Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the 4^th leading reason of mortality globally and places a huge burden on health systems. People with chronic respiratory ailments are particularly susceptible to the harmful impacts of air pollutants.

Air pollution can trigger the symptoms of severe exacerbation of COPD and other breathing problems like asthma, increase the respiratory morbidity and mortality. The composition of air is diversified, and air pollutants can cause negative effects on the respiratory system.

How Can Contaminated Indoor Air Affect The Lungs?

Burning solid fuels and other sources of indoor pollutants can increase the concentration of PM2.5 and gaseous pollutants. Particulate matter (PM) has a complex composition, which includes two categories based on their sizes: PM2.5 comprises of the particles with dimensions smaller than 2.5 µm, which is highly harmful substances and can cause respiratory symptoms faster, while PM10 includes the particles with dimensions more than 10 µm, and therefore is found more in dust and has a possibility of remaining in the upper respiratory tract.

Damage to the lungs may make the COPD symptoms develop faster. As mentioned, contaminated air is the composition of tiny particles and other harmful pollutants, which damage the lungs. It can happen due to the following This damage to the lungs can happen by:

• Having exposure to the small number of pollutants for a long period of time, or
• Having exposure to a large number of pollutants for a short period of time.

To reduce the detrimental effects of indoor air pollutants, people particularly those with COPD or asthma should be aware of the air they are exposed to. And consequently, they need to take additional measures such as reducing the exposure to air pollution, wearing masks when necessary, and using an air purification system to purify the air inside a closed facility.

It turns out to be more challenging if the indoor space is not ventilated perfectly. Elderly, women and children who remain indoor most of the time, and consequently they have the highest risk of getting COPD from the different sources of indoor pollutants.

Do Air Cleaners Help to Purify the Indoor Air?

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) recommends using an indoor air cleaner to help reduce the level of contaminated particles. Air filtration is often suggested as an effective measure of indoor air quality control. It can be performed by installing a complete air filtration system that uses a multilayer purification mechanism.

Whether it will help reduce the risk of COPD is still not proved because the conclusions of different studies have been inconsistent for years. Some studies have shown that the air cleaners with high a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) can significantly improve the lung function in persons with respiratory diseases.   

Things to Look for While Choosing an Air Purification System for COPD:

If you want to bring in an air cleaning system, be aware that most of the air purifiers for COPD are only made to capture particles. They have a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV), which makes them ineffective against PM2.5 and other ultrafine particles.

Instead of choosing an ordinary air purifier for home and offices, it is prudent to invest in a complete air purification system engineered to capture a large amount of fine particles and other toxins. PetriMed CA air purification system is amongst the few options available in the market, which can be a perfect scientific solution to the increasing level of indoor pollution.

It is configured with a washable pre-filter, antibacterial layer, HEPA H14, pre-activated carbon filter, UVC, and ioniser to perform a multi-stage filtration process. Unlike ordinary air purifiers, it captures large amounts of allergens and dust particles with 99.999% designed filtration efficiency.