Clean healthful water in extremely important to our health, and having a high quality water filter like the Berkey is one of the best ways to achieve that goal. However equally as important to our health is clean air, and we are frequently asked for our opinion on good air purifiers for the home.

With every breath we intimately interact with the environment that we expose ourselves to. Particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, viruses, bacteria, and airborne contaminants are all around us, and if we expose ourselves to an environment where these unhealthy dangers exist, our bodies will eventually reflect that environment. Just like water filtration, it is essential to protect ourselves with an air purification system that removes dust, chemical gases, and pollution that can lead to minor illnesses, or worse, even life threatening diseases.

The State of Air Pollution

Factory smoke stacks, coal burning electric plants, household cleaners, paints, pollen, auto exhaust, and formaldehyde are all sources of air pollution that can enter our breathing space. In fact, the products we surround ourselves with are ever increasing in the amount of chemicals they contain thanks to the value manufacturers find in using these chemicals.

However our bodies do not find this same value, and when these contaminants enter the home, pollution levels can be 3-10 times higher than outside levels due to the lack of air circulation. One may experience symptoms similar to allergies, asthma, or a winter cold and not recognize the larger danger they are being exposed to. Some of the inhaled contaminants will pass harmlessly through your body or be handled by the immune system. Unfortunately, other contaminants will bypass natural defenses and accumulate in the body, potentially creating short or long term illnesses.

Story of the Multiple Chemically Sensitive

A shop owner in Connecticut lives near a trucking operation that is constantly emitting truck exhaust. Not much further away, there is a small plant with smoke stacks releasing factory fumes. During the winter, there are additional air pollution sources such as her neighbors who heat their homes by burning wood.

At an early age, this shop owner was exposed to high concentrations of household cleaning fluids and other chemicals. As a result, she developed a low tolerance for chemical gases or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Today, when she is around air pollution, her body reacts with nasal congestion, light headedness, and fatigue. Her doctor refers to her condition as Multiple Chemically Sensitive (MCS).

Her circumstance is becoming a more common one as a growing percentage of the population is found to have less resistance to air pollution and chemical gas particles. For her, comfort can only be found in her home that contains a high quality air purification system. Her air purifier circulates air through a set of purifying filters at least 4 to 5 times an hour. This circulation rate is generally recognized as the minimum standard to ensure good health.

What Are Our Air Purifier Needs?

To remove all airborne contaminates, a high quality air filtering unit needs to have the capacity to remove particles and gases. First, air is cleaned with a pre-filter that removes the largest dust particles. It then needs to pass through a medical grade High Efficiency Particulate Arresting (HEPA) filter capable of removing 99.97% of the very smallest of particles at .3 microns or larger. A medical grade filter is essential to ensure the removal of airborne viruses and similar air concerns. Finally, the air purifier should have a large amount of activated carbon, preferably with mineral additives to remove chemical gases in the air.

The Air Purifier Solution

For the highest quality systems at the lowest prices, we recommend visiting AirFiltersAndPurifiers.com. Being one of the first companies to expose the gulf oil spill air health risks, AFP stays ahead of the curve by making the public aware of dangerous contaminants in our air and environment. In our experience, the Austin Air Purifier brand that AFP carries provides the best quality to cost ratio and they have a number of models available from the best overall protection, to better sleeping, to control of asthma and allergies for pets and baby’s rooms. The customer service at AirFiltersAndPurifiers.com is outstanding and we highly recommend sending them a e-mail with your specific needs so that they may customize a low-cost high quality solution for your home. Also, please be sure to use the code "berkey" at checkout to receive a 5% discount.