Avoid Air Pollution

[circular]

Hi Slacker, I would ask the company directly about the .3 pm and below, but it sounds like they're suggesting it can't be relied on for this. I think I read recently that detection at that level, and probably filtering too, is difficult. (To be confirmed.) I don't think they've come out with the new LaserEgg 2+ yet that also filters VOCs. They said they'd email me when it's out. It's possible that if you don't foresee wanting to measure and filter VOCs that the one they have available now would work for you if they can confirm the .3 or below.

When I took the Wynd monitor on a walk yesterday, I walked under a tree in all it's pollen glory (could smell and feel it in the air and my airways) and no increase in particles registered. It then dawned on me that the Wynd monitor must only be picking up 2.5 ppm and below, but not 2.5-10. That meant it may only be filtering 2.5 and below but not 2.5-10. The company confirmed this by email but said they are working on a firmware upgrade that will enable it to monitor and filter <10 too. I had been surprised that the AQ in Home Depot's lumber aisles only registered a 'moderate' (50-100 using the Wynd meter) when the air always seems quite laden with dust there. I suspect with a 2.5-10 pm monitor a higher level would register since that's where most dust registers I think. Not that I loiter in lumber aisles often ... although that might be more reputable than cruising store aisles and bathrooms to check the air quality.

This page provides helpful, general information about 2.5 pm and below, but it doesn't mention the central nervous system effects.

Here's a review out last month on that topic:
The impact of air pollution to central nervous system in children and adults.

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to review studies analyzing the associations between air pollution and neurodevelopment in children as well as the effect on adult population. Effect of prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, benzo[a]pyrene, B[a]P) were already studied on cohorts from New York, Poland, China, and Spain. All results indicate changes of child behavior and neurodevelopment at the age of 3-9 years, decrease of IQ, increase of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), decrease of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), reduction of left hemisphere white matter. Effect of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) to neurobehavioral development in children, measured as PM2.5 (particulate matter <2.5 µm), PM10, elemental carbon (EC), black smoke (BC), NO2, NOx, were studied in USA, Spain, Italy, and South Korea. Increased concentrations of TRAP were associated with the increase of ADHD, autism, affected cognitive development; PM2.5 decreased the expression of BDNF in placenta. Increased concentrations of PM2.5 affected adults cognition (episodic memory), increased major depressive disorders. Increased concentrations of NO2 were associated with dementia, NOx with Parkinson's disease. Increased concentrations of PAHs, PM2.5 and NO2 in polluted air significantly affect central nervous system in children and adults and represent a significant risk factor for human health.

I emailed Wynd about the .3 and below, so I'll get back with that.

[floramaria]

Not sure if many are following but I’ll continue my little air quality experimention diary

Hi Circ, Add me too the list of those who are following your air quality experiments . Thank you for continuing to post products you are using and the results. Very informative and much appreciated!

[circular]

Thanks for the feedback. It's helpful to know because honestly I have other things I really should be focusing on, but I do want to do this for myself, and I'm happy to take the time to share results knowing others are benefiting The monitor images are fun to include but take more time.

[circular]

Another thing that I've found interesting is to download some smartphone AQ apps. They will show you the AQ at the local monitors in your area. You can also look at other areas. It's been an eye opener to see the monitors in China and India vs the US and Europe, for example. Of course we all know that AQ is really bad in large cities and certain countries, but it's just helpful to see it through monitor feedback, helpfully color-coded. Then you'll also see islands for poor quality in areas of overall good quality in, say, the US. Different countries use different indeces, so I'm not sure the global readouts in these apps are apples-to-apples, but you still get an idea.

The other thing to note is that AQ readouts from consumer monitors probably cannot be compared apples-to-apples, since the device makers most likely all use a proprietary index/calibration based on what their monitor measures. I don't know much about this. The Wynd pm 2.5 readout will compare the Wynd AQ result to the local (nearest) public AQ monitor on the same screen, but I don't think these are apples-to-apples, so that's a bit hokey.

