Breathe Healthy Air in the One Place You Can Control

At least 186 million Americans’ health are in danger from polluted air according to a report issued last month by the American Lung Association.

In fact, “ 60 Percent of Americans Live In Areas Where Air is Dirty Enough to Endanger Lives.”

This is especially bad news for those with respiratory conditions like asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. Some research shows that this level of air pollution also increases risk of heart attacks and strokes.

So it behooves us to ensure that we get clean air in the on place we can control – inside our homes. If you have young children, work at home or are older (lungs have reduced capacity with age) or have respiratory or allergy problems take action.

With the affordable, newer whole home air cleaning systems, you can avoid time-consuming and messy maintenance (just 1 – 2 filter changes a year for a total of no more than 10 minutes). More importantly, unlike room-only air cleaners (who lives in a closed room after all?) and the older air cleaning units, you can now get a continuously high-performing system bolted right onto your hvac system. I recommend a new, non-metallic (no rust, etc.) technology that cam out about 4 years ago called AspenAir Inside.

The key is to remove the tiny, airborne particles that go deep into the lungs, the so-called RSPs.

BTW, “Visalia and Fresno, two mid-size towns in central California ranked high for short-term and year-round particle pollution. Birmingham, Ala., and Cincinnati were listed in the top 10 of metro areas with unhealthy levels of year-round particle pollution. In the Southwest, the Houston, Dallas and Phoenix metro areas had high ozone levels.

Home Air Pollutants a Danger to Breast-Fed Infants

More than chemicals in a mother’s milk, breast-fed babies face a greater risk from dirty air at home. An infant's exposure to gases known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor air was 25-135-fold higher than from breast milk. "We ought to focus our efforts on reducing indoor air sources of these compounds," said Sungroul Kim of Johns Hopkins.

VOCs are gases emitted from solids and fluids such as paints, cleaning supplies, building materials, printers, glues and photographic solutions. The EPA found levels of a dozen common organic pollutants to be up to five times higher inside a house than outdoors, regardless of whether the home was in an urban or rural area.

Women who smoke less than men...

...are at a much greater risk for colorectal and pancreatic cancer than men.

Also even “an occasional cigarette puff”decreases the ability of most anyone’s arteries to function for a week and sometimes longer. Way back in 2001 over 250 babies died of SIDS from inhaling secondhand smoke. Tobacco accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide. It’s “the leading preventable cause of death in the world.”

Smoking is part of a daily ritual for many so a 2008 ad campaign may help some smokers quit. One TV spot, “ shows a guy trying various desperate ways to drink the coffee without smoking.” Voiceover: “When you're used to always doing something with a cigarette, it can be hard to do something without one. But if you can relearn how to drink coffee without cigarettes, you can relearn to do anything without cigarettes.”

Smoke? Love a smoker? Yes, it’s a nasty habit that’s hard to quit. Shocking images don’t spur everyone to try, but you can hope, and then act to help others at home breathe healthier air.

How Green is Your Realtor?

The upside in looking for a new home during these uncertain economic times is that it’s easier to get expert help to find a home that is green and healthy. Now there’s over 4,000 Realtors who've become Ecobrokers. Their environmental curriculum covers everything from energy efficiency to solar energy, indoor air quality and green financing. An Ecobroker can help you assess the green features of a home and recommend changes if you are selling or buying.

Some firms have an impressive team of green experts. A shining example is the Green Key Real Estate (the first and only green real estate company in San Francisco), led by Chris Bartle. He’s also on the board of Build It Green, a member of the California Association of Realtors Green Task Force and a Certified Green Building Professional.” Ecobroker, Carson Matthews writes that “A tight well built house gives you the foundation to add all of these other (green) ingredients.” Just be sure that your well-sealed home doesn’t keep more air pollutants inside. You want your home to be green and healthy.

Eco-socialite Says Green Goes With Everything

When her son was diagnosed with asthma, eco-socialite, Sloan Barnett sought relief, not from the steroid her doctor recommended, but by taking preventive measures. She went green in what she bought for her home and to clean it – not surprising as her husband runs Shaklee.

