Tag - clean air purifier

09 Nov

Can air purifiers and masks protect you from the poisonous Delhi air?

With worsening smog levels turning Delhi (NCR) into a virtual gas chamber, demand for air purifiers and masks is at an all-time high. Delhi experienced the worst smog in 17 years after Diwali, with PM2.5 readings, which have a safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter, having gone up to an alarming 900 in some parts of the city last week. The situation triggered a spurt in the purchase of air purifiers and masks in the national capital.

airpollution“I bought an air purifier and masks primarily because of my children. My son and daughter were complaining about discomfort in breathing after Diwali night,” says Prasanna Singh, a resident of Alakhnanda in South Delhi. However, he’s clueless about the effectiveness of the masks and air purifier. He adds,

I don’t know whether they actually help in filtering out particulate matter and hazardous gases or not.

Prasanna isn’t the only one expressing concern over the quality of masks and purifiers; YourStory spoke to several people who purchased them – all seemingly unaware of the true effectiveness of the products.

When it comes to air purifiers, one tends to look at the lower and mid-range products in the market and get excited by the area covered and the lower prices (in the range of Rs 10,000-20,000). One must read the fine print – these devices have inferior motors and far inferior filters.

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05 Nov

Air purifier sales spike in India as its cities battle pollution

As the government fumbles over effective measures to curb severe air quality in India’s capital of New Delhi, people are increasingly looking at air purifiers for relief.

SEE ALSO: NASA reveals why New Delhi is blanketed with deadly smog

Major ecommerce businesses in India are reporting significant surge in the sales of air purifier units in the country. The product category, which has existed in India for over two decades but struggled to become a household name, has suddenly become a talking point among people on social media.

Amazon India says it sold three times more air purifiers this Diwali compared to the previous month. Almost half of all these orders came from cities such as Delhi, Gurgaon and Bangalore. Flipkart had similar findings, noting that it has seen 2.5 times growth in air purifier units sale compared to last year.

The sudden interest in air purifying products among people comes as several Indian cities report of increasingly growing air pollution after Diwali. The festival of light, which sees many people burst crackers, combined with the burning of farmlands and residual fodders in nearby states, have resulted in an unprecedented severe air quality in New Delhi and several other states in India.

Five days after Diwali, for instance, the air quality index reading of the national capital is still classified as “hazardous”. A report on UNICEF published this week found that over two billion children worldwide breathe polluted air. India and China were among the most affected countries.

Not just air purifiers, but people are also actively looking for air masks for immediate comfort. “Sales of pollution masks have jumped 6X in the last few days with customer demand being 13X over last year. The highest number of orders for pollution masks were placed by customers on Nov. 1. The demand continues to be high from northern India with most orders coming from Delhi,” an Amazon India spokesperson told Mashable India. The surge in sales happened a couple of days after Diwali, which fell on Oct. 30 this year.

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03 Nov

While The Government Is Taking Its Own Time, These People Are Fighting For Clean Air

The conversation around air pollution is not a new one for India with several attempts being made in the past – some successful and some not as much – to educate citizen on the need to combat air pollution through the year.

Unfortunately, despite an all round effort to clean up the air, the results are bleak. With Delhi topping the chart in the country with the most polluted air. There have been some individuals who have worked against the odds to fight to the right to better air quality in the country.

Namita Gupta

Air Warrior

Namita Gupta has been surviving on antibiotics because of pollution. What bothered her even more was the discomfort her daughter, who is an asthma patient, faced. She thought of shifting to the US when the idea of making an app that could monitor pollution struck her. She decided against the plan and created an App from scratch. Her App, Airveda, helps monitor air pollution levels and is quite simple to operate.

Saurabh Bhasin

Air Warrior

Shocked by the impact of air pollution on him as well as his family, Saurabh Bhasin and his wife have launched a legal battle with the Delhi government for cleaning the city’s air. Among the plaintiffs is his 15-month-old daughter and two other other toddlers. The case has been filed in the Supreme Court stating that the poisonous air deprives them of their “right to life” as guaranteed by the Constitution.

