Here in Sacramento, it’s popular to use air purifiers to improve indoor air quality. However, can allergy sufferers use them to reduce their allergen struggles? Here’s how air purifiers can help relieve allergy symptoms.
TRAPPING ALLERGENS AND FILTERING THE AIR
Do air purifiers help with allergies? Yes. Air purifiers clean the air by capturing allergens and releasing filtered and clean air back into the room.
Indoor air is often polluted with both liquid droplets and solid particles. These are called particulate matter. The particles in the air can vary in size. Some are fine particles, like dust and pollen, and others are larger particles, like pet dander.
When a person breathes the air in a home, these air particles find their way into their bodies. Air purifiers use filters to capture and remove the irritants. That way, allergic reactions can be stopped before they even happen.
The majority of air purifiers capture pollen and dust. However, high-end air purifiers use HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters to remove really small particles.
HEPA filters use a multi-layer network of fine fiberglass threads. Each thread is thinner than one strand of human hair. This makes them highly efficient at removing smaller allergy-causing particles from the air.
Different air purifiers are better for particular allergies. Different filtration technologies are best for certain allergens. Typically, the best air filters use a combination of technologies to destroy, reduce, and trap airborne allergens.
HOW DO AIR PURIFIERS HELP REDUCE ALLERGENS?
Patients with respiratory diseases connected to their allergies are often recommended air purifiers. The direct link between air purifiers and reducing disease symptoms still needs to be backed up by medical studies. However, there are plenty of reports from allergy sufferers on how air purifiers have helped them with their allergies.
Dust mites, pollen, and bacterial viruses fall within the range of particles removed by medical-grade air purifiers. Some air purifiers can remove bacteria and tiny particles as small as 0.1 µm. These include the particles released into the air when using natural gas for heating or cooking.
HELPING PEOPLE WITH PET ALLERGIES
Pet allergies are caused by more than just pet fur. Animal saliva and skin can also trigger respiratory-related allergic reactions in people.
These particles are very small, measuring under 2.5 µm. Because they are so light, they can stay in the air for a long time. It is also easier for them to travel through the home and make their way onto clothing, furniture, and floors.
Air purifiers can remove particles that trigger pet allergies, especially if the purifier is equipped with a HEPA filter. HEPA filters have the ability to filter out up to 99.97% of pollen, dust, and other airborne particles that are .3 µm or larger. So they can safely remove most of the pet dander from the air.
AIR PURIFIERS FOR POLLEN ALLERGIES
Many plants, grasses, and trees release pollen into the air during their reproduction process. You can see a cluster of pollen with the naked eye. However, an individual grain is too small to see without the help of a microscope.
Small pollen grains travel through the air and enter the home via doors, windows, and your home’s HVAC system. From there, they enter into a person’s body. It is nearly impossible to eliminate pollen from a home without using an air purifier.
Since HEPA air filters can remove these particles from the air, they can relieve allergy symptoms from pollen.
AIR PURIFIERS FOR DUST ALLERGIES
Dust is not a distinct material; it is a collection of different fine particles. You can expect skin cells, soil, pest byproducts, and even tiny creatures called dust mites. A person with a dust allergy is allergic to what is inside the dust. More times than not, it is the dust mites.
Thankfully, HEPA filters can easily remove dust and dust mites from the air. Ionic purifiers do an excellent job of destroying any organic pollutants. Air purifiers with UV light add another layer of protection. Ultraviolet light takes care of allergy-causing air particles like mold.
Clearly, air purifiers can help relieve allergy symptoms by helping deal with all of the nasty air particles that contain allergens.
CAN AIR PURIFIERS HELP WITH ASTHMA SYMPTOMS?
Some studies suggest a link between allergy triggers and asthma attacks. It appears that this happens with greater frequency in children than in adults.
There is one key thing to identify when trying to help an asthma sufferer. You must find out what they’re allergic to. If it’s an airborne allergen at fault, an air purifier designed to remove these allergens could help.
Of course, an air purifier in the home is not a replacement for treatments like inhalers. First, ask your doctor to see if they recommend an air purifier.
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