Yet, to complete the preventive measures, one needs to remove the tiny airborne particles that can go deep into the lungs, causing asthma, allergies and other respiratory and even heart problems. This isn’t just a one-time or periodic task. You need constant air cleaning protection that only a highly-efficient, whole home air cleaner can provide. Even HEPA-grade, room-only, portable air cleaners can’t do a thorough job unless you stay in one room without opening the door and windows – and keep the unit on all the time. That’s not the way we live. And asthma is on the rise. The good news is that a continuously high-performing system is affordable now. AspenAir Inside, for example, is easy to install, requires less than 10 minutes of maintenance a year (one to two filter changes), is quiet, and doesn't emit harmful ozone as some air cleaners do. Winter is coming. Will you be spending more time indoors? Now might be a good time to consider cleaning up the air you breathe in the one place you can control – in your home.

New Way to Protect Your Infant From a SIDS Death

A fan in the room where your infant sleeps may reduce the risk that your infant dies from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 72 percent a study suggested today. They may benefit from better air ventilation. That’s because infants who die from SIDS may have brain abnormalities that prevent them from gasping and waking when they don't get enough oxygen. SIDS may be caused, in part, when a baby breathes back in exhaled carbon dioxide. A fan ventilates the air and may break up the carbon dioxide that pools near the infant's nose and mouth.

"This is actually a miracle in public health, “ said Dr. De-Kun Li of Kaiser Permanente who led the study, yet the study was small. More research is needed according Dr. Fern Hauck, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics SIDS task force.

Results from earlier studies offered other actions that reduce the chances of SIDs death:
• Have a firm mattress an fitted sheet in the crib
• Use a pacifier at night
• Don’t use heavy blankets or turn the temperature up in the room – to keep your infant from getting too warm.
• Do not have infants sharing a crib.
• Place your baby on his or her back in bed – even for short naps (“back to sleep”)
• Do not have toys, pillows or other objects in the crib

SIDS remains the leading cause of death in babies after one month of age. The good news is that SIDs deaths have gone down as parents have adopted some of these measures. Also consider what your infant is breathing in the bedroom – and check the air in your home as it may be polluted.

The Danger of Asthma During Pregnancy

This may also startle you. "Asthma is the most common chronic condition in pregnancy. Despite the frequently held notion that it is harmless, asthma can cause tremendous morbidity to both the fetus and the mother. In fact, severe and/or poorly controlled asthma has been associated with numerous adverse perinatal outcomes," according to Markus Little, MD and Richard Sinert, DO. Some of those dire outcomes include including preeclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, uterine hemorrhage, premature birth, congenital anomalies, fetal growth restriction, and low birth weight. If someone you know is pregnant, she may want to take preventive steps now to clean the air at home - the one place where she can reduce the chances of an asthma attack. Relatedly, there's a study that could increase a pregnant woman's stress. It found that women who are stressed during pregnancy bear children who are "at a greater risk for allergies or asthma."

Plants to Clean Your Air at Home

In his popular book How to Grow Fresh Air, Dr. B. C. Wolverton shares his NASA research on cleaning indoor air using house plants. His work led to improving air quality in space stations and long manned missions. Now he applies what he learned to what you can do at home. That's good news since blankets, toys, gas stoves, computers, and carpets can lead to allergies, asthma, even cancer. Some research indicates they might contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Wolverton has found that common indoor potted plants may improve indoor air by reducing levels of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

VOCs, (including benzene and hexane) exist at low levels in many homes. Some, like benzene, find their way inside through pollution from traffic outside. Others emerge as a result of their use in paints, carpeting, and furniture fabric, especially in new or recently refurbished buildings. VOCs can contribute to “sick building syndrome,” a phenomenon that causes dry eyes, nose and throat, headache, lethargy, and nausea.

400 plants can absorb toxic heavy metals and contaminants, like lead and arsenic, from soil and water through a process called phytoremediation. The plant’s root system literally absorbs pollutants and transports them to the leaves, where they remain until the plant is harvested. In some instances plants such as the poplar tree can even break down pollutants, like the pesticide atrazine, and make them harmless.

Wolverton found that some of the best air cleaners are the Areca Palm and Lady Palm, as well as Dracaenas and Chrysanthemums.

Ozone Air Purifiers Banned in California

It wasn’t easy I’ve heard. An agency in my state (California) took a courageous stand for healthy air at home last year. In a step that surpassed the federal and other state efforts to regulate the emissions from air purifiers, the California Air Resources Board “banned popular in-home ozone air purifiers.” From these ostensibly home air cleaning devices a half million Californians have been exposed to amounts of ozone above the federal government’s health standard. The agency actually named the culprits.

