Breathe healthy: Tips to fight indoor air pollution

HYDERABAD: It’s that time of the year again where the battle for clean air has already started warming up all over the country. The air quality of the national capital and adjoining cities in India is consistently deteriorating over the recent past, leading to a sharp spike in the number of patients suffering from respiratory problems. The ones who suffer the most are the senior citizens, children, asthma patients and our beloved pets.

Though people are now recognizing that both outdoor and indoor air pollution are hazardous, one of the pertinent issues prevailing in the country is the lack of awareness among people about the availability of right air purification technology. With Diwali coming to an end and winters lined up, air purifiers have become a need to survive the toxic days. Since the market is flooded with a variety of air purifiers, it has become equally important to select the right one that ensures that the air you breathe is healthy and safe. Mentioned here is a list of things you can keep in mind while choosing an air purifier :

Emphasize on the filters
Check the specification of the air purifier to see whether it has a Swiss HEPA TM (high efficiency particulate air) filter that are highly efficient and capable of removing up to 99.97% of micro particles. There are many products in the market which say HEPA-like filters. Avoid buying those.

Size of the room
There is no one-size- fits-all technology. Note the size of the room in which youwish to install the air purifier. There are different air purifiers with different sizes available in the market for different room sizes.

Certified for the highest
standards of air quality
Choose products that are certified by the world renowned German ‘gui-Lab’ and are powered by Activeshield x 2 Filtration System with ultra- precision purification that has double the efficiency of purifiers in its class to eliminate subrespirable particles and infection-carrying microbes in the air

Avoid buying ozone emitting devices
Stay away from any technology in a purifier that emits ozone. According to EPA, (US Environmental Protection Agency), even relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation.

Check for pre-filter
Indian conditions are such that the air has heavy particulate matter, hence the air purifier needs to have a pre-filter that removes the large particles, such as dust, hair, pet dander and fibers.

Dr. Abhay Kumar, Chief Scientific Officer, Eureka Forbes Institute of Environment