Air Purifiers May Ease the Burden of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a chronic condition due to low level chemical exposure. While it’s a controversial diagnosis, people increasingly turn to MCS as an explanation for their symptoms. For those worried about airborne chemical pollutants, an air purifier may be an excellent way to improve indoor air quality and ease worries.

Sources of MCS

MCS may be caused by a range of chemicals – from tobacco smoke to lead to jet fuel. Part of the problem is that there are so many chemicals to which Americans are exposed. After World War II, petroleum-based chemicals were synthesized and rolled out into ever wider use, including synthetic fragrances, pesticides, detergents, and other cleaning products. Volatile organic compounds (or VOCs) like formaldehyde seep into the air from carpets, paint, insulation, plastic, and adhesives, among other building materials. People are exposed to pesticides found in chemicals for their lawns, bug sprays, and other household cleaners. Nitrogen dioxide can reach unhealthy levels if one’s kitchen isn’t vented properly while cooking. Solvents leech into the air from paint strippers, household cleaners, and gasoline.

There are a myriad of sources of airborne chemical pollutants to which people are exposed on a daily basis. Some contend that this constant, low-level exposure leads to MCS. MCS has been blamed for sore throats, headaches, various allergic reactions, and problems with the nervous, digestive, or respiratory systems. Some cases of cancer have even been attributed to MCS.

National Geographic Feature

David Duncan wrote a feature story on chemical pollution of the human body, “The Pollution Within.” He was tested for 320 chemicals he may have been exposed to in the course of everyday life. The results were startling. In the course of his story he discovered that little is known about most of the 82,000 chemicals used in the US. New chemicals must only be tested if there’s evidence of potential harm. There’s also been little research on long-term health effects. Many people point out that even as health improves, there has been a mysterious rise in certain illnesses. Duncan writes, “From the early 1980s through the late 1990s, autism increased tenfold; from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s, one type of leukemia was up 62 percent, male birth defects doubled, and childhood brain cancer was up 40 percent.” Most of the information is anecdotal, but it does pose questions about the health effects of chemicals people don’t even realize are there, in the very air they breathe.

Air Purifiers to Remove Airborne Pollutants

The EPA estimates that indoor air pollution is two to five-times greater than pollution outdoors. Thankfully, many readily-available air purifiers are effective at removing airborne pollutants. HEPA air purifiers remove 99.97% of particles .3 microns and above. But people concerned about MCS should be wary of ionic air purifiers. Ionizing air purifiers often emit ozone as a byproduct of filtration. Ozone is an irritant, one of the main components of smog, and it can be very reactive with other chemicals. It may mix with fumes from ordinary household cleaners and create formaldehyde and other unhealthy compounds. As Professor William Nazaroff at the University of California, Berkeley notes, “You start with a biologically innocent compound, and you expose it to ozone, and you get a carcinogen.” HEPA air purifiers, on the other hand, do not emit ozone. Indeed, the Mayo Clinic notes that HEPA filters are the most effective at removing irritants from the air without posing a risk due to ozone production.

Air Purifiers on the Market

Several companies produce air purifiers that can improve indoor air quality. IQAir makes many models of air purifiers that address indoor air pollution. Its GC AM air purifier specializes in the removal of ammonia and ammonia-based odors. Its GC Chemisorber air purifier removes a multitude of airborne chemicals, including nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen sulfite, sulfur dioxide, nitric acid, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide. The IQAir GC Multigas air purifier especially targets tobacco smoke for removal, along with a wide array of chemical fumes and vapors. It’s even been noted as the ideal air purifier for those suffering from MCS. IQAir also makes an air purifier that specifically removes VOCs with its GC VOC air purifier.

Austin Air, another company specializing in air purifiers, produces its HealthMate line of air purifiers to combat indoor air pollution. The Austin Air HealthMate features a carbon/zeolite filter that removes formaldehyde, VOCs, ammonia, other chemical fumes, and even odors. Air is then filtered further by a medical-grade HEPA filter. For people worried about all the chemicals to which they’re exposed in cars, Amaircare makes the Roomaid Portable HEPA air purifier, which has an optional auto adapter. It removes smoke, dust, pollen, mold, animal dander, VOCs, exhaust fumes, and many other irritants.

Many people are concerned about MCS and many more are simply concerned about the ever-increasing levels of air pollution in our modern world. Air purifiers may be a boon to their well-being. They can all rest easy knowing that a HEPA air purifier is filtering out many airborne pollutants and producing healthy, clean air.

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