While many people aren’t yet aware of this regulation, it finally goes into effect in 2009.

Reported L.A. Times’ Janet Wilson, “The machines deliberately inject ozone into a living room or bedroom, or directly into nasal passages via a personal breathing device worn around the neck. They have been marketed on the radio and over the Internet for years under brand names such as Living Air Purifier, Mountain Air or Fresh Air.

The companies also employ direct marketing, in which salespeople who say they are satisfied consumers go door-to-door or advertise the products to friends and colleagues, then earn a commission for each unit sold.” A quick "google" check shows a legion of these devices are marketed online. Homeowners do have safe alternatives.

From carpet fibers to mildew on grout..

... home air pollutants can be fixed in one of three ways, according to the conscientious people at Green Building Supply: preventative, curative or alternative. Their chart is the best I’ve found so far for a quick review of what you can do. Now, if they would also take the whole home, rather than single room approach, in recommending ongoing home air pollution removal, I’d be a complete fan.

For Healthier Air at Home: Get a Portable Unit or a Whole Home System?

Over at the blog Ultra Clean and Pure, the author, who sells portable, room-only air cleaners, warns against buying a system to clean the air throughout your home.

The author writes that they are “around $15,000.” Yes, a few of them are expensive. Yet you can get a highly-efficient unit for $1,000. It is called AspenAir Inside. It can be installed in 40 minutes or less.

The blog author also writes that “the electric rates are also quite expensive.” A good whole home air cleaner is actually an energy saver.

Plus, with the non-metallic technology used by AspenAir Inside (unlike the metal plates or pins in traditional electronic air cleaners) you can avoid the messy and time-consuming cleaning of many whole home systems. All you have to do is replace a filter once or twice a year. It is so simple it takes five minutes or less.

There is more to consider when looking at a portable units. With any single room air cleaners, efficient air cleaning can only happen in one room – with the system running all the time. We are social animals by nature. Few of us will live in a single room – without opening the door or windows.

Plus systems using HEPA filters require more frequent filter changes than, say, AspenAir Inside – and they are relatively expensive.

Also some portable units and some whole home cleaners emit harmful ozone.

Now, with winter is coming, you’ll be spending more time indoors. Perhaps now is a good time to read “Why You May Want Healthier Air at Home - and How to Get It.” (There are others reasons too.)

Allergic to Your Pet? Unwilling to Say Goodbye?

Even with your asthma or allergy, you won’t give up your beloved pet. Right? Few will. Some make their dogs unexpected stars on YouTube (“Doberman attacking Chihuahua”). Or create montages of their cat’s odd antics or sleepiness. One substitutes a ball machine for a nanny to keep their beloved pet entertained and, well, fit. Another besotted owner actually trains his Jack Russell to entertain, perhaps for a new sport category in an imaginary pet Olympics.

Yet if your pet makes you sneeze, tear up or worse you can take steps to dander-proof your home. That helps. Yet even in the cleanest home, action happens. Dirty particles get raised into the air. So it helps to make the air throughout your home cleaner than fresh air. Get a relatively new air filler that bolts right onto your home (HVAC) heating system. It is made by AspenAir Inside. It uses less than 2 watts to remove 99% of what’s called Respirable Suspended Particles in air.

BTW, here’s good news for those who don’t own a pet, are allergic to cats yet yearn for one. An ostensibly hypoallergenic cat is waiting for you – for just $35,000.

Even the biggest messes and toughest stains ...

... can be attacked effectively with baking soda, borax, lemon juice and more. You'll also spend less money and reduce packaging, believes Brian Clark Howard at the Daily Green. (Kudos to you, Deborah Barrow for this gem of a site.)

What’s the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the U.S.?

Carbon monoxide according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Yet while 93% of U.S. homes have smoke alarms, the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that only 15% have carbon monoxide alarms.

Such alarms are vital because carbon monoxide is virtually invisible to us. It is a flammable, colorless, odorless and tasteless toxic gas.

You can’t see or smell carbon monoxide, but at high levels it can kill a person in minutes.
- Low levels of carbon monoxide poisoning are mistaken for flu or cold symptoms - shortness of breath on mild exertion, mild headaches, nausea.

