Source Fashion Monitor Toronto

If you are looking to buy a new home air purifier, check our tips for help in making your decision.

Air purifiers become an essential component in many households today. Home air purifiers filter out allergy-provoking substances, including dust, odors and pollen. Home air purifiers are especially good when a person has a suppressed the human immune system, making the body more susceptible to infection.

"Understanding the bacterial environment is important for health," said Fox, professor of biology and biochemistry at University of Houston. "People often spend months in conditions that create a bacterial breeding ground."

Source: MARKET WIRE

ROCKVILLE, MD -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 08/24/2005 -- While statistics suggest a growing number of consumers believe air cleaners improve the indoor air quality in their homes, some researchers have noted wide variations in the performance of air cleaners.

One of the leading international experts on indoor air quality will explain what makes an air cleaner effective in a presentation to be given Oct. 8 at the joint conference of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), the American Indoor Air Quality Council and the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization.

Source Control

Usually the most effective way to improve indoor air quality is to eliminate individual sources of pollution or to reduce their emissions. Some sources, like those that contain asbestos, can be sealed or enclosed; others, like gas stoves, can be adjusted to decrease the amount of emissions. In many cases, source control is also a more cost-efficient approach to protecting indoor air quality than increasing ventilation because increasing ventilation can increase energy costs. Specific sources of indoor air pollution in your home are listed later in this section.

Source: Global Direct Services

You Need an Air Purifier for Allergen, Virus, Odor and Gas Control.

Your choice of air purifier depends on what you are trying to achieve. For instance, if your main
goal is to clear the air of allergens, you should choose an air purifier which would remove the large particulates such as pollen with a pre-filter, but also smaller allergens, which would be particulates from 0.3 to 5 microns in size. An air purifier with a pre-filter can remove smaller allergens which include mold, bacteria, animal dander, fumes, and house dust mite allergens. A Hepa filter air purifier would trap particulates of this size and remove them from the air in your room. However, it is important to note that more than 90% of all particulates are 0.3 of a micron and smaller in size.

Gathering of Indoor Environmental Professionals at IAQA-AmIAQ-IESO 2005 'Unification Conference' in Orlando Will Be Nation's Largest Ever

Source MARKET WIRE

ROCKVILLE, MD -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 08/15/2005

The opportunity for individuals working in the indoor air quality industry to attend a history-making event that provides first-class education and product displays may come only a few times during their careers.

Such an event takes place Oct. 6-9, 2005, at the Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Billed as "The Unification Conference," the event serves as the first combined annual meeting of three leading organizations in the indoor environmental arena: the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), the American Indoor Air Quality Council and the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO).

The most important things to know about air cleaners are:

• They cannot be used by themselves to clean the air. Pollutants have to be controlled at their source, and indoor air has to be well ventilated.
• Air cleaners have to be well maintained. Dirty air filters, for example, are not going to help you clean the air.
• Buy the right size of unit for the space you want to clean. The airflow should be sufficient to exchange the air in the room five or six times per hour; therefore, the size and efficiency of the filtering device should be determined in part by the size of the room. Do not waste your money buying models that sit on a table or hang around your neck.

• Install room-size units in rooms where you spend most of your time or have the worst symptoms.
• Locate the units as close as possible to any identifiable pollution source.
• Locate the unit away from doors, windows, and foot traffic, but not close to walls, corners, furniture, or other obstructions. This is so that air may easily reach the air cleaner.
• Air cleaners should always be used and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• Find out what kind of filter may be the best for you.
• Try renting a device and see if any health problems, such as allergies, improve.
• Be skeptical of exaggerated claims.
• Look for the CADR number; a larger CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate is the amount of clean air measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm) that an air cleaner delivers to a room.) is better.
• Because larger units are noisier than smaller units are, just buy the size of unit you need for the size of room you need to clean.

The overall effectiveness of an air cleaner depends on its ability to trap small particles and on the amount of air drawn through it. There are no industry-wide performance standards, but the Association of Home Appliances Manufacturers (AHAM) has developed the Room Air Cleaner Certification Program. This program provides a uniform standard for portable air cleaners called the clean air delivery rate (CADR). The CADR is the amount of clean air measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm) that an air cleaner delivers to a room. AHAM publishes a list of Certified Air Cleaners that meet the standards of the Room Air Cleaners Certification Program.

Like humidifiers, air cleaners also come in styles that are part of the central ventilation system, that are room console units, and that are tabletop units. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each style:

• Central filtration: These are air cleaners that are built into the home's central heating or air-conditioning system or a building's ventilation system. These are used when the air needs cleaning in an entire house or building. It may be difficult to add these to existing systems since a more powerful fan may be required to move sufficient air through some types of air cleaners. Another drawback is that the ventilation system must be running in order for the air to be cleaned. If you are having one of these systems installed, request one that has low-leakage, is easy to maintain, and is energy efficient. Be sure you go with a company or contractor that is very experienced in designing and installing central filtration systems.