“I don’t expect things to improve overnight, but I do want to see government bodies take cognisance of how drastic it is, and take some serious measures to make it better,” Bhasin told the media.

Swechha Foundation

Air Warrior

The Swechha Foundation has been promoting plantation drives across Delhi and promoting better eco-health in sensitive zones like the Yamuna among many others. During the monsoon months each year, the foundation conducts a “Monsoon Wooding” programme and with a target of planting 2,000 new trees each year, the foundation has already planted more than 10,000 trees in and around the capital.

Graviky labs

Air Warrior

The Bengaluru-based lab has been capturing soot from vehicular emissions and use it to extensively to remove heavy metals and carcinogens, before distilling it into this dense black ink. Soot, produced due to the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, easily enters the body’s bloodstream when inhaled at traffic signals, wreaking havoc.

“Air-Ink is formulated by industry standards. We can put it to a range of uses—regular inks, screen painting, newspaper ink, oil-based paints, alcohol-based paints, spray cans, even calligraphy ink,” says Nikhil Kaushik, one of the founders of the company.

Clean Air India Movement (CLAIM)

Air Warrior

CLAIM

Clean Air India Movement (CLAIM) is a nationwide launched campaign launched in May 2015. The campaign is speared by an air purifier company . The Clean Air India Movement is a 360° degree campaign aimed at engaging, encouraging, and educating Indian citizens to adopt air friendly measures in the interest of the country and its children. “Our campaign aim is to tell people that we are not helpless individuals when it comes to challenging air pollution. Even simple acts by individuals or sole companies such as it can make a difference when it comes to showing responsibility and care, which is why we have taken the initiative to make the call and mobilisation for action,” said Kannan .

 

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31 Oct

China’s anti-pollution tech is booming, but it can’t make dirty air go away

Behind a red wooden door, down a Beijing alley, lies what is allegedly the cleanest air spot in the smog-sodden city. Numerous air purifiers gently whir in the Breathing Space Courtyard, in the Chinese capital’s Beixinqiao area.

Dotted around the courtyard’s main building, which houses the headquarters of Beijing startup Origins Technology, are small, sleek alarm clock-like monitors showing air quality index (AQI) readings. Called Laser Eggs, these 499 yuan (£53) monitors display flicking numbers that seldom go above 10, showing officially “excellent” air quality levels, according to the scale recognised by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.

People walk down a street wearing masks on a heavy pollution evening in Beijing, China

Claiming to use technology “typically only found in air quality monitors priced upwards of $5,000”, the Origins Technology egg works by using a small fan to pull in air through the unit. A laser cuts through the air and is linked to a sensor which detects information about the size and number of particles in the air.

Origins Technology, which launched in 2013, doesn’t reveal precise sales figures but says it has sold “tens of thousands” of the Laser Eggs since they hit the market last July. Now sold in Apple stores across China, they are symptomatic of a sharp increase in pollution awareness across the country and a recent boom in the air purification industry.

The airpocalypse

The year 2013 is sometimes referred to by Beijingers as the “airpocalypse” year: a particularly terrible time for pollution in the city that caused many to move away or rush to buy air purifiers.

Pollution was basically “denied” in China before 2013, says Thibaud Andre, research associate at China-based market research firm Daxue Consulting, which produces market reports for foreign retail firms. But after the airpocalypse, Chinese leaders and the media started to speak about pollution. “Then in January 2015 the mayor of Beijing, Wang Anshun, said Beijing was ‘not a liveable city’. That’s a big statement,” says Andre.

In line with the increase in public awareness of the problem, the government has vowed to tackle the chronic pollution “with all our might”. Authorities have introduced a new environmental law aiming to tackle the problem at its root but critics say it is not enough. December saw “red alert” measures taken in Beijing over smog, with cars taken off the roads and factories ordered to stop or scale back production.