- Higher levels cause dizziness, mental confusion, severe headaches, nausea, fainting on mild exertion. Very high levels lead to unconsciousness and death.

Avoid dangerous CO levels in your home:

• Install a battery-operated CO detector/alarm in your home and check or replace the battery when you check your smoke alarms and change the time on your clocks each spring and fall. Mount the detector/alarm on the ceiling at each level in your home.

• If you are suffering from continuing, chronic flu-like symptoms, see your doctor and ask her if it could be a low-level CO poisoning.

• If you have a CO detector, and it alarms, immediately open windows and ventilate your home with fresh air, have your heating system checked by a professional.

• Be sure that CO is not escaping from any fuel-burning appliance (furnace, water heater, fireplace, woodstove, or space heater.)

• Do not block or seal shut exhaust flues or ducts for appliances such as water heaters, ranges, and clothes dryers.

• If you live in a newer home, it is probably built to be very air-tight. Thus it cuts down on the supply of fresh air to your furnace, creating an oxygen starved flame. As well, tight closing replacement windows and doors, as well as additional insulation can cause similar “air-tight” problems in older homes.

• Be sure your flues that are connected to new high-efficiency furnaces and water heaters are sized right. If not, they can cause CO spillage.

• Also many new furnaces and water heaters are installed using the existing chimneys that may be the wrong size to allow the furnace to vent properly.

• Carbon monoxide can spill into the home from vent connections in poorly maintained or blocked chimneys. If the flue liner is cracked or deteriorated, CO can seep inside through the liner, slowly creeping up to dangerous levels. If a nest or other materials restrict or block the flue, CO will mostly spill back into the house.

• Never warm up vehicles in a garage attached to your home, even when your garage door is open. Do not operate other gasoline-powered engines in confined areas such your garage or basement.

Do not leave your car, mower, or other vehicle running in an attached garage, even with the door open.
You may be allowing concentrated amounts of CO to enter your home through the garage door or near-by windows.

• Get an EAC (electronic air cleaner) that attaches to your existing HVAC system, one that is sufficiently efficient to eliminate harmful levels of CO in your home.

Got a Dog? Your Kids May Snore Later ...

If your child has any of these experiences she is more likely to snore as an adult:

• Being hospitalized for a respiratory infection before the age of two years.
• Suffering from recurrent ear infections as a child.
• Growing up in a large family.
• Being exposed to a dog at home.

What can you do? If you don’t give away your dear pet (a wrenching thought) - or even if you do - then you could make the air at home much cleaner.

So found Karl A Franklin from University Hospital Umea, Sweden. His research was published in August, 2008, in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research.

Car Fumes (Is Your Garage Attached to Your Home?)

Donna Barnett of Chasing Clean Air, called Steve Ferguson, a senior engineer at the Harvard School of Public Health. She sought his advice about buying a device that could measure the air pollution in her home. That got them to talking about the kinds of substances in home air that she should worry about.

According to Barnett, Feguson said he “is most concerned with VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in car fumes. He noted his concern for people with garages attached to their house--what else are they bringing in the house when arriving?

He made an interesting comment: It'd be interesting to study the health of truck drivers, since they breathe the most particulate matter. Poofs of diesel smoke from their smokestack frequently dump along the truck's surface, and behind the truck where the airflow is rough and turbulent.

Trucks frequently follow one another in truck lanes so they'd breathe fine particulate matter the most.

What’s the Asthma Capital for 2008?

What city is most likely to trigger an asthma attack? Statistically speaking it is Knoxville, a distinction it was unfortunate to win in 2004 and 2007 as well. Some of the reasons for this dirty award are, “higher than average annual pollen levels, high air pollution, lack of “100% smoke-free” laws and patient over-use of asthma rescue medications.”

The good news in announcing such designations is that the media is more likely to cover the growing problem of asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems.

Oh yes, here are the other cities that were “honored”:

2. Tulsa, OK
3. Milwaukee, WI
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Memphis, TN
6. Allentown, PA
7. Charlotte, NC
8. Greenville, SC
9. St. Louis, MO
10. Greensboro, NC

Notice how many are in the south.

See this slide show of the “worst asthma cities.”

