The largest professional medical specialty organization in the United States is the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. They have gathered an impressive and sobering list of statistics regarding asthma, which includes:

 Approximately 20 million Americans have asthma.  Nine million U.S. children under 18 have been diagnosed with asthma.

 More than four million children have had an asthma attack in the previous year.

 More than 70% of people with asthma also suffer from allergies.

 10 million Americans suffer specifically from allergic asthma.

 There are approximately 5,000 deaths from asthma annually.

 12.8 million school days are missed annually due to asthma.

 The value of reduced productivity due to death represented the largest single indirect cost related to asthma, approaching $1.7 billion. (http://www.aaaai.org/media/resources/media_kit/asthma_statistics.stm)

IMPACT DC, a program of the Children's Research Institute at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., mentions that asthma triggers that are commonly found indoors include:

o Second-hand (cigarette) smoke

o Cockroaches and other pests

o Dust mites and house dust

o Molds

o Pets and other animals

o Nitrogen dioxide (an odorless gas that can be a byproduct of indoor fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, gas or oil furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves and unvented kerosene or gas space heaters).

Air cleaning and air purifying process both can be helpful in reducing all of these asthma triggers. Air cleaners (filters) can significantly reduce all of these, if you have the proper filters. A HEPA filter can do some of it, but a heavy-duty carbon filter is necessary to copy with the second-hand smoke and the nitrogen dioxide. Many air purifiers can handle all of these problems, but the best solution is something that has both filters and one or more good purification processes. Photocatalytic oxidation and ultra-violet light are a good combination for the purification processes.

Photocatalytic oxidation kills and decomposes bacteria cells. It is a process where contaminants are oxidized through the interaction of ultraviolet radiation with a chemical or metal oxide catalyst. The titanium dioxide photocatalyst has been found to be more effective than any other antibacterial agent. It also reduces or eliminates polluted compounds in the air such as cigarette smoke, emissions of vehicle exhausts and power stations, and smog, as well as volatile compounds arising from various construction materials.

Ultraviolet light breaks organic molecular bonds, which means it destroys micro-organisms such as germs, viruses, molds and bacteria too small to be filtered out by filters. Although General Electric says that ultraviolet lights cannot kill molds, there are more than one kind of ultraviolet lights, the best of which CAN kill molds.

Look for quality air purification/cleaner products that combine the best of both processes.

About the Author
Mary Lou Derksen has been involved in a variety of health-related jobs since 1976, included nutritional counseling and mental health counseling (as a licensed counselor). She also taught junior high and high school classes in a 1-room school house setting. Never ready to settle down to a stale retired life, she has now entered the field of air purifications systems. http://www.magnamics.com