Top Quality Air Purifiers and Healthy Home Solutions that You Can Trust

There’s no city quite like the Big Apple – but New York City is not immune from some of the biggest problems in today’s modern metropolitan areas.

One of them is air pollution.

Locals and federal agencies have been looking at the problem for decades. Now, that research is coming to a head. One example is the controversial implementation of a congestion pricing system. This applies to traffic in lower Manhattan. It's a busy area. And it's one that's getting a lot of attention.

The basic idea is that vehicles coming in below 60th St. will be charged a fee for traffic access, in order to limit congestion. For a regular vehicle, it’s nine dollars. There’s a whole fee schedule for trucks, etc.

But the rules for the system are complicated. For instance, those on nearby freeways aren’t charged unless they “exit into” the congestion pricing zone. And then there’s the idea of complex incentives. How will those change traffic? Some people looking at the plan are thinking that it could add more vehicles to the Bronx. That's because they might move around congestion pricing restrictions and try to avoid these tolls.

The plan might lead more vehicles to use the George Washington Bridge or other nearby infrastructure.

More Air Fixes

Local news affiliates report that part of the city’s plan is to use the resulting money to add air filtration to local schools.

There’s also a program to address asthma within both the Bronx and Manhattan.  A NYC Health Brief from the city shows why this is a problem, explaining:

“Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease. (It's) characterized by airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness that can lead to recurrent episodes of wheezing, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, and coughing. These episodes are typically due to airflow obstruction in the lung that either resolves on its own or in response to treatment.”

The report further shows that asthma has larger effects on black and latino children. It also affects people living in high-poverty neighborhoods. Researchers estimate that 17% of children ages 13 and younger residing in the Bronx had been diagnosed with asthma at some point as of 2017. In other areas of the city, that number is more like 11%.

So that shows why some of this money is going to asthma prevention measures.

Unclear Policy Trajectory for Congestion Pricing Plan

But there’s another wrinkle to the congestion pricing plan. The White House seems likely to shut down the program, despite the objection of local leaders. So it’s unclear whether this new fee system will remain in effect. The issue is in the courts.

Improving Air Quality – Multiple Approaches

When it comes to breathing easier, no matter where you are in the U.S., there’s a two-pronged objective. First, you want to improve the air in your community as a whole. Second, you want to improve the air around you. As someone who lives and works in a particular place, you want clean air for you. As the head of a household, or a small business leader, you want it for everyone. But how do you get it?

Just like with the New York schools, it’s possible to improve quality of life and health with indoor air purification equipment. Air purifiers can easily be installed at homes and businesses.

So as people work to decrease air pollution, it’s also possible to scrub out a lot of these contaminants in the places that we inhabit most of the day and night.

Testing Your Indoor Air

That process starts with an air monitor. Using one of these, you can see what kinds of contaminants are moving around in your indoor air.

You can test for natural health risks like mold and dust mites. You can also look for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other contaminants.

Then you can install air purifier machine machines to scrub these pollutants out of the air.

You can also choose from a wide array of machines. Some models have extra filtration. Others pioneer ground-breaking technologies like probiotics, where the purifier releases beneficial microbes to balance out potentially harmful bacteria in the indoor air.

You can also look for ratings like ACH, which measures the air changes per hour that the machine can provide based on a particular square footage. There’s also cubic feet per minute, CFM, which refers to the power of the motor and how it moves air over time. To calculate these numbers, you’ll need to know the square footage of the space, the ceiling height, and any other calculations for an irregular space (like a curved ceiling). 

Let US Air Purifiers LLC help with model design, effectiveness, pricing, features and more – to make sure that you get the right purchase, and have peace of mind about your indoor air. The company has a track record of helping our customers to make the right decisions about air purification for a home or business. Make an investment in your health and breathe easier over time.

Scientists are discovering a new and less invasive way to test for harmful mold infections in the body.

This is likely to be important in diagnosing these potentially life-threatening conditions.

First of all, how do people get a mold infection?

Doctors explain that usually it has to do with being immunocompromised. When we’re healthy, we’re largely able to withstand the effects of the mold spores that we routinely ingest every day. But in immunocompromised patients, some of those mold spores can turn into infections in various parts of the body. For example, they can get into the lungs.

Certain types of groups are at higher risk for mold infection. This includes transplant patients. People undergoing chemotherapy are also at higher risk.

How it Works

Traditionally, medical professionals had to get a tissue biopsy to figure out whether a mold infection was present.

Now, as of this year, they can use a blood test that looks for small fragments of mold DNA.

That’s important because some of these immunocompromised patients are not ready for the tissue biopsy itself. But the blood test is much simpler .

