Benjamin Franklin and John Adams had a bitter fuss one cold winter night when the two disagreed on how to freshen the air in a small room they shared en route to meet Gen. George Washington.
Open the windows, Franklin argued, and ventilate the room to get some fresh air. Adams, who was cold and did not want the elements inside, eventually lost the argument, but only because he fell asleep first.
Now, more than 225 years later, the question of how to clean dirty indoor air still rages and has become a pressing concern for the nation’s nearly 60 million sufferers of asthma and allergies. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said it receives 80 to 90 calls a week with questions about air purifiers, and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America said many of its 50,000 Web site hits are about purifiers. Doctors report a steady stream of questions about them.
U.S. manufacturers sell 2.1 million purifiers each year, an increase of half a million from 10 years ago. Although scientists and physicians hesitate to recommend them, legions of people claim air purifiers have helped them. And marketing directors can paint unpleasant views of the offending particles. Take the lowly dust mite, for example.
“Their No. 1 food source is human skin,” said Matt Ragland, marketing director of home environment at Hamilton Beach.
And it’s not even that the mites feed on exfoliated human skin as we sleep that causes most people to wheeze; it’s their fecal matter. It floats in the air and is what most people refer to as dust.
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Physicians, scientists and groups such as the American Lung Association and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America say studies show that many of the purifiers do pull allergens from the air. But they stop short of recommending them because the studies do not document that better health results.
“Do they need a purifier? Probably not,” said Janice Nolen, director of national policy for the American Lung Association. “The most effective method is to remove the source and to improve ventilation. Other than that, you won’t need one.”
Hundreds of purifiers, including mechanical filters, electrostatic purifiers, ozone generators and hybrid versions of various techniques, are on the market, with prices ranging from $40 to thousands of dollars. In 1989, seven manufacturers selling 15 models were certified through the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. Now, 19 manufacturers are registered through AHAM, with more than 250 models listed. Not all makers of the devices register through AHAM.
Because purifiers are not considered medical necessities, insurance companies will not reimburse for them. There are no government standards for them. They have little endorsement from the scientific and medical community. Asthma and allergy advocacy groups recommend a thorough housecleaning and laundering of linens in water heated to at least 130 degrees instead of the use of a purifier.
And yet, allergy and asthma sufferers, and particularly parents of them, will do almost anything for a breath of fresh air. And many who use purifiers offer testimonials as convincing as a convert’s. Scientists allow that such anecdotal experience can be important and should not be ignored.
“It’s like a 100 percent difference,” said Robert Oliver of Atlanta, who bought a purifier for his 950-square-foot condominium last year. “It’s amazing. It was musty and moldy, and I had an old dog. It was terrible.”
The demand for cleaner indoor air began when indoor air quality began deteriorating after the 1973 energy crisis, scientists explained. Building standards changed to make homes more energy-efficient, and that meant that houses were sealed tighter. In turn, that led to less ventilation and the buildup of indoor pollutants.
By the early 1990s, the American Lung Association was announcing that air inside homes could be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. And with Americans spending nearly 90 percent of their time indoors, those who suffer from respiratory illnesses and those who care for them began searching for solutions.
The enemies are tiny airborne particles–such as pet dander, molds, house dust allergens and the tar and chemicals in tobacco smoke–that people can breathe. Particles 10 microns or larger–microscopic in size–will lodge in the upper respiratory tract and may stimulate an allergic response; most will be cleared from the body naturally through coughing and swallowing. Those smaller than 10 microns may go deeper into the body and land in the alveoli of the lungs, where they may penetrate and cause acute or chronic effects.
To reduce air pollution in the home, the American Lung Association recommends banning cigarette smoke, which it identifies as the worst indoor pollutant. It next recommends a vigorous weekly housecleaning, including vacuum cleaning (so long as the person with the allergies or asthma is not doing the job), polishing furniture to remove airborne dust, and washing sheets in hot water. It also supports Franklin’s remedy, ventilation, of which he remained a strong advocate long after winning his argument with Adams.
The group also recommends mattress covers and, in some cases, eliminating carpet, which can trap the particles as they fall to the floor.
Linda Thomas-Mobley, assistant professor of building construction at Georgia Tech, agrees that aggressive cleaning is the first defense. Keeping pets out of bedrooms is also essential, she said.
If that fails to clear the air, Thomas-Mobley said, asthma and allergy sufferers should open their windows.
Then, reduce humidity. Only after those tactics have failed does a person need to consider a purifier, she said.
Still, Thomas-Mobley, who calls herself a “walking air meter,” does have a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter on her furnace to clean the air as it leaves the appliance.
Although she said there “is just not enough research data” to prove that purifiers improve health, she did cite one study from Great Britain that identified a major factor in the devices’ popularity. “There’s a huge psychological component,” she said, explaining that if people think they can breathe better, sometimes they can.
For those who decide to buy a purifier, a few tips can help:
– First, check with a physician to know what allergens you are trying to remove.
– Consider what size purifier you want by measuring the room.
– Seals of approval can help. Make sure the device at least has the approval of the Underwriters Laboratories.
– A good first step beyond source removal and ventilation is the installation of a mechanical filter in heating and air-conditioning units, and there is even a standard for them. Look for the HEPA designation, a filter that catches 99.97 percent of all particles three microns and larger. Most experts interviewed recommend looking for the HEPA designation.
– Avoid devices that clean the air by intentionally generating ozone, the experts said.
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– Look for a clean air delivery rate, or CADR, guide on the box of a purifier. It shows the rate at which clean air will be returned to a room.