Does An Air Purifier Reduce Second Hand Smoke?

What is Second Hand Smoke?

Although it is widely known and understood that smoking tobacco is a serious health hazard, the dangers of second hand smoke are just as real and potentially devastating for your health.

Second hand smoke comes from two sources, the smoke that comes off of the cigarette or cigar itself, and the smoke that is being exhaled by the smoker. Although the smoke that comes directly from the source of burning tobacco is more dangerous than smoke that is being exhaled, both contain carcinogens that can be extremely dangerous to anyone who breathes it in.

The smoke from burning tobacco contains thousands of chemicals, and hundreds of those chemicals are dangerous to human health. Exposure to second hand smoke can cause anything from lung irritation and allergic reactions to more serious conditions such as heart disease and cancer. The tragedy of second hand smoke is that it can kill people who have never smoked a cigarette in their life; just regularly being around a smoker is enough to cause serious and permanent damage.

How Can an Air Purifier Help Reduce Second Hand Smoke?

The primary function of an air purifier is to draw in air from a room, pass it through a series of filters that will remove particle and chemical pollutants, and then release the clean air back into the home. While many people know that an air purifier can help with allergens such as mold and pollens, the good news is that using an air purifier can help to remove smoke from the air as well.

Not only can an air purifier help to remove smoke odors, but it can capture many of the harmful chemical components as well. There are two main ways that air purifiers can remove smoke, by use of a HEPA filter and by using activated carbon.

HEPA filters are fiber filters that were originally designed by scientists to protect themselves from radiation during nuclear testing. Capable of capturing a wide range of small particles, true HEPA filters are tested to ensure that they remove particles at 0.3 microns in size, 99.97% of the time, which is the most difficult micron size to capture. Cigarette smoke ranges in size from 4 to 0.01 microns, allowing it to be captured by the HEPA filter’s fibers. After it is burned or exhaled, smoke will rapidly thin and its particles reduce in size, making it harder to trap. Using an air purifier as someone is smoking is the best way to trap the chemicals and odors of second hand smoke before they spread.

The other major defense against smoke in an air purifier comes from the use of activated carbon. To become activated, a source of carbon is exposed to extremely high temperatures, causing it to become incredibly porous. A small pellet of activated carbon can have the internal surface area the size of a football field. When chemicals, odors, and gases pass through the activated carbon, they become adsorbed into its porous surface.

Why Choose Rabbit Air?

Every Rabbit Air purifier comes equipped with each of these powerful filters, each designed for maximum efficiency. Our specially designed BioGS HEPA filters used advanced bio-engineered technology to prevent secondary contamination and mold growth on the filter, keeping its efficiency level high throughout its lifespan, while our Charcoal Based Activated Carbon filter uses around half a pound of actual charcoal pellets to provide the best filtration of odors and chemicals.

For those particularly concerned with the removal of smoke, our MinusA2 air purifier can be customized for advanced smoke removal with our Odor Remover filter. The Odor Remover filter has activated carbon woven into its fibers, allowing it to help capture the odors and chemicals from smoke while helping the Charcoal Based Activated Carbon filter to keep working at a higher efficiency for a longer period of time.

The best way to keep safe from secondhand smoke is to avoid it all together. When that isn’t an option, using an air purifier is a smart way to help reduce the harmful chemicals in the air and to help keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

Sources:
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/secondhand-smoke
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/general_facts/
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Advantages+of+HEPA+Air+Filters-a01074004416