“A lot of immunocompromised patients are not stable enough to undergo these invasive procedures,” said Niaz Banaei in an article published at the Stanford Medicine News Center written by Nina Bai. Banaei was lead author on a paper titled Concordance of Noninvasive Plasma Cell-free DNA With Invasive Diagnostics for Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Disease that covers this issue. “So they can’t get a precise diagnosis … that could mean a delay in effective treatment.”

At Stanford, where this process was invented, teams found that the blood test and the biopsy returned the same diagnosis 88.5% of the time.

However, that number differs depending on where the mold infection is in the body. The blood test, scientists said, was more likely to catch more infections in the lungs, and less likely to catch an infection in the sinuses, or in the limbs.

Combating the Harmful Effects of Mold in the Home

One way to prevent these kinds of illnesses is to keep indoor air clearer of potentially harmful mold spores.

That’s important for people who may be immunocompromised or prone to mold infections. It’s also helpful to those who suffer from mold allergies, and that’s a larger group of people.

In any case, you won’t know what’s present in your indoor air until you test it. Using a small air monitor, you can figure out whether higher levels of mold spores are present. You can also test for items like dust mites or levels of pet dander. You can test for a range of volatile organic compounds or VOCs, things like formaldehyde and benzene that can get off-gassed from furniture or consumer goods.

Choosing an Air Purifier

After you’ve done this, you can put an air purifier machine in place to get a lot of these contaminants out of the air. Routinely scrubbing your indoor air will give you a cleaner, more breathable result. It will protect you from various health conditions like the ones mentioned above. Sometimes, these conditions are very hard to diagnose. If you feel uncomfortable in your home, with symptoms like sneezing, coughing, an itchy throat or congestion, some of these air pollutants may be at least partially to blame.

For air purifier models that work well on mold, try an Airpura R700. The Airpura V414 is another useful choice. You might also consider the IDEAL Pro AP80 or the Austin Air Healthmate. 

When you need to clean your indoor air, US Air Purifiers LLC can help, with all kinds of details like warranty information, and selecting the right machine with the right features and performance for your indoor space. Whether it’s a home or a small business, you can use these state-of-the-art machines to improve quality of life and the health of people who live and work in your building.

Recent estimates from analyst firms like Future Market Insights show an interesting increase in demand for activated carbon filters.

These installations help with air and water purification. They remove contaminants, impurities and odors from air, water and other solids or liquids.

That’s because a porous surface area in the carbon will trap and hold small VOCs that contaminate air or water. The materials used in these filters are engineered to create tiny holes that will trap these pollutants. That gives people peace of mind about the water that they drink, and the air that they breathe. This is particularly a focus in communities and areas where significant contamination exists on a regular basis. That includes highly industrial areas, and high-traffic cities. 

Industry Growth Forecasts

A report from Future Market Insights near the end of last year showed a prediction of 7.2% growth for the activated carbon filter market. That means a total market value of around $150 billion by 2033. That’s double what the market was in 2022, around $75 billion. That's a of growth.

Regional Demand

Multiple reports show that the Asia-Pacific region is a top market: that’s partly because of industrial growth there, and also because some large companies concentrate themselves in those areas, along with a large consumer base for these technologies. Studies show high growth rates for the market in Southeast Asian countries. 

Drivers of Growth

First and foremost, the analysts point out that the need for activated carbon filters (and the market around them) has been driven by a demand for cleaner air and water.

“The global activated carbon filter market is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years, driven by increasing demand from various end-use industries such as water treatment, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and automotive,” analysts at Fact.MR write. “Advancements in technology and increasing investments in research and development are expected to drive innovation and further enhance the performance and efficiency of activated carbon filters.”

Research on purification technologies has shown that activated carbon filters are great for removing impurities from drinking water. But they’re also important for dealing with air pollution. That’s why this new drive for activated carbon systems represents an awareness that we need to keep the air that we breathe clean.

For example, analysts point out that these installations are going to be increasingly installed in HVAC systems. They're likely to coexist with energy-efficient and sustainable building practices. For example, think about cladding for temperature decrease, or sustainable materials design. All of this helps.

Researchers also note strategic partnerships between businesses as promoting the growth in this market.

Why Is Awareness Growing?

There are certain trends, too, that drive the market for items like activated carbon filters, not to mention other kinds of protective systems.

First, we have the massive wildfires that are sending so much smoke into the atmosphere. This damage is letting people know that they need to keep their air clean. It’s scary to see this billowing cloud descend on you, and to smell the acrid smoke and know that it’s getting into your lungs. That’s just one of the more blatant forms of air pollution – others may be hidden in plain sight. Not all contaminants have an odor, or a color, or any real signifier that they are present in your air or water. This can lead to an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality - but more Americans are getting serious about doing the research and knowing how important clean air and clean water are. 

