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

How do we understand dealing with air pollution in our communities?

Part of it involves collaboration and collective action. There’s also the role of federal and state agencies and groups in monitoring the issue and talking about clean air solutions.

But there are also individual things you can do at a household level to protect your health in an area where there are significant contaminants in the air in most American communities.

Simply speaking, there is a fabric of advocacy in place, and actionable practices that we can all do to keep our air cleaner over time.

The Clean Air Act

For over half a century, the Clean Air Act has been the broadest federal law in the United States dealing with air quality. It was passed in 1970, and went through various changes over time. It deals with pollutants like ozone and carbon monoxide, as well as different types of small particulate matter.

Some of the standards and guidelines in the Clean Air Act have led to better quality of life for Americans, better productivity for workers, and less expense in healthcare. EPA resources show how the Clean Air Act prevented over 200,000 adult mortalities by 2020, also reducing events like ER visits. 

Officials are continuing to look at how clean air makes a difference.

Community Air Monitoring

With all of that in mind, community air monitoring is one way to address air pollution.

An article from last year posted at UC Davis talks about best practices and the role of air monitoring in community efforts to battle air pollution.

“Community air monitoring is a vital practice aimed at safeguarding public health and environmental quality by monitoring air pollutants in residential areas, industrial zones, and urban environments,” writes Camille Elise Hammond of UC Davis. “By continuously measuring air quality, communities can identify potential health risks, assess the impact of industrial activities, and implement strategies to improve air quality. Advanced monitoring technologies, and collaborative efforts between stakeholders are key components of effective community air monitoring initiatives.”

Specific pollutants include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, as well as various volatile organic compounds or VOCs.

This last item on the list actually represents a number of potentially harmful chemicals that are put into many consumer goods and building materials. Common VOCs include formaldehyde, benzene and other nasty stuff that can really impact your health when these items are breathed in.

Community air monitoring helps to understand what is in the local air and how to improve the air quality over time.

Monitoring Equipment

It’s important to have the right hardware to do effective community air monitoring. This often means a system of sensors, filters, and a sort of dashboard for understanding air quality at a community level. The article points out other aspects of this like stakeholder engagement, good communication, and access to data, as well as community engagement efforts, like training programs and educational resources.

It shows how the Love My Air program in Denver, Colorado was used as a test case for success in community air monitoring. In this 2019 program, participants installed air quality sensors in schools and neighborhoods to monitor air pollution and educate students about environmental health. It shows how local municipal efforts might look as we tackle air quality in our communities. 

Monitoring Your Air at Home

At a household level, heads of households can also use air monitors to figure out what the indoor air is like inside of a home. Small business leaders can do the same for their business locations.

The first step is to use an air monitor to see what’s in the air around you. Then you can install different kinds of air purifiers that have the best impact on your particular indoor space.

For example, HEPA filters are effective in scrubbing a lot of microbial pollutants out of indoor air.

While a standard HEPA filter traps over 99.97% of particles down to .3 microns, a super HEPA filter traps down to .1 microns, effective at a rate of 99.99%.

There are also UV systems, probiotic systems that release beneficial bacteria into the air, and heat systems that “zap” unhealthy particles.

 For some good practical choices, take a look at the Airpura I-700 or the AllerAir AirMedic Pro 6 Vocarb model, for better breathable air at home or at work. 

Let US Air Purifiers LLC help you to figure out what air purifier models to buy. Get what you need to protect your health today!

Take a look at this USA Today coverage from just a couple of weeks ago.

“In Los Angeles, air quality was between good and moderate in the early parts of the day on Tuesday,” writes Ignacio Calderon. “By sunrise on Wednesday, however, air quality reached hazardous levels that threatened people’s health.”

That’s how quickly things can change, as wildfires rage in Southern California, and strong winds bring the combustion and the smoke closer to local communities.

But the coverage also illustrates a broader trend – that this kind of sudden air pollution is happening more often than it used to. Calderon cites EPA data that shows how this is happening around the country, without specifying what that data is. However, EPA resources include this chart in a set of “climate change indicators” posted online. 

Changes in Air Quality Over Time: What America is Facing

What Calderon points out in the piece is that over the last few decades, America made progress in terms of improving pollution.

A significant number of the new threats are from wildfires. In 2017, wildfire smoke became more harmful than either fossil fuels burning for electric generation, or factory pollution.

The problem is that like other kinds of combustion, wildfires create something called PM 2.5, ultra fine particles that can get into the lungs and get embedded there. Some of this material can even get into the bloodstream, and (according to sources like this one from the California Air Resource Board) it tends to aggravate respiratory conditions like:

• COPD
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Virus-induced respiratory trouble

Any of these conditions can be exacerbated by living in an area with poor air quality. And as Calderon points out, the air quality can change quickly….

