Expert: Jacob Hunter (Environmental Assessment Services, Monterey Bay-Silicon Valley) - 2/21/2007

Question
I think my question may be a little basic for your field but having discovered allexperts.com I am eager to try it out.

I live in Chiang Mai in Thailand and during the dry season we have a real pollution problem, I can't address that on my own but I hope that I can improve the home environment for my family.

We live in a single storey, three bedroomed house and even though I have spent many hours searching the internet I still cannot work out the best route or even the best starting point for improving our doestic air-quality.

Please could you advise on the difference/preference between air-scrubbers, air-cleaners, ionisers, air-scrubbing houseplants etc and also suggest the best way to start analysing our needs and therefore become able to work out the best solution.

Many thanks in advance,

Marc.

Answer
I will try my best to answer this as briefly as possible.  The question you ask really requires an assessment of the situation, in order to understand the full scope of what is happening there.

Ionizers: Not really a good way to improve air quality.  In thus US, legislation is being created in several different states changing the ways these can be sold and marketed.  The reality is that they introduce Ozone into the air, while a natural "cleaner", this isn't a gas you want to be breathing copious amounts of, it is an oxidizer.

HEPA: Is a good way to go, it cleans particulate out of the air.  When used in combination with plants, this will greatly improve your air quality.

Plants:  Plants are great at turning carbon dioxide into oxygen.  Make sure to pick one that likes the sun, and that you put it in the sun.  This should yield more oxygen and keep molds and other air contaminants from forming on the plant, and creating another issue.

I hope this helps, and I wish there was a local consultant I could refer you to, but I know of none in Thailand.

Best Regards,
Jacob Hunter
Principal Consultant
Environmental Assessment Services
<a href="http://www.easmold.com">http://www.easmold.com</a>
877-447-6294