Alpine Living Air Classic – Taking A Closer Look

For more than a decade, Americans have been becoming increasingly aware that the air that they breathe in their homes is generally not of good quality. Between cooking and pet odors, mold, mildew, the widespread use of plastic materials, and carcinogenic cleaning products, many feel that their inside air has been compromised. What do consumers do? Purchase an air purifier. In 1998 I was given the gift of an Alpine Living Air Classic machine. It has been touted as an ideal solution for problem air. Let’s see if the product lives up to its billing.

As far as air purifiers go, the Alpine Living Air Classic [now sold by EcoQuest International] is neither cheap nor does it look cheap. Weighing 19 pounds, the “Classic” is housed in a wooden cabinet available to consumers in four colors: dark walnut, light oak, putty, and black. It is a solid unit with a thick six foot electrical cord. Claiming coverage of up to 3,000 square feet most homes could operate with just one unit although a second one might be needed if your house is large, indoor air pollution is high, or you have high humidity. Prices currently start at $549 so it is no cheap investment.

How does it work? The unit produces ozone which coupled with an active fan it reproduces and spreads the clean, fresh scent of a thunderstorm throughout your home. Okay, I am parroting some of the marketing material...I had to because it isn’t that easy to describe.

So, does it work? As far as producing the ‘thunderstorm scent’ it certainly does. As far as getting rid of pollutants, odors, and the like I cannot tell you for sure that it does. Indeed there has been plenty of controversy and government rulings against the reported claims of air purifiers over the years by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency {EPA}, Consumer’s Union [they produce Consumer’s Report magazine], and the American Lung Association.

The EPA has this to say, “whether in its pure form or mixed with other chemicals, ozone can be harmful to health. When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation. It may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma as well as compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections." They go on to say, “some studies show that ozone concentrations produced by ozone generators can exceed health standards even when one follows manufacturer’s instructions. Many factors affect ozone concentrations including the amount of ozone produced by the machine(s), the size of the indoor space, the amount of material in the room with which ozone reacts, the outdoor ozone concentration, and the amount of ventilation. These factors make it difficult to control the ozone concentration in all circumstances."

In conclusion, the EPA states: “Available scientific evidence shows that, at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone is generally ineffective in controlling indoor air pollution.” The concentration of ozone would have to greatly exceed health standards to be effective in removing most indoor air contaminants. In the process of reacting with chemicals indoors, ozone can produce other chemicals that themselves can be irritating and corrosive.

As you can imagine, I no longer use my Alpine Living Air Classic. It sits in my office, unplugged, and working well in its new role as a coffee cup holder while I work on my computer. Frankly, the claims made against this unit made by the federal government and others are certainly frightening.

So, how do I achieve clean air today? Again, by visiting the EPA’s site I have learned that there are 3 common approaches to reducing indoor air pollution:

Source Control: Eliminate or control the sources of pollution;

Ventilation: Dilute and exhaust pollutants through outdoor air ventilation, and

Air Cleaning: Remove pollutants through proven air cleaning methods.

Of the three, the first approach -- source control -- is the most effective. This involves minimizing the use of products and materials that cause indoor pollution, employing good hygiene practices to minimize biological contaminants (including the control of humidity and moisture, and occasional cleaning and disinfection of wet or moist surfaces), and using good housekeeping practices to control particles.

The second approach -- outdoor air ventilation -- is also effective and commonly employed. Ventilation methods include installing an exhaust fan close to the source of contaminants, increasing outdoor air flows in mechanical ventilation systems, and opening windows, especially when pollutant sources are in use.

The third approach -- air cleaning -- is not generally regarded as sufficient in itself, but is sometimes used to supplement source control and ventilation. Air filters, electronic particle air cleaners and ionizers are often used to remove airborne particles, and gas adsorbing material is sometimes used to remove gaseous contaminants when source control and ventilation are inadequate.

If you are intent on purchasing any air purifier, I recommend that you first do plenty of independent research apart from what the marketers tell you. By following the 3 methods stressed by the EPA you should be able to achieve acceptable indoor cleanliness without resorting to purchasing expensive – even dangerous – air sanitization equipment.

For more information please read:

The EPA’s Position:

www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html

Some Air Purifiers May Produce Dangerous Levels of Ozone:

http://www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/2456

What is Ozone Air Pollution?

http://www.alaw.org/air_quality/indoor_air_quality/ozone_generatiors.html

Warm Mist Home Humidifier Review

A home humidifier review is the best place to look for information before purchasing an appliance for your home. You have the choice between a whole house humidifier or a portable unit for use in the bedroom. Unless you live in a very dry climate, a single room humidifier should be sufficient.
A review of humidifiers is the best source of information before you start shopping for a unit for your home. Most reviews are separated by type of humidifier. The most common are cool mist or warm mist types. There are benefits to each type. Read about both before you shop.

