How air purifiers can help you breathe easier
With so much time spent in our homes over the last year, indoor air contaminants like gases and other volatile organic compounds (VOCS) released from building materials, furniture and carpeting have become an important health concern. Now more than ever, indoor air quality is considered an essential part of a healthy home.
“According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is often two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and in some cases, these levels can exceed 100 times that of outdoor levels of the same pollutants,” explains Jaya Rao, CEO of Molekule. “Pollutants infiltrate our indoor spaces in a variety of different ways, such as through chemical emissions that come from common household cleaning supplies or new building materials. Unfortunately, current HVAC systems are not adequate at dealing with indoor air pollutants, allowing them to build up to levels that affect our health.”
While working at the University of Florida in the 90s, Rao's father, Dr. Yogi Goswami, developed an air purification technology called photo electrochemical oxidation (PECO). The goal was to help his son — Rao's brother, Dilip Goswami — deal with debilitating asthma and allergies.
Since then, Rao and his sister co-founded Molekule, a technology company based in San Francisco that designs and manufactures air purifiers using their father's patented PECO technology.
Indoor sources of VOCS include solvents, glues, paint, cleaning products, furnishings and even room fresheners, which all contain a variety of chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene. Biological aerosols such as dander and pollen, as well as bacteria and viruses, can also affect indoor air quality.
“What many Canadians do not realize is that most indoor pollutants are invisible to the human eye,” says David Hill, a senior design engineer in environmental care, for Dyson.
“Fumes such as formaldehyde can be released from new furniture, and everyday products such as cleaning solvents and air fresheners can contain benzene and other volatile organic compounds that are potentially harmful to breathe in.
“According to the Canadian Lung Association, there are many potential health effects caused by poor indoor air quality, especially for those with asthma or allergies, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Many people also suffer from seasonal allergies caused by pollen that causes sneezing, and eye, nose and throat irritation.”
The global pandemic and the airborne nature of the COVID-19 virus have only served to highlight the importance of indoor air quality, and as a result, air purifiers have become increasingly popular.
To that end, Molekule's patented technology uses a proprietary catalyst and UV light to destroy airborne viruses, bacteria, mould, VOCS and other airborne pollutants.
“What makes Molekule unique is that our PECO technology is coated in a proprietary nanoparticle catalyst that, when activated by light, creates a chemical reaction on the surface of the Peco-filter, which breaks down pollutants at the molecular level,” says Rao. “These pollutants are converted back into safe substances, such as carbon dioxide and water vapour.”
Molekule Air is designed for rooms up to 600 square feet and is ideal for master bedrooms, living rooms and family rooms.
The Dyson Pure Hot+cool HEPA air purifier, heater and fan has two fully sealed filters: a HEPA filter and a carbon filter. The filter captures 99.97 per cent of particle pollution as small as 0.3 microns, including allergens, bacteria, pollen, and mould spores. The activated carbon filter helps remove gases including NO2, formaldehyde, and benzene.
“When using the machine in auto mode, the Dyson Pure Hot+cool uses a unique algorithm that automatically monitors and intelligently reacts to purify the air, then reports to your Dyson Link app. It then captures pollutants in its HEPA and activated carbon filter and uses air multiplier technology to project clean air throughout the whole room,” explains Hill.
“In my home, my purifier automatically kicks in if I have the doors to the garden open during rush hour or if I'm cooking. I can't see this pollution, but the Dyson Pure Hot+cool can detect it with its sensors.”
The Dyson Pure Humidify+cool is Dyson's first three-in-one purifying humidifying fan that is engineered to automatically purify and hygienically humidify, for a healthier indoor environment.