Healthcare

Recently, use of air cleaners or air purifier is quite popular. This products believed may provide cleaner air quality and beneficial for health by eliminate dangerous particles in polluted air. The positive impacts which are many offered on these products are on individuals who have allergic problems, such as those with asthma disease.

However, from the results of recent studies, although the air cleaners is proven to significantly reduce particulate matter (PM) levels, but not significant in reducing secondhand smoke exposure in inner-city children with asthma who live with smokers.

This conclusion reported in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, by Arlene M. Butz, Sc.D., R.N., M.S.N, C.P.N.P, a professor in the School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues.

They measures and compare particulate matter levels, air nicotine, urine nicotine concentrations, and number of symptoms-free days in children (aged 6 to 12 years) who had clinically diagnosed to have asthma, symptoms frequency, and/or controller medication use signifying persistent asthma.

Among those children, 41 children in air cleaner use only, 41 children in air cleaner plus a health coach, and 44 children in delayed air cleaners (control). All together with a smoker who smoked more than 5 cigarettes per day and resided in the home at least 4 days per week.

Overall, although the use of air cleaners were significantly reduced “in indoor PM concentrations and increase of symptoms-free day” of children with asthma, however, that reducing “were not sufficiently decreased to meet EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] standards for outdoor air quality.”