Air Purification and Allergies
What is an Allergy?
By definition, an allergy is: a damaging immune response by the body to a substance, especially pollen, fur, a particular food, or dust, to which it has become hypersensitive. (Oxford English Dictionary)
Our bodies produce antibodies which is a protein produced by the body’s immune system and detects any harmful substances (antigens) such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and even chemicals.
Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance.
What are some symptoms of allergies?
Allergy symptoms vary depending on the type of allergen. There are so many different types of allergies to recognize: Seasonal allergies, food allergies, skin allergies, medicinal allergies, anaphylaxis allergies, airborne allergies only to mention a few.
Each of these types of allergies have different symptoms, because everyone’s signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction are different mostly dependent on the severity of the allergy. Seasonal allergies can mimic the symptoms of a cold: congestion, runny nose and swollen eyes. Food allergies can trigger hives, swelling, nausea and fatigue.
Anaphylaxis generally begins with tingling, then severe swelling of the lips and tongue. It can be life-threatening and can lead to breathing difficulties, light-headedness and even loss of consciousness. Skin allergies can be associated with ingesting allergens in food or even contact dermatitis. Some symptoms include rashes, sore throat, hives, itching and burning skin.
Airborne allergies are some of the most common allergies. They will result in symptoms like sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, red, itchy eyes, wheezing, coughing tightness of chest and/or shortness of breath.
How does Air Purification help?
There is no way to prevent allergies; it is just the manner in way our body reacts to different allergens. There are ways to prevent symptoms: avoid the allergens that trigger them. But this is not always possible or easy to do. Most allergies are manageable with avoidance, medications and lifestyle changes.
But how can air purification help those who suffer from seasonal (short term), or airborne (chronic, year-round) allergies? Since we spend a significant portion of our day indoors, for allergy sufferers, it is crucial to examine the air inside and to identify what may be unknowingly causing chronic problems. Things like mold, smoke, VOC’s and formaldehyde, dust and dust mites, pollen, pets and pet dander.
Air purifiers can definitely reduce allergy and asthma symptoms. They can target many allergy triggers because they clean the air. Just how do they do so? Air purifiers must have a proper filtration system. Ideally, the unit should include the following: a prefilter, a HEPA filter, UV lights, a Photocatalytic Oxidation filter and a Carbon Potassium final filter.
The Prefilter is necessary to capture large particles from the air. They are also important because they protect the HEPA filter from clogging up and is more costly to replace.
The HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter removes particles as small as 0.3 microns as well as household dust and other harmful particles such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites and even smoke. This filter is the key to allergy relief.
The UV lights play a very important role too, as they kill germs, mold, mildew and even bacteria and viruses. These UVC lights are also used to activate the Photo Catalytic Oxidation Filter.
The Photocatalytic Oxidation Filter (PCO): the combination of this filter material and the UV lights decomposes/ breaks down any contaminants and turns them into harmless water and carbon dioxide molecules and reduces odours and VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds)
The Carbon Potassium Permanganate final filter further reduces VOC’s and light gases.
With all of this in place, you can be confident that the air that is discharged from the air purification unit is clean and will be a benefit to relieve allergy symptoms whether seasonal or airborne.
Air purifiers come in many sizes and applications. There are portable units that can move around from room to room or whole-home units that will do exactly that—clean the air within the whole house. If you are interested in knowing more about what is right for you, feel free to contact us at PUR Distribution or visit our website at www.purdistribution.com .
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