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Asthma

How Air Purifiers Protect Kids: Is Buying an Air Purifier Worth it?

Christine Johnson

Air pollution is known to contribute to many breathing problems, such as asthma in children. Because kids are still growing, they are more directly impacted by contaminants in the air they breathe. These sensitivities are due to the size and structure of their developing lungs and immune systems. To help keep the little ones you love safe it’s important to minimize pollutants and actively manage the air quality in your home.

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Children Are More Sensitive to Air Pollution

Kids have tiny bodies and growing organs that require more oxygen. They also have smaller airways than adults; this is what makes them more sensitive to air pollutants. It’s tough to know exactly how different people will react to various allergens and pollution levels. However, it’s important to recognize that a mildly irritating pollutant for an adult could be a severe problem for a child.

When you’re sensitive to air quality, you know exactly how it feels when your chest tightens and swells. These breathing problems are amplified by pollutants such as ground-level ozone and particulate matter (both PM2.5 & PM10). For children, the impact of pollution is both serious and severe. Clean air is essential to the development of healthy lungs and heart, and managing your indoor air quality is a vital component in keeping your kids healthy and safe. 

Air Quality & Asthma

A child’s immune system rapidly grows and changes until age six. While this development is taking place, air pollution tends to impact children and infants significantly more than adults.

When kids are growing, their respiratory tracts are more permeable than those with more developed bodies. Essentially, they can’t filter pollution like an adult can. When pollutants such as airborne particulates enter your child's lungs, they can do a lot of damage. The permeable cell membranes that line their lungs can be damaged, making your kids more susceptible to asthma and respiratory infections

The Solution To Air Pollution: Air Purification

It’s clear that air quality will impact your child’s ability to grow and thrive, and controlling air pollution levels in your home is an essential part of that equation. If you are a new parent, you might find yourself wondering: is buying an air purifier is worth it?

On polluted days, air pollutants like particulate matter can seep into your home through cracks around your windows and doors. Likewise, many air pollutants are emitted inside your home through combustion processes. If you use wood stove, burn candles, or use a fireplace, you're releasing large quantities of particulate matter and other pollutants. 

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Every parent wants the best for their kids, and an air purifier will help you achieve that. Air purifiers work by pulling in polluted air, filtering out air pollutants, then distributing clean air into the room. Also important is the type of air purifier you invest in for your children. We recommend utilizing a HEPA air purifier with a true HEPA filter.

Be on the look out for electronic air cleaners, or "activated oxygen" air purifiers. Implying that they release oxygen, these "activated oxygen" air purifiers are actually known as "ozone generators", often releasing ozone during the purification process. In enclosed spaces, ozone generators are very dangerous and largely ineffective for air purification. This type of air purifier has even been cautioned against by the state of California.  

Maintaining strong air quality ensures that your babies’ lungs stay safe. Air purifiers allow your kids to grow up in a healthy environment that supports their developing lungs. For more information on how to choose an air purifier, check out our FAQs here!


Already Own An Air Purifier? 

The filters in an air purifier have a limited lifespan. If you already own an air purifier and are curious to know if it's working as intended, check out these simple tests you can perform to know if your purifier is cleaning the air properly.