Alpine Air Technologies – Blog

Have you been told that you’re allergic to dust or that you’re allergic to dust mites, or maybe both? Maybe you have been wondering if there might be different kinds of dust particles which may cause an allergic reaction but others that do not. These are valid concerns. The fact is that different sizes of dust particles have variant levels of irritation. The source of the dust, composition of the dust and where you live geographically, contribute to how the dust may affect you.

The type of dust that comes from the atmosphere tends to be heavy and settle quickly. This kind of dust may not cause you discomfort because it is easier for the cilia (tiny hairs) in your nose and sinuses to catch this type of dust before it has a chance to get into the lungs. This is not true for the all too common “dust bunnies” found in your house and office. Dust bunnies are most complex. They usually are a disgusting combination of pollen, mold spores, bacteria, dust mites, dust mite fecal matter, pet dander, different fibers, hair, and shed skin cells. If you live in the city, you can probably add to the dust in your home particles of smoke and soot.

Doctors specializing in respiratory problems such as asthma and allergies very often specify that “dust mites” are contributing significantly to allergy symptoms. What are dust mites? They are microscopic, nest-building mites, creatures that live in damp, dark places like people’s beds and furniture. What do they live on? Your discarded skin cells. Actually, it is not the mites that are bothering you, it is the enzymes in their fecal matter that is the problem and they may be small but they make a lot of fecal matter. Each mite produces fecal matter about 20 times per day. So every time you walk, sleep, sit down, and move around on your carpets, mattresses, pillows, and cushions, the fecal matter is going to become airborne.
What can you do? Use a room air purifier to help control dust and dust mites. When you control them, you help control your allergic reactions to them.

In summary, there are always going to be innumerable types of dust and dust mites floating around, so an air purification system should be at the top of your list in controlling allergy and asthma symptoms.

For more and more people the answer is “Yes”. With research showing that most people spend 90% of their time indoors, about 60% of that time at home, and with agencies like the World Health Organization giving figures like 2.7% of the entire global burden of disease is caused by exposure to indoor air pollutants, it is easy to see why the answer is “Yes”. Some estimates are that allergens with adverse effects on indoor air quality such as pets, house dust mites, and perennial (year-long) allergens can be 10-to-100-fold higher indoors than outside.

If you do not own an air purifier, there is a good chance that you will own one in the future. Just as people want and are willing to pay for cleaner water, air purifiers are becoming more popular as people are becoming more aware of how important making indoor air cleaner is for their overall health.

Air purifiers may seem expensive at first glance but, after people look closer and do a breakdown of cost versus benefit over time, they start looking like a very good investment, an investment in quality of life and enhancement of health for themselves and their family. People are often shocked by the amount of bad particles they breathe in every day. Pet hair, smoke pollutants, allergens people bring in with them on their skin, smoke from cars, dirt from the outdoors, and other bad things can all be dragged into a room with a person. Just having some peace of mind that you do not have to breathe all those disgusting particles makes an air purifier a great investment for many people.

Another factor to take into consideration when buying an air purifier is one that requires a filter versus one that does not. A high quality air purifier that uses a filter will last for many years so replacement cost for the filters must be added to the cost. Also ask yourself the question, “will I change the filter as often as it needs to be changed”? We are all full of good intentions but even the best air purifier that requires a filter is only going to be as good as how clean its filter is, so if the filter is not changed as needed it could possibly compound the problem making the air even worse.

Not only does an ionic purifier help clear-up and make your air healthier, it has an extra bonus feature; for many people it has the ability to lessen overall stress, headaches, and reduce the effects of insomnia. It can, in a very natural way, enhance a person’s mood. When people understand all of the benefits of an ionic air purifier, it becomes something they just cannot say “No” to and they begin to believe the purchase of one becomes quite a bargain.

Buildings used to breathe. Outside air, through cracks around windows, doors, and other places, was able to exchange with inside air. This exchange kept the indoor air about the same as the outside air. That all started to change in the 1970’s when the concerns about our dependency on foreign oil caused us to re-evaluate our construction practices and the building materials we used. Homes became “tight” and the same air was re-circulated over and over again indoors. This resulted in the seemingly endless list of airborne contaminants building to health threatening levels and with Americans spending up to 90 percent of their time indoors, indoor air pollution has become one of the top environmental concerns in the country. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that indoor air pollutant levels may be two to five times higher than the pollutant levels outdoors.

What makes up indoor air pollution? Much of it is composed of very small biologically based particles. These biological contaminants include bacteria, viruses, mildew, molds, animal dander and cat saliva, mites, cockroaches, house dust, and pollen. Pets can transmit animal dander and saliva as well as bacteria. Bacteria can also be transmitted by plants and people. All of these are just a part of normal life in many homes, so elimination as a solution would not be the first choice. On the other hand, there are even less pleasant things that can contribute to indoor pollution. For example, the protein in urine from rats and mice when it dries can become airborne. Also, Central air heating and cooling systems can become breeding grounds for mold and mildew, spreading allergens throughout a home. These are areas of health concerns that need to be addressed as soon as people become aware of them.

Physicians are starting to see patients, on a more and more regular basis, who complain of things like nausea, headaches, dizziness, and respiratory problems such as coughing, wheezing and eye, nose or throat irritations. Often these patients say they feel better at work or in different areas of their homes. When no cause for the patient’s complaints can be found, doctors are recommending that the patient’s homes are tested for the cause. A recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine put forth the hypothesis that systemic inflammation and impaired endothelial function, both predictors of cardiovascular morbidity, can be favorably influenced by a reduction of particle concentration and adds to a growing body of evidence linking short-term exposure to particulate matter with a systemic inflammatory response.

One of the most technologically advanced ways a home owner can deal with improving the indoor air they breathe is to use an ion air purifier for indoor air purification. These air purifiers are small devices that generate a stream of negatively charged ions. These negatively charged ions pass their electronic charge to particles in the air so that when the particles touch each other they stick together and fall out of the air. U.S. submarines use air purifiers, as does the poultry industry to keep the feather dust down. People who use ion air purifiers claim they make them feel better, much like being around a stream or water fall in the woods which may be true, as moving water gives off negative ions. http://www.alpineairtechnologies.com/