Are air purifiers safe to use?

[MS-DOS]

So I just bought this:

 

The test shows successful decrease of particules in suspension. However, im paranoid about the filters releasing microfibers which may not be detected by the sensors. But then again this one has some certifications, so I assume they tested this. Also HEPA filters are used in hospitals. Im just paranoid that this does more than harm good, like I said before releasing some sort of particles that aren't not pick up by particle monitors. I heard some people mention plastic odor when the unit is new. I can't hear much plastic, but when im really close to the exhaust im not sure if it smeels like "something", not sure what it is. Maybe it's the unit itself (the plastic body) because its new. I've put it to max setting for a while. I also made sure to remove the plastic covering from the filter.

 

The reason I bought this is because I live in a flat and my room has 0 ventilation basically. My window on the room faces a wall where people do their laundry, and you get bad odors like cooking smells and stuff. So I basically don't open the window.  This was my best option to have better quality air.

 

 

Any experts in this field here? I have to deal with this until I save money to move into a proper house.

[TetraSky]

If the filters are HEPA certified, it should be perfectly safe.

 

The smell would likely not be the "plastic" and more like the smell from the filters themselves (get a brand new filter, stick your nose to it, it has a smell).

 

This smell is entirely non-toxic and is 10000000% better than all the dust and other small particulate that you can't see in the air at all time.

No it doesn't output some sort of microscopic microfiber particulate that doesn't get picked up and would be toxic to you. Because while they do "shed" a bit of fiber, the shedding will be large enough to be picked up by the filter right away anyway.

There are also synthetic filters, I don't know what yours is made of, they don't mention it on their site. It is "TRUE HEPA", which means it's actually certified.

 

Overall, what little fibers may be shed from the filter (mostly when brand new), is so negligible it's not even worth worrying about and wouldn't cause any sort of health issue. (Heck, I've had a purifier in my room working 24/7 for the past 10 years now, I'm still perfectly healthy)

 

Feel free to read this to get some extra info :

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/hepa-air-filter-fiber-harmful-health/

[MS-DOS]

30 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

If the filters are HEPA certified, it should be perfectly safe.

 

The smell would likely not be the "plastic" and more like the smell from the filters themselves (get a brand new filter, stick your nose to it, it has a smell).

 

This smell is entirely non-toxic and is 10000000% better than all the dust and other small particulate that you can't see in the air at all time.

No it doesn't output some sort of microscopic microfiber particulate that doesn't get picked up and would be toxic to you. Because while they do "shed" a bit of fiber, the shedding will be large enough to be picked up by the filter right away anyway.

There are also synthetic filters, I don't know what yours is made of, they don't mention it on their site. It is "TRUE HEPA", which means it's actually certified.

 

Overall, what little fibers may be shed from the filter (mostly when brand new), is so negligible it's not even worth worrying about and wouldn't cause any sort of health issue. (Heck, I've had a purifier in my room working 24/7 for the past 10 years now, I'm still perfectly healthy)

 

Feel free to read this to get some extra info :

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/hepa-air-filter-fiber-harmful-health/

They say its verified by AHAM the CADR. About the filters, there are 4 types, I have the normal one:

 

https://www.levoit.com/allproducts/ywwlrt1v9wqeizrie5vss0bemaef1d

 

Others

 

https://www.levoit.com/allproducts/levoit-core-300-air-purifier-replacement-filter-pet-allergy

 

https://www.levoit.com/allproducts/levoit-core-300-air-purifier-replacement-filter-toxin-absorber

 

https://www.levoit.com/allproducts/levoit-core-300-air-purifier-replacement-filter-mold-bacteria

 

I will buy the green one when I change it because I see abit of model sometimes in my bathroom which is next to my door. Also I see a ton of dust every week on the floor, I wonder if this will reduce the amount of vacuum cleaning I need to do.

 

I noticed that if I put my face right to the exhaust my throat became a bit raspy.

 

Also my room is a small 3x3 meter room. Will speed 1 be enough? At night I had to turn it off because the noise annoys me, at least until I buy a longer cable to put it far away, and I will have to use sleep mode but not sure if that is enough power to lower the particle count at least wihout closing the door but in summer if I close the door its too hot.

[HM-2]

We've got a couple of those Levoit purifiers. They're great actually. Keep my wife's allergies in check despite two cats in the house. I think they've got an activated carbon foam filter upstream of the HEPA actually.