More Statistics

Researchers found that in 2023, 140 million Americans Had at least a week of bad air quality.

That’s the highest levels that we’ve seen in a decade, according to Calderon’s coverage. Some blame Canadian wildfires like the one that draped the New York City skyline in smoke (for example, in the summer of 2023). 

Calderon also provides testimony from doctors who give a more anecdotal picture of people getting sick from wildfire smoke, with more use of preventative asthma medications and more family medicine patients coming in to get help.

PM 2.5: Long-Term Exposure and Effects

Sometimes we tend to think that PM2.5 exposure just leads to worsening respiratory incidents, but there are also long-term effects to consider.

Long-term exposure might lead to certain kinds of negative natal outcomes, or higher risk of heart attack and cardiovascular problems for older people.

Many doctors also feel the problem is worse in underserved communities.

Reading the Data

The EPA maintains an air quality index or AQI that you can look at to see what the air is like in your community. There’s even a clickable chart where users can get local information from the EPA.

And again, what people are finding is that wildfires play a big role in air quality. 

Of course, it’s not just air quality – the fires ravage homes and businesses, compel people to evacuate their local areas, and destroy personal property at a troubling rate.

But the air quality is one of those less evident problems that people need to understand – a sort of secondary effect of these major conflagrations. The impact was wide-ranging, too- as the fires raged up north, states as far east as Kansas and Missouri were affected by poor air quality.  When the Canadian fires were active, states as far west as Minnesota and IL were affected.

How to Figure Out Your Own Air Quality

In addition to looking at the EPA charts and other resources for outside air, homeowners and heads of households can figure out how this is affecting the air inside their homes. Use an air monitor to get a read on what’s present in your indoor air, and at what levels. 

This is the air that most of us breathe more on a regular basis. We spent a significant amount of time in our homes, and in our workplaces, where air quality can be just as bad.

The key is for both families and business owners or managers to use air monitors to see what’s present in the indoor air, and then put air purifiers in place to scrub out harmful contaminants.

Floor-standing or whole-home air purifiers  can drastically reduce the amount of PM 2.5 in the air as well as other items like:

• ·        Dust mites
• ·        Mold spores
• ·        Volatile organic compounds
• ·        Pet dander
• ·        Pet odors

Take a look at modern appliance models that have the special features and designs that fit your needs. US Air Purifiers LLC will help you to find the right purchase, to feel better about the air inside of your home or business. Get peace of mind for your health, as we see uncertainty arise in modern life.

To a lot of people, the idea of burning incense in a home seems like kind of an uncommon practice. It’s a cultural practice in some societies, but in many western societies, it’s often seen as a nuisance, with residual odors getting into everything, like your clothes and household objects.

What we’re learning, though, is that the pervasive impact of burning incense is more than just a set of smells.

As we learn more about how combustion affects our indoor air, many of us will be less likely to burn anything inside our homes, including incense. Many will also look into getting a modern air purifier to help cycle out contaminants, but we’ll get to that. 

Basically, burning incense in a closed space is in some ways, similar to smoking a cigarette. The chemicals in most types of incense will typically be less harmful than those in cigarettes, but there’s still the same combustion process that releases smoke, and that’s where the problem lies.

Incense Burning: Clinical Analysis

Take this scientific paper that looked at the effect of burning incense in a person’s home.

The academic writers describe a particular case where an elderly woman is having respiratory problems, and has a history of COPD, as well as a dependency on oxygen.

What clinical observers found was that burning incense in her home was having a negative impact on her health.

"Our patient was an 87-year-old woman with (a) history of asthma and COPD, on oxygen therapy, who presented with unexplained shortness of breath," wrote the lead author, Gomeo Lam.

This is just one of many research articles showing the negative effects of burning incense and how detrimental this is to one's health.   

Electric Incense Burning: An Alternative Option

In the paper, the writers talk about a change of lifestyle, where the woman was introduced to electric incense burners, and recommended to use them instead of traditional incense.

Electric incense burners heat the incense and release the aroma without actual smoke. That can be much better for your lungs than traditional burning. That’s because burning incense releases something called PM 2.5. PM 2.5 is a term for small particles that can travel through the air and get deeply embedded in the lungs, or get into the bloodstream. These particles can cause different kinds of respiratory conditions and symptoms, including ear, nose and throat irritation, coughing, wheezing or fatigue.

In addition, incense burning can result in the release of certain chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs. That’s another thing to watch with regard to the quality of the air inside a home. This National Library of Medicine article goes into more detail about the risks of VOCs with incense burning. 

