The Rise of Air Purifiers

Air quality has been a hot-button topic during the course of the pandemic and it has been shown through research that one way to ‘possibly’ help prevent the spread of Covid-19 is to have proper air ventilation.

Schools, restaurants, and other indoor establishments have been scrambling to figure out ways to increase ventilation in their facilities. In my small hometown, bus drivers were told to have all windows open on buses even during rainy days and the frigid New England winter. People are desperate to ensure all CDC protocols are being implemented and air quality is one of these protocols that has now translated into the rapid rise in sales for home air purification systems.

According to a research study conducted by The Business Research Company, “the growing awareness among consumers regarding air purification in the wake of COVID-19 is an opportunity for air purifier retailers to scale up their sales” (Company, Global air purifiers Market REPORT: COVID impact on demand and Supply ANALYSIS, 2020 2020).

So what do these air purification products actually say they do? And do they have any benefit?

According to a New York Times article which was done by Wirecutter, the best air purifier of 2021 is the $215 Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier with True HEPA. Testing with this air purifier found that it reduced heavy smoke pollution by 99%.

The fact that we are now looking for high-tech equipment that is usually used to reduce smoke pollution to now be used in a suburban bedroom speaks to how much we believe air quality affects our overall health. This fear is not misguided. As climate change gets worse it will cause more wildfires especially in places in the western United States. Also, the rise in our dependency on fossil fuels and other forms of carbon emission is making our air quality worse. It only took a global pandemic for the world to open its eyes and understand how impactful healthy air quality is to our overall physical health and now air purification companies are reaping the benefits.

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The best air purifier. (2014, October 22). Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/

The business research company. (n.d.). Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/

Company, T. (2020, July 21). Global air purifiers Market REPORT: COVID impact on demand and Supply ANALYSIS, 2020. Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/07/21/2065077/0/en/Global-Air-Purifiers-Market-Report-COVID-Impact-On-Demand-And-Supply-Analysis-2020.html

Improving ventilation in your home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 09, 2021, from

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/Improving-Ventilation-Home.html

Indoor air and Coronavirus (COVID-19). (2020, December 16). Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/indoor-air-and-coronavirus-covid-19l