 

23 minutes ago, MS-DOS said:

I noticed that if I put my face right to the exhaust my throat became a bit raspy.

I expect you'd probably experience the same putting your face over a similarly sized fan

[MS-DOS]

1 minute ago, HM-2 said:

We've got a couple of those Levoit purifiers. They're great actually. Keep my wife's allergies in check despite two cats in the house. I think they've got an activated carbon foam filter upstream of the HEPA actually.

Its the Core 300? they say this:

 

 

Quote

 

Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier Replacement Filter (Original)

19.99

• Increased Efficiency: The ultra-dense True HEPA filter reduces air resistance and increases efficiency with its advanced folded design. 

• 3-Stage Filtration: The filter uses an Activated Carbon Filter, True HEPA Filter, and a Pre-Filter Filter. The True HEPA Filter removes 99.97% of particles the size of 0. 3 microns.

• Trap Household Odors: The Activated Carbon Filter traps various household odors such as cooking smells, pet odors, and cigarette smoke, so your surrounding air is clean and fresh.

• Certified Levoit Replacement Filter: Use the Levoit Core 300-RF replacement filter to keep your air purifier working at full capacity. 

• Note: We recommend replacing the filter every 6–8 months. Remember to remove the filter’s plastic packaging before placing it into the air purifier.

• Compatible with Core 300-RAC, Core 300R

 

•  

[HM-2]

1 minute ago, MS-DOS said:

Its the Core 300?

Think it's an earlier model but looks very similar yes.

[MS-DOS]

So why did my chest became raspy when I breathed from the exhaust? I went to see if there was a smell coming from it, I smelled there in the exhaust half an ahour ago and my chest feels a bit raspy.

[HM-2]

14 minutes ago, MS-DOS said:

So why did my chest became raspy when I breathed from the exhaust? 

I'm not sure anyone can answer.

[MS-DOS]

1 hour ago, HM-2 said:

I'm not sure anyone can answer.

Well @TetraSky said that it can actually push some microfibers but it will get absorbed again so maybe putting your face on the exhaust to breathe is not a good idea... my idea was to smell and see if there is plastic odor and see if I had a "fresh air breathing" experience but my chest became a bit raspy, it has gotten a bit better now

[TetraSky]

19 hours ago, MS-DOS said:

Well @TetraSky said that it can actually push some microfibers but it will get absorbed again so maybe putting your face on the exhaust to breathe is not a good idea... my idea was to smell and see if there is plastic odor and see if I had a "fresh air breathing" experience but my chest became a bit raspy, it has gotten a bit better now

When it's brand new, it sheds a lot more than say, after a week or two. Just turn it off and smell the filter if you really want to do that. When air passes through filters and the likes, it will pick up the smell of said filters.

 

It's never a good idea to breathe in straight from the exhaust of anything, you're not giving it time to circulate, to dissipate and get absorbed again. Let it run, leave the room for a few hours with the door closed and come back. You should then be able to notice if there is a difference in smell between the outside of your room and the inside.

 

But overall, even assuming you just breathed a ton of shedding, which I doubt is what happened, since if I'm seeing it correctly, the carbon filter is after the HEPA filter and should've caught the vast majority of any shedding to begin with, it should not do any sort of permanent damage to you and you'll be back to normal soon enough. Wouldn't be surprised if it's just because the air dried the back of your throat or something.

 

Though it really shouldn't make you raspy or anything of the sort, it makes me think that you might have some kind of underlying condition that you aren't aware of. Maybe talk to a doctor about that? Just to be sure, to get some test done for your throat and lungs. Better safe than sorry... (Though it could also be because you've been breathing a lot of chemicals from the laundry and what not, for a long time which irritated your lungs)

[MS-DOS]

2 hours ago, TetraSky said:

When it's brand new, it sheds a lot more than say, after a week or two. Just turn it off and smell the filter if you really want to do that. When air passes through filters and the likes, it will pick up the smell of said filters.

 

It's never a good idea to breathe in straight from the exhaust of anything, you're not giving it time to circulate, to dissipate and get absorbed again. Let it run, leave the room for a few hours with the door closed and come back. You should then be able to notice if there is a difference in smell between the outside of your room and the inside.

 

But overall, even assuming you just breathed a ton of shedding, which I doubt is what happened, since if I'm seeing it correctly, the carbon filter is after the HEPA filter and should've caught the vast majority of any shedding to begin with, it should not do any sort of permanent damage to you and you'll be back to normal soon enough. Wouldn't be surprised if it's just because the air dried the back of your throat or something.

