Question:
Are there any HEPA air cleaners that can be installed in the furnace
itself (gas, forced warm air)? If so, have any of you good folks found
such an air cleaner to be of help in controlling your asthma?
Will Air Cleaning Reduce Health Effects from Indoor Air Pollutants?
Answer:
I use an air cleaner in my bedroom, it seems to help some. The bedroom
is the 1st place to put an air cleaner since 1/3 of my time is spent there
and asthma can be worse at night. I close off the furnace vent and use
an oil-filled electric radiator for heat. My old electrostatic air
cleaner from Sears (made in China) has conked out & I plan to try the
Consumer Report recommended Honeywell Enviracaire HEPA Air Cleaner
this winter. I purchased a bedroom model for under $100 at Target.
I'm allergic to dust mites, grass & tree pollen. The dust is
worst in the winter when the forced air furnace is blowing it aroung the
house. I plan to install an electrostatic air cleaner in the central forced
air heating system
As previously discussed, no air-cleaning system is available that will
effectively remove all pollutants from indoor air. As such, the use of
air cleaners should only be considered when the use of other methods to
reduce indoor air pollutants (e.g., controlling specific sources of
pollutants or increasing the supply of outdoor air) are not successful
in reducing pollutants to acceptable levels.
There is currently some controversy about how effectively air cleaners
alleviate allergic reactions produced by larger particles such as pollen,
house dust allergens, some molds, and animal dander. In February 1987,
an ad hoc committee convened at the request of the Food and Drug
Administration and several manufacturers of air-cleaning devices met
to determine whether standards could be recommended for portable air cleaners
and concluded that "the data presently available are inadequate to establish
the utility of these devices in the prevention and treatment of allergic
respiratory disease
