The buzz on room air cleaners

Abstract

Asthma can be triggered by both indoor and outdoor air pollution. There isn't much we can do to avoid the outside air pollution, but what about improving the quality of the air inside our homes? It makes sense that if we could clean the allergens and irritants from the air we breathe indoors, our asthma would be better managed—especially given that Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. The problem is that the medical studies just don't back this up. Indoor air filters alone do not seem to have much of an impact on improving asthma control. But air filtration systems are often recommended as part of an overall strategy of environmental controls.