Considering ionic air purifiers for lung disease?
According to the Journal of American Medical Association, new evidence has shown that air pollution increases the risk of lung disease. What are these air pollutions? The three types of air pollution are particles, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bioburden. Particles are air pollutants that have mass like dust, dander, pollen and cigarette smoke. VOCs, on the other hand, are gases from chemicals that are released into the air by various household materials and liquids. The third kind of pollution, bioburden, is the amount of biological material in the air, living or dead. These dead and living materials can cause allergic reactions.
Back in 1974, the Swiss Meteorological Institute first studied problems related to seasonal winds in various places on earth. Researchers wanted to find out the cause of physical and mental effects such as headaches, depression and even heart attacks. They noticed that the common denominator in all these wind variants was the type of electrical charge of the ions in the air. They found the culprit in very high concentration of positive ions. On the other hand, the air quality near waterfalls, in the mountains or after a spring rain was found to have high amounts of negative ions. Scientific studies concluded that negatively charged ions have positive effects on living organisms. Plants grow faster and healthier, lab animals are calmed and more able to perform certain tasks, and humans are more alert.
So ionic air purifiers work similarly to combat air pollution and improve the overall health of people. The concept behind ionic air purifiers is something we learned from junior high. An ion is an atom or molecule that has either lost or gained one or more electrons after interaction with another positively or negatively charged particle. Ionic air purifiers work in this way. They contain negative ion generators that charge airborne particles so that the particles become attracted to and settle on room surfaces, thus removing harmful particles from the air that you breathe. In order not to release the particles back into the air due to room activity, many ionic air purifiers contain electrostatic precipitation that trap particles on oppositely charged metal plates.
There are stand-alone ionic air purifiers as well as centralized whole house electrostatic air purifiers that can be installed in the heating and air condition paths. Places that are best for ionic air purifiers are those areas where infection potential needs to be kept down. These include areas for surgery in medical establishments, manufacturing areas for pharmaceuticals, public restrooms, public transport vehicles, cars and private rooms.
The capacity of an ionic air purifier is measured in the number of air changes per hour or the time taken for a unit to provide clean air in a given space. They are generally designed to draw current from a main source of electric power.
