What is in the air we breathe?
Just like you learned in school, air is mostly nitrogen and oxygen. What you didn’t learn in school is what else is in the air… there’s a lot you may not know about the air you breathe.
What is harmful to breathe?
Obviously, you can’t go without air. But chances are you’re breathing in more than you bargained for. Mold, pollen, pet dander, and even worse lurk in the air.
How can I breathe healthier, cleaner, safer air?
In the $20B worldwide IAQ market, you’ll find a lot of companies promising solutions. But to recognize a complete IAQ solution, you need all the information.
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IAQ How Stuff Works
A complete indoor air solution must do five things. It must:
- Remove harmful particles from the air
- Capture even the smallest particles
- Neutralize bacteria, viruses, and dangerous chemicals
- Not create dangerous byproducts
- Not hurt your HVAC system
If it fails to do any one of these, it can’t be called complete.
The IAQ Puzzle is a video created to explain each of these 5 concepts, and help you decide what product or combination of products will best address your IAQ safety and health concerns.
Use the grid of products below to learn more about how different air cleaning and filtering technologies hold up against these five criteria.
Media Air Filters
These filters use interlaced fibers to create a sort of sieve for the air. A high efficiency media filter can do a very good job of capturing airborne particles of all sizes when they pass through it.
But there’s a very big problem with these filters.
The reason for this is ultrafine particles. They are so tiny that they aren’t affected by airflow…which means they never get back to the filter to be captured!
To make matters worse, these invisible particles, less than a micron in diameter, are very dangerous to your health. And they make up over 90% of all indoor air pollution.
This means air cleaners that rely on media-type of filtration are effective at capturing only the largest of all airborne particles, like dust and pollen, but not the health-threatening ultrafine particles.
Because there are a lot of large particles in the air, these filters can become clogged quickly. Once they are clogged, airflow will be restricted and slowed down, creating a number of problems with the heating and air conditioning system. To avoid these problems, they have to be replaced often, which is an expensive proposition.
Electronic Air Cleaners (EACs)
The reason for this is ultrafine particles. They are so tiny that they aren’t affected by airflow…which means they never get back to the filter!
To make matters worse, these invisible particles, less than a micron in diameter, are very dangerous to your health. And they make up over 90% of all indoor air pollution.
Nearly 100 years ago, an electrostatic process was developed to solve this problem. The idea was to use a high-voltage wire to give small particles an electrical charge and then charged plates inside the air cleaner would attract and collect the charged particles.
It was a good idea. But these types of air cleaners can lose their efficiency quickly as the plates become loaded with particles.
And they produce and release ozone into the air – another dangerous particle.
Ion Generators
Scientists and engineers know that’s not the case.
Over 90% of indoor air pollution is made up of particles less than 1 micron in diameter referred to as “ultrafine particles”. These ultrafine particles aren’t affected by airflow which means they stay in the occupied space…where you breathe. These ultrafine particles are so tiny that they pass right through the lungs and into the bloodstream. From there they will be transported to every organ in the body, including the brain, negatively impacting our health in many ways.
These dangerous ultrafine particles aren’t affected by airflow, but they are affected by electromagnetic fields and charges.
Which is what led to the invention of ion generators as an air purification system. This technology electrically charges air molecules, producing negative ions. These ions will attach to other particles in the air and get larger, allowing them to be caught up by a room’s airflows. Depending on the device, the charged particles are drawn to metal plates where they’re trapped, or they are attracted to and settle on surfaces in the home.
Ion generators do some things right. They work to partially address the ultrafine particle problem by clumping them and helping them be moved by any airflow. But in doing so, they create new problems.
Several recently published studies show the charged particles created by ion generators are more likely to accumulate in the respiratory tract. And this technology may even produce additional harmful byproducts resulting in people actually breathing in more dangerous contaminants than before.
In addition, all ion generators also produce at least some amount of ozone, a lung irritant.
SecureAire
For any particles not trapped, they are conditioned again, making their combined electrical charge net neutral. Like tiny airborne magnets, these net neutral particles have multiple positive and negative sites, allowing them to attract and cling to other particles still floating in the air. These clumps become large enough to be caught in the airflow and carried back to the SecureAire filter, where they’re trapped and neutralized.
SecureAire’s unique air filtering technology also absorbs volatile gases, preventing them from re-entering the air, without releasing any harmful byproducts.
And because SecureAire uses a controlled field to charge particles, it does not release harmful byproducts like ozone back into the air.
SecureAire’s filtering cartridge is also unique. Rated at a hospital-grade MERV 14, it can last 6 to 12 months without losing efficiency or significantly impeding airflow.
SecureAire has been tested in real world conditions—not highly controlled lab settings. And it has shown to be highly effective at quickly removing airborne particles of all sizes from a space, making the air in the occupied space safe, healthy, and clean.
Simply put, SecureAire offers the most complete IAQ solution available today.
