With the advancement of technology, dealing with poor air quality isn’t much of an issue. Have you noticed people wearing necklace devices? These are actually called personal air purifiers, wearable air ionizers, anion purifier necklaces, or wearable negative ion generators. Personal air purifiers are in-trend nowadays because of their claims to clean the air without the use of any chemicals.
If you wonder, do personal air purifiers really work? Keep on reading! Let’s see if they are effective in mitigating air impurities.
Why Would You Want a Personal Air Purifier Necklace?
You don’t need to have allergies or sensitivities before you decide to get one. If you have an active lifestyle and get used to meeting people in a busy city, you may already breathe in polluted air without your knowledge. The presence of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, and other fine particle pollution are all scattered in the air. These harmful gasses are the culprit among many respiratory issues such as asthma and other lung irritations.
Those with existing health issues related to respiratory conditions have lower immunity, making them prone to contracting more complex diseases brought about by polluted air. Dealing with air impurities is manageable if you’re just at home because you can invest in a portable ionic air purifier. What about when you have to do errands and spend a lot of time in a polluted air environment? This is where the use of a personal air purifier comes in handy.
Wearable air purifiers clean the air fast under your nose no matter how harsh the air that surrounds you. Since you have to wear it like a lanyard, it can be suitable for indoor and outdoor settings.
How Does an Air Purifier Work?
A personal air purifier works by capturing air to filter impurities—dust, mites, pollen, and germs—before returning it back to the environment. It releases electrically negatively charged molecules within the area so that it can bind with unseen positively charged molecules in the form of viruses, contaminants, or pollutants.
Since positive and negative ions attract, it causes the impurities to be charged. For that reason, the components of the air purifier can push anion away from the breathing zone.
When used correctly, it aims to get rid of molds, germs, pollen, pet dander, mite allergen, and other harmful particles in the air.
What happens to the filtered particles? Air pollutants and contaminants that have been charged are usually captured in electrostatic precipitators. If the plates are full or are dirty, they will be blasted throughout the room, or they may adhere to walls or surfaces of the furniture.
There are also specific timeframes for when a particular contaminant or pollutant will be disintegrated completely. For example, if you’re to use a purifier with a UV light in order to kill live particulates, it would take about 6,600 microwatt seconds to do that.
What Do Air Purifiers Filter Out?
1. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
What’s concerning about VOCs is that it’s associated with carcinogens, which is an agent believed to cause cancer in humans. These airborne chemicals usually come from cleaning or beauty products at home as well as building materials. These gasses in small amounts may not cause immediate irritation, but those who are overly sensitive to chemicals or those who have asthma may feel an instant irritation.
Getting rid of Volatile Organic Compounds may not be effective just by having good ventilation. Choose a personal air filter that has activated carbon filters for efficient absorption of these gases before you even inhale it.
2. Viruses
Air purifiers are designed to filter pollutants in the air that may contain contaminants such as viruses. However, the use of a personal purifier works best along with good hygiene practices like washing hands, cleaning the surroundings, etc. Its use is also efficient when you’re in a well-ventilated indoor area or outdoors with no humidity and temperature issues.
3. Molds
A personal air purifier helps in reducing the high concentration of mold spores in the air. The musty smell that molds and mildew are associated with is also removed. If you have asthma and other respiratory issues, this device is a great help because even though molds have quite large particles compared with viruses, their chambers can still break it down.
Advantages of Personal Air Purifier
What makes an air purifier popular is its numerous positive effects. Among the common ones, here are some of the benefits that you can gain by using a personal air purifier.
✓ Odorless Environment
An unpleasant odor at home is unavoidable because of your different activities, such as cooking and other kitchen smells. If you’re sensitive to a strong unpleasant smell, wearing your personal air purifier ensures that tiny particles that create odor are purified. Purifiers with carbon filters are efficient in trapping in and neutralizing odors.
✓Smoke-Free Place
Air purifiers are a good use if you don’t have a smoking area in your place. If you live in a place where there are smokers, wearing a personal air purifier gets rid of the smoke that carries chemicals and bad odor. Since it filters the smoke before you can even inhale it, you’re protected from the possible dangers of secondhand smoke like lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses.
