4 ms·

For someone living in a city with reasonably clean air and no smog problem, does filtering the air in their living space provide any long-term health benefits?

dmix 13y ago
Negative ionic air purifiers may help with SAD (seasonal depression) [1] similar to daylight bulbs. Research is somewhat inconclusive. It also supposedly makes air have equivalent ionic levels to "country or mountain air". Apparently in the city/offices the ion levels in the air are quite lower than in rural areas which is harmful. This of course is the sales pitch from the companies selling them. But at the same time the filters kill bacteria and pet dander (which is always good). I found a HEPA air filter that contained negative ionizer for around ~$50 on Amazon which I use in my home office. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_air_ionization_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_air_ionization_therap...
- eru 13y ago
  Why is killing bacteria always good?
  - Goopplesoft 13y ago
    Ah the perils of text language. You're not sure if he's referring to both bacteria and pet dander or just pet dander.
    - eru 13y ago
      Yes, it's somewhat ambiguous. You don't even know if they kill bacteria and they pet [verb] dander. English grammar is crazy ambiguous.
      - Goopplesoft 13y ago
        hah good catch, pretty crazy actually.
ksab 13y ago
There is no "safe" threshold for particulate matter (PM) exposure. Our nose, mouth and throat are very inefficient at filtering particles less than 2.5 microns. As a consequence, a large proportion of these particles simply enter the respiratory tract (tracheobronchial and alveolar regions) relatively unimpeded. Assessing indoor exposure to PM is challenging because it is highly dependent on location, the physical properties of the home, and human behaviour. Consequently, it can be difficult to clearly identify/quantify health benefits. Even though you live in a reasonably clean city, you can still further reduce your exposure to indoor PM by changing your behaviour, filtering your air and using existing equipment in your home properly. 1) In non-smoking homes, the biggest indoor source of PM is cooking (especially frying and broiling). You can reduce your exposure by a) keeping your range hood in good working order (change filters), b) using the range hood every time your cook, c) opening a window while cooking and d)stepping away from the stove whenever possible. 2) There are multiple other sources products that can produce shocking amounts of PM through direct emission and secondary reactions involving ozone. I would describe these exposures as completely unnecessary and can be eliminated by simply not using the products in the first place: a) candles, b) incense, and c)air fresheners and cleaning products with lemon & pine scents.
talhelmt 13y ago
This is Thomas--founder of Smart Air. Interesting question. I've seen plenty of studies showing the effects of air pollution on people's health (the study showing pollution shrinks fetus size is particularly scary: http://www.news.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/News.woa/wa/goNewsPage?newsEventID=15198 http://www.news.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/News.woa/wa/go...) But I haven't seen experiments done with home air filters using health effects as the DV. I'd actually love to donate some filters to anyone in public health or medicine who wants to run that study!
andrewcooke 13y ago
i don't have a study, but i live in santiago, which has smog in winter, and buying an air filter cured (or at least coincided with the cure of) my bronchitis.

dmix 13y ago

Negative ionic air purifiers may help with SAD (seasonal depression) [1] similar to daylight bulbs. Research is somewhat inconclusive. It also supposedly makes air have equivalent ionic levels to "country or mountain air". Apparently in the city/offices the ion levels in the air are quite lower than in rural areas which is harmful. This of course is the sales pitch from the companies selling them. But at the same time the filters kill bacteria and pet dander (which is always good). I found a HEPA air filter that contained negative ionizer for around ~$50 on Amazon which I use in my home office. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_air_ionization_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_air_ionization_therap...

eru 13y ago
Why is killing bacteria always good?
- Goopplesoft 13y ago
  Ah the perils of text language. You're not sure if he's referring to both bacteria and pet dander or just pet dander.
  - eru 13y ago
    Yes, it's somewhat ambiguous. You don't even know if they kill bacteria and they pet [verb] dander. English grammar is crazy ambiguous.
    - Goopplesoft 13y ago
      hah good catch, pretty crazy actually.

ksab 13y ago

There is no "safe" threshold for particulate matter (PM) exposure. Our nose, mouth and throat are very inefficient at filtering particles less than 2.5 microns. As a consequence, a large proportion of these particles simply enter the respiratory tract (tracheobronchial and alveolar regions) relatively unimpeded. Assessing indoor exposure to PM is challenging because it is highly dependent on location, the physical properties of the home, and human behaviour. Consequently, it can be difficult to clearly identify/quantify health benefits. Even though you live in a reasonably clean city, you can still further reduce your exposure to indoor PM by changing your behaviour, filtering your air and using existing equipment in your home properly. 1) In non-smoking homes, the biggest indoor source of PM is cooking (especially frying and broiling). You can reduce your exposure by a) keeping your range hood in good working order (change filters), b) using the range hood every time your cook, c) opening a window while cooking and d)stepping away from the stove whenever possible. 2) There are multiple other sources products that can produce shocking amounts of PM through direct emission and secondary reactions involving ozone. I would describe these exposures as completely unnecessary and can be eliminated by simply not using the products in the first place: a) candles, b) incense, and c)air fresheners and cleaning products with lemon & pine scents.

talhelmt 13y ago

This is Thomas--founder of Smart Air. Interesting question. I've seen plenty of studies showing the effects of air pollution on people's health (the study showing pollution shrinks fetus size is particularly scary: http://www.news.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/News.woa/wa/goNewsPage?newsEventID=15198 http://www.news.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/News.woa/wa/go...) But I haven't seen experiments done with home air filters using health effects as the DV. I'd actually love to donate some filters to anyone in public health or medicine who wants to run that study!

andrewcooke 13y ago

i don't have a study, but i live in santiago, which has smog in winter, and buying an air filter cured (or at least coincided with the cure of) my bronchitis.