Indoor air quality is a growing concern as modern homes are built to be airtight for energy efficiency. Unfortunately, this causes some dangerous side-effects: indoor air quality suffers as the exchange of indoor and outdoor air is limited, trapping indoor air pollutants inside as they build up to harmful levels. Thus, it is important to find a way to clean the air to help filter out as many pollutants as possible. A good quality air purifier removes harmful particulates such as dust, pollen, mould and bacteria from the air you breathe.
Air Pollution – Not Just Outdoors
We often think of air pollution as something we can find outdoors, but the air in your house or office could also be just as polluted and contaminated with germs and viruses. In fact, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that indoor air quality is 5 to 8 times more polluted than outdoor air. And guess where we spend 90% of our time indoors? That’s right; in our very own homes and offices.
Considering we breathe in an average of 14,400 litres of air daily, neglecting the quality of the air we are exposed to is no longer an option.
The Repercussions of Breathing Unclean Air Can Be Quite Scary
We are exposed to unclear air in our own homes every day. Biological pollutants, including molds, bacteria, viruses, pollen, dust mites, and animal dander promote poor indoor air quality and may be a major cause of days lost from work and school. In office buildings, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems are frequent sources of biological substances that are inhaled, often leading to breathing problems.
Usually, indoor contaminants only cause slight discomfort, from which we can be relieved as soon as the source is removed. However, these contaminants, which include particulates (dust, dander, pollen and tobacco smoke), gases (volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde, benzene, tuolene and various odours) and microbes (bacteria, virus, and mould spores), can also cause diseases that show up much later. These diseases can range from minor respiratory problems to cancer.
And These Facts about the Air We Breathe, Even Scarier
In 2012, the World Health Organisation (WHO) linked an estimate of 4.3 million deaths worldwide to indoor air pollution. Among these deaths, 12% are due to pneumonia, 34% from stroke, 26% from ischaemic heart disease, 22% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 6% from lung cancer. More than 50% of premature deaths among children under 5 years old are attributed to pneumonia caused by particulate matter inhaled from household air pollution.
In South Asia, indoor air pollution was also ranked as the third most dangerous health-related killer, just below low blood pressure and tobacco smoking. India in particular sees over a million people, among the highest in the world, dying every year due to indoor air pollution. Meanwhile, the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia reportedly saw 2.8 million and 2.3 million deaths respectively as a result of polluted air in 2012.
There is also emerging evidence which suggests that household air pollution in developing countries may also increase the risk of other important child and adult health problems, such as low birth weight and perinatal mortality (still births and deaths in the first week of life), acute upper respiratory infections, asthma, nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers, and cervical cancer.
Top Perpetrators
Radon, formaldehyde, and asbestos are substances which we are largely exposed to indoors. They also largely expose us to plenty of health risks. Indoor radon gas exposure, in particular, is estimated to be the second leading cause of lung cancer.
Meanwhile, heating systems and other home appliances using gas, fuel, or wood can produce several combustion products, of which the most dangerous are carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Household cleaning agents, personal care products, pesticides, paints, hobby products, and solvents are also sources of hundreds of potentially harmful chemicals. Such components in many household and personal care products can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye/skin/respiratory tract irritation, and cancer.
We have already mentioned how poor indoor air quality could lead to an increase in sickness absenteeism and lowered productivity in the workplace. Likewise, a study by William Fisk from the Californian Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that better indoor air quality boosts worker productivity by 0.5% to 5%, leading to estimated savings of between $20 billion to $200 billion per year.
A World Economic Forum article notes the importance of businesses designing products and services that meet the world’s ever growing social and environmental needs, in addition to government policy. Smart business should be about meeting unmet needs of huge proportions. Manufacturers should make it a point to use non-toxic materials. Product designers need to keep thinking of how they can add new functions to products that contribute to health and well-being, such as helping to reduce the indoor air pollution problem. Businesses must aim to combine the pursuit of profit with doing good.
Combatting Poor Indoor Air Quality
To help prevent growth of mould when humidity is high, make sure bathrooms, kitchens and basements have good air circulation and are cleaned often. The basement in particular may need a dehumidifier. Make sure the water in the dehumidifier is regularly emptied and the container cleaned often to prevent forming mildew.
And here is a list of technologies available to combat poor indoor air quality:
- Filters
- Electrostatic Precipitation
- Ultraviolet C Irradiation
- Bi Polar Ionisation
- Photo Catalytic Oxidation
AirPure 2
The Swiss design and technology featured in AirPure 2 incorporates an effective operation of air purification that is very comparable to many air purification systems of the same range. It has an Antimicrobila Prefilter that traps larger air particulates as well as destroy general bacteria as the first filtration stage, and a High Particle Potential (HPP) Filter, which is the heart of the Air Pure 2’s super air purification that removes smaller (0.3 micron size) particulates, destroying even more bacteria and removing harmful gases in the air.
AirPure 2 also features an Activated Carbon Filter, which removesunpleasant odours that are sucked into the filtration system, and the first-of-its-kind Amezcua Air Filter that energises the clean air from the Air Pure 2, harmonising the room environment to create a calming effect.
Aside from being one of the most silent air purifiers in the market today, AirPure 2 sports an elegant design (available in white and black) with customisable night light mode and a smooth rubber coating that fits both homes and offices. It also has lower voltage consumption than other products of the same nature and has five times more operation speed.
It is very important to pay attention to the air you breathe in the same way you think about the food you eat. Your health as well as your family’s health stays in good hands when you make this a priority.
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