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America based the rankings on 12 factors in three groups:
• Prevalence Factors – morbidity and mortality statistics
• Risk Factors – air quality, pollen, "100% smoke-free" laws, poverty and more
• Medical Factors – medication usage and access to specialists

Now to the good news….
Least 10 Challenging Asthma Capitals:
The following cities are among the 100 cities in the US with the highest population. However, among those 100 cities, these are the ten that ranked the lowest overall in the prevalence, risk, and medical factors.

1. Sarasota, FL
2. Seattle, WA
3. West Palm Beach, FL
4. Spokane, WA
5. Melbourne, FL
6. Fort Myers, FL
7. Daytona Beach, FL
8. Minneapolis, MN
9. San Francisco, CA
10. Colorado Springs, CO

Notice that half are located in Florida.

5 Tips for Reducing Asthma or Allergy Attacks at Home

The American Lung Association and the EPA offer four tips for relieving respiratory problems at home and I’ll suggest a fifth.

1. Reduce or remove asthma and allergy triggers. They include:
• Cold air.

• Tobacco smoke and wood smoke.

• Perfume, paint, hair spray, or any strong odors or fumes.

• Allergens (particles that cause allergies) such as dust mites, pollen, molds, pollution, and animal dander - tiny scales or particles that fall off hair, feathers or skin - and saliva from any pets.

• Common cold, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses

2. Use air filters and air conditioners -- and properly maintain them.

3. Pay attention to the problem of dust mites. Work hard to control this problem in the bedroom.

4. Vacuum cleaners with poor filtration and design characteristics release and stir up dust and allergens. Select a unit with high-efficiency filters such as micro filter or HEPA media, good suction, and sealed construction.

Ask for test data from manufacturers to determine the quantity and size of dust particles captured (e.g., 96 % at 1.0 micron or 99.97% at 0.3 micron). Alternately, consider a central vacuum that exhausts particulate outside the home.

5. Just as there is a wide variation in vacuum cleaner perform, air filters vary. Along with purchasing a HEPA-level vacuum, also get a HEPA-equivalent Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC). EACs perform better than conventional whole home air filtering systems. In fact the EAC technology used by AspenAir Inside also uses less energy, does not require a whole new HVAC system, installs quickly, lasts longer and requires less maintenance. Learn more here.

Here’s “ten more tips to making your home asthma-friendly.” (PDF)

Think you or someone you love has asthma? See the free online test here, to help a doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

Best Plants for Better Air at Home

Blankets, toys, gas stoves, computers, and carpets can lead to allergies, asthma, even cancer, and might contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Common indoor potted plants may improve indoor air by reducing levels of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

VOCs, which include benzene and hexane, exist at low levels in many indoor environments – including homes. Some, like benzene, find their way inside buildings through pollution from traffic outside. Others emerge as a result of their use in paints, carpeting, and furniture fabric, especially in new or recently refurbished buildings. VOCs can contribute to “sick building syndrome,” a phenomenon that causes dry eyes, nose and throat, headache, lethargy, and nausea.

In his popular book How to Grow Fresh Air, Dr. B. C. Wolverton shares his NASA research on cleaning indoor air using house plants. His work led to improving air quality in space stations and long manned missions. Now he applies what he learned to what you can do at home.

Some 400 plants can absorb toxic heavy metals and contaminants, like lead and arsenic, from soil and water through a process called phytoremediation. The plant’s root system literally absorbs pollutants and transports them to the leaves, where they remain until the plant is harvested. In some instances plants such as the poplar tree can even break down pollutants, like the pesticide atrazine, and make them harmless.

Some of the best overall plants are the Areca Palm and Lady Palm, as well as Dracaenas and Chrysanthemums.

To ensure that the air in every room of your home is cleaner – even than fresh air – also consider getting an electronic air cleaner (EAC) attached to your HVAC system – one that does not emit harmful ozone.

Why You May Want Healthier Air at Home - and How to Get It

While we worry about smog, worse pollution is closer to home. In fact it is in our homes.

As reporter Chandra Shikhar discovered, “more than three decades after the Clean Air Act, the air outdoors is much cleaner … but indoor air is another matter.” “Pollutants inside buildings vastly outnumber those outside”, said Jed Waldman at the California Department of Health Services.

Yet there’s good news. You can take a few, powerfully simple steps to make the air inside your home – the one place you can control – better than the air outside. Here’s to living healthier and longer with clean air at home.

