This webpage supposes that you understand the basic physiological mechanisms of allergies/asthma - if you want to learn more about allergies/asthma, per se, please "click" here.

THE CAUSE:  There is a general consensus forming that (aside from food allergies) there are two initial reasons for the current epidemic in allergies and asthma:
 

• Increase ventilation
  • The EPA suggests increasing ventilation.  This method has two immediate drawbacks
    1. It is not feasible, from an energy standpoint, to bring in outdoor air, for example, that is hot when the air conditioner is operating; and, vice versa in the colder months
    2. The outdoor air in many locales, to begin with, is not all that clean
• Decrease or eliminate the source of pollution
  • The EPA suggests eliminating the source(s) of pollution.  This is a happy thought; however, this endeavor has obvious drawbacks to the end that oneself would have to go live outside to effectively get away from the indoor pollutants - there are simply too many of these pollutants everywhere!  On an elemental level, of course, if the cat dander is an allergen to the child do not allow the cat to sleep, etc. on the child's bed!
• Filter the air
  • There are two, almost insurmountable obstacles to this method for home or office use
    1. It is very difficult to effectively cause all the indoor air to be drawn to the filter
       • What is not drawn to the filter never gets filtered
    2. About 95% of the particles in the indoor air environment are too small to be filtered by conventional filter media
       • Most particles - about 95% - are below .3 microns - the smallest rated size at which a HEPA filter can remove particles
  • There are four main types of filter methods for residential or office use
    1. Localized room media filter units
       • These normally use pre-filters that require changing about four times a year
         • Such pre-filters typically cost $10 - $12 each
       • The main HEPA filter found on intermediate quality units under normal usage requires changing every year or so
         • Such HEPA filters range from $65 - $85 each
       • Each room needs its own filter unit
         • Such filter units generally cost from $99 to $599 - some high-end units are even more
       • Over a 10-year period of time the costs associated with owning only two $99 filter units can be in the thousands of dollars
    2. Ionizing room filter units
       • Such units use electrically charged grids, or plates, that effectively capture particles passing through the grids
         • These units successfully remove particles down to much tinier sizes than do HEPA media filters
       • The grids or plates are normally permanent and require cleaning
         • It is a nuisance to clean these grids
       • Such units suffer the other, characteristic limitations of all the above-listed filter units
    3. HVAC (HeatingVentilatingAirConditioning) media filters (only work when the blower fan is "on" - when "off" these filters are doing nothing)
       • The "throw-away" types filter very poorly
       • The permanent, electrostatic filters filter much better
         • They must be cleaned constantly
       • These filters have the same difficulties as listed above of the other filters
    4. HVAC electrostatic filters
       • These filter mechanisms have the filtering advantages as noted above of electrostatic vs. media filters
       • They must be cleaned regularly - a chore
       • They, again, have the characteristic limitations of filters as noted above
  • There is another type of filter mechanism not mentioned above, and this is a filter such as is designed for use in a clean room.  In this situation, the filter and the room are essentially designed together to achieve maximum possible air filtration efficiencies; and, in such conditions the filter works extremely well.  However, such designs can easily run $100,000 or more; and, thus, are not practical for normal home or office use.  There is at least one high-end portable filter manufacturer making very good quality filter products; however, being a filter, such units suffer limitations as noted above
• Ionize the air
  • Ionizers have been successfully used since the end of the nineteenth century to clean indoor air
    • An ionizer electrically charges a particle so that the particle eventually settles out from the air
      • Using traditional, needle ionizing designs, the charge from the ionizer must be sufficient to be able to successfully charge a particle in the air some distance - i.e., across the room - from the ionizer
        • A weak ionizer is a toy - almost useless
        • A powerful ionizer works well to "sweep" the air; but, traditionally causes a "black wall" effect as some of the ionized particles electroplate themselves to the wall
      • Such ionizers must be placed in each room to clean the air
        • This considerably increases the expense of cleaning the air
      • There is an unique ionizing technology owned by a particular manufacturer using a form of a radio wave whereby particles in a 60-foot radius from the purifier are successfully ionized
        • Only one ionizer is usually needed for each house or office area
          • This is extremely cost effective
  • An ionizer does not actually break down and reduce pollutants such as chemical gases, etc. - it can only sweep particles from the air
• Oxidize/ozonate the air
  • Ozone is a largely misunderstood, highly effective, natural way to cleanse the indoor air environment
    • Ozone is a naturally occuring form of oxygen
      • The oxygen we breathe is O₂; ozone is O₃
      • Ozone is the clean, fresh smell we experience after a thunderstorm
    • Ozone oxidizes (breaks down) organic pollutants such as:
      • Chemical gases
      • Bacteria
      • Viruses
      • Dander
      • Mold
      • Pollens
      • Spores
      • Dust mite feces
      • Etc.
  • Ozone by itself can not successfully clean the indoor air enviroment unless used in higher than normal levels
    • At higher levels the environment takes on an unsatisfactory "ozony" smell
      • The environment no longer has the proper clean, fresh smell associated with normal outdoor ozone levels
• Purify the air
  • This phrase is so chosen because methods have been developed of purifying the indoor air environment using an air purifier that combines wide-area radio frequency ionization with natural, outdoor levels of ozone.  It works indoors exactly like a thunderstorm works outdoors.  To keep the inside of the purifier as clean as possible and to help quickly remove as many larger particles as possible from the indoor air environment in immediate proximity to the air purifier, some units have a Hepa-type filter added to the rear of the unit
    • This air purifier both sweeps the air in a 60-ft radius from the purifier and oxidizes/breaks down the pollutants
    • It ignores the limitiations of a traditional filter-only unit because it is not a filter, per se
    • One unit only is needed to successfully purify the indoor air-environment up to 3,000 square feet
      • This is normally an entire house; or, a large office environment
        • It is tremedously cost effective to have only one unit
    • "Click" Suggestions on Air Purifiers to learn more about this type of air purifier

NOTE:  We believe that any attempt to clean the indoor air enviroment has at least some benefit.  However, we decisively believe that filters  alone (even HEPA or ULPA filters) - unless used in a focused, controlled environment such as in a sealed vacuum cleaner system as Miele uses or in a fume hood used in welding operations, etc. - simply do not work effectively.  We have listed our reasons above.

     Indoor air pollution problems are tremendous.  The EPA estimates that 60 billion dollars a year is lost in the USA due to poor worker productivity alone, etc. because of IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) problems, and that another 1 billion dollars a year is directly lost for medical expenses due to the same IAQ problems.  THERE IS A WORLD-WIDE EPIDEMIC OF ALLERGY AND ASTHMA PROBLEMS.  Do not casually approach your need to clean your indoor air environment - it is a mandatory need!  Cleaning the indoor air needs to be on the same level of concern as efficient vacuuming to remove dustmite feces, washing the dishes to destroy bacteria, cleaning the toilet to control disease-causing pathogens, etc.  Please e-mail us with your questions and concerns about IAQ and we will do our best to help you.