Air purifiers have become an important part of every household. They improve your lifestyle by constantly supplying pure and fresh air to the house. Modern air purifiers come with a built-in ultraviolet sanitizer. Some people have started to question the potential hazards of UV air purifiers. This article will discuss everything there is to know about UV air purifiers and their consequences.
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Is a UV air purifier dangerous?
The answer is both yes and no at the same time. It is because the benefits of UV air purifiers are greater in number than their hazards. Following are the few potential hazards of UV air purifiers:
Ozone generation:
Ozone makes up to 70% of the earth’s atmosphere. It means Ozone is a good thing, right? Wrong! Extended exposure to ozone gas can trigger severe health conditions, including coughing, vomiting, nausea: dizziness, and allergy.
The UV bulb of the air purifiers produces a strong electric field. The short wavelength emitting from these bulbs breaks down everything that gets in its way, including the oxygen. As you know, breathable oxygen is made by two oxygen atoms coming together. The short wavelength of the UV rays disintegrates these molecules to form oxygen atoms. The atoms react with the surrounding O2 molecules to form O3 or Ozone.
Ozone gas protects the earth from the UV rays coming from the sun. However, its presence is only beneficial as long as it is present in the ozone layer about 20-50 kilometers above the earth’s surface. The presence of ozone gas below the ozone layer is hazardous for the environment. For instance, ozone gas has a foul odor that irritates the respiratory system. Moreover, Ozone is a well-known greenhouse gas. A large amount of ozone gas forms a secondary covering around the environment and contributes to global warming.
UV leakage:
Leakage of the notorious ultraviolet rays from the device is another factor. Exposure to UV rays has severe effects on human health. For example, UV rays can cause skin conditions, inflammation, cell mutations, allergic reactions, and in extreme cases, even cancer.
However, the chances of a UV leakage from any air purifier are as small as 0.003%. Fortunately, the UV bulb section of the air purifier is covered with a special plastic case. This case absorbs up to 99.99% of the radiation and emits nothing to the room. The radiation produced only reacts with the air inside the chamber and ceases to act as soon as the bulb is turned off.
So, it is safe to say that the UV radiation of air purifiers has nothing to do with human health. The radiation destroys only microorganisms and airborne viruses. Furthermore, you can decrease the chances of any leakage by avoiding the usage of a UV air purifier in an enclosed space.
Allergies:
According to scientific research, UV air purifiers produce ozone gas due to radiation. The ozone gas is released in the room along with the purified air. The amount of ozone gas is very small and doesn’t affect human health. However, the continuous usage of an air purifier in an enclosed space is harmful. The ozone gas starts building up in the room after continuous usage of one week.
Almost all humans are allergic to ozone gas. Moreover, the foul odor of the gas triggers asthma and other respiratory disorders. Secondly, UV bulbs are not effective against allergens like dander, pet hair, dust mites, fumes, and mycotoxins. So, you need a system of mechanical filtration to remove these particles from the air
The good news is that UV air purifiers have a complete air filtration system. The air is passed through several mechanical filters like pre-filter, HEPA, and activated carbon filter. These filters work simultaneously to remove all the non-degradable particles from the air prior to the UV bulb filtration. So, it is safe to say that UV air purifiers don’t leave any allergens in the air. But this is only the case of an air purifier and not air sanitizers.
How does a UV air purifier work?
Almost all modern air purifiers are UV devices except for a few entry-level units. So, the working principles of all air purifiers are the same with different names. For example, the UV bulb system is the same for Winnix and Honeywell. Winnix calls their UV bulb the PlasmaWave technology.
Pre-filter:
Every air purification system starts with a permanent pre-filter. The air is sucked into the device and passed through this filter. The pre-filter can efficiently remove all solid particles like hair, dust, and danders from the air. Moreover, these permanent filters are washable and last for several years before requiring any maintenance. You can also vacuum clean the pre-filter every month to keep it in optimum condition.
HEPA:
The next step in the UV air purifier is the HEPA filter. It has numerous extremely small openings that can capture almost everything except for the air itself. The HEPA. filter is well known for catching up to 99.97% of 0.3-micron particles from the air. However, the HEPA. The filter is disposable, and you need to replace it every 6-8 months. Otherwise, the filter becomes clogged and inefficient.
Activated carbon:
The air is then passed through a carbon-containing filter. This part attracts all organic compounds from the air, including smoke, odor, fumes, and VOCs. This filter is usually combined with the HEPA filter.
UV bulb:
Lastly, the mechanically purified air passes through the radiation chamber. This chamber is enclosed in plastic and doesn’t leak any rays to the outside environment. The UV rays ionize the molecules into unstable positive and negative ions. These ions penetrate the microorganisms and airborne viruses. So, UV radiation destroys harmful pollutants at the DNA level. Therefore, no living creature has any chance of leaving this chamber and infecting your household.
Choose an air purifier
Air purifiers have become extremely popular in recent years. However, with so many different variations on the market, it can be difficult to pick the right unit for your home. Click on this link and I’ll walk you through how to choose an air purifier. I’ll also look at some of the pros and cons of each type of air purifier. Click on the link to learn more!
Conclusion
The UV air purifiers are probably the most effective purification system in the world. They remove all the solid pollutants as well as the microscopic particles from the air. Uv rays are potentially harmful to both humans and the environment. However, air purifiers have a complete protection system, and the benefits of UV air purifiers are greater than the hazards. In short, UV air purifiers are not as dangerous as you may think.
FAQs:
What are the benefits of UV air purifiers?
The modern UV air purifiers are superior to any traditional air purifier in every way. For instance, they offer an improved HEPA filtration as well as an advanced UV sanitization system. They destroy all the microorganisms in the air, including several viruses and bacteria, to keep you protected.
How to protect yourself from UV radiation from an air purifier?
The UV chamber of the air purifier is enclosed in a tight plastic covering. The chances of any radiation leakage are less than 0.003%. Still, you can protect yourself by placing the air purifier in a ventilated area. Also, avoid using a UV air purifier in an enclosed space at all costs.
What is the best UV air purifier of 2021?
Winnix 5500-02 is the top-rated UV air purifier of 2021. The PlasmaWave technology is an improvement to the UV system and ensures 100% safety from airborne contamination.
