COPD Air Purifiers
At ClearFlite Air Purifiers, we often receive calls from people who have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) themselves or are interested in air purifiers for a family member with it. Although various health organizations have different definitions of COPD, it is generally agreed that it is a progressive lung disease where the airways, the tiny tubes which carry air in and out of the lungs, are partly blocked which makes breathing in and breathing out more and more painful over time.
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are two of the diseases which fall under the umbrella of COPD and often occur together. It is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and many people don’t even realize they have it. Many think of the disease only in relation to smokers, but in reality, even people who don’t smoke but are around smokers can have problems with COPD. Others may be at risk for COPD because of an exposure to pollutants in the air, a history of respiratory infections as a child, or even genetic influences such as emphysema in the family. Over 12 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD in one form or another, but it is believed that twice as many actually suffer from it. Can an air purifier help? Air purifiers can certainly ease breathing by providing super clean air after you have the disease, however, medical treatment will be required for airways and lungs that are already damaged.
Prevention is always the best way to remain healthy, so placing air purifiers in your home, particularly in the bedroom, and in your workplace, if possible, especially if you’re around a smoker or live in a polluted area will help prevent airway and lung damage in the first place. But if you or a loved one already suffer from COPD, air purifiers will undoubtedly make breathing easier because your airways which are already stressed won’t be further stressed by having to filter out new particulate and chemicals.
ClearFlite typically recommends the IQAir and Blueair brands of HEPA air purifiers for COPD, because they are able to filter particles as small as .03 microns at 99.9% efficiency and even tinier particles .01 microns and smaller at 99.7% efficiency. AllerAir Air Purifiers also has some models that can handle large amounts of smoke and heavy particulate if you live in a polluted area or with a smoker. The sales representatives at ClearFlite are familiar with the problems of COPD sufferers and can help you to choose the right air purifiers for your particular living and working situations. All air purifiers are not the same. The one a homeowner might choose, who does not have COPD, but simply wants cleaner air, might be very different from the one that would be truly helpful for someone who does have it.
A note about babies and children. In babies, the lungs are the last organ to fully develop. It is very important to provide clean indoor air for babies and children so that their airways which are far tinier than adults will not be damaged early on. COPD robs children of a true childhood where they can run and play never taking a thought for their breath. Never smoke or allow anyone else to smoke around children, and provide quality air purifiers for the child’s bedroom so that the child’s tiny lungs and airways can fully relax and rest.
