here are some potential causes.
The air purifier is wrongly placed
This is one common mistake that many people make. They place the filter in the wrong spot of their home, and this makes them sick. When you are installing them, you need to remember that this air is stale. So if you are exposed to it for long hours, it will eventually lead to nose bleeds, dizzy spells, and dry sinuses.
If this air combines with very low humidity levels, the effects become worse, and it leads to sore throats and dry eyes. You will need to, therefore, place the purifiers in strategic areas of the home, and not near to you (to reduce your exposure to it).
You do not maintain your air purifier correctly
There are some air purifiers that will require the constant replacement of their parts, especially the ones that contain filters. This will depend on the model, for instance some purifiers will need replacements after every six months, while others need it after two weeks.
The reason for this is to reduce the spread of dirt and dust. When the filter is clogged with dirt, the filter uses a lot more energy to perform its job, and isn’t as efficient. That means that it cannot remove all the particles that need to be removed, such as bacteria and germs.
Therefore, replace your filters on time, clean your system when you should, and purchase the replacements you need.
The air purifier is too elevated, even though it is properly placed
This might sound inessential, but it plays a part in the production of oxygen by the filter. When you position your purifier on higher places, the oxygen it produces will be less than when you would place it lower.
Less oxygen means that you have less clean air for breathing, which leads to breathing issues, dizzy spells and headaches. Despite this, there are some things you should keep in mind. Air purifiers will not lead to nose bleeds or sore throats. Make sure to install a humidifier and de-humidifier along with the air purification system.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the air purifiers will not make you sick – at least, not on their own. It all depends on other factors that you can control, in terms of installation and knowing the systems you are installing.
