Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental risks to public health, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Lung-damaging indoor pollutants may include house dust, pollen and pet dander particles, and tobacco smoke, fumes released by chemical-based cleaners or gases produced by synthetic building materials. While air purification cannot solve all indoor air pollution problems, the technique is an important part of the EPA's recommended strategy for improving indoor air quality.
Contemporary construction methods help seal fumes and particles indoors. According to the EPA, indoor pollution levels may build until they are between two and five times higher than outdoor levels – and may even be as much as 100 times higher. Because we spend as much as 90% of our time inside our homes and workplaces, the health risks from exposure to indoor air pollution cannot be ignored.
Immediate health effects may include headache, fatigue, and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. Even if you experience no noticeable symptoms of pollution-related illness, the EPA says it is prudent to improve the quality of your indoor air. Long-term exposure may contribute to respiratory and heart diseases, allergies or asthma, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
To improve indoor air quality, the EPA recommends removal of the pollutant source, increased ventilation, and air cleaning. The first two strategies are effective for some pollutants under some circumstances. Air purification, in conjunction with either strategy or on its own, may be the easiest to live with.
Blueair systems remove 99.97% of the tiniest (0.1 micron) particles that accumulate inside our homes when operating on level one. These pollutants can affect anyone over time, although children, the elderly and those with respiratory illness (including allergies and asthma) may suffer most from high indoor pollution levels.
While air purification cannot solve all indoor air quality problems, the technique is an important part of the EPA's recommended strategy for improving indoor air quality.