As for the wildfires, residential and commercial carbon systems are in high demand when there are these pressures on community health.

There’s also more awareness on how impurities affect conditions like asthma and allergies that millions of Americans struggle with every day.

If these conditions seem to get worse, if you have trouble with your allergies more days out of the year, or struggle with breathing difficulties on a more regular basis, it might be at least partly because of new contaminants in your air. It’s important to evaluate your environment, and try to improve it, in order to get the best possible health outcomes. Don't wait. Get granular information about what you're breathing. It may help boost your health.

Improving Air Quality in Your Home

If you’re concerned about this, you can use air monitors to effectively figure out what’s in your indoor air. Then you can install air purifier machines to reduce or eliminate the VOCs or particle matter. 

 Modern HEPA filters help you to get rid of all kinds of impurities, including:

• PM 2.5
• Mold spores
• Dust mites
• Pet dander and pet odor
• Volatile organic compounds

All of these things can affect your health when they are present in your indoor air. But the good news is that modern activated carbon systems can help a lot. 

Take a look at different models and technology available. US Air Purifiers LLC can help you to sort through all of the features. We can help you look at pricing and warranty data, and look at ratings for Air Changes per Hour (ACH) for a particular space. Get the right solution for your home or business. Be on the vanguard of taking care of your environment, and the environment of others. These challenges aren’t going away, but we do have tools to respond to them. 

Many people are allergic to dust mites, which is a common sort of contaminant in indoor air. But how rare is this condition?

Institutions like the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) estimate that between 16 million and 20 million Americans have some sort of dust mite allergy, where some cases are much more prominent than others, with more significant symptoms. Still, that’s a lot of people who need to figure out how to deal with this sensitivity to something too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Dust mites live in people’s homes, and feed off of dead skin flakes from humans and animals. They tend to be present in upholstery, bedding and carpeting.

Although these microscopic critters are very common, they can trigger some health conditions. Some people, as mentioned, develop dust mite allergies that can lead to secondary conditions like asthma. We’ll get into some of these troublesome symptoms later on, but the upshot is that many people are shocked when they start to develop a runny nose, itchy eyes, stuffiness, or other dust mite allergy symptoms - because they never thought that these little critters could be so irritating!

So what should you know about dust mite allergies? One solution is an air purifier that will cycle your air, and take out a lot of the contaminants that trigger the allergies - but there’s a lot more to know about dust mite allergy prevention. 

Here are a few important facts.

Dust Mites and Their Environmental Preferences

Dust might thrive in humidity.

Some experts suggest that keeping humidity below 50% can affect the reproduction of dust mites.

They also like warmer environments.

Dust mites also like to live in soft fabrics and similar items. They have a lot of the same environment as bedbugs, but are less noticeable in many cases. That’s why some of the usual tips for minimizing dust mites including vacuuming and cleaning things like bedding.

Main Dust Mite Allergy Triggers

Female dust mites tend to live up to 90 days, with males having a little bit shorter life span, typically.

While they’re alive, the dust mites are less likely to trigger allergy conditions.

Most of the allergies are caused by the dead bodies of deceased mites, or from their waste.

There are certain kinds of proteins in the droppings and carcasses that can trigger specific immune system responses. Specifically, the immune system can develop an overactive response that leads to some of the symptoms mentioned above. 

Symptoms of Dust Mite Allergies

The symptoms of dust mite allergies are similar to those of various respiratory conditions.

This includes sneezing and coughing, and itchy, watery eyes, or red or itchy skin, as well as things like fatigue and sleep problems.

Getting Rid of Dust Mites

In general cleaning your indoor spaces will help keep down the population of dust mites. That includes vacuuming and washing bedding and things like curtains.

“These bad boys need to be washed at least weekly; in hot water with eucalyptus oil and then put through a hot drier and straight back on the bed,” writes one Reddit poster suffering from a dust mite allergy, referring to the sheets on the bed.

“Eucalyptus Oil is literally now your best friend,” another poster writes. “I hope you like the smell. It kills dust mites.”

You can also run a quality air purifier machine that can filter out the dead mites and their waste from the indoor air. Use a HEPA model like the Airpura I-700, or the IDEAL AP40 or Austin Healthmate, to get rid of the dust mite detritus that can trigger allergies. 

“I found the air purifier did make a difference (in dust mite problems,)” writes another Redditor on the same thread, “but I did a fair bit of research, and found one that was rated to manage the volume of my room … The air is noticeably different in my room when it is cranked up during the day.”

Many of these people who have been through this process before recommend a purifier with a medical-grade HEPA filter which is uniquely powerful with a certain range of small particles – we’ll get back to that later. They also recommend air changes 3-7 times per hour for dust mite allergy protection, so factor that into your purchase. 