 

Though it really shouldn't make you raspy or anything of the sort, it makes me think that you might have some kind of underlying condition that you aren't aware of. Maybe talk to a doctor about that? Just to be sure, to get some test done for your throat and lungs. Better safe than sorry... (Though it could also be because you've been breathing a lot of chemicals from the laundry and what not, for a long time which irritated your lungs)

the raspyness disapeared after some hours, not breating from the exhaust ever again...

 

what I do is to run it at max speed when I wake up, then after 20 minutes (its a small 3x3 room, even with the door open it should have an entire cycle in 20 minutes right?) I turn it to speed 1 and hopefully speed 1 is strong enough to get the particle count low. then before sleep i run it at max speed again for 20 minutes and put it on sleep mode

[FoxRed]

I do understand you. In my flat of 3 rooms there are just 2 small windows. Do you understand how much fresh air there? (spoiler: there are not such air at all) However I don't have opportunities to move now. Some of my friends recommended me to buy Ozone Generator. I thought that it cost too much for me and even decided not to look for it. Then my friend said that on https://www.damagecontrol-911.com/ozone-generators-buyers-guide/ there are very cheap models which can help me to purify air in my room and doesn't broke my wallet. Try to see them.

[akio123008]

Still, you need ventilation to manage other problems such as moisture and carbon dioxide. Some actual fresh air is always nice to have, even if it smells like food.

[MS-DOS]

On 8/20/2020 at 12:12 AM, akio123008 said:

Still, you need ventilation to manage other problems such as moisture and carbon dioxide. Some actual fresh air is always nice to have, even if it smells like food.

Yeah I have to fix the window. At least now I will be able to clean the new air when I open with the purifier set to max I think it can keep up.

[TehDwonz]

On 8/2/2020 at 5:25 PM, MS-DOS said:

So I just bought this:

 

The test shows successful decrease of particules in suspension. However, im paranoid about the filters releasing microfibers which may not be detected by the sensors.

I have the same exact filter - it's safe. The Levoit website gives info on particle sizes - "filters particles as small as 0.3 microns and larger and filters air pollution of PM 2.5".

 

If you have no ventilation at all though, you might want a CO2 level monitor (not CO, though that as well can't hurt), as you might well have clean filtered air, but enclosed spaces have a habit of trapping the CO2 you breathe out.

[divito]

Are they safe to use? Like, your question is that the air being sent through a filter is somehow worse than unfiltered air?

I'd be more concerned about CO2 as has been mentioned. I'd probably try to keep your window open as much as possible, and let the filter suppress some of the smells and issues and invest in some candles or odor eliminating products. If you truly need to close the window, lighting a candle and letting the filter do its thing should suffice.

[Drama Lama]

You don’t need an air purifier 

 

you already have mashine that’s collecting dust 

it’s called PC

[RTX 3090]

I was thinking about getting something like this to extract soldering fumes as it has activated carbon.

Would it work and is it safe

[Awesome84]

I believe that they are safe to use, since my grandparents have two of them and I haven’t died yet.

[MS-DOS]

On 8/27/2020 at 6:11 PM, TehDwonz said:

I have the same exact filter - it's safe. The Levoit website gives info on particle sizes - "filters particles as small as 0.3 microns and larger and filters air pollution of PM 2.5".

 

If you have no ventilation at all though, you might want a CO2 level monitor (not CO, though that as well can't hurt), as you might well have clean filtered air, but enclosed spaces have a habit of trapping the CO2 you breathe out.

Really, how accurate those meters? can u link me to one that will be accurate? I feel a bit dizzy in this room I wonder if there's something wrong. I wish I had the money to move from this shitty flat already. My blinds don't even work on my room. Since the window faces a laundry with smells from cooking and stuff I didn't even bother opening it, I just open the balcony and hope some fresh air reaches my room which is in the corner of the flat so im not sure if its working.

[MS-DOS]

On 8/28/2020 at 5:58 PM, Caroline said:

What about your fan? is it fixed?

Not really, I didn't try adding the oil yet. But im afraid it's just a lame design by Rowenta and I paid for an overpriced fan, I expected excellence and I got a fan with your average stupid mechanical noises from cheaper ones. I've coped with it because im too lazy to do anything about it tbh