Blueair Air Purifiers

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Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental risks to public health, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Lung-damaging indoor pollutants may include house dust, pollen and pet dander particles, and tobacco smoke, fumes released by chemical-based cleaners or gases produced by synthetic building materials. While air purification cannot solve all indoor air pollution problems, the technique is an important part of the EPA's recommended strategy for improving indoor air quality.

Contemporary construction methods help seal fumes and particles indoors. According to the EPA, indoor pollution levels may build until they are from 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels--and may even be as much as 100 times higher. Because we spend as much as 90% of our time inside our homes and workplaces, the health risks from exposure to indoor air pollution cannot be ignored.

Immediate health effects may include headache, fatigue, and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. Even if you experience no noticeable symptoms of pollution-related illness, the EPA says it is prudent to improve the quality of your indoor air. Long-term exposure may contribute to respiratory and heart diseases, allergies or asthma, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

To improve indoor air quality, the EPA recommends removal of the pollutant source, increased ventilation, and air cleaning. The first two strategies are effective for some pollutants under some circumstances. Air purification, in conjunction with either strategy or on its own, may be the easiest to live with.

Blueair systems remove 99.97% of the tiniest (.1 micron) particles that accumulate inside our homes when operating on level one. These pollutants can affect anyone over time, although children, the elderly and those with respiratory illness (including allergies and asthma) may suffer most from high indoor pollution levels.

While air purification cannot solve all indoor air quality problems, the technique is an important part of the EPA's recommended strategy for improving indoor air quality. (Top)

To the consumer, CADR is an important tool for comparing the overall performance of different makes and models of air cleaners. CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate, a measure of the total volume of air that a particular air purification system cleanses of a specific pollutant in one minute. When the particle size and filter efficiency of any two air cleaners are the same (as they often are), CADR is the key to choosing the more effective system.

To ensure accuracy and fairness, CADR testing is performed only by an independent industry organization, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). CADR test results are recognized as accurate and impartial by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Lung Association.

CADR test results are expressed in cubic feet per minute (CFM), with a number rating for three "yardstick" pollutants: tobacco smoke, dust and pollen. The higher the CADR test numbers, the better the overall ability of the unit to clean your indoor air. CADR results reflect:

• the size of the particle removed
• what percentages of particles are removed
• the volume of air actually moving through the system

To understand what air volume means, visualize two murky swimming pools with identical filter efficiency but different pumps. In one pool, the pump sends one-fourth of the pool water through the filter every hour. In two hours, the pool is only half as murky as before. In four hours the pool is sparkling again. In the second pool, the pump sends only one-tenth of the water through the filter every hour. It will take 10 hours to clean the water in this pool.

Air volume is often described as air exchange (the number of times the total volume of air in the room is processed by the unit within a given period of time). Some manufacturers substitute air exchange rates for CADR results, but they are not equivalent. CADR numbers give a much more precise report of an air purifier's performance.

For example, in the swimming pool analogy, "water exchange" might describe the 4 and 10 hours needed to clean the pools. A "clean water delivery rate" would also tell you how much sunblock, leaf particles and hair are removed from the pool in one minute.

CADR works the same way, rating not just how much air is cleaned nor just what percentages of particles are removed, but the overall performance of the filtration system when both factors are examined.

While some manufacturers do not submit their air purification systems for independent AHAM testing, Blueair believes that CADR results should be central to your decision making process. An air purification system is an important investment in your family's health and well-being. We urge you to compare CADR results for the systems you consider. For more information about CADR testing, go to http://www.cadr.org

CADR test results for each Blueair system are listed below

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One micron is 1/25,000 of an inch. To understand just how small this is, consider that human hairs measure between 30 and 120 microns. Dust mite allergen measures from .1 to .3 micron and staphylococcus bacteria measures .7 micron. The size of a given particle helps to determine the degree of potential threat to human health. Particles ranging from .3 to .9 micron present the greatest health concern.

Read on

These irritating mid-range particles include house and textile dust, pollen, pet dander, dust mites and their feces, many bacteria, auto exhaust, mold spores, and particles from laser printers and copiers. Particles in this size range (.3 to .9 micron) are small enough to get past the tiny hairs that line our breathing passages and too large to be easily exhaled.