Treatments for Dust Mite Allergies

There are now a range of treatments for this allergic condition. You can take antihistamines or other over-the-counter drugs for the symptoms, but you can also get allergy shots for dust mite allergies. There’s even a new tablet treatment for a dust mite allergy, something called Acarizax (it might go by other names as well) that scientists see as a game-changer for this condition.

So if you’re having a lot of problems with sneezing and coughing, or you have a red, itchy rash on your skin, dust mites may be the cause.

The first step is to examine your indoor air with an air monitor device. Then you can see what’s present in the air and what you’ll need to remediate with air purifier machines.

Modern machines with good HEPA filters can eliminate a lot of the allergens and other pollution that can trigger your health conditions. A medical-grade HEPA filter can catch up to 99.97% of particles down to .3 microns – a type of filter called a Super HEPA can filter particles down to .1 microns.

This makes your indoor air cleaner and more breathable over time.

Turn to US Air Purifiers LLC for help with warranties, pricing information and more. We have a good track record advising customers on which machines to buy for certain needs and how to purchase to size rooms, for more effective daily cleaning when running the appliance at a given level. Get peace of mind about your air today!

Driven by new data on air quality standards, and what it takes to provide the public with healthy environments, there are major changes taking place in areas of Europe.

That includes a new program in Bulgaria. Here, in the municipality of Sofia, certain neighborhoods are finally getting changes to the laws around heat sources.

Local reporting shows that as of January 1 of this year, the affected areas will have major initiatives in place. These have to do with changing over heat sources from wood and coal to other types of heating. That's a big job. But it looks like it's one that local officials are up to.

The Rules on Heating

Prohibition of the use of wood and coal stoves will go along with efforts like a stove replacement program. Patrols will look for violations of the new rules. Heat pumps and air conditioners will be part of the equation. There are resources for dismantling and recycling old appliances.

The related reporting of the program cites wood and coal heating as responsible for up to 56% of total emissions in the area. That leads to the release of 80% of small particles in the air during the winter season. So people want to cut down on this kind of pollution. The new program helps.

Why Limit Wood (and Coal) Burning?

Many efforts to modernize heating in Sofia and similar places have to do with cost and climate change. We’re also learning from new science that smoke from wood and coal burning can be harmful to individuals in local areas, in more direct ways.

Specifically, the burning of wood or coal releases something called PM 2.5. This type of contaminant is essentially ultra fine particles. These are small enough to get embedded deep in the lungs, and even get into the bloodstream in some cases.

PM 2.5 can cause irritation of the respiratory system, and triggering or worsening of conditions like:

• Asthma
• Allergies
• COPD

It’s not hard to imagine how a haze of wood or cold smoke will blanket a community in the winter time. That's even more true if people are commonly using these types of stoves as heat sources.

The reporting from Sofia includes the deputy mayor talking about how these health risks impact high-risk groups like children and the elderly.

Other Enforcement and High Tech Activities

In addition, local officials will reportedly use drones to monitor the areas for burning violations. 

Magazine reports cover actions by the Emergency Assistance and Prevention Directorate, and patrols intended to root out violations, including this: 

“Advanced monitoring tools, including stationary and mobile cameras, drones, and a fire tower in the “Faculty” district, will help identify and address unregulated burning.”

There are also new restrictions on vehicle emissions and even dust from construction projects. In a way, all of these things are interrelated. Green and sustainable initiatives take contaminants out of the air while also lowering the carbon footprint of a community.

It’s also interesting to note that the new rules impacting air quality coincide with Bulgaria’s Schengen integration. Presumably there will be less traditional border checks, freeing up resources for the kinds of patrols mentioned above. Are the new air quality rules related to the EU zone integration itself?

These new rules also represent efforts to make people aware that anytime you have smoke and hazy conditions in the air around you, you’re getting these kinds of contaminants and the health risks that come with them.

That’s something people are still learning, for example, as major wildfires send smoke around the country, and the hemisphere.

Acting Against Poor Air Quality

As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, many people are taking action in their communities to try to clean up the air around them.

But residential air control is important, too. Any contaminants in the outside air are likely to eventually make their way indoors, and become part of the equation inside of your home.

That’s where people really have the ability to manage indoor air quality. You can use an air monitor to inspect the air inside of the building, and then use air purifiers to clean and filter that air effectively.

There’s also a range of new technologies that are helpful. For a good effective air purifier model, look at choices like the best new air purifiers from makers like AirPura, Austin Air and BetterAir, with the features and functionality that you need. 

Ask US Air Purifiers LLC about how to make the right purchase and get the air purifier you need to protect your health and the health of your family.