When flowers start blooming, pollen is looming, causing misery for millions of people with allergies . Advertisements for indoor air cleaners claim that they remove allergens and can make our lives sneeze-free. But do they really work?
Don't toss your tissues just yet, say the experts. Studies haven't shown definitive improvement for allergic patients who use air cleaners. More research is necessary.
Nathan Rabinovitch, MD, a pediatric asthma specialist at Denver's National Jewish Medical and Research Center, is currently analyzing the data from his study of the effectiveness of air cleaners for children with asthma.
Dr. Rabinovitch and his colleagues used a type of portable air cleaner known as an electronic precipitator along with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. The combination of the two devices is important, he stresses, especially for homes with carpeting, because a portable air cleaner cannot remove allergens once they've hit the ground.
"There was about a 60% drop in airborne particles in the household," says Dr. Rabinovitch. He isn't yet certain, however, whether this was due entirely to air-cleaning devices or to other factors. The children in the study were monitored individually both indoors and out. The devices they wore showed particle reduction more along the lines of 20% to 25%, probably a more realistic number because it reflects their exposure during ordinary activities.
Dr. Rabinovitch cautions that he has yet to determine whether this particle reduction improved his patients' health. A previous study found that a HEPA air cleaner did reduce levels of cat-allergen, but failed to produce any improvement in allergy symptoms.
"One of the dangers is that people will buy a product that they don't need," says Dr. Rabinovitch, "and the other is that they'll think they don't have to clean their houses."
If you're allergic, you must make every effort to control the source of the allergen, which may mean getting rid of a pet, removing carpeting, using allergen-impermeable encasings, frequent laundering of bedding, and controlling of cockroach populations. Air cleaners cannot substitute for a clean environment.
There are different types of air cleaners. Two are listed below:
Consider the following factors when looking for an air cleaner:
If you scout for air-cleaner information on the web, you may encounter more hype than help. Beware of the following:
Consumers should also be aware that while the American Lung Association recommends air cleaners, it has a funding partnership with air-cleaner manufacturer Honeywell.
RESOURCES:
American Lung Association
http://www.lungusa.org/
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
http://www.aafa.org/
Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/
CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Allergy Asthma Information Association
http://aaia.ca/
The Canadian Lung Association
http://www.lung.ca/
References:
Air cleaning devices. American Lung Association website. Available at: http://www.lungusa.org/air/air00_aircleaners.html .
Breathe easy. Consumer Reports . 2000:42-46.
Eggleston PA. Methods and effectiveness of indoor environmental control. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol . 2001;87(suppl 3):44-7. Review.
Ozone generators that are sold as air cleaners: an assessment of effectiveness and health consequences. Environmental Protection Agency website. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html .
Residential air cleaners. Environmental Protection Agency website. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airclean.html .
Wood RA, Johnson EF, Van Natta ML et al. A placebo-controlled trial of a HEPA air cleaner in the treatment of cat allergy. Am J Respir Crit Care Med . 1998;158:115-120.
Last reviewed January 2009 by Julie D.K. McNairn, MD
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