5 ms·

The health danger cited by the article is PM 2.5 particles. From a quick skim, your proposed solution does nothing to help with fine particles.

by woah 4y ago

hollerith 4y ago
You are correct and the grandparent comment (relative to mine) is misguided -- at least as far as wildfire smoke is concerned. Although wildfire smoke probably contains other pollutants, fine particulates are by far the most important, and the filter recommended by grandparent does not even claim to remove particulates: "effectively remove 99.5% of volatile organic compounds", it claims. I have owned both kinds of filters -- the ones that remove volatile organic compounds (including activated-carbon ones as well as other types) and the ones that remove particulates (all of which happened to be HEPAs although I acknowledge that there are probably other types effective at removing wildfire smoke) -- since the 1980s. Also, I used my HEPAs to protect my lungs from the severe episodes of wildfire smoke in the Bay Area in Nov 2018 and Sep 2020. I am (because of chronic illness) much more sensitive to volatile organic compounds than most people and have never been tempted to use my volatile-organic-compound filter against wildfire smoke, so not only is the filter advocated by grandparent insufficient for protecting lungs against wildfire smoke, it is IMO unnecessary.
- wintermutestwin 4y ago
  >does not even claim to remove particulates: "effectively remove 99.5% of volatile organic compounds" These filters are sold to pot growers who are specifically trying to remove the pot smell (VOCs) from the air so that's the focus of their claims. Maybe I am making an incorrect assumption, but aren't VOCs smaller particles than the "bad stuff" from wildfire smoke?
  - hollerith 4y ago
    VOCs are individual molecules (in gaseous form) which of course are much smaller than wildfire-smoke particles and other forms particulate air pollution. The point is that activated-carbon filters do little to remove wildfire smoke from the air.
    - wintermutestwin 4y ago
      Thanks for pointing out the issue. I'll make covers out of Merv 13 Filter Material. Too bad I can't measure CFM to test for the reduction of flow...

The health danger cited by the article is PM 2.5 particles. From a quick skim, your proposed solution does nothing to help with fine particles.

by woah 4y ago

The health danger cited by the article is PM 2.5 particles. From a quick skim, your proposed solution does nothing to help with fine particles.

hollerith 4y ago

You are correct and the grandparent comment (relative to mine) is misguided -- at least as far as wildfire smoke is concerned. Although wildfire smoke probably contains other pollutants, fine particulates are by far the most important, and the filter recommended by grandparent does not even claim to remove particulates: "effectively remove 99.5% of volatile organic compounds", it claims. I have owned both kinds of filters -- the ones that remove volatile organic compounds (including activated-carbon ones as well as other types) and the ones that remove particulates (all of which happened to be HEPAs although I acknowledge that there are probably other types effective at removing wildfire smoke) -- since the 1980s. Also, I used my HEPAs to protect my lungs from the severe episodes of wildfire smoke in the Bay Area in Nov 2018 and Sep 2020. I am (because of chronic illness) much more sensitive to volatile organic compounds than most people and have never been tempted to use my volatile-organic-compound filter against wildfire smoke, so not only is the filter advocated by grandparent insufficient for protecting lungs against wildfire smoke, it is IMO unnecessary.

wintermutestwin 4y ago
>does not even claim to remove particulates: "effectively remove 99.5% of volatile organic compounds" These filters are sold to pot growers who are specifically trying to remove the pot smell (VOCs) from the air so that's the focus of their claims. Maybe I am making an incorrect assumption, but aren't VOCs smaller particles than the "bad stuff" from wildfire smoke?
- hollerith 4y ago
  VOCs are individual molecules (in gaseous form) which of course are much smaller than wildfire-smoke particles and other forms particulate air pollution. The point is that activated-carbon filters do little to remove wildfire smoke from the air.
  - wintermutestwin 4y ago
    Thanks for pointing out the issue. I'll make covers out of Merv 13 Filter Material. Too bad I can't measure CFM to test for the reduction of flow...