✓Dispose Of Harmful Chemicals In The Air
According to research and studies, cancer-causing agents are now found in the air. It’s said that the highest sources of harmful chemicals in the air are due to automobile exhaust, tobacco smoke, and coal combustion. In addition, vapors from cleaning agents and construction materials such as paint, varnishes, and cleaning acids may also be scattered. The carbon chambers featured in air purifiers actuate to get rid of these air impurities.
✓It May Cut-Off Utility Expenses
Portable air purifiers or wearables are made with energy-based components that allow you to save money in utilities in the long run. Its HEPA channels allow the device to work efficiently regardless of weather conditions and even if used in a harsh environment.
✓Allergic Microorganisms Are Out
One of the sources of irritants at home is due to domesticated animals such as dogs and cats. Strong unpleasant smells and pet dander that trigger respiratory irritation are unavoidable if you have pets at home, and this situation is a no-no if you’re asthmatic. Good thing, air purifiers are an all-time favorite companion to combat these issues—no need to use potent cleaning agents to deal with it because air purifiers take care of it.
✓ Get Rid Of Radon
If you have crack walls, floor, or plasterwork, watch out for radon! This is a carcinogenic gas that may leak into your home, even in tiny cracks. Radon is a result of the breakdown of uranium found in the soil, and it’s thought that exposure to this chemical leads to lung cancer. Personal air purifiers with HEPA and activated carbon filters protect you from it to reduce its health risk.
✓ Improves Sleep
If you have poor air quality, there are high chances that you’ll attract indoor allergens like dust mites, fungi, molds, and bacteria. These allergens may trigger allergies or may result in hay fever. If you have nose congestion, especially at night, there’s a possibility that you’ve already contracted hay fever.
Respiratory irritabilities at night significantly affect the quality of sleep. If you’ve already taken a bunch of medicine, it may seem not to work. Try using an air purifier at night. HEPA air purifiers help you achieve quality sleep by sucking up all sleep disruptions.
Disadvantages of Personal Air Purifier
Before investing in a personal air purifier, it’s an excellent note to consider its downsides and weigh if its price is worth it for its functionality.
✕Maintenance
Just like the air purifier machine at home, personal air purifiers also need maintenance. For you to maximize its efficiency, its filter must be cleaned or replaced regularly. Air filters left uncleaned may no longer be able to trap air impurities affecting its efficacy in cleaning the air. The maintenance of each device would depend on the brand that you have. As a responsible user, knowing how to care for and maintain your device is the primary thing that you have to master.
✕It May Not Be 100% Accurate
Be wary of manufacturers that claim that their air purifiers are 100% efficient. Many studies and research have been conducted, but none of those can prove that air purifiers can entirely get rid of all pollutants, contaminants, and viruses in the air. Some brands are efficient in tackling unpleasant odor, while devices are also excellent when dealing with microorganisms.
✕Wears Out As It Age
When you have a personal air purifier, it’s given that you’ll use it frequently. As a result, it may wear out easily. Since this is a small device, its functionality decreases as it ages, no matter how you care. To ensure that you’ll be able to maximize your money’s worth, choose a brand that also focuses on durability, so you can still use it in the long run.
What to Look For and Avoid in a Personal Air Purifier
1. Avoid Ozone
There are two types of wearable purifiers, ozone production, and negative ion generation. Both types have been tested to be effective in killing airborne viruses and bacteria. However, the ozone tends to trigger irritants, and it’s believed that prolonged exposure to ozone by-products may worsen respiratory ailments.
Ionizing purifiers and UV-C light are the ones that produce ozone. It doesn’t only have health hazards, but it can also damage electronics, sensitive wiring, and plumbing in your home.
2. Choose High Ion Production
Your personal air purifier device can easily remove pollutants and contaminants in the air if it produces more negative ions. Find the one with an output of at least 1 million cm3/sec.
3. Check Its Reliability, Effectiveness, And Ease Of Use
You may see a lot of claims about the functionality of a certain brand. Before you fall into their attractive advertisement, it takes a look at previous customers’ feedback for them. Consumers tend to leave review feedback or review for two reasons.
You can easily get a glimpse of how the product works just by reading customer reviews. Look for the ones with a lot of positive remarks. It’s either they are satisfied with it, or they are disappointed with what they receive.
