Air Purifiers for Allergies, Dust and Asthma
Before delving into how can air purifiers help in allergies, dust and asthma, lets understand three things. One- What is an allergy? Second – What is Asthma? Third – What substances are responsible for allergies and asthma?
What is an allergy?
As per the medical definition, Allergy is a damaging immune response by the body to a substance, especially a particular food, pollen, fur, or dust, to which it has become hypersensitive.
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a respiratory condition marked by attacks of spasm in the bronchi of the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing. It is usually connected to allergic reaction or other forms of hypersensitivity.
That’s for the medical definitions. You can always look that up on the internet on medical sites. What we are here for is whether Air purifiers can help in curing Dust, Allergies and Asthma?.
The answer is that although air purifiers are not the sole cure for Dust, Allergies and Asthma. However air purifiers can help and remove one of the major allergens causing this thus reducing the probability of these health issues.
Lets have a look at what are the different types of dust allergies. These are broadly listed below.
Dust Mites- Even if your home is not visibly dirty, dust mites often do exist in your household, in carpets, furniture and more. These are not visible by the naked eye and are difficult to clean.
Pollen – You might be thinking that Pollen is an outdoor thing. Not really. Pollen is carried by the air around us to everywhere. In fact pollen has been found 400 miles over the ocean too. Pollen is a major irritant in asthma and allergies.
Pets- Dog, Cats and pet allergy is primarily caused by two things. One – Protein found in skin cells, urine or saliva of the pets. Two – Allergens tend to stick to furs of the pets.
Cockroaches – Small constituents from cockroaches are often part of the house hold dust and can be a big cause of allergy and asthma.
Molds – Mold is a kind of fungus that often exist in our homes without us even knowing about it. They thrive, especially in moist places (Kitchens, bathrooms) and places are earth that are humid.
OK. Now coming to the Air Purifier part. Yes, home Air purifier can play a big role in reducing these allergens. Each of the allergen mentioned above can be removed by air purifiers with good HEPA Filters. A good HEPA home air purifier can catch dust mites, pollen, Pet Dander and fur, Molds and other allergens (typically each larger than .3 microns). However, we recommend a good air purifier with a good activated carbon filter too. This is because you may also be allergic to smoke, Volatile Organic compounds called VOC’s, viruses and other compounds. These would not be removed HEPA Filters alone.
Air purifiers are also usually recommended by allergists. What people say – It should not hurt. May Help! Studies have shown that your doctor visits related to allergies and asthma may be less if you use an air-purifier. Go ahead and make your selection on the site about the best rated air purifiers available for dust, pet’s dander, allergies and asthma.