When it comes to improving the air quality in your West Palm Beach, FL home, installing an air purifying ionizer is one of the best ways to do so. However, there are several important considerations to keep in mind when installing an air ionizer near a ventilation system. Proper placement within the HVAC system is essential for optimal performance of both components. Adequate ventilation must also be provided around the unit so that its efficiency is not hampered by external environmental conditions, such as cold or hot drafts.
This fact sheet provides information on air purifiers, including the different technologies used, selection and use. Using air purifiers can be an important strategy to help improve indoor air quality (IAQ). Ozone is a colorless gas found naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere and protects us from harmful ultraviolet solar rays, although it can also form at ground level. It is known to cause the formation of free radicals in biological systems, which damage tissues.
One mechanism of damage is the result of ozone-olefin reactions and another of the reaction of ozone with electron donors (such as glutathione). Inhaling relatively small amounts of ozone can cause coughing, chest pain, throat irritation, and shortness of breath. Ozone-generating air filters are devices that purposely create ozone to clean the air through chemical interactions that alter the compounds of the pollutants, but this is also the mechanism by which ozone exerts harmful health effects. In addition, ozone is generally ineffective in controlling indoor air pollution at lower concentrations.
In other words, if the ozone concentration in the room is high enough to be effective in cleaning the air, it is also high enough to create an inhalation hazard for people in the room. In addition, ozone can even react with chemicals in the air to create harmful by-products (e.g., formaldehyde). For these reasons, EH&S does not recommend the use of electronic air purifiers or ozone generators under any circumstances. Electronic air filters (including ionizers, electrostatic precipitators, hydroxyl generators, and ultraviolet light) use electrical voltage to convert oxygen molecules, or other species, into their charged ionic components that inactivate air pollutants, in a process called bipolar ionization (BPI). The ionic components of oxygen are reactive radicals that are capable of removing hydrogen from other molecules.
In the case of bipolar ionization, positive and negative ions surround the air particles, destroying the germs and pathogens present, and the added mass helps the air particles to fall to the ground and pass through the building's air filter. However, BPI can emit ozone and other free radical species as a by-product and may be less effective than other cleaning technologies, as charged particles in the air sometimes adhere to room surfaces (e.g., floors and walls) instead of being filtered. Filtering air filters pass air through a filter, where contaminating particles or gases are isolated, and return clean air to the room. There is some popular controversy surrounding the extent to which air filters can reduce the presence of larger particles (such as pollen, household dust, allergens, mold spores, and animal dander), but most of these large particles settle on surfaces in the home or office and cannot be removed by an air filter unless they are altered and re-suspended in the air. Therefore, regular cleaning is the best way to eliminate larger allergens. Air cleaning units have air volume limitations that are identified by a “clean air supply rate” (CADR).
A CADR is the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air from which all particles of a given size distribution have been removed. The CADR indicates the volume of filtered air supplied by an air filter per unit of time, with three different scores for smoke, pollen and dust representing different particle sizes. The higher the CADR number of each contaminant, the faster the unit filters the air for contaminants in a particular size range. A carbon filter is most suitable for cleaning gaseous VOCs from the air; for example when new furniture is emitting gases. However if you notice an odor in a room contact EH&S first for an evaluation; as eliminating and controlling source odors is best course of action and EH&S can perform an evaluation to do so and develop a remediation plan.
HEPA filters are better at cleaning particles from the air; with 0.3 micron diameter specification responding to worst case scenario or most penetrating particle size (MPPS). Larger or smaller particles are trapped with even greater efficiency; if worst-case particle size is used then worst-case efficiency rating (i.e., Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values or MERV) indicates filter's ability to capture larger particles between 0.3 and 10 microns (µm). EH&S recommends HEPA filters for particles and aerosols; all filters need regular replacement as specified by manufacturer in product user manual; if filter is dirty and overloaded it won't work well; with proper care and maintenance portable air purifier will continue to work properly and filter air; consider buying replacement filters with unit; carbon filters can passively absorb VOCs from air so make sure they remain sealed until installed in unit to extend lifespan; according EPA there is currently no evidence suggesting reasonable number indoor plants would be effective removing significant amounts contaminants from indoor air; indoor plants should not be overwatered because soil too wet can promote growth microorganisms affecting allergy sufferers.