Once you have decided on the type you want, read reviews of specific models. Reviews have a variety of sources from professional reviews, to consumer reviews. There are even some slick advertisers that are able to disguise their advertising to look like a review.

Consumer sources are great for information about how a particular unit has worked for others. However, they generally don’t give a comparison to other products. A professional review should be unbiased and often will give comparisons between different models. Read from a variety of sources to give you a good picture of a particular model.

Cool Mist Home Humidifier

A cool mist humidifier uses cold water and vibration in creating the mist. Because these machines use only cold water, they are a great choice for the nursery or a younger child’s bedroom. There is no risk of scalding with hot water, like there is with warm mist humidifiers or a steam vaporizer.

Because the water is not heated, these machines have a greater risk of releasing bacteria and mold spores into the air. The stagnant water inside the machine is a perfect breeding ground for microorganisms. Proper cleaning and disinfecting the machine can help prevent this problem. Empty the water after every use. Clean out the machine and use a disinfectant cleaner regularly. Make sure to dry the tank completely. Add fresh water before each use.

A warm mist humidifier uses hot water to create steam in the room. Because the water is heated, there is less risk of bacteria and mold spores in the air. Proper cleaning and maintenance of the machine will eliminate the risk altogether. This includes cleaning and disinfecting the machine regularly and changing filters as needed.

Warm mist machines are great for treating colds and congestion that are so common in the winter. Many allow you to add liquid medications to the water to help relieve symptoms. Because they use hot water, they are often not the best choice for use in a child’s bedroom. There is always the risk of burns if your child pulls the unit down. This is particularly dangerous with infants or young children.

Types Of Air Purifiers

Natural Air Purifiers
If you live in urban areas, near a busy street, or experience seasons you don't want to feel in your living room, just by opening your doors and windows to let out bad smells and let in fresh scents may not always be an option. The solution to living in a home free of smells of steamed cauliflower, shoes, and rubber cement, is to get an air purifier.

Why Airing Your Home Out is not really Enough

It has been shown that airing out your house will stir up the odors in your home a bit and take some of the minor ones with it, especially on a breezy day. But airing out the house won't get rid of odor that are caused by cigarettes, bacteria, molds, or dirt.
What's more, the breeze may actually enflame allergies even more.

In addition, opening windows does not purify the air or kill harmful the bacteria and viruses. That is where an air purifier comes in.

Using a Low-Tech Air Purifier

What are low-tech air purifiers? Some of you may already been using them! But, if you are not, you need to get started. Low-tech air purifiers have been show to do a great job in purifying the air in both offices and homes.

Simple low tech air purifying way is just to change the air filters in your air conditioning and heating system once a month. This will help cut the allergens, dander, and dust in your home in half. As an added bonus, this type of air purifying system is silent and it costs very little, about $20 every three months. While this is better than kicking up pollutants with an outside breeze, your HVAC system isn't really an air purifier - especially if you live with odors. So, you should consider getting a more advanced type of air purifier in order to really improve the air you breathe.

The Ionizing Air Purifier

Ionizing air purifiers are good systems for smoke filled rooms or for those with odor problems, which are the two main reasons most people run to the window to push it open.

Ionizing air purifier systems like the Ionic Breeze air purifier perform in an interesting way. They send out negatively charged particles, which combine with the positively charged particles in the air. These positively charged particles include smoke and odor. When the particles combine, they become too heavy to remain in the air. As a result, they are all drawn to the collection plate within the air purifier. At the end of the day, all you need to do is wipe them away from the plate with a clean cloth. It really is that simple! This particular system costs about $300. Consumer Reports, however, has found that these air purifiers do not really work against removing dust particles and allergens, so it may not be the best choice for you if that is what you are looking for.

Low Ozone Air Purifiers

Low-ozone air purifiers work by oxidizing pollutants and leave behind breathable oxygen and purified air. Thus allowing much relief to your respiratory system.

One word of caution, however, low ozone air purifiers do emit ozone. While the levels of ozone emitted by these air purifiers are considered to be safe, it is crucial to monitor the levels to ensure they are not dangerous.

UV Air Purifiers

The most complex air purifier systems are based on ultra-violet light (UV) technology. UV air purifiers will kill bacteria and viruses they come in contact with, so they're ideal for bathroom and garbage odors.

In fact, by opening up your door and window, you could actually create an environment that helps these germs grow! Thus UV air purifiers are obviously a much better choice as they are proven to kill viruses and germs effectively.