Five Alarming Facts to Motivate You to Act

1. 50 percent of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by poor indoor air quality.

2. Asthma is now the most common chronic disorder in childhood, affecting an estimated 6.2 million children in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association.

3. The EPA ranks poor indoor air quality as one of top five public health risks. (Asthma, allergies, and other breathing difficulties, lung and heart disease, headaches and dizziness.)

4. Americans spend nearly 90% of their time indoors.

5. Indoor air pollution can be two to fives times to sometimes 100 times higher than outdoor air pollution.


Who is Most Vulnerable to Dirty Air?

Those most at risk to polluted air in their home:

• Infants and young children.
• People with asthma, allergies or other respiratory illnesses or who have heart or lung problems – especially those who also lead stressful lives.
• Elderly, most of whom have reduced lung capacity.
• Smokers and those who live with them.
• People who work at home.
• Those in colder climates who tend to stay inside even longer.
• People in urban areas.
• Those living in energy-efficient or other well-built homes that seal air inside.

Even Tidy, Conscientious People Get Sick From Their Home

Even if you use non-toxic products, clean regularly, have a HEPA vacuum cleaner and do not smoke, nor have asbestos or damp surfaces or use a fireplace or a wood stove, you are still vulnerable to the tiniest particles in your home – the respiratory suspended particulates (RSPs).

They become airborne from even slight actions such as walking on the carpet, sitting on a sofa or lifting a blanket. The particles are microbial air contaminants, ranging from bacteria and viruses to fungi and spores. They include pollens, spores, asbestos fibers, insect debris, food remnants, and pet dander.

What Makes RSPs So Dangerous?

Size does matter. RSPs are so small that you can breathe them deep into your lungs. Multiple studies show they cause acute or chronic health effects. They enter the blood or lymph tissue and cause a host of respiratory problems. Those who are allergic to respirable particles succumb to a range of health problems, from allergic rhinitis to bronchial asthma. Radon and benzo-a-pyrene (suspected carcinogenic agents) are transported by RSPs into the lungs.

Gases or other substances may also be carried by RSPs into the lungs. Respiratory illness, especially chronic illnesses like bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma may be linked to, or aggravated by, exposure to RSPs.

Lung damage may be small yet it is cumulative. That is especially devastating for young children as the effect of the damage increasingly reduces lung capacity as they age. Recent research shows that respiratory problems from RSPs and other air pollutants can also lead to heart problems.

It Gets Worse

These pollutants affect you more if you are sensitive to them or the longer you are exposed to them – for example, the amount of time you spend at home. Health dangers range from itchy eyes to allergic reactions to more dangerous effects such as a damaged immune systems, reduced lung capacity, heart difficulties and cancer. Slightly larger particles, such as pollen, dander and house-dust allergens, don't penetrate your lungs as deeply, but they can cause debilitating allergic responses.

Choose the Most Efficient Air Cleaner for Your Home

You can get a whole home air cleaner if you have a forced air system, meaning you have a furnace or furnace and air conditioner. Then you already have a basic mechanical filter. That’s your first, crude level of defense against air pollution.

These mechanical filters are typically made of a coarsely woven metal. They can only remove large particles of dirt and hair. Even that capacity is greatly reduced when the filters are not replaced regularly. Worse yet, these mechanical filters can’t capture the tiny RSPs. If you do not have a forced-air system or want to consider a portable, room-only device, here’s the basics you need to know.

Get a Portable Room-only Device or a Whole Home System?

The next step is to choose between a portable room-only cleaner and a whole home cleaner. Unfortunately, some don’t have that choice. You can’t get a whole home system if you do not have a forced-air home furnace or air conditioning system.
In considering portable devices you have two kinds: ones with mechanical filters or ionizers.

Mechanical Filter-Based Portable Air Devices

The best kind of portable systems meet the HEPA (high efficiency particulate air filters) standard. That means they can capture 99.97 percent of the airborne particles 0.3 microns and larger that pass through the filter. These include tobacco smoke, household dust and pollen. Mechanical filters draw air through a flat, pleated or high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) surface to trap particles.