Domestic air purifiers were almost unheard of in China before 2013. But, according to Daxue Consulting, the China air purification industry (which includes domestic and office purification products) shot up in value to 3.5bn yuan (£384m) that year. And in 2014 the number of air purifier brands operating in China leapt from 151 to 556.

Following the 2013 boom, the air purifier market was flooded with low-quality products as companies scrambled for a piece of the action. Technology giants such as Xiaomi, Olansi which started selling air purifiers in 2014, aggressively entered the market with mass-market, low-cost products designed to undercut their more premium rivals.

 

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27 Oct

What is HEPA Air Purifier?

HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air, and is a filter type that’s designed to adsorb air contaminants such as pet dander, pollen, tobacco smoke, mold, dust, and dust mites. It’s used extensively to improve indoor air quality, especially for environments that need to be scrubbed of allergens for people suffering from allergies and asthma.

HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air, and is a filter type that’s designed to adsorb air contaminants such as pet dander, pollen, tobacco smoke, mold, dust, and dust mites. It’s used extensively to improve indoor air quality, especially for environments that need to be scrubbed of allergens for people suffering from allergies and asthma.

HEPA Filter Definition:

A high-efficiency air filter designed with randomly arranged, fiberglass fibers. Also known as a depth filter, its porous design retains particulates of a specific size (depending on the filter grade), ensuring that they aren’t released back into the environment. Due to the nature of the design, these filters can hold a significant amount of waste before requiring replacement.

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High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) cleaners help scrub indoor air to remove airborne waste. Sometimes these air cleaners combine filtration methods using HEPA in parallel with activated carbon filters, UV lights, and sometimes ionizers to further clean the air.

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26 Oct

Air Purifier Market Growth Projected at 12% CAGR to 2020

The air purifier market is driven by the surging pollution levels, depleting air quality leading to increasing prevalence of the air borne diseases. The report titled Global Air Purifier Market: Trends, Opportunities and Forecasts (2016-2021) – (By Value, By Filter Technology – HEPA, ION & Ozone, Activated Carbon; By Region – North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, RoW; By Country – US, UK, Canada, China, India; Key Players; Recommendations) has analyzed the potential of Global Air Purifiers market and provides statistics and information on market size, shares and trends.

The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges and opportunities in the Global Air Purifier market.

Global Air Purifiers Market has been growing at a moderate rate over the last five years on account of upsurge in the carbon dioxide emissions leading to surging prevalence of deaths owing to air pollution. During 2016-21, Air Purifiers Market is anticipated to grow at an increased rate on the back of intensifying government regulations in various parts of the world. Moreover, increasing demand for various types of air purifiers such as vehicle mounted as well as portable air purifiers has been anticipated to propel thrust in the sales of air purifiers in the future.

According to research report, Global Air Purifier Market: Trends, Opportunities and Forecasts (2016-2021) – (By Value, By Filter Technology – HEPA, ION & Ozone, Activated Carbon; By Region; By Country – US, UK, Canada, China, India; Key Players; Recommendations), global Air Purifiers Market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of over 12% during 2015 2020.

In 2015, HEPA air purifiers comprised of around 60.39% share of the overall market owing to is the imperative role being played by the HEPA in the abatement of ambient as well as household air pollution. Few of the leading companies operating in Global Air Purifiers Market are Coway, Camfil, IQ Air, Honeywell Inc., etc.

Scope of the Report: The report provides Segmentation by Filter Technology: HEPA, ION & Ozone and Activated Carbon. The report provides coverage by Region: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). The report provides coverage by Country: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China and India. Air Purifiers Market: By Value (Historic 2011-15) and By Value (Forecast 2016E-2021F).

 

 

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25 Oct

China To Deploy World’s Biggest Air Purifier In Beijing To Fight Heavy Smog

China will deploy the world’s largest outdoor air purifier designed by a Dutch engineer in its smog-hit capital Beijing, as the thick heavily-polluted haze returned to haunt the city, driving people indoors. The seven-meter-tall tower, brainchild of Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde, is undergoing last-minute checks in Beijing’s 751 D Park art area.

