Air Purifiers and Allergies - No Magic Bullet
I received a lot of questions about my last post - Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and it’s link to cardiovascular disease, that primary link being airborne particulates. One of the suggestions I made was to reduce the amount of airborne particulates in your house by, among other things, purchasing a high-quality air purifier. One reader with allergies took issue saying that she had purchased an air purifier in the past but that it had not had any affect on her allergies at all. She was now convinced that air purifiers in general are all a bunch of bunk.
Let me try to state things so that there’s no confusion. An air purifier does only what it’s name implies - it purifies the air that is drawn into and expelled from the unit. It does not cure or eliminate any type of ailment or disease, and any salesperson, product label, or advertisement that implies otherwise is not being honest or ethical. However, if used correctly, their use is beneficial in many situations.
Why Use an Air Purifier?
Then why do I frequently recommend them? Because in many cases, an air purifier - when used as part of a complete home IAQ program - does provide some degree of relief from allergy symptoms. Notice that I did not say it cures allergies, nor did I say that ALL of your symptoms will completely disappear. I said that they do provide some degree of relief in many cases (note that this also means that in some cases, they will not provide any type of relief at all).
Why is that? Why is it that some people will get relief from their allergies and others won’t? The answer is because Indoor Air Quality in general, and allergy in particular, is a complex issue with many causes and interconnecting factors.
The Many Causes of Allergies
There are many things in a typical home that can cause allergic symptoms in those individuals that are sensitive to them. These can include any or all of the following:
- Plant and Tree Pollens, including those from indoor plants
- Dust Mites
- Household Dust
- Mold
- Chemicals from cleaners, detergents, scented or perfumed sprays or candles
- Household pests including ants and roaches
- Pet Dander from Dogs and Cats
- Some foods, food additives and/or preservatives
In order to reduce allergic symptoms, you must have a home IAQ program in place that is consistently working to significantly reduce the levels of all of these allergens inside of your house.
Clearing the Air
Since most allergens in a typical home are airborne (you breathe them in), taking steps to clean, filter, or purify the inside air makes good sense. That’s why I recommend high efficiency air filters in your HVAC system in conjunction with the use of air purifiers. However, you also have to reduce or eliminate the source of the allergen. That includes regular cleaning with a HEPA-filtered vacuum, reducing the amount of carpeted areas, using hypoallergenic detergents and cleaners, changing bed linens often, keeping pets outdoors, and so on.
There is No Magic Bullet
Because there are so many things in a typical home that a sensitive person can be allergic to, there is no one single thing that you can do that will make all your symptoms go away. There is no “magic bullet.”
Reducing the amount of allergens in your home - and thereby reducing your allergic symptoms - takes a holistic approach and the main goal of improving IAQ. An air purifier is just one tool of several that can be used to help you accomplish this.
Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
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GOOD POINTS. IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT INSIDE OF A PERSON\’S HOUSE INCLUDES FOCUSING ON SEVERAL AREAS, NOT JUST ONE. MY COMPANY DOES DUCT CLEANING SO I SEE MANY OF THE SAME ISSUES YOU PROBABLY SEE.
SAM
Thanks for bringing that up Sam. If you’re having an issue with IAQ and you suspect your HVAC system, you need to address the ENTIRE air distribution system. This includes the duct work, cooling coil, fan, filter, and controllers.
In most American homes, the HVAC unit and ductwork is placed in the attic. Here in Houston, attic temperatures can easily reach 120 degrees or more during the summer. You can imagine that does to plastic ductwork. It literally cuts the service life in half.
If you decide to have your ducts cleaned, first make absolutely sure they need it. According to the EPA, just having dust in the ducts is not sufficient reason to have them cleaned. The reason is that air flow through the ducts forms a static charge on the walls of the duct which attracts and traps dust so having your ducts coated with a layer of fine dust is actually normal. However, if the layer of dust is so thick that it’s blowing into the house or if it’s getting wet and growing mold, then cleaning the ducts may be justified.
Second, if you decide to get your ducts cleaned, make absolutely sure you get a qualified and licensed contractor to do it. A company that doesn’t know what they’re doing will actually create a much, much bigger IAQ problem. Make sure you check references including a call to the Better Business Bureau.
Last, compare the cost of cleaning the ducts against the cost of having them replaced. It may be more cost effective. Keep in mind however, that the price from a professional duct cleaner should also include cleaning the cooling coil and other system components (make sure you check) so these may have to be added to the replacement cost.
One word of warning. Many duct cleaning companies will try to sell you on the application of special disinfectants and/or antimicrobial coatings - many of which are quite pricey. These are not needed in most cases but there are special cases in which they make sense. If the contractor recommends them, make sure you get them to explain why in a way that makes sense to you.
A great resource is the EPA’s publication “Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?” available at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html
Hiram
As an FYI, one of my partners just got all of the flex ducts in his home replaced. His AC was on all the time (it never cycled on and off like it was supposed to) and he wondered why the temperature in his attic was quite comfortable (duh!). He had all of the work done for just over $1,000.