4. Opt For Active Carbon And Formaldehyde Filtration
Carbon filters are known to be the most reliable and safest method to get rid of VOCs. In addition, carbon filters are responsible for eliminating harmful smoke and unwanted odors in your surroundings. You would know that your carbon filter is ideal if it has at least a kilogram of carbon.
On the other hand, formaldehyde is one of the most potent harmful gas that may be present in the air. People exposed to it may experience dizziness, headache, and temporary memory impairment. So, your air purifier must consist of a formaldehyde filter.
5. Look For Hepa Filter
High-Efficiency Particulate Air filters have been tested to trap airborne particles, contaminants, and other air impurities effectively. You may think that almost all air purifiers in the marker have HEPA filters, but not all are True-HEPA filters. To be sure that you’re getting the right one, look for the one with a MERV rating of 17 and higher.
6. Pick The One With Automatic Operation
For ease of use, it’s good to opt for a smart air purifier that has sensors that can automatically operate once it detects the quality of air where you’re in. Air purifier devices that can adjust the intensity of their performance tend to have reduced energy consumption, longer filter lifespan, and reduced noise.
A device that has automatic operation is also suitable for those who are not techy people like older people.
Do Personal Air Purifiers Really Work?
To answer the question, do personal air purifiers really work? The answer is yes! There might have been some studies that show that the accuracy rate of air purifiers is not 100%, but it has features that can filter out major air impurities.
It’s efficient in improving the air quality of your surroundings to ensure that you’ll be inhaling fresh air. It’s linked to various health benefits. However, you shouldn’t rely on it to cure your existing illnesses.
What it does is it keeps the air around you clean no matter where you are as long as you’re wearing it. Not all wearable air purifiers are made equal, and one device may have features to filter unpleasant odor and contaminants, while the others only specialize in dealing with odor.
You can feel the efficacy of air purifiers if you’ll choose the right brand equipped with essential features that they must have. Almost all brands you see in the market claim to be the best. Be wise in choosing the one with the highest efficiency rate based on customer reviews and manufacturer’s examination results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I sleep with my personal air purifier?
Most homeowners purchase a personal air purifier for their bedroom. It’s believed that an air purifier soothes the body to have a quality sleep. Having an air purifier at night may reduce skin, lung, and eye irritation. In addition, it sucks up unpleasant odors to have an unobtrusive nighttime environment.
Q: Do you need to have a current health condition to use personal air purifiers?
No. It’s not necessary to have any health condition to be able to utilize a personal air purifier. Most consumers buy a personal air purifier in hopes of cleaning the air that they breathe to avoid any sickness or irritation.
Q: Will it cure my asthma or allergies?
Air purifiers are created not to cure any respiratory illness, and this device is more on the preventive side. However, it works by filtering out harmful airborne allergens like dust, pollen, and animal dander to lessen respiratory allergies. Those who have current respiratory illnesses may find relief using air purifiers because the triggers are lessened.
Q: Do a personal air purifier make noise?
Most personal air purifier operates quietly. The larger the device, the noisy its operation is. Since personal purifiers are commonly used as a body accessory, it operates efficiently without causing any disturbance. If your device suddenly becomes noisy, it may be a sign that one of its parts is defective.
Q: How often should I run my air purifier?
If you’re outside or in a crowded place, it’s ideal to operate it to ensure that the air is filtered before you even exhale it. It’s also recommended to regularly use it even when your indoors to prevent the accumulation of lingering pollutants. Air purifiers are made to withstand long hours of use, and it doesn’t matter how many hours a day you operate it as long as you know how to clean and maintain it.
Final Thoughts
Do personal air purifiers really work? The use of a personal air purifier is linked to a wide range of beneficial effects on the human body and the environment. Like other devices claiming health benefits, it’s essential to research before investing in one. Check the device’s features, brand, price, and usefulness based on consumers’ reviews.
There might be numerous scientific studies about its efficacy, but not all are created equal. One may be effective in air-purifying, but some brand advertises false claims to get a profit, so you need to be careful in choosing air purifiers that actually work.
To conclude, choose a personal air purifier that doesn’t have ozone by-products. It must have high-ion production, mechanically filter the air, and be trusted for its reliability, functionality, and ease of use.
Home Air Quality is founded by Bernard K to provide information on Indoor Air Quality in Homes and enlighten people about what they need to know about creating and maintaining a comfortable and healthy home environment.
We believe that “Quality air brings a healthy life.”