Biggest Air Purifier

The ‘Smog Free Tower’ will soon be opened to the public, and will be toured across the country, state-run Global Times said, quoting China Forum of Environmental Journalists, an NGO under China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Pollution

The tower can capture about 75 per cent of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) and Particulate Matter 10 (PM 10) tiny particles in its vicinity and then release purified air to create a “bubble” of fresh air around it. The tower can clean 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour through its patented ozone-free ion technology.

Beijing has been plagued with heavy smog since the beginning of October. The city’s environmental authorities issued a “yellow alert” for air pollution on Tuesday. “Yellow alert” is the third-most serious level in a four tier colour-code warning system. Red is the most serious and orange the second-most serious while blue is the least serious pollution level.

Biggest Air Purifier

The average PM2.5 density of the small deadly polluted particles crossed over 300 today even though a cold front in the morning cleared the smog a bit. Liu Guozheng, CFEJ secretary-general said the tower is intended to warn authorities never to forget their duty and encourage the public to pull together to combat the smog.

The public, meanwhile, are bemused by the tower’s function and have called on authorities to curb dangerous sources of polluting particles, the daily said. Netizens expressed their frustration over the tower.

“The so-called divine smog cleaner is more like a piece of performance art, which makes almost zero difference to cleaner air in the city. It devours the polluted air and exhales fresh air, but so little it won’t make any difference. The air will stay polluted,” the daily quoted a comment by Sina Weibo user.

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19 Oct

Air Purifier for Winter Allergies

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Allergy & asthma tips for the holidays

The holiday season holds several potential triggers for allergy and asthma sufferers. Whether it’s setting up your Christmas tree, visiting your pet-owning relatives, or feasting on holiday treats, allergy triggers may be lurking around every corner.

“With hectic schedules and constant traveling around the holidays, it’s easy to forget to take proper care when dealing with allergies and asthma,” said Wanda Phipatanakul, MD, MS, FAAAAI, vice-chair of the AAAAI’s Indoor Allergen Committee. “Remembering to take medication and avoid potential triggers is necessary to keep symptoms under control.”

Tips for an Allergy-Free Holiday Season

Before decorating a live Christmas tree, allow it to dry out on an enclosed porch or garage. You also may want to explore whether the tree retailer has a shaking machine, which will physically remove some allergens from the tree.

  • Clean artificial Christmas trees outside before decorating. They can gather mold and dust in storage.
  • Change the filter in your air purifier.
  • Wash fabric decorations in hot, soapy water before displaying.
  • Use plastic, metal or glass decorations that cannot trap dust mites.
  • When spraying artificial snow on windows or other surfaces, be sure to follow directions. These sprays can irritate your lungs if you inhale them.
  • If visiting relatives’ homes who have pets, take medication before arriving to minimize a possible reaction.
  • The holidays can be a very stressful time of year. Pay attention to your stress level, which can sometimes lead to an asthma attack.
  • Ask your relatives and friends to avoid burning wood in the fireplace. The smoke can trigger an asthma attack.
  • Dust mites can be especially troubling when traveling away from home, take a desktop air purifier and your own pillow with an allergen-proof cover and request down-free pillows if staying in a hotel.
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18 Oct

Fighting Childhood Asthma with an Air Purifier

 

 

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Fighting Childhood Asthma with an Air Purifier

Early detection is the first step in fighting childhood asthma

Does your child experience shortness of breath or irregular breathing? Do you notice a whistling sound when he or she exhales? Does your child have a persistent cough? If so, there is a good chance he or she may be developing asthma, one of the most serious chronic diseases in children and adolescents, affecting nearly nine million children under the age of 18.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), 50-80% of asthmatics develop symptoms before the age of five. This is why early detection and working with your child’s asthma specialist is important. Untreated asthma can lead to permanent damage to the airways making it difficult to bring the condition under control.

