A good HEPA air filter is a bare essential
November 9, 2008 by Susie Collins
I replaced the charcoal wrap in the bedroom air filter the other day and I’m not going to tell you how long it’s been since I replaced it (pic below of the dirty filter, ugh). I don’t think I’ll go that long between changes again! The charcoal wrap is supposed to be replaced at least every three months and the High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) unit every three years.
This is a very basic HEPA air filter that helps control particulate matter, i.e. dust, which works very well for me because I have trouble if there is too much dust in the air. The main HEPA filter is at the center of the unit, and then the charcoal wrap goes around the HEPA unit (see pics below).
I run it about a half hour a day, and I also run it while changing the sheets and when vacuuming the house. I don’t close up the windows while I run it and it still cleans the air very well. I love the air after running the filter!
I don’t have any problems with VOCs in the house, so I don’t need a VOC air filter. If you are trying to figure out what type of air filter to use, you need to evaluate what type of contaminants you need to filter out (biological? chemical?). At the very least, you should be using a HEPA filter, and that goes for your vacuum, too because there can be a lot of contaminants in dust. Be sure that you are buying a true HEPA filter and not a “HEPA-type” filter, which does not do as good a job. A good HEPA filter is not cheap, but the results will amaze you.
I don’t have any product brand recommendations but would love to hear from those of you who do because I’d like to buy a unit for my livingroom.
Some good info /comparisons about air purifiers
http://www.air-purifier-power.com/index.html
My original AllerAir 4000 is still running almost 10 years later, and was a great investment. I tried to buy a new AllerAir machine about 3 years ago and had so many problems with their people and products that I won’t be able to buy another machine (any brand) for who knows how long now.
I’m leaning towards an Air Pura 600 when I’m ready to try again, since it’s all metal and has a few other features I like. I do want tons of activated carbon for the VOC’s.
Didn’t Lou Cheese have some instructions on how to build your own unit?
Linda, I really lucked out in 2006 when my Georgia friend gave me her Aller Air 4000 unit for free…she had so many air purifiers and gladly gave me this one. I really like it. It has the UV light in the bottom to kill off mold and bacteria, also.
It sure makes a difference in my small apt. I have an Austin Health Mate Jr. in the bedroom area. Both of these filters are on 24/7. I still have a ton of “white” dust in this place though…do not have a hepa vacuum cleaner (I have an Oreck upright)
and one of the small over-the-shoulder types by Oreck (remember the ad with the bowling ball?) Dust gives me headaches and stuffy sinuses, so I know I need a good Hepa vac. They are costly and right now there isn’t enough $$ for it.
I an see why it is considered a “bare necessity!!!”
The UV light kills mold and bacteria by creating ozone - which is very very bad for us to breathe. Ozone is damaging to the lungs and can mix with the regular air to create a crazy toxic soup of chemicals that will build up indoors over time- even if it is only being produced in small amounts.
For air filters I would say avoid any ionizing/ozonating contraption, and stick to just pure filtering.
Leslie, if I disconnected that UV light, would that eliminate what you are referring to? Actually, I knew about the air purifiers that do produce ozone, and their ads indicate that, but I had never heard that the UV light creates ozone!!
I got really curious with the UV lamp/ozone idea, so I checked with the Aller Air
company, directly, and they said that their UV bulbs do not produce any ozone.
It’s possible that some others do. Now I’m breathing a sigh of relief!!!
Thanks for all your input! You guys are such a wealth of info.
Linda’s link is a great resource. Here’s the page that addresses the UV-ozone issue http://www.air-purifier-power.com/uv-air-purifier.html , where he states that :
“Many of these UVC light systems produce ozone. Larger lamps that create greater dosage, can also produce additional ozone. Often a germicidal uv air purifier is used where there is an illness, to avoid infection. Or as a preventative for infants, the elderly, or immune suppressed individuals that are susceptible to infection. Ozone is particularly bad for these vulnerable consumers. Ozone emissions must be eliminated before I can advocate this technology. NQ Clarifier is a leader in UV air purification technology, and claim to have solved the ozone emissions problem with special quartz bulbs. AllerAir also advertises an ozone free machine.
Here’s the top 10 list from the same site at http://www.air-purifier-power.com/top-10-air-purifiers.html
Air Purifiers: by price and value:
1. IQAir HealthPro Plus, $795, the easy winner. A lifetime multiple chemical sensitive, I am a poor boy fer sure, but bought one after months of research for this website. IQ Air Purifier review: everything about the IQAir HealthPro Plus
2. Blueair 601: $600, “Top Gun” Blueair 601 review: flying high
3. Austin Air HealthMate: Real Value $449.00 Austin Air Purifiers HealthMate review: “Heart of Gold”
4. AllerAir 5000 Exec: $499.98 AllerAir 5000 Exec: “Value Investing”
5. Sharp Plasmacluster FP-N60CX has been superseded by the very similar FP-P60CX. The older version is disappearing from inventories. The new model is reviewed here: Sharp Plasmacluster FP-P60CX Review
Sharp Plasmacluster FP-N60CX: $390 Sharp Plasmacluster FPN60CX: Best Ionizer
6. Whirlpool AP45030R $229 “Hot Rod” Whirlpool AP45030R: Fast Company
7. Neoair Enviro 68108 $199. Automated ozone free ionization at a low price.
8. Honeywell 50250 $160: Best Value, Heavy Duty. Honeywell 50250: Six Days on the Road
9. Hamilton Beach 04163 $135, Not perfect, not expensive either. Hamilton Beach Air Purifier
10. Panasonic F-P15HU2: $80, Electronic Interface at a very low price. Panasonic F-P15HU2: Good Looking and Smart F-P15HU2 has been discontinued, the very similar F-P20HU2 may still be found.
