GoKawiilAs someone with seasonal allergies, I rely on my air purifier to help me through spring. Even experts recommend these devices with HEPA filters to capture air pollutants, allergens, even bacteria and some viruses, helping to prevent illness.
But there is one mistake you can make that'll cause your air purifier to have the opposite effect, releasing pollutants and allergens back into your home's air where they can impact your health.
“If the filter is not replaced regularly, the collected pollutants can build up and clog the filter. This leaves more pollutants in the air, and the dirty filter can release contaminants back into your home, making the air more polluted than if you didn't use an air purifier at all," says Dr. Karyi Coyle, a pulmonologist and assistant professor of medicine at New York Medical College.
I consulted health experts to learn more about the consequences of not replacing your air purifier's filter and how often it should be replaced.
Your air purifier's filter and your health
An air purifier filter’s purpose is to trap pollutants, preventing them from circulating in the air and entering your body. As Coyle mentioned, these pollutants accumulate over time and can clog your filter, reducing airflow and filtration efficiency. Not only will this leave more pollutants in the air, but the filter can even release the particles it previously collected back into the air, further decreasing your air quality.
“This could have respiratory, cardiovascular or allergy health effects,” says Dr. Lyndsey Darrow, epidemiologist and professor of public health at the University of Nevada, Reno.
A dirty air purifier filter is also more susceptible to mold growth, says Coyle, and the air purifier can then circulate those mold spores into your home. “This can cause significant illnesses such as worsening allergies, asthma symptoms and other respiratory problems,” she explains. “A dirty filter can create an indoor air quality that is worse than it would be with no purifier at all.”
In other words, by not changing your air purifier’s filter, you’re creating the opposite effect. All the allergens, viruses, bacteria, pollen and mold spores you want your air purifier to catch can be pushed back into your air, where you can breathe them in and become sick.
Not changing your air purifier's filter can worsen your allergies and cause you to become sick. wavebreakmediamicro/Adobe Stock
... continue reading