Come November, and we are back in the times of air pollution, especially in Delhi NCR. Some may attributed this sudden rise in pollution levels to the paddy field burning, which is open to debate. But for the moment let’s focus on the immediate issue at hand – Air Pollution, and the role of Air Purifiers in combating this health hazard.
WHO has already raised a red flag on air pollution since developed and developing countries are facing the issue alike. How can an individual safeguard own health from the harmful effects of air pollution? Here’s an overview of why to consider the use of air purifiers, and how to use them to their fullest potential this pollution season.
Air Purifiers to combat Air Pollution of Delhi NCR
Air Purifiers are typically available as per capacity and types of air filtration technology used. Without going into technical details of types of air purifiers, let’s consider the ones that we need to focus upon for home usage. Most effective purifiers for home usage are the ones with Activated Carbon Filter with HEPA filter. While HEPA filter removes particles upto 2.5 microns size which includes viruses and particulate air pollutants, Activated Carbon Filters are essential for removing smoke and odor from the air. Larger capacity purifiers should be preferred. This is because home air purifiers are inherently less efficient in filtering out pollutants, esp smoke.
What is equally important is to keep the door and windows closed as much as possible, because once more polluted air enters the house, it is a tedious task for the purifier to remove the pollutants. Also, studies have shown that prolonged exposure to alarming levels of air pollution can accelerate the progression of cardio vascular diseases. This amplifies the importance of preventive health care. Thus this pollution season, choose a high capacity air purifier, keep the doors and windows closed as far as possible, and consider affiliation with a preventive health care facility.