“Children whose immune systems are not fully developed are most at risk for developing asthma,” said Christopher C. Randolph, MD, FAAAI, and Vice-Chair of the AAAAI’s Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment Interest Section. “However, with early detection, the disease is easier to bring under control, improving the quality of life for your child.”

Look, Listen & Learn

There are no clear markers to predict who will develop asthma and who won’t. However, there are clues and symptoms you can look and listen for in your child that may indicate asthma. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Does your child have allergies? The relationship between asthma and allergies is very strong. If your child has allergies, be on the look out for potential signs of childhood asthma.
  • Does your child cough or clear his/her throat often, even when they aren’t sick? This could be constant or just intermittent. Not all children who have the disease exhibit symptoms each and every day.
  • Does he/she wheeze or is there a whistling sound when your child exhales or with upper respiratory infections?
  • Do you notice shortness of breath, rapid or irregular breathing in your child?
  • Does your child complain of chest tightness? A young child may say his/her chest “hurts” or “feels funny.”
  • Does your child seem fatigued? A child might slow down, stop playing or become easily irritated.
  • Does your child have problems sleeping because of nighttime coughing or difficulty breathing?
  • Is there a family history of asthma and/or allergies?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions and you suspect that your child has asthma, schedule an appointment with an asthma specialist, such as an allergist/immunologist, a physician specially trained to manage and treat asthma and allergies. An allergist/immunologist will work closely with you to create a daily management plan for your child, demonstrate proper medication use, and develop an asthma action plan, which outlines the actions to take if your child’s condition worsens.

Learn

While there is no cure for asthma, complete control of the disease can be obtained with appropriate management and treatment. Learning your child’s asthma triggers and what steps to take to decrease symptoms is an important step to keep your child’s asthma under control. Children whose asthma is properly controlled should be able to participate in regular activities such as attending school every day and playing sports.

 

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18 Oct

Beijing plans to make the installation of air purifiers

Beijing plans to make the installation of air purifiers part of its school construction standards to tackle frequent smoggy weather in the capital, local education authorities said Thursday.

Several government departments, including the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education (BMCE), are working to draft the city’s school construction standards, which will include the installation of air purifiers, said BMCE director Xian Lianping, the Beijing Times reported Thursday.

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In response to forecasts of heavy smog, Beijing issued two pollution red alerts this winter, under which all the city’s kindergartens, primary and high schools were shut down.

Xian said that the effectiveness of air purifiers in densely packed classrooms has yet to be determined, adding that it is acceptable for schools to independently install air purifiers.

“Installing purifiers in classrooms should ensure students’ safety and should also require parents’ approval,” Xian was quoted as saying.

Parents beset by hazardous smog in Beijing have repeatedly called for primary and high schools to install air purifiers in classrooms, but they have been turned down by schools saying they need approval from education authorities. Some parents even came up with plans to crowdfund air purifiers for their children’s schools, but their efforts were refused.

A small number of some well-funded kindergartens and primary schools have already installed air purification equipment in classrooms, but many more schools cannot afford it due to insufficient budgets.

Hao Xianjun, director of the Shijingshan district’s education commission, told the Beijing Times that schools would turn on their air purification systems on heavily polluted days to lower the concentration of PM2.5 – airborne particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter – to below 100 micrograms per cubic meter. Shijingshan Experimental Junior High School will be the first to install such a system when it constructs its new teaching building this year.

During the ongoing fourth session of the 12th Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, many advisors submitted proposals to help schools deal with smog.

Pu Zhe, a member of the committee, said that education authorities should establish a special smog fund to install air purification systems in schools, introduce local regulations on which type of air purifiers to install and launch a unified purchasing platform, the Beijing Times reported.

At Thursday’s session, Xian told committee members that primary and high schools are expected to extend winter vacations and reduce summer vacations, as smog shrouds the capital more frequently in winter, Beijing-based The Mirror newspaper reported on Thursday. Currently, the winter vacation for primary and high schools in Beijing is about one month long.

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