Can Air Purifiers Make You Sick? Pros and Cons of Using an Air Purifier for Allergies

Headaches, sore throats, coughs, asthma attacks and difficulty breathing are some of the symptoms that some air purifiers can cause. In fact, your air purifier can aggravate many of the health problems you expected it to solve. In some cases, using an air purifier can make allergies worse rather than better. In most cases, this is due to ionizing units that increase the amount of allergens and dust in the air.

It may seem complicated to understand if air purifiers can make you sick or not. But if they are filtered in several stages and used properly, the answer is a definite “No”. Symptoms of exposure to volatile organic compounds range from allergic-type problems, such as sneezing and runny nose, to acute headaches and memory loss. The only case where an air purifier would do more harm than good is if it uses ionization.

Ionizing air purifiers attract pollen to their filters through electrification. A side effect of this is to bind oxygen atoms together and create ozone. Ozone is a respiratory irritant and can worsen allergy or asthma symptoms. By capturing airborne allergens before they become a reason to go to the doctor or buy a medicine, an air purifier can help you save money. Air purifiers can significantly improve the quality of life in the home, but people who suffer from allergies and other respiratory problems may need additional guarantees. The circulation capacity of air purifiers is not infinite, unless you use an improved commercial one.

It is usually the HEPA filter that needs to be kept up to date for the air purifier to work efficiently. However, other air purifiers use UV lights and modules that must also be replaced every year to keep the air purifier working properly. Air purifiers can worsen allergies because they tend to attract allergens present in the room air to the air purifier. Most air purifiers are filtering machines that work similar to a fan that draws dirty air and expels clean air. High-quality air purifiers eliminate microbes, germs, and trap gases, which can lead to an avalanche of health problems if inhaled. This makes the area around the air purifier much more filled with local debris in the air, as the air flow is directed toward the air purifier.

Other appliances, such as air conditioners and heaters, are only useful for about 3 to 5 months a year. Adequate ventilation is a better form of protection, but an air purifier can help when ventilation is difficult to implement. An air purifier with an authentic HEPA filter can work wonders when it comes to removing pet dander from the air. We've listed 12 ways an air purifier can work for you here, but there are so many more ways a purifier can improve your life. The worst can even pollute your home, making indoor air quality worse than what you would breathe without an air purifier.