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COVID-19 continues to put people all over the world, and especially in the United States, on edge. The thought of the virus proliferating in our own homes as schools – especially in my ventilated room – is enough to make most of us a little paranoid. What types of masks should we wear? Will washing hands really make a difference? Could air purifiers be another solution?
Now, to answer this last question, we have talked to a number of air quality experts. We’re asking if air purifiers can solve some of our air quality concerns – or at least limit them – or are we talking now? coronavirus virions floating in aerosol droplets around our house, or more everyday irritants such as pollen or pollution, such as smoke and smog.
No. testing a dozen of the leading air purifiers on the market, talking to specialists and reading dozens of studies on the subject, we came to a few answers.
If I want an air purifier, how do I find the right one?
For those of you who already want an air purifier, and want the bottom line recommendations, I have already written a comprehensive article that addresses this exact question. There are plenty of air purifiers on the market, and some of them are really impressively effective considering their reasonable price tags.
Keep reading for those who are still on the fence.
Do air purifiers really work?
This is one of the most popular questions online, and it is also a reminder of why close reading and skepticism are such useful tools when researching products as a consumer. Air purification developers may for some reason not advertise their devices as health products in the United States – mostly fundamentally because their benefits are not immediate. Instead of asking for unusual health results, cleaning ads usually focus on the number of harmful substances in the air and the effectiveness with which the devices filter them.
Molecule, which sells some of the most aesthetically pleasing cleansers on the market, was recently forced by the National Advertising Review Board to withdraw a number of misleading claims it has made since 2017.
David Priest / CNET
To answer the question in the most basic terms: yes, air purifiers generally effectively filter particles out of the air – especially if they use a HEPA filter (more on that in the next section). But most of us already have a mechanism to filter the air effectively: breathing. As microbiologist and vice-president of Scientific Communication at the American Council on Science and Health Dr. Alex Berezow pointed out in a recent blog post: “Living in the small air sacs in your lungs (called alveoli) are immune cells known as macrophages. These” big eaters “sneak bacteria, viruses, fungi, and anything else that happens to other clutter, in the lungs. “
In short, air purifiers work, but unless you live in a particularly polluted environment when you and your children are immunocompromised, you probably do not need one.
Do they protect against COVID, smoke with fire or other seasonal pollution?
HEPA, which stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air, is the standard that describes most air purifier filters currently sold in the US. To meet the standard, a filter must remove 99.97% of particles in the air that are 0.3 micrometers in size (a particularly difficult size to filter). HEPA filters are usually more effective with particles larger and smaller than those large. Dust traps, smoke particles and aerosol droplets that can transmit COVID can all be filtered out of the air with such a filter.
That said, do not rely on air purifiers to protect you if you are living with an infectious person. When I spoke on the phone with Dr. Richard Shaughnessy, the director of the Indoor Air Research University of Tulsa, said that transmission of COVID normally occurs through close contact with an infected person. If you sit on a couch and talk to someone who is infected, an air purifier across the room will not remove any harmful particles they exhale before they have a chance to reach you.
An additional problem is the difference between catching and killing virus particles. While HEPA filters will capture the particles, other technology, such as UV tech, will kill virions. Unfortunately, such technology often comes along its own risks,
The Coway air purifier is one of the best on the market. It incorporates ionic filtration technology, but has been certified by the California EPA to remove as much ozone in time.
David Priest / CNET
I have heard about ozone from air purifiers. Should I worry?
Ozone is a type of pollutant that has been found in the past that emits a narrow set of air purifiers. Before we dive into it, it is helpful to understand the basic types of air purifiers on the market. now,
The three most popular filtration methods that air purifiers use to clean the air are this: HEPA devices remove particles by introducing air through a specially designed and standardized filter; activated carbon filters remove odors and gaseous pollutants by passing air over “sorbent media”, which traps it; and finally ionic purifiers produce ions that attach themselves to particles.
Ionic cleaners work in a few ways. Some simply leave ionized particles adhering to surfaces around the house (thereby “removing” them from the air). Others have a plate that collects those ionized particles and often needs to be cleaned. The latter are the devices that have had problems with ozone production in the past. Fortunately, standards have risen in recent years and third-party companies are now testing ionic air purifiers to ensure they do not release significant ozone into the home.
Generally, I would prefer ionic air purifiers simply because they are not the most effective for the price. If you really want one, check to make sure it has a certification from Underwriters Laboratories like the California EPA, and states that it does not emit ozone.
Who would definitely benefit from an air purifier?
The research here is a bit complicated. Without getting too much into the weeds is one of the clearest demographics that benefits from air purifiers from HEPA filter children with asthma. Dr. Elizabeth Matsui, a professor of public health and pediatrics at the University of Austin’s Dell Medical School, researched the use of air purifiers in the homes of asthmatic children and told me about the value of air purifiers in such households.
Even an excellent air purifier like Blueair’s 411 will not achieve as much as cleaning and ventilating your home.
David Priest / CNET
Air purifiers, they warned, are no substitute for what they call “proximal source interventions.” For example, a HEPA air purifier can reduce particulate matter in the home of a smoker and children with asthma by 25% -50%. But that is not the best solution: ideally, the person should completely stop smoking in the house. A clean and well-ventilated environment – and of course good medical care – is far more important than an expensive air purifier.
And to be clear, while air purifiers can help asthma symptoms in children, says Dr. Matsui, “There is no good evidence that we can currently adapt the environment in a way that reduces rates of asthma, whether by air purifiers or by any other means. “In other words, air purifiers are useful devices for children suffering from asthma, but they will not in the first place reduce the chance of a child getting asthma.
With so many air purifiers on the market, finding the right one can feel overwhelming.
David Priest / CNET
If you have any other questions I did not answer above, please be sure to post them in the comments, and I will be happy to answer the article.
