The need of some individuals for an air purifier goes way beyond merely wanting to breathe cleaner air, and even beyond the need to remove allergy-causing particles. There are those who have developed an extreme sensitivity to chemicals, and they will need to take even more care in selecting the best air purifier.
Multiple chemical sensitivity, or MCS, develops when a person has had either a severe and somewhat unanticipated contact with poisonous chemicals, or else prolonged contact with something less extreme. So a big chemical spill from a nearby train derailment may be an initial cause, while the condition could also develop from something like continued work with pungent cleaning supplies.
Once this sensitivity has been activated, it spreads to include other irritants too. So the individual could then become sensitive to things like vehicle exhaust, the toner from printers, the smell of building materials, second hand smoke, and so on. The sensitivity then starts to manifest itself in such symptoms as loss of memory or concentration, aching limbs, and irritation of the skin, eyes, and respiratory system, among others. For some reason yet undiscovered, this kind of condition has an effect on more women than men, though it can take place for both.
The thing to keep in mind when hunting for an air purifier to help with MCS is that it primarily has to have the ability to grab those aggravating chemicals out of the air. So purifiers such as those with a HEPA filter, while they are likely to work best for allergy-based problems, would not be as beneficial for chemical sensitivities.
One effective system for dealing with chemicals is an activated carbon filter. This works at the molecular level, to transform gaseous chemical molecules into a solid form, and then catch them in the carbon. But as the Allergy Consumer Review website notes, specific types of carbon filters are better than others. The site recommends that shoppers avoid purifiers that use carbon pads, or other low carbon filters. The Allergy Consumer Review also mentions that coconut-based carbon filters might lead to other allergies, and must also be avoided when possible.
Even a granular carbon filter can't contend with every chemical; for example, it doesn't work with formaldehyde or hydrogen sulfide. So the best purifiers bring together activated carbon with a chemically active compound of aluminum oxide.
The next concern encountered by MCS sufferers is that the very chemicals they are so sensitive to are often what goes into making the air purifiers themselves. Even the fan motors need to be varnish free. And in the passageway the air takes as it goes through the purifier, it needs to pass the fan before it passes through the gas filter, rather than the other way around. If the fan is positioned first, then the filter can still get rid of the chemicals that it and the motor generate.
It is tremendously hard for somebody with MCS to find an air purifier that doesn't contain or produce the very chemicals it is supposed to help with. However the Allergy Consumer Review site does recommend the IQAir GC Series of purifiers as the best available alternative. - 32378
Multiple chemical sensitivity, or MCS, develops when a person has had either a severe and somewhat unanticipated contact with poisonous chemicals, or else prolonged contact with something less extreme. So a big chemical spill from a nearby train derailment may be an initial cause, while the condition could also develop from something like continued work with pungent cleaning supplies.
Once this sensitivity has been activated, it spreads to include other irritants too. So the individual could then become sensitive to things like vehicle exhaust, the toner from printers, the smell of building materials, second hand smoke, and so on. The sensitivity then starts to manifest itself in such symptoms as loss of memory or concentration, aching limbs, and irritation of the skin, eyes, and respiratory system, among others. For some reason yet undiscovered, this kind of condition has an effect on more women than men, though it can take place for both.
The thing to keep in mind when hunting for an air purifier to help with MCS is that it primarily has to have the ability to grab those aggravating chemicals out of the air. So purifiers such as those with a HEPA filter, while they are likely to work best for allergy-based problems, would not be as beneficial for chemical sensitivities.
One effective system for dealing with chemicals is an activated carbon filter. This works at the molecular level, to transform gaseous chemical molecules into a solid form, and then catch them in the carbon. But as the Allergy Consumer Review website notes, specific types of carbon filters are better than others. The site recommends that shoppers avoid purifiers that use carbon pads, or other low carbon filters. The Allergy Consumer Review also mentions that coconut-based carbon filters might lead to other allergies, and must also be avoided when possible.
Even a granular carbon filter can't contend with every chemical; for example, it doesn't work with formaldehyde or hydrogen sulfide. So the best purifiers bring together activated carbon with a chemically active compound of aluminum oxide.
The next concern encountered by MCS sufferers is that the very chemicals they are so sensitive to are often what goes into making the air purifiers themselves. Even the fan motors need to be varnish free. And in the passageway the air takes as it goes through the purifier, it needs to pass the fan before it passes through the gas filter, rather than the other way around. If the fan is positioned first, then the filter can still get rid of the chemicals that it and the motor generate.
It is tremendously hard for somebody with MCS to find an air purifier that doesn't contain or produce the very chemicals it is supposed to help with. However the Allergy Consumer Review site does recommend the IQAir GC Series of purifiers as the best available alternative. - 32378
About the Author:
There are various air purifier technologies available, from UV and ionic models to the HEPA air purifier. Discover how to get the the right technology for your situation at Home Air Purifiers: The Facts.
