Understanding air treatment
It is a very sad fact that the air inside our homes is usually dirtier than the air outside.
The UK Air Quality Information Archive has this to say on the matter:
"Common indoor air pollutants include carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from faulty gas heaters and cookers, carbon monoxide and benzene from cigarette smoke, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from synthetic furnishings, vinyl flooring and paints. In addition, there are biological pollutants such as dust mites and mould. Since most of us spend 80 to 90% of the time indoors, air quality could have a real bearing on our health."
This can be especially serious for allergy sufferers or people who suffer with any form of respiratory complaint � these numbers continue to grow in the UK year on year with no one really quite sure what is causing the underlying problem.
Removing pollutants form the air we breathe can be a simple step towards controlling and improving our indoor environment. It is a straightforward thing to do and is common in many other countries where the issue of indoor air pollution is understood and widely recognised.
Using an air cleaner or purifier fitted with a HEPA (High Efficiency
Particle Arrestance) Filter in your home will remove 99.97% of miniscule
airborne particles of mould and mildew, dust, pollen, pet dander, bacteria
and smoke from the atmosphere, leaving you breathing cleaner, fresher
air.
If a purifier features both HEPA and carbon filters, as well as removing
airborne particles down to 0.3 microns in size, all odours and fumes are
removed as well.
In addition to filtration, some purifiers have additional technology to
further combat pollution. These technologies are Ionic and UV Photo Catalytic.
Humidity Levels
We don’t tend to notice the issue of dry air very much. Maybe we all think
that we live in a damp climate in the UK � that might be the case if you
sit outside on a drizzly day but in a centrally heated house relative
humidity (RH) can be far lower then the recommended level. To maintain
optimum health, we should be living in an environment which has an (RH)
of between 45–60%.
Parents of young children who have suffered with croup will know that they are told to go and sit in the bathroom with hot taps running or repeatedly boil a kettle – both of these will produce steam to ease the complaint. Why bother when you can settle your child to sleep with a warm mist humidifier in their room?
Another noticeable effects of dry air is electrostatic shocks, these occur below when RH is below 40%, they are an absolute nuisance and a clear indicator that the RH is to low.
Because we don’t know much about humidity we fail to link discomfort or health problems with low RH. However, dry air does have many adverse effects and symptoms including headaches, dry or sore mouth or throats, dry or sore eyes, nasal stuffiness and skin irritation. Persistently low RH can increase our susceptibility to colds and respiratory infections.
Your skin, scalp and hair will also begin to suffer. When lacking in moisture, skin develops rashes and rough patches, scalps will flake and hair becomes more brittle.
In addition to the health concerns that too low or too high RH can cause, it can be very damaging to many of our most treasured items. Books, manuscripts, paintings, furniture (especially antiques) and vinyl records can all be damaged by too much or little humidity in the air.
Once you know the RH in your home or office, it is easy to control. A small device called a hygrometer is all you need to measure RH. If it is too low, then you can add humidity to the air with a humidifier. If your RH is too high, then a dehumidifier is the answer.
NScessity is one of the UK’s leading specialists in air treatment products. We have a range of air purifiers and humidifiers to suit most homes and budgets. Contact us if you have any questions at all.