Because mid-range particles are more likely to become lodged in lung tissue, they are suspect in a wide range of health problems related to indoor air pollution, from headaches and dizziness to cardiovascular disease and cancer. In particular, pollen, pet dander, mold spores and dust mite particles are known to trigger asthma episodes and allergy attacks.

While smaller particles (.1 to .3 micron) can be inhaled and exhaled more easily than mid-range particles, even these minute particles may irritate breathing passages and lungs. Smaller particle filtration is particularly beneficial to people living with allergies, asthma, other respiratory conditions, or cardiovascular disease.

Blueair's patented HEPASilent™ filter technology is proven effective at capturing 99.97% of the tiniest .1 micron particles. This same filter technology earned the Blueair 501 Best of Class ranking in independent testing of Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR), a measure of overall system performance. When optimum filter capability is the priority, Blueair is clearly the system of choice.

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Simple--it's a matter of room size.

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Most HEPA filter systems use only mechanical filtration, which as a standard, remove 99.97% of particles at 0.3 micron. Blueair's patented HEPASilent™ filter technology combines mechanical and active electrostatic filtration methods, in order to achieve higher efficiency and capture smaller particles than either mechanical or electrostatic filtration alone.

Mechanical filtration essentially strains out or intercepts mid-range particles (.3 to .9 micron) in much the same way as a colander strains pasta. And just as tiny bits of pasta escape through the holes in a colander, the tiniest particles can float past the filter media and escape an air purification system.

Particles that mechanical filtration alone might miss are captured by the electrostatic component of Blueair's HEPASilent™ system. HEPASilent technology filters out 99.97% of particles at 0.1 micron, when operating at its lowest speed.

Blueair's system moves all particles through a sealed ion chamber, where they collide with negative ions and pick up a very slight electrical charge. As they exit the ion chamber, particles are attracted to the positively charged pleats of the HEPASilent™ filter media. Rather than floating past the filter media, particles are captured and removed from your indoor air.

Most electrostatic systems charge the fibers of the filter media itself, rather than the particles. The charge naturally dissipates over time and renders the filter media less efficient. By constantly charging incoming particles, instead of the filter fibers, HEPASilent™ technology keeps on working effectively and reliably.

Ionization does produce trace amounts of ozone, a gas known to irritate compromised lung tissue. Blueair systems use a very low electrical current to minimize ozone production and a sealed steel housing surrounding the ionization chamber to keep ozone contained. For more protection, the activated carbon filter adsorbs any ozone particles that may escape from the encapsulated ionization chamber.

In fact, testing shows that the ozone concentration in our system's output air is actually lower than in the incoming air. Blueair's electrostatic system is no threat to health, even for those with respiratory illness.
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No air filtration system is 100% effective at removing 100% of all bacteria and viruses. However, Blueair's combination of mechanical and active electrostatic filtration provides exceptionally high levels of protection. Blueair's HEPASilent™ technology traps and removes 99.97% of airborne particles as small as .1 micron. However, because bacteria may not behave in exactly the same way as non-living particles in the context of filtration, bacteria-specific tests of Blueair systems are currently underway.

Blueair will not lead you to believe that their systems are proven effective specifically for bacteria at this time. Blueair urges you to ask for lab test results from any manufacturer that makes such a claim. Blueair knows of no home air cleaner tested specifically for bacteria or viruses, rather than for general particle filtration.

Because Blueair believes accurate tests on specific bacteria are needed before such unequivocal claims are made, Blueair has initiated such testing for their units. Blueair is excited by preliminary research at Pennsylvania State University suggesting that active electrostatic filtration (similar to the technology used by Blueair systems) may be even more effective than mechanical filtration for bacteria and viruses.

Blueair expects lab test results to prove conclusively that Blueair's ability to filter 99.97% of airborne particles down to .1 micron holds true for bacteria and viruses. Watch for updates.

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Blueair air purification systems offer exceptional performance without polluting the environment. They have designed every component to improve both human and environmental health, from the nontoxic filter media to the exterior finish. Blueair's units are energy efficient, and constructed of superior materials for an exceptionally long useful life. All components are recyclable.

In order to maintain the high performance level you expect from Blueair, they recommend filter replacement twice a year.