Indoor Air Quality Investigations
The Best Way To Clean The Air Without Being Taken To The Cleaners!
With so many slick ads for so many air purifier products, how can the average person make an informed decision on the best product for their particular needs? I found a wealth of interesting ‘insider’ information into the world of air purifiers and air purifier marketers. Some of the more interesting facts I discovered:
Air purifier rating sites are not as objective as one might think. Most positive reviews are written by paid shills and most negative reviews are written by competitors slamming their competition. Even Consumer Reports has flawed reviews because they do not test or rate the best products, only the most popular, and they don’t test them for VOC removal capabilities. (VOC’s are the main indoor air quality concern and plastic air cleaners actually add to the problem and can’t help because they lack pounds of carbon or other VOC removal technologies such as Photocatalytic oxidation.
Product specs are misleading. For instance carbon content may be listed as 15 lbs but what they don’t tell you is that includes the weight of the canister; actual carbon weight may only be 9 or 10 lbs. We also discovered that most manufacturers rate their HEPA media by counting the inside and outside surface of the media, not just one side. So 60 sq ft of media is really only 30 sq ft of media for some models.
The only 2 manufacturers we found that rate their media on one side are Amaircare and Airpura. They are the only 2 who we found also offer correct specs on carbon content as well.
The best bang for you buck is a high quality washable electrostatic furnace filter, for instance the Air Care Electra Gold. 
If you run your HVAC system 24/7 (only cost around $5 a month in electricity to do so) you will change the air in your entire home 2 times per hour. You can also add a carbon pad to your furnace filter which adds VOC and odor removal capabilities. The Air Care filter is independently rated to remove 95% of particles over 1 micron. (very good). If you also add a UVC induct system, you’ll also have virus, bacteria, and mold protection to your whole house air purifier system.
Plastic air purifiers off-gas and add to the VOC problem. 
They also lack the pounds of carbon needed to remove VOC’s and odors from the air. Worst of all, their cheap filters have to be replaced every few months which adds up to $1000 or more in replacement filters over a 5 year period.
Another problem with cheap air cleaners, while the filters are rated as ’99.97% HEPA’, the actual particle reduction capabilities is 50-90% because air can bypass the filter (air goes to area of least resistance) because the HEPA filter is not properly sealed to prevent air bypass. Not only are you wasting money on filters that do not perform as well as advertised, you’re not dealing with VOC issues and actually adding to the problem!
Many people who purchase plastic air cleaners get sick when they first plug them in because of all of the off-gassing VOC’s (plastic smell) all that glue in the filter media and the plastic in the air cleaner is off-gassing into the air.
Many "whole house air purifiers" are actually ozone generators.
While ozone is safe and effective at cleaning the water and removing smoke and odors from unoccupied rooms, it is not safe to use an ozone generator as an air purifier because the oxidizers the kill microbes in the air can also harm the membranes in your lungs, nose, and eyes. Not a good trade-off!
I guess that the best approach when it comes to indoor air quality issues is to not believe much of what you read or hear about an air purifier but rather first take the following simple steps to improve clean your air;
- 1)Remove as many VOC producing products as possible form your home. That includes carpets, plastic products, and chemicals. For more information, check out the EPA website – An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality
- 2)Open the windows as often as possible to ventilate your living area.
- 3)Run your HVAC system 24/7 and utilize a high quality furnace filter. Also consider adding a carbon pad for VOC removal.
If you do those 3 things, you’ll drastically improve your indoor air quality at a price that won’t break the bank. 
If you feel you need an air cleaner, first look for products that can address VOC issues and shy away from air purifiers that produce ozone to purify the air in occupied areas. The Airpura V600 is the best VOC removal air purifier on the market. For smaller rooms, the best product I believe is the Amaircare Roomaid or Amaircare 2500. Good luck and as always, don’t believe anything a salesman or sales pitch says, research, ask good questions, and take your time before making any purchase and in the end you’ll be just fine.
By: Sergio Alcantara
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Sergio Alcantara owns www.air-purifiers-superstore.com and has been involved in the IAQ industry for over 6 years, now as an air purifier consultant and salesperson. www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html www.air-purifiers-superstore.com/Amaircare_test_results.html
A Clean Air Regulation Hazardous to Health
Current Ozone Regulations. The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set limits for air pollution that will protect public health “with an adequate margin of safety.” The EPA is also required to periodically review these criteria.
Ozone exposure can aggravate asthma and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections. Environmentalists believe the new proposed standard is not enough to protect the public’s health.
Tagged with: air cleaner ratings • rate air purifiers • Top Air Purifiers
Filed under: Air Purifier Comparisons
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