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Here’s what my physician Dr. Andrew Weil has to say about air filters including ozone producing filters:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400007
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400007
California State has a lot of info about ozone emitting devices somewhere, but I’m not up to looking where I’ve hidden the links.
What I remember about UV is that it will only clean (maybe that’s not the right word) the things it has direct contact with for a certain amount of time. So, if the moldy debris is being whisked thru the device too fast, the UV does nothing to it.
Something else I remember about AllerAir is that some of their filters contained Triclosan, without them ever mentioning it. I had so many problems with them in 05-06, from lies, omissions, sending me a machine model with known motor offgassing problems when I’d been clear about the severity of my MCS, etc. They did attempt some restitution, but the damage was done - the bad machine sensitized me to even miniscule amounts of a varnish that is used in virtually all machines.
I don’t know if all this was related to staffing issues or what, and I know others who also had some problems with them at that time, but they messed up repeatedly.
Until I hear from a reliable source that they have taken care of whatever issues they were having, and no longer put people with more severe MCS in danger, and through grief, I cannot recommend them.
Before those incidents, I recommended their product for years. My old machine has been a lifesaver. I just don’t trust them anymore.
Triclosan! Nasty stuff and not disclosed in tons of products. Here’s a report on triclosan http://www.ewg.org/reports/triclosan .
I’m grateful that I only have to worry about particulate matter and so a good true HEPA works fine for my needs. I might just get another Honeywell, the price is good and the one I have has served me well. Although I will say that one HEPA replacement filter they sent me was contaminated with something– boy did it stink– and I sent it back for a replacement.
Some of the goops that hold the hepa filters together can be nasty.
I had a little Room-Aid machine that also works in cars, and it cleared the particulate out of my room very well so my lungs felt great, but filled the room with some noxious substance that turned my brain to mush.
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I’ve heard this is a common issue for MCSers, so it’s worth exploring what kind of glues and goops are used to attach the Hepa material to the other parts.
I remembered a couple of the reasons I scratched the IQAir off my list; one is because it is made of plastic, even if inert as they say, as a life cycle issue it doesn’t work for me if I have other options, and the part that cinched it for me was there is no choice of carbon, so if you react to bituminous, and potassium iodide or permanganate (I forget which they use) you are out of luck.
Several of the companies have sample packs and options of different types of activated carbon, because not everyine tolerates the same ones.
Bituminous is coal, there are coconut and peat carbons too, as well as mixes with zeolite and a potassium base additive which is said to absorb VOC’s better.
If someone’s MCS is on the more severe end of the spectrum, it’s worth checking out the sample packs 1st.
Interesting that they say the UV doesnt create Ozone at that company - how does it kill bacteria exactly? I would disconnect the UV light from any device you have - companies that push UV and ozone are not very scientifically educated from my research on this matter and are quick to deny the connection between the two.
A good example is SHARPER IMAGE - they made this nasty little ozone air purfier, then realized it was unhealthy…instead of recalling them you would see TV commercials for both their ozone machine and how “great” it was, then 10 mins later for their “ozone free” machine cause ozone was “so dangerous”. Hysterically, when you bought the Ozone free purfier, you got a free ozone producing CAR purfier !!! lol
These companies are not going on science - and even the EPA did studies on this with ugly results.
I had talked with a Harvard Checmist a while back about this too, and he said “once you release the ozone any chemical reaction is possible.”
Thank you for the post and all the great links.
I have asthma and many allergies. Some years ago, my husband did a bunch of research and purchased a Friedrich Electronic Air Cleaner (probably the C90A). He plugged it in… and before too long, I was struggling to breathe. Neither of us could understand how an air cleaner could make breathing more difficult for me. We tried using the machine for a while longer, until I finally couldn’t take it any longer.
I’ve tried air-filters in the past but they put something into the room that I couldn’t tolerate.
I don’t remember the brand names and that was several years ago when my MCS was at it worst. I’ve improved since then but still stay away from air-filters.
Sounds like they benefit some people but make other people worse.
Nice blog, Susie Collins.
When we landed in Seattle from Oahu, we checked in our old faithful Sears air filter that has traveled many thousands of miles, across the Pacific at least twice. For all the places and situations I have been in it worked for years. It has a replaceable carbon pre-filter and a true hepa also. Now that we have been in our “Kitchenette Yurt” for six months an upgrade to an Austin Healthmate Jr has boosted the fresh air and capacity to refresh an exposure ie. from Jet fuel that invades when the wind blows from the North; or wood smoke gets through the door. The solid stainless unit has no plastic parts and the fact the Austin pre-runs the unit before shipping is a real plus for me. It’s quiet, easy to move around and uses very little energy to run all day and all night.
This discussion has been very enlightening. Thank you all for your thoughts and for sharing your experiences.
It seems that, as with most things MCS, there is no magic single product that will help all of us across the board. But I think we’ve established that the ozone producers are really bad, and the most basic need is for a true HEPA filter (although some may have a reaction to some of those as well).
I’d like to keep this topic alive on The Canary Report, and as things develop, will have more formal info pages on air filters and other products.
I’ll add that Consumer Reports has always given highest marks to the Friedrich Electronic Air Cleaner, which is why my husband decided to purchase it. IMO, it is big and ugly (reminds me of a covered cat litter box), but we lived in a house with serious mold issues and thought it would help. There was only so much we could do about the mold, because we rented a house with a very wet basement. When we moved, things got a lot better for me.
I recently read that the Friedrich filter needs to be cleaned about every 2 or 3 days. We definitely were NOT doing that when we used it. Maybe that’s another reason I had so many problems when using it.