Although many can benefit from a good air purifier, since most of us are exposed to both indoor and outdoor air that is polluted, if you have children, or are elderly, have asthma or other respiratory problems, allergies, cardiovascular disease or chemical sensitivities, you will especially benefits from breathing cleaner air in your home. However, selecting a good air purifier is not easy.

There are vast differences in air purifiers based on what types of irritants they clean, how efficient they are, how noisy they are and more. There are two basic categories of indoor air pollutants that air purifiers are designed to clean: particulate pollutants and gaseous pollutants.

Particulate pollutants can cause problems when they are smaller than 10 microns in diameter in particular because they can be easily inhaled into the lungs. The smallest of these tend to either get stuck in the lungs where they can remain for years or get absorbed into the bloodstream. The EPA has long recognized that fine particulate matter from smog and forest fires can be a serious health problem, exacerbating cardiovascular and respiratory problems and causing premature death. Numerous studies have associated particle pollution with increased hospital admissions, reduced lung function, shortened life spans, cancer and increased school absences. Most severely affected are children, the elderly, those with asthma and other respiratory problems, and those with cardiovascular disease.

Gaseous pollutants come from things like unvented gas cooking and heating appliances, cigarette smoking, vehicle exhaust, out gassing from furnishings and building materials like particle board