What are UV air purifiers?

As we all know that air purifiers help in keeping the indoor air clean and healthy but, how many people know about different types of air purifiers? Are you aware of the latest technological advancements in the field of air purifiers? One of the latest air purifiers is a UV purifier. They use the latest technology and are still under development. These filters are effective in eliminating harmful microorganisms from the air inside your home. So, let us know more as to what are UV air purifiers and how much they are helpful in air cleaning. 

What is a UV air purifier?

A UV air purifier uses UV light technology to purify the air inside your home. These air purifiers have a small chamber inside that has UV-C light technology installed in them. The air is captured by the fan and when it passes through the UV chamber, the pollutants are removed from the air. The clean air is then released into the home. The UV purifiers are capable of capturing dust, mold, bacteria, viruses, and pollen. However, it can not remove VOCs and odor from the air. 

Some recommendations for UV air purifiers are:

  1. Germ Guardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier with UV Light Sanitizer
  2. InvisiClean Aura II Air Purifier – 4-in-1 H13 True HEPA, Ionizer, Carbon + UV Light
  3. TOPPIN HEPA Air Purifiers for Home – TPAP002 with Fragrance Sponge UV Light
  4. GermGuardian AC4100 4-in-1 Air Purifier, True HEPA Filter UV-C Light Sanitizer
  5. GermGuardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier, UV Light Sanitizer

What does UV light mean and how does it works?

UV light is electromagnetic radiation transmitted at varying frequencies in the form of particles or waves, creating an electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic energy created by UV light destroys the reproducing ability of the microorganisms and inactivates them. It means that the growth of microbes is stopped when they come in contact with UV light. UV-C light has the shortest wavelength and is also a popular disinfectant for air, water, and other nonporous surfaces. UV light also can kill Covid viruses when used properly.

Are UV air purifiers effective?

Though UV lights have been proven to be effective in stopping microbial growth, nothing proves that they are equally effective when used in air purifiers. UV air purifiers are marketed to help reduce the number of mold allergens, dust mites, and other viruses. However, how effective UV purifiers are in disinfecting the air can be described based on some factors, such as:

  1. Whether there is contact between the pollutants and the UV light. 
  2. Time for which the pollutant has come into contact with the UV light.
  3. The dosage of UV light that is required.
  4. Whether the UV light is hindered by the cool airflow.
  5. The material used in making the bulb that is emitting UV light.

UV purifiers are successful in reducing the number of bacteria and viruses but, they can not completely remove them. To get rid of these microorganisms completely, a higher level of UV light and long exposure of the air to it is required. But the level of UV light that can be used in residential air purifiers is limited. So, UV purifiers can only reduce the microbes a bit, but cannot completely remove them. Also, these purifiers are not effective on VOCs and can not remove them from the air inside your home. 

UV purifiers also emit ozone, which can cause some health issues such as sore throat, coughing, respiratory inflammation, worsening of lung diseases, and aggravation of asthma symptoms. 

Pros and Cons of UV air purifiers

The use of UV lights in air purifiers is the latest technology and still needs a lot of changes in it. Therefore, the UV purifiers used currently have their pros and cons. Let us have a look at them in detail.

Pros of UV air purifiers

Some of the benefits of using UV purifiers are:

  1. These air purifiers can eliminate microscopic pollutants from the air such as bacteria, viruses, mold, etc. 
  2. UV purifiers work silently, meaning they don’t make much noise.
  3. These air purifiers are more efficient than the other purifiers as they work and clean the air constantly, even when the air is not being pushed through the machine.
  4. UV air purifiers don’t have any physical filters in them, meaning you won’t have to check if they are dirty or not and clean or replace them. 

Cons of UV air purifiers

Besides the abovementioned benefits, UV purifiers also have some disadvantages in them. Some drawbacks of using UV purifiers are:

  1. They are unable to eliminate all pollutant particles such as VOCs.
  2. Since it is a new technology that is still going through research and development, there are only a few manufacturers. This makes these air purifiers costly as compared to their counterparts.
  3. UV purifiers also emit small amounts of ozone while working and ozone is toxic for health.
  4. Lack of physical filters means that these air purifiers need regular maintenance for the entire system, which can be costly as well as hectic.

Conclusion

After all the discussion above, we can conclude that UV purifiers are efficient and beneficial. But, it is also to be noted that their drawbacks can aggravate some health issues. So, the best way to use UV purifiers is to get a system that uses a UV filter together with some other type of filter. Combining two filters will give better results and help in controlling each other’s drawbacks. 

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