Air purifiers against asthma and allergies

About two-thirds of all people suffering from asthma and various forms of allergies state that the symptoms get worse when air quality deteriorates. The reason for this is that pollutants in the air can irritate the airways and trigger the symptoms. Smaller particles reach all the way down into the lung and gases can pass further, into the bloodstream.

Some of the most common gases are nitrogen dioxide and ozone, which come from traffic, among other things. These gases can trigger asthma, as they are very irritating for the airways and lungs. Ozone is directly related to asthma attacks in that it can reduce lung function, making it harder to breathe.

You can read more about the effects of air pollution on the website of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.

Bad air triggers allergies

In its guidelines for housing and health, the WHO writes that bad indoor air has a number of harmful health effects. Pollutants in indoor air is associated with allergies, weakened immune systems, cancer, skin, eye, nose and throat irritations. They can also adversely affect the reproductive, nervous and cardiovascular systems. According to the WHO, minimising air pollution is important in obtaining an acceptable indoor air quality.

You can read the WHO’s Health and Housing Guidelines here.

Air purifiers counteract asthma and allergies

Indoor air often contains higher concentrations of pollutants than outdoor air since emissions from pets, electronics and cleaning products, together with pollen, mould and dust mites are added to the air pollutants coming from outside. Together, they create a cocktail effect that makes indoor air up to 50 times more harmful to breathe than outdoor air.

One way of combating asthma and allergies is to reduce the harmful air pollutants in indoor air by using a high-quality air purifier with particulate filters such as HEPA H13 and carbon filters that can capture gases such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone.

The New York Times contains an article about the importance of choosing the right air purifier.

You can read more about what you need to know about air purifiers on the website of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.