Some apps I've downloaded:

AirVisual (I believe this one is from the company that makes the IQAir HealthPro Plus I have)
Kaiterra
Air Bubbles (this is a Wynd app)

[floramaria]

Does anyone have any tips for traveling to countires with known horrible AQ? I am going to China in March, and as I have been reading this thread, I have also been looking at “personal air purifiers”. I am concerned because I will be on planes for 14 hours or so, and also will be spending time in cities with notoriously bad AQ.
I looked at the Wynd, but could not travel with that. The personal air purifiers I have seen so far are negative ionizers rather than any kind of filter and they can be worn around the neck. Anyone have any personal experience to share?

[Fiver]

Interesting. I live in an area known for poor air quality...so I guess I'll just hold my breath....

A good basic place to start is the American Lung Association's State of the Air (2017) report, available online. Keep in mind that while PM2.5 is highly-dispersed levels are still significantly higher near roadways and some industrial areas. If you have air monitoring networks in your area the levels measured at monitoring stations - while useful - don't necessarily reflect what goes on a few blocks or a few kilometers away. Also, there is some indication that PM2.5 is worse when occurring with other types of pollution - not surprising, I guess. But it means that PM2.5 levels don't tell the whole story.

Also, here is a nice summary of the latest research on PM2.5 pollution and AD (in case it hasn't already been mentioned): http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/01/ ... s-dementia

That one from Circular is good too!

[circular]

A couple quick comments:

Try to get seats in the front of the plane. I've learned (and smelled!) that before planes take off there is often a huge amount of jet fuel pollution that enters the cabin at the back.

I wonder if you can stay somewhere with a sauna to do some sweating detox while there?

Broccoli sprouts are shown to significantly reduce the body's benzene load (~60% I think it was) and less so another chemical. If they can do that to the two tested, I suspect they reduce much more. I eat (and grow) them regularly, but it may be hard to get them in China?

China is so aware of the AQ issue that I've read the Chinese check the AQ more than the weather.

I'm guessing you can't travel with the Wynd because of the size? For a carry-on I use a laptop bag with room for airplane foods and some other odds and ends. The Wynd went in there. But true, it's not a hang around your neck while on the move kind of thing. I haven't looked into those and would love to hear what you learn.

[circular]

floramaria I’m also trying to sort out the negative ion issue. One of the many reasons I got the IQAir HealthPro Plus for my home is that it doesn’t generate negative ions and lead to ozone.

I’m currently looking at showerhead filters, because with my chlorine-only filter, as I posted earlier in the thread, the AQ in the bathroom worsens after each shower. (For all I know the monitor is picking up water droplets, but I've also learned that chlorine filters don't get typically get rid of chlorine in hot showers, and also don't get rid of the chloramines. You needs specials filters for that, let alone anything else getting in the air from the water.)

The showerhead filter with the most levels of filtration includes a ceramic negative ion producing layer. I’m not convinced all the filter’s layers do what they say, but hey, if it’s ozone free and helps me pretend, along with my bath ‘decor’, that I’m at the beach ... Unfortunately I think if there are negative ions there will at least be a small amount of ozone. Having discovered how reactive my lungs are when my breathing improves so much using the IQAir, I’m not sure I want to take my chances with the suggestion on this page that household appliances emitting negative ions may not lead to a clinically relevant amount of ambient ozone.

[circular]

I looked at Kaiterra's current LaserEgg2 (without the plus) and am confused about nomenclature. It says that it is a 2.5PM (particulate matter) meter, but also that it detects particles between 0.3 microns and 10 microns. I am interested in detecting mycotoxins, which I believe are smaller than 0.3 microns. Is the 2+ version going to be able to measure presence of mycotoxins?

Hi Slacker, I'm wondering if you've emailed Kaiterra about that? I'd be interested in their response.

I heard back from Wynd:

Wynd currently measures particles below 2.5. We are working to add firmware to also display larger particles, but we currently do not have that capability... Wynd allows both size types of particles to pass through [ie, filters], but we currently have it calibrated [ie monitors] for PM 2.5.

Wynd will filter at least 96% particles above 0.3 microns [up to 2.5 or 10?], but below that size Wynd filters about 88% of particles. This image helps show which particles we can filter out.