Ventilation
Good ventilation can do a lot to improve indoor air quality. But it’s rarely enough… a fact that’s apparent when you consider indoor air quality is typically 2 to 10 times worse than outdoor air.
And proper ventilation of a home must be controlled. For example, if a strong wind is blowing, there will be a relatively high pressure on one side of the house and a lower pressure on the other. A significant amount of air will be sucked out of the house, creating an overventilation situation. Conversely, if there is no wind, there will be an underventilation situation. Finally, how well ventilation works also depends on the outdoor air quality and on sources of air pollution in the occupied space… like pets or cleaning supplies.
Controlled ventilation is important, but there is much more to consider.
Most of the airborne contaminants that are inside the home never even make it to a filter.
Over 90% of indoor air pollution is made up of particles less than 1 micron in diameter referred to as “ultrafine particles”. These ultrafine particles aren’t affected by airflow which means they stay in the occupied space…where you breathe. These ultrafine particles are so tiny that they pass right through the lungs and into the bloodstream. From there they will be transported to every organ in the body, including the brain, negatively impacting our health in many ways.
UV (Ultraviolet) Lights in the Airstream
Scientists and engineers know that’s not the case.
Over 90% of indoor air pollution is made up of particles less than 1 micron in diameter referred to as “ultrafine particles”. These ultrafine particles aren’t affected by airflow which means they stay in the occupied space…where you breathe. These ultrafine particles are so tiny that they pass right through the lungs and into the bloodstream. From there they will be transported to every organ in the body, including the brain, negatively impacting our health in many ways.
Some products claim to be effective at destroying airborne pathogens with UV light in the duct system as they pass through.
There are many problems with this design.
First, it requires high levels of UV exposure to kill bacteria and viruses. It’s unlikely any singular pathogen will be exposed to the UV light long enough to make a difference. For example, if the HVAC system is operating at a maximum velocity of 492 feet per minute, that means that a particular pathogen will be flying by the UV light at 8 feet per second…certainly not enough time to have a damaging effect.
Second, these systems don’t filter out the pathogens. They’re only meant to kill them.
Dead ultrafine particles are still damaging to your heart, lungs, and brain when breathed in.
And some UV lamps may also produce ozone, adding another health concern.
UV (Ultraviolet) Lights on the Evaporator Coils
Scientists and engineers know that’s not the case.
Over 90% of indoor air pollution is made up of particles less than 1 micron in diameter referred to as “ultrafine particles”. These ultrafine particles aren’t affected by airflow which means they stay in the occupied space…where you breathe. These ultrafine particles are so tiny that they pass right through the lungs and into the bloodstream. From there they will be transported to every organ in the body, including the brain, negatively impacting our health in many ways.
But not all contaminants that can cause problems are just airborne. Mold spores may begin a journey through the home from the outside, can show up on walls and windows, make their way into wall cavities and circulate throughout the heating and air conditioning’s duct system. Some molds can cause allergic reactions, some others can cause illnesses and others, known as toxic molds, can even cause death.
The most common place for mold to appear in a heating and air conditioning system is in the ductwork at the evaporator coil. This is a dark space, with “food” in the form of duct liner and/or aluminum, and plenty of moisture. Exactly what this sort of pathogen needs to grow.
One solution to this indoor air quality problem is to use UV radiation to kill molds as well as other microbes. Since the mold can grow on the coil, on the liner, in the drain pan and even the walls of the ductwork, the UV light must be able to “see” it to destroy it.
It’s a good idea.
But it may be incomplete. In more humid areas where mold or other growth can appear as described, UV light radiating on just the coil will not remove all of the dangerous pathogens from the air.
Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO)
The reason for this is ultrafine particles. They are so tiny that they aren’t affected by airflow…which means they never get back to the filter to be captured!
To make matters worse, these invisible particles, less than a micron in diameter, are very dangerous to your health. And they make up over 90% of all indoor air pollution.
This means air cleaners that rely on media-type of filtration are effective at capturing only the largest of all airborne particles, like dust and pollen, but not the health-threatening ultrafine particles.
Photocatalytic Oxidation or PCO air “purifiers” attempt to solve this problem.
PCO air purifiers use a material coated in a catalyst, usually titanium dioxide. This coated material absorbs gaseous pollutants. Once absorbed, UV light generated by the device is used to cause a photochemical reaction that breaks down the trapped gases into carbon dioxide and water. Seems okay so far.
Unfortunately, PCO air cleaners are often ineffective at completely breaking down gaseous pollutants. They also create harmful byproducts like formaldehyde and carbon monoxide.
In recently published studies, PCOs produce mixed results. And they haven’t been rigorously tested under real-world conditions.
IAQ Science Center
The information on indoor air quality and the technologies meant to improve it is out there. Organizations like the EPA, the American Lung Association, and ASHRAE provide in-depth studies and analysis. But that information is hard to find. Or it was… until now. We’ve curated the best these organizations have to offer on IAQ and how it affects you and your health.