Effect of an Air Cleaner with Electrostatic Filter on the Removal of Airborne House Dust Mite Allergens

PURPOSE: The effects of air cleaners on the removal of airborne indoor allergens, especially house dust mites (HDM), are still controversial. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of an air cleaner with an electrostatic filter on the removal of airborne mite allergens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A dried HDM culture medium that contained mite body particles and excretions was dispersed in a chamber equipped with an electrostatic air cleaner. The number of airborne particles was recorded continuously by a dust spectrometer for 60 minutes. Airborne particles in the chamber were collected on a sampling filter at a flow rate of 10 L/min and the Der f 1 concentration in the filter extracts was measured by two-site ELISA. RESULTS: The air cleaner efficiently removed airborne HDM particles. The air cleaner removed airborne HDM particles (size 2-12.5 microm) 11.4 +/- 2.9 fold (cleaner operating for 15 minutes), 5.4 +/- 0.7 fold (cleaner operating for 30 minutes), and 2.4 +/- 0.2 fold (cleaner operating for 60 minutes) more than the removal of HDM particles by natural settle down. Removal kinetics differed according to the particle size of the airborne particles. The air cleaner decreased the concentration of Der f 1 in the extraction of airborne particles collected on the air sampling filter by 60.3%. CONCLUSION: The electrostatic air cleaner can remove airborne HDM allergens and may be useful as a supplementary environmental control tool for HDM sensitized respiratory allergic patients.

Efficacy of an air cleaning device equipped with an electrostatic precipitator and photocatalytic plasma filter in respiratory allergic patients / 천식및알레르기

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a new air cleaning device (LG Electronics, Korea) equipped with electrostatic precipitator (EP) and photocatalytic plasma filter (PCP) in 24 respiratory allergic subjects. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Air cleaning conditioner and air cleaner were placed in living room and bedroom. Both EP and PCP (EP/PCP) filters were used for the first 4 weeks and for another 4 weeks, PCP without EP filter (PCP) was used. We measured symptom scores of asthma and rhinitis, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), serum eosinophil cataionic prote in? in ECP, Dermatophagoides farinae (DF) specific IgE and IgG in sera, concentrations of major allergens of DF in floor dust of living room, bedroom and in airborne dust. RESULTS: Both asthma and rhinitis symptom scores were significantly improved not only with EP/PCP filters but also with PCP filter. The morning PEFR was significantly improved with EP/PCP filters, but not with PCP filter. Frequency of salbutamol inhalation by air cleaner with EP/PCP filter tended to de crease(p=0.051), with no significant difference in serum ECP concentration. DF specific IgE significantly decreased at the 8th week with no differences in specific IgG. However, the mean Der f I levels in floor dust of bedroom (1, 128 vs. 374 ng/gm dust, p<0.01) and living room (1,516 vs 812 ng/gm dust, p<0.01) decreased, Der f1 in airborne dust measured only in 8 out of 22 subjects, and they decreased significantly with the trial of EP/PCP filter (172.2 pg/4.5m vs. 62.1 pg/4.5m, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the EP/PCP air cleaner may be an effective tool for environmental control in respiratory allergic subjects.

The bactericidal mechanism and effect of HVEF in the air cleaner / 医疗卫生装备

The configuration of the air cleaner and operating principle of high-voltage static electrical field (HVEF) are introduced. The primary bactericidal mechanism and broad-spectrum effect are also mentioned.

Experimental Study on Efficiency of Ozone Air Cleaner for Purifying Formaldehyde and Benzene in Indoor Air / 环境与健康杂志

Objective To strdy the purifying efficiency of two types of a certain brand of ozone air cleaner to decontaminate gases of formaldehyde and benzene in simulated rooms air.Methods Formaldehyde and benzene were sprayed in the space of simulated tested rooms according to the concentration of 0.4mg/m3 respectively:then the tested rooms were airtightened for 0.5 h till the end of natural volatilization and the concentrations of tested chemicals in room air becoming stable.The air sampling was carried out by personal samplers with hydroxybenzene absorbents and active carbon sampling tube at the 30th minute,1st hour and 2nd hour after the running of two types of air cleaners.Results The temperatures and relative humidities of the simulated tested rooms were 12.4℃～14.8℃ and 36.3%℃～48.2℃ respectively.At the 30th minute,1st hour and 2nd hour after the starting of air purifying cleaner,the purifying efficiencies of air cleaner with single-slice pottery were 9.24%,44.42%and 55.99% for benzene, and 3.19%,6.79%,10.41% for formaldehyde respectively,the purifying efficiencies of air cleaner with double-slice pottery were 58.81%,62.74% and 72.99% for benzene,and 6.57%,7.53%,11.20% for fomaldehyde respectively.Conclusicn These two types of air cleaners presented a certain purifying efficiencies to hazardous gases such as benzene and formaldehyde in indoor air.The air cleaner need run continuously to maintain the prifying efficiencies dew to the continual release of partial hazardous gases of formaldehyde and benzene in indoor air adsorpted on wall surface.

Study on Testing of the Indoor Particle Removal Efficiency of Plasma Air Cleaner / 环境与健康杂志

Objective By testing the particle removal efficiency of LG Electronics Company's two types of plasma air cleaners,to explore more scientific and reasonable methods for evaluating the purifying effectiveness of indoor air cleaners so as to obtain scientific and contrastable experimental data and calculating results. Methods This evaluating method referred to Standard Examination Method of Portable Household Electric Cord-Connected Room Air Cleaners of America (ANSI/AHAM AC-1-2000) and used one of indexes regu lated in standard Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) as the main evaluating index of the effectiveness of indoor air cleaners,meantime several kinds of domestic and international current evaluating indexes were adopted to synthetically evaluate decontaminating function of the air cleaners. Results The index of CADR could accurately and objectively manifest the true decontaminating function of indoor air cleaner. But if using the index of purifying efficiency to reflect the purifying effectiveness of air cleaners,pollutant's natural decay rate and initial concentration should be considered and at the same time other experimental conditions should be given out. Conclusion The establishments of accurate testing methods and accurate expressions of testing results were the sufficient and essential conditions for accurate evaluation on testing objectives.