5 min. read
Preliminary findings from a study conducted by the German Research Center of Allergy and Environment indicate that Philips air purifiers can quickly remove house dust mite allergens from indoor air. A research study was recently conducted by Prof. Dr. Jeroen Buters and a team of researchers from the Center for Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) to test Philips air purifiers in real homes. ZAUM belongs to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) and is member of the German Center of Lung Research. According to their website, "the aims of the ZAUM are to promote research on allergic diseases to gain mechanistic insights into the disease and to push therapeutic developments in order to provide better patient care or even be able to prevent the onset of allergic diseases." Faecal material of house dust mites (HDM) is the main source of indoor allergens, becoming airborne as particulate matter (PM) after disturbance. The study investigated the performance of Philips air purifiers in removing HDM´s allergens and other PM fractions from ambient air in 22 houses of Munich, Germany. "We knew from laboratory tests and tests in environmental chambers that our Air purifiers are very powerful in filtering pollutants from the air, but wanted to confirm that allergens and particulate matter can also be removed under more realistic conditions. Therefore, we cooperated with Prof. Dr. Buters to test our newest model AC4236 in the bedrooms of homes were people actually live" explains Michael Scheja, Principle Scientist in Philips Research.
In addition to being a carrier for different types of allergens, particulate matter is also known for a wide array of negative health effects affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular system (respiratory symptoms, aggravation of asthma, increase in hospital admissions etc.). Recently the measurements have been completed and preliminary findings indicate that not only airborne house dust mite allergens, but also particulate matter covering ultrafine particles, PM1, PM 2.5 and PM 10 are efficiently reduced using the air purifiers. The less of these harmful substances are in the air, the smaller the amount available for direct inhalation by the occupants of the indoor space. Detailed analysis of all data collected during the study is on-going and a publication of the final results in a peer-reviewed journal is in preparation. It is anticipated that these findings will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication later this year. Prof. Dr. Buters, deputy director of ZAUM- Center of Allergy & Environment in Munich, Germany states that "To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive study which shows that portable air purifiers can reduce airborne HDM and other allergens in different particle size fractions in homes".
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