WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP MY ALLERGY: AIR FILTERS

You can buy a range of devices which will remove particles and filter the air that you breathe. These can be of real benefit if you choose one that is effective for the things to which you are sensitive (some devices remove some allergens or substances and not others). They are cheap to run, costing little more than a light bulb to operate.

Air filters and other devices will not solve your problems on their own, however. Even the best do not totally remove allergens from your environment; they can help reduce or remove airborne particles or vapours, but they cannot remove them from surfaces or furniture, or in intense exposures. They are not a substitute for carrying out other avoidance measures – they are best used in combination with avoidance measures, where they often add an extra percentage of improvement which can make a real difference.

They are also helpful when you have to spend time in environments where you cannot remove allergens or substances that upset you -such as at work or when staying away from home. Again, they can add an extra percentage of improvement which can make things tolerable.

What To Look For

Air cleaning or filtering devices can do five basic things:

• mask smells, through air freshener inserts

• produce negative ions (ionise) which causes dust and other particles to be attracted to surfaces in the room

• filter out particles in a fabric filter or web

• attract particles to an electrically charged surface

• filter out gaseous vapours through activated carbon

The various devices available often have these functions in different combinations.

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