Curtains, couches, and carpets - could these possibly be common sources of air pollution? While many would quickly answer no, these porous household furnishings actually do contribute largely to air pollution that, according to the American Lung Association, eighty-seven percent of Americans fail to consider: the pollution of indoor air. In fact, practically all surfaces found inside a building take in common, everyday chemicals, such as cleaning supplies and pesticides, and continue to release these harmful fumes back into the air long after their initial absorption. Consequently, unless action is taken to rid the air of these persistent pollutants, many buildings stay continuously contaminated. Pollution of air does have a serious and direct effect on human health. For example, asthma, allergies, and cancers can often be linked to air pollution. And while many think of outdoor air as the primary culprit, the Environmental Protection Agency states that the air inside is actually two to ten times more polluted than that outdoors. This dangerous indoor air pollution comes from many sources, including perfumes, fireplaces, pesticides, candles, smoking, cleaning supplies, dust, construction materials, mold, and people. Chemicals such as pesticides, for instance, which are created to kill insects and other pests, are made up of both active chemicals and inert solvents that are extremely toxic, and as mentioned above, are often re-released into the air for prolonged periods of time. Therefore, because many of the sources of indoor pollution cannot be eliminated, the air itself must be disinfected. To do this, the United States Centers of Disease Control recommends using a UV air purifier that employs a HEPA filter along with ultraviolet light. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that a UV clarifier which generates negative ions is highly effective in ridding the air of bacteria and dust. Many UV air purifiers on the market incorporate all of these methods. Together, they are able to remove and/or kill virtually all particulates and micro-organisms found in the air. This is extremely important; while the hairs in our noses filter larger particles, smaller particulates pass through to our lungs, resulting in serious health risks. A HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter will trap 99.97% of these dangerous particulates a minute as small as three-tenths of a micron (which is 1/25,400 of an inch). Being trapped by the UV clarifier, they cannot again enter the air. Depending on the amount of pollution in the air, A HEPA filter often lasts several years, making the ultraviolet air purification system extremely cost-effective. Some of the particulates passing through a UV air purifier are micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and mold. As these microbes pass by the ultraviolet germicidal light, their DNA is mutated, making it impossible for them to reproduce and grow. The HEPA filter works with the ultraviolet light as it captures hazardous microbes, allowing the ultraviolet light of the UV clarifier ample time to destroy all micro-organisms and render emitted air harmless. Finally, negative ions work to attract positively-charged fine particles, including dust and mold spores. As negative ions attach to the positive particulates, they form clumps, become heavy, and fall to surfaces where they can be vacuumed or dusted. As these positively-charged fine particles are pulled from the air, a host of dead skin, dust mites, and bacteria, which would be inhaled, are removed, leaving the air safe to breathe. In addition to a HEPA filter, ultraviolet light, and negative ion generation, it is important that an ultraviolet air purification system employ a fan. Just as placing the fan of an HVAC system in the constant-on position will help the system's filter trap contaminants as air moves through, an ultraviolet air purification system must produce a constant flow in order to keep air moving through the UV clarifier so hazardous particulates can be trapped and killed. Indoor air quality, according to the EPA, ranks number one as the United States' environmental health problem. Therefore, every piece of technology that can be utilized by a UV air purifier should be incorporated as each plays an important role in the effectiveness of an ultraviolet air purification system. The HEPA filter, ultraviolet germicidal light, negative ions, and fan work together to rid indoor air of pollutants that will persist unless action is taken against this dangerous pollution.
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