Air purifiers are freely available on the market. Does your family need an air purifier? Which one should I use? What are the recurring costs of an air purifier?

Falling Air Quality Index (AQI)

The AQI has been deteriorating steadily over the last few months. Delhi had notoriously low AQIs, especially in winter, but Mumbai has gone one step ahead this winter. The AQIs recorded in Mumbai have been consistently higher than in New Delhi. I suspect this is true throughout India and the rest of the world.

We have had good AQI in Mumbai, around one in five days! The rest of the time, we are breathing in terrible air. There are different types of atmospheric pollutants:

Air pollution, allergens, and other airborne irritants can significantly impact our health, causing symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and respiratory issues like asthmatic bronchitis and predisposing to recurrent chest infections. There are different pollutants, each causing different types of problems.

• Particulate Matter: PM 2.5 and PM 10 – If there is a high level of these particles, a high dose reaches our respiratory passages, and this can cause irritation and allergies leading to asthma and exacerbation of chronic respiratory conditions like COPD
• Mold and bacteria: These can cause infections as well as allergies.
• Tobacco smoke: Fortunately, governments have emphasized quitting smoking worldwide, so tobacco smoke has become less of a problem. However, even if one person smokes within the house, the whole household is at risk of respiratory infections.
• Volatile compounds and noxious gases: There are a surprisingly large number of household items that release formaldehyde, including building materials, furnishings, and household cleaners. This can lead to recurrent headaches, irritability, dizziness, and other symptoms. carbon monoxide can be released during cooking and can causeway lightheadedness and giddiness. Beyond a certain concentration, carbon monoxide can even be fatal.

Enter Air Purifiers

Many people resort to some form of air purifier to protect themselves and their families from the ill effects of air pollution.

Should I go for a room humidifier instead? Read all about it here.

Which air purifier to choose?

Since air purifiers are available with different filters for different problems, if we can identify what the specific problem is, then we can choose specific air filters. For most families, the biggest problem is that of small particulate matter, and air purifies with fine filters with added HEPA filters to keep out really small particles, dander, and microorganisms are best. these should take care of most allergies and recurrent respiratory problems. Unfortunately, adding a HEPA filter significantly increases the equipment’s cost, though they can vary from moderate to expensive. Choose depending on the following:

• Your need: whether you need a HEPA filter or not?
• Your budget: Remember there are recurring expenses like electricity charges, replacement filters, and machine replacement costs.
• Manufacturer Reputation: Research the manufacturer in contact and consumer bulletin boards to find out which fire manufacturers have better reputations.
• Size of your room: The size of your room will decide the size of the air filter purifier you choose. For most people, a small-sized air purifier that covers a room size of less than 300 square feet should be enough.

Are Air Purifiers Panaceas?

It is far better to take measures at all levels to reduce air pollution than to correct a problem we have created. Since the best thing that we can do is at the individual level, as that is directly under our control, we should do all we can to control our polluting habits to safeguard this wonderful planet for future generations.

Sustainable living is not a mere buzzword. If we fail to do a course correction, we are irreversibly hurtling toward Armageddon!

• Regular maintenance and replacement are required: One must clean and replace filters regularly. Otherwise, you’re using the equipment and the electricity without any benefit.
• Environmental issues: running purifiers for a long time can significantly contribute to the pollution it intends to take care of. Filters must be disposed of safely and per the manufacturer’s instructions. Otherwise, they are hazardous in themselves and add to landfill problems.