According to the American Lung Association’s 2005 State of the Air report, more than 152 million Americans, or 52 percent of the population, breathe dirty air.
Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency ranks poor indoor air quality as a top five environmental risk to public well-being? Less than 20 percent of Americans believe that indoor air can be as polluted as outdoor air. Yet a home’s indoor air quality can be five times worse.
With energy-efficiency savings in mind, today’s buildings and houses are designed to seal air inside. As a result, bacteria, dirt, mold and other allergens are trapped, contributing to symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, watery eyes and headaches. On average, Americans now spend about 90 percent of their time indoors.
The EPA lists air purifiers among the ways to improve indoor air quality. Using an air purifier will help remove airborne irritants and allergens such as dust, pet dander, germs, bacteria, mold, mildew, fungi, cigarette smoke and pollen.
Air purifiers with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters effectively remove 99.97 percent of particulates such as dust and pollen....