Car Air Purifier
One of the great cliches about automobiles is "that new car smell", that people often rave about. There are even products on the market designed to imitate or prolong that smell that so many are so fond of. Culturally, it probably has more to do with the idea of status, particularly as the phrase took off during the period when car ownership was a symbol of one's prosperity. But health wise, "that new car smell" is actually industrial by-product, and not particularly good for you.
Because an automobile consists of large amounts of plastics and plastic derivatives, the volatile organic compounds, or VOC's, that are emitted are numerous. Plastic also breaks down in sunlight, so on sunny and warm days, far more VOC's are emitted than on non-sunny days.
For new car owners, it is recommended that you drive with a window open, or at least the ventilation pumping a lot of fresh air in. VOC's can be a powerful irritant and allergy trigger, and have been associated with the increasing incidence of asthma.
Another alternative, for new cars and old, is the car air purifier. Air fresheners in cars are nothing new, from the ubiquitous rear-view mirror ornament to plug-in types. But an air freshener merely adds a different odour to the car, it does not help to clean the air.
The most common type of air purifier system in the home is the HEPA filter. This is a simple but highly effective system that pulls or pushes air through a filter and removes particulate up to a microscopic level. The problem with this system is that it usually requires a fair amount of power to operate, and the units tend to be fairly large, at least for use inside a car. There are a few portable HEPA air filters that can be plugged into the cigarette lighter, but again these tend to be fairly bulky.
The newest, and very sophisticated entrant to this market is the photocatalytic air purifier. This system is ideal for use in automobiles, as it is portable, and can be run on a minute amount of energy. Indeed, one popular system on the market uses solar power to charge and run, thereby not affecting your vehicles fuel efficiency in the slightest.
The photocatalytic car air purifier works by using ultraviolet light to 'zap' the air, against a wet, metal plate. This process creates what are known as 'free radicals' (yes, the very same free radicals that can cause cancer in your body!) which then attack and destroy the molecules of the VOC's, and any other pathogens on the plates surface. The free radicals then breakdown (the last less than half a second) and revert to oxygen and hydrogen.
The great thing about this system is that it apparently works against VOC's, microbes and gases. A pre-filter can help reduce larger particulate such as dust. In fact, the household versions of this system are able to clear the air unlike any other air purifier system on the market, with the only by-product carbon dioxide. If you have a source of fresh oxygen (which you should), or a lot of houseplants, this will not be a problem.
One of the pluses of the photocatalytic air purifier is that the negative ions created by its use are considered useful for increasing alertness and combating fatigue, as well as improving cognition. Obviously this is a highly useful by-product in an automobile. So not only does the air smell fresher, and is cleaned of pollutants, it will actually help make you more alert and aware as a driver. Now that is some air freshener!
The irony of the "new car smell" that so many people claim to love is that the phrase came into vogue in the 50's, when the upholstery was mostly leather. So the smell they enjoyed was in fact that smell of new leather, not the plastic and glue smell of today's car. Now, with the photocatalytic air purifier, you can enjoy a different kind of "new car smell", one that can really make a difference to enjoying your car.
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