UV Air Purifier
UV air purifiers, like its water filter cousin, use ultraviolet light to destroy microorganisms like bacteria, viruses and mold spores. This type of unit is essentially an air 'sanitizer', and extremely useful in areas where there is danger of airborne pathogens, such as hospitals and clinics. It's use in a home, however, is dependent on the environment and personal choice.
UV air purifiers do not remove particulate from the air, and many allergy and asthma symptoms are triggered by particles which are usually already dead. Some allergies are triggered by live dust mites which are busy feeding on these particles, so it is possible that their dead bodies will not trigger a reaction, but unlikely.
Gases and odours are similarly not affected by passing through a UV air purifier. To eliminate gas vapours and odour the air either has to pass through an extremely fine filter, such as a HEPA or hyper-HEPA filter, or be physically altered as in a photocatalytic air purifier.
Usually, a UV air purifier will work in conjunction with a filtering mechanism, giving you the best of both worlds. This way, the air is 'zapped' with UV rays, killing all pathogens, and passed through a filter to remove all the particles. This way the air leaving the unit is sterile and particle free.
Allergy and asthma sufferers might find some solace in adding a UV filter to their air purifying system, since often live bacteria can contribute to the irritation. Unfortunately, many air systems, particularly cooling systems, actually create breeding grounds for bacteria and mold to thrive, and then blow the spores and bacteria through the air. Ideally, a whole house air purifier would be attached to any furnace or air conditioning system, to clear the air before it is released in the house.
A UV air purifier is probably not necessary in most households, but for those who are in contact with a lot of contagions, perhaps if you have children who always seem to bring colds home from school, this may be a good option. For allergy and asthmatics, it is worth a try, but its utility is not certain.
If your home environment is particularly damp or susceptible to mold for some other reason, then again this may be a good option. However, a decent HEPA filter will also remove mold spores from the air, without necessarily killing them. Even with a UV filter, it will be important to have a HEPA style filter to remove the leftover particulate from the air, otherwise you may still experience symptoms.
The UV air purifier is a great option for sterilizing air, but the question of whether or not it is really necessary in your household is a question you will have to answer yourself. The cost for most units is not prohibitive, so the extra protection may be well worth it for you and your family's health.
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