Which indoor air toxins does the Paralda effectively remove? How so?
Since the Paralda uses a HEPA filter it is designed to remove particles 0.3 microns in size and larger. This includes pollen, dust, mold spores, and bacteria. The particles that float through the air are a combination of solid particles and liquid droplets. Particles are measured in microns, where a micron is one millionth of a meter and is also called a micrometer. The particles that we can see are those larger than 50 microns. This is mostly the large dust particles. A human hair is approximately 100 microns in diameter. The airborne particles that result in allergies or impact our health are much smaller and not visible with the naked eye. Mold spores and pollen particles are from 2 to 10 microns. At times they can be visible but this is when there is a large concentration massed together.
Before we get to the types of particles in the air, let's review the particulates in the air that are 10 microns and smaller and why we need to care about them. Particles 10 microns and smaller can pass through and deposit in our respiratory system and are referred to as respiratory particulates. The concern here is that the smaller particles can be breathed deep into the lungs. These smallest of particles tend to stay suspended in the air longer than very large particles such as dust so there is a greater chance for inhalation. They can also serve as a vehicle to transport contaminants deep into the lung area.
Particles 5 microns and larger are trapped in the throat and nasal regions, particles between 1 and 5 microns are trapped in the trachea (leads to the lungs) and larger lung branches and particles less than 1 micron in size go to the alveolar area which are the tiny air sacs in the lungs. This is where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.