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I suggested to the Wynd guy that they do a better job depicting that in fact they filter much of what's below .3, and it would be helpful to have PM 2.5 and PM 10 noted.

I then confirmed that the fact that Wynd doesn't filter VOCs accounts for the ~12% of particles < PM .3 that it doesn't filter. He explained it this way:

VOCs [gases] are basically individual molecules so they are too small to be blocked via non-chemical methods.

Kaiterra says this about the percentage of particles filtered:

Why do we brag that our filters trap 90% of particles when the other guys promise 99.9…%? It’s simple: We realized that there is a sweet spot between filter efficiency (how many particles are trapped each time the air passes through) and air flow. Paradoxically, if a filter is too “efficient,” it will take hours and hours for a room to become clean.

At 90% efficiency, the air flow is high enough to clean a room full of smog, cigarette smoke or burnt food in about 30 minutes. To deal with high volumes of pollution found in urban cities today, finding the right ratio of filter efficiency to air flow is key.

They're in China so have some pretty serious pollution to tackle too. By comparison the Wynd, which claims to keep the air in a three foot area clean (ie, for spot use where someone is), claims to clear 96% of PM .3 to 10.

All this got me to revisit what exactly the IQ Air HealthPro Plus (which includes the VOC filter) is doing in my home:

Air delivery, incl. filters, 6 fan speeds*
40, 75, 130, 170, 200, 300 cfm (70, 130, 220, 290, 340, 510 m3/h)

Total system efficiency
≥ 99.97% for particles ≥ 0.3 microns (individually tested), ≥ 99.5% at ≥ 0.003 microns

EN 1822 classification
HEPA class H13 - MPPS efficiency: ≥ 99.95% @ 0.22 microns at airflow rate ≤ 112 cfm (190 m3/h) [Fan speed 1]
HEPA class H12 - MPPS efficiency: ≥ 99.50% @ 0.16 microns at airflow rate ≤ 280 cfm (475 m3/h) [Fan speeds 2-3]

Pre-filter
PreMaxTM Filter F8 (S)
Purpose: control of coarse and fine particulate matter; protection of subsequent filters
Media: non-woven glass microfiber, mini-pleated for high-capacity, non off-gassing separators Efficiency: ≥ 55% at ≥ 0.3 microns (EN 779 class F8)
Surface area: 30 sq.ft. (2.8 m2)***
Average filter life: approx. 18 months (based on average daily usage of 10h on speed 3)****

Gas & odor filter
V5-CellTM Filter MG
Purpose: control of a wide range of chemical contaminants and odors
Media: MultiGasTM granulated activated carbon & impregnated activated alumina (AC/4 + IA/4) Weight: 5 lbs. (2.5 kg)***
Average filter life: approx. 2 years (based on average daily usage of 10h on speed 3)****

Main particle filter
HyperHEPA® Filter H12/13 (L)
Purpose: control of fine & ultra-fine particulate matter
Media: non-woven glass microfiber, medical-grade HyperHEPA® filter, non-offgasing separators Efficiency: ≥ 99.97% at ≥ 0.3 microns (EN 1822 class H12/13)
Surface area: 53 sq. ft. (5.0 m2)***
Average filter life: approx. 4 years (based on average daily usage of 10h on speed 3)****

The Kaiterra folks might suggest that this is too efficient, at least for a leaky apartment in China, unless you leave it at the highest setting which is a bit too loud.

[slacker]

Firstly circ, I have not emailed Kaiterra. I could say that I haven't since I need a monitor now that can detect particles smaller than 0.3 microns, or I could say that I forgot. I'm going to give myself credit and go with the first option!

I noticed that the "what Wynd filters" diagram doesn't mention mycotoxins at all. Humm. The Kaiterra position about balancing filtering ability and air flow is interesting; I am not in a position to determine credibility on this one. How can either company determine the percentage of sub 0.3 micron filtering unless there is a device available to measure these small particles? A non commercially available monitor? My overly sensitive BS meter is vibrating a bit on this one.

Life is full of uncertainty, isn't it? Especially in the CIRS category.

Thanks tho' for all your investigation and postings. I appreciate you!