 Wildfires and Risk

One example is wildfire smoke, which will typically release significant amounts of PM 2.5. We’ve written about this, as people research the effect of regional wildfires, where smoke travels long distances and affects many of our communities.

The bottom line is that the materials in incense, burned traditionally, also release many of these small particles.

"People who burn incense may not realize that family members, including children, who are exposed to secondhand smoke, face health consequences," says allergist Mary Lee-Wong, as quoted in the above academic article. "Similar to tobacco smoke, thirdhand incense smoke may linger in furniture, clothing, and other articles, dissipating for months afterward."

So you can stop burning incense in your house, but what do you do if you have residual contamination from things that came in from outside? Or what if you have people who are allergic to pets or mold, or various types of natural allergens?

One good solution is to use an air purifier to trap and remove particles from the air inside your home.

A modern HEPA filter can get rid of a lot of this nasty stuff, and leave your air cleaner and more breathable. A standard HEPA filter traps over 99.97% of particles down to .3 microns, and a stronger super HEPA deals with down to .1 microns, effective at a rate of 99.99%.

If you’re worried about the quality of your indoor air, you can first use an air monitor to see what’s present, and then get the right kind of air purifier to remove it.

Some of these appliances work better on harsh chemicals, and some are better for things like pet dander and dust mites. Some are better for PM 2.5 that results from combustion. For incense, take a look at the AirPura V400 or V700 models, or the Austin Air Healthmate Plus. The  IDEAL PRO AP80 is another model that is useful here, with not only a HEPA filter, but an Activated Carbon Filter which is important for chemicals. 

You can also choose from traditional filter technologies, or models that heat particles to destroy them - and you can get extra features, like the release of beneficial bacteria into your indoor air to help balance the biome inside of your living space.

US Air Purifiers LLC can help you to get the right solution for your home or business space. We know how these models stack up, with warranty details, features, air changes per hour, and more. Get the confidence to make the right purchase and improve your health in your home!

As multiple large wildfires rage across parts of California, residents are frightened. They’re trying to protect their homes and businesses, and evacuate where necessary, and many are trying to figure out the air quality in their communities.

In a series of conflagrations that are estimated to have killed five people, fire is whipping across areas of Southern California, including urban areas of Los Angeles. The largest is the Palisades fire, which has destroyed over 17,000 acres. A fire in Eaton has ravaged another 10,000 acres.

The death toll is expected to rise, and with the fires not yet fully contained as of Jan. 9, they’re expected to continue spreading. 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in total.

All of this has released tremendous amounts of wildfire smoke into the Southern California air.

Even people many miles away from the fires are wondering how safe their air is – and what to do about poor air quality.

Looking at the Map

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains an interactive air quality map at Airnow.gov. Looking at this map, you can see that parts of Los Angeles, including Santa Monica and Redondo Beach, are in the red zone – where the air is unhealthy for all residents. Long Beach is in the orange zone, where the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Locations like Huntington Beach in the south and Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley are in a yellow zone with moderate air quality.

It’s hard to imagine the fear that sets in as these fires continue to burn out of control. Windy conditions are exacerbating the problem. Although they’re making headway, public officials are taking this challenge very seriously.

As we see things unfolding, we see that Los Angeles is able to battle the wildfires. Days after the fires broke out, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said local crews are in “much better posture” to contain the blazes.

Wildfire Smoke and Health Hazards

Why is it dangerous to breathe wildfire smoke, even in trace amounts?

Smoke from wood combustion and other processes contains small particles called PM 2.5 – these invisible microbes can enter the airway, and get embedded in the lungs, causing worsening respiratory conditions.

People who are exposed to PM 2.5 might feel ear, nose and throat irritation, or redness, or watering of the eyes. You might have a scratchy throat or runny nose. Some, especially asthmatics, experience coughing and wheezing. Some experience shortness of breath, fatigue, or lightheadedness.

This kind of exposure is particularly bad for some groups, including:

·        Children and pregnant women

·        The elderly

·        Immunocompromised people

·        Someone with a condition like COPD or similar respiratory condition

Of course, the safety of those in the fire’s path is paramount – fire crews and other responders are working to reduce property loss and the harm that these fires cause actively.

But that wider impact is cause for concern as well.

What do you do when you have billowing smoke in your vicinity, and you feel like you can’t catch your breath? When you smell the telltale odor of smoke and you worry about the quality of the air around you?

In addition to best practices like adequate ventilation, experts suggest that air purifiers can remediate a lot of these contaminants inside of a building or living space. Then you could have a haven from potentially harmful outdoor air that’s filtered and cycled according to the newest technology. A standard HEPA filter on many machines is 99.97% effective for .3 microns, where a superior “Super HEPA” is 99.99% effective for particles down to .1 microns.