That design means HEPA filters can be efficient in the beginning yet tend to clog easily. Clogging reduces airflow and thus their ability, over time, to remove pollutants. Filters must be changed with some frequency to maintain HEPA-level efficiency. Not all if us remain that diligent, even if we intend to be. “Gary McEldowney, the marketing director for AllergyBuyersClub.com, said the cost of a purifier could range from $150 to $700, depending on size and features. Replacement HEPA filters cost $40 to $150.” Other models are much more expensive.

Another obvious disadvantage is that a single room cleaner can’t keep the rest of the air in your home clean. It can’t even maintain the high HEPA standard in the room in which it is used, unless it runs continuously and the door and windows to the room are kept closed – an unlikely possibility.

Put simply, this room-only approach is akin putting a bandaid on a wound.

Portable Room Ionizers

Ionizers emit a small charge to the air stream that causes particles to adhere to the filter or other surfaces by a magnetic-like attraction. But this is not efficient as particles can become re-suspended.

Worse yet, ionizing emits ozone, a lung irritant that is also linked to other health problems. It can have damaging health effects, especially for those with asthma and other lung diseases, children and the elderly.

According to Consumer Reports and the EPA, “While some indoor air pollutant concentrations decline in the presence of ozone, other pollutants increase. In fact, upon reaction with ozone, some previously undetected, toxic chemicals emerge in indoor air, including formaldehyde and other aldehydes.” See the EPA’s article, "Ozone Generators Sold as Air Cleaners."

To add insult to injury, the units make a zapping and other noise as they emit ozone. Also it requires time-consuming cleaning and frequent filter changes to maintain even a lower level of performance.

Your best option, if you cannot get a whole home air cleaner, is to get a portable, room-only device with a mechanical, HEPA-grade filter. If your home has a forced-air system you can get a whole home system. Now you’ll see your options. The good news is that there are clear choices. You do not have to spend a lot of time nor money to get healthy air throughout your home.

How to Choose the Most Efficient Whole Home Air Cleaner

Whole home air cleaners can be placed in the ductwork of forced-air systems heating or air-conditioning (also known as in-duct air cleaners).

“If you are using forced air for, the best way to clean the air in your house is to add a filtration module to your system,” said Alex Wilson, president of BuildingGreen in Brattleboro, Vermont. As you’ll read further down, however, you may not have to mess with the ducts, with a hybrid system. It can be retrofitted, that is bolted right onto your existing unit.

Following are the categories of air cleaner systems, described in the order of increasing levels of air cleaning performance, maintenance needs and convenience.

Here are the kinds of whole home air cleaners from which you can choose:

1. Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPS)

All electrostatic precipitators use electricity to charge particles passing through them and then attract them electrically (make them “stick”) to either plates or a filter.

2. Electrostatic Filters
This is the least expensive kind of filtering system, removing 90% of particles that are 0.3 microns or less. It requires frequent filter change and, more importantly, performance goes down over time. One example is the Filtrete. Electrostatic units filter the air using static electricity. They have a static charge on the filter to allow airborne particles to "stick" to the filter, just like static-charged clothing sticks together. The drawbacks to these units are that they capture fewer RSP’s and the filter needs to be replaced frequently

3. Conventional Electronic Air Cleaners

EACs charge particles and cause them to stick to plates inside the unit or to a filter. In this way they trap and filter up to 98% of pollutants from the air passing through your heating and cooling system. This kind of air cleaner can capture microscopic impurities like dust, smoke and smog particles in addition to larger particles like mold spores and cat dander.

Collected pollutants are removed by cleaning the plates in the sink or dishwasher. Some EAC’s use grounded filters instead of plates but these require expensive replacements.

4. Hybrid Electronic Air Cleaner

A hybrid electronic air cleaner provides the upside of traditional EACs (high efficiency) without the downsides (reduction of efficiency over time, messier and more time-consuming maintenance, more complex installation, no ozone emitted and fewer, more frequent and time-consuming filter changes.)

Here’s how the newer hybrid, AspenAir Inside accomplishes this. It eliminates the need for wires (or pins) and plates. Instead it uses a non-metallic material to conduct the electricity and charge the RSP’s. This non-metallic design avoids the wear and tear and faster filter clogging that degrades performance over time.

All other EACs’ use of wires or pins cause a loss of up to 80% RSP collection efficiency within 60 days.

One final thought. Winter is coming. Days are getting colder and shorter. You may be spending more time inside. Consider installing an air cleaner soon. Healthier air is the priceless gift for yourself and those who share the holidays with you at home.