Protecting Your Health

First, you can monitor your indoor air quality with an air monitor device. Then you can use state of the art air purifiers to make your air cleaner and more breathable. Take a look at the Airpura V700 as a serviceable model for smoke; there’s also the Austin Air Healthmate Plus, or the Ideal Pro AP80.  The Allerair Pro 5 HD Vocarb is another model that can be great for PM 2.5 in a home space.

By installing these purifiers in your home, you’re getting a reliable way to filter out the small particles that could otherwise impact your health in a negative way.

Let US Air Purifiers LLC help with warranty, pricing information and more. We know the business and how to best protect households and businesses from PM 2.5, as well as other contaminants, from industrial byproducts to natural things like dust mites and pet dander.

Start making your indoor air cleaner today.

November 12, 2024 was World Pneumonia Day, and experts around the world were looking at how to deal with this often life-threatening condition.

In places like Nigeria and developing nations around the globe, pneumonia affects many people, especially young children. There are a number of key factors to consider, but air pollution is one of them.

With that in mind, we took a look at some of the material released by medical providers and related advocates, including the Every Breath Counts Air Pollution and Pneumonia Scorecard that shows the correlation between air contaminants and illness.

Here are some of the statistics showing you what’s happening in places where air quality is especially low.

The Largest Risk Factor

Global studies show that in many countries, air pollution is the biggest factor in pneumonia deaths, and that it contributed to 30% of all recorded pneumonia deaths in 2021.

So this is not a small impact. It means that one of the ways to best prevent fatalities is to deal with the air that people breathe on a regular basis.

Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution

Here, there are some discrepancies that researchers have noted about how air pollution contributes to respiratory harm in the form of pneumonia. Keep in mind that modern science also shows how air purifiers can practically reduce contaminants. 

Some studies have shown that outdoor air and indoor air contribute to death at about the same rates, overall, per population, given similar impacts. 

“Deaths of Nigerian children under-five due to overall air pollution-related pneumonia were 67,416 in 2019 while deaths of Nigerian children under-five due to household-specific air pollution-related pneumonia were 49,591 during the same year,” reported UNICEF in an article covering this kind of risk.

What African studies and other research finds is that many of those harmed at a young age are experiencing problems due to indoor cooking practices. When you cook around an open fire or some sort of wood combustion or other carbon fuel source, that releases small particles that can be harmful to a person’s respiratory system.

However, researchers also found that for adults, outdoor air pollution can be more deadly.

Global Risk Pockets

The scorecard study found that most air-pollution-related pneumonia deaths are happening in a list of 20 countries, where about half of these are in Africa. The remaining nine countries are in Asia, with one high risk country in Latin America. That’s Brazil.

Tackling the Problem

The study also calls for action targets and government benchmarks as a way to limit outdoor air pollution.

“Unless we take action now to reduce pneumonia deaths and the risk of another respiratory pandemic killing more than 10 million people – which experts say is 66% likely in the next 25 years – millions more adults and children will die from pneumonia,” advocates write. “It won’t be easy…”

Why Does Air Pollution Contribute to Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an illness that attacks the lungs.

Air pollution weakens the respiratory system and hurts the body’s ability to fight lung infections.

Specifically, too, PM2.5, in the form of small particles released from wood or carbon combustion, gets trapped deep in the lungs, doing particular harm.

Different types of chronic damage involve damage to the cilia, small hair-like items that line the respiratory tract, and inflammation.

Some of the worst contaminants come in the form of the aforementioned small particles called PM 2.5 and toxic gases like soft dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

This plus exposure to pathogens can lead to a more severe case of pneumonia that can be difficult to fight.

Improving Your Indoor Air

Aside from efforts to clean up the air in your community, there are ways to improve a household’s indoor air to increase the health and longevity of everyone who lives there.

It starts with using an air monitor to identify the contaminants, and see how bad the situation is inside of a building. Then you can use either floor-standing appliances or whole house air purifiers to get rid of various types of contaminants and even pathogens.

For example, air purifiers have been seen to be effective even against mold and PM2.5 particles released from things like wildfire combustion. 

The new science is so overwhelming that a lot of businesses in America are using air purifier machines to make their spaces more welcoming to visitors.

The same can be effective in residential settings. Households can get better breathable air by putting these appliances in place. Some even have new technology like probiotics, filterless elimination of contaminants, etc. There are also standard benchmarks for pathogen and microbe control, where for example, a SuperHEPA filter is 99.99% effective for .1 microns, and a standard HEPA is 99.97% effective for .3 microns.

Let US Air Purifiers LLC help you with warranties and models and everything else. We know how to consult with customers to help them to get just what they need out of an air purifier purchase. Take a look at all of the technology that you can use to breathe easier in your home!