Air filters?

[tieldaddy]

I am a smoker and I can't quit and will be taking my habit to the grave. With that out of the way I'm asking for some help with ways to help my birds.

I already know to ventilate.

What kinds of filters work the best for smoke? Hepa, ionics, what?

I found a nice GE Hepa for only 60 with replacement Hepa filters only 20 they are a room size and I was thinking of getting two, maybe three.

But I know there are lots of air filters on the market and wanted some input from other bird people as to what works best, especially with cig smoke.

Thanks alot.

[Macaaaw]

Your question is heart-felt. My mother died from smoking and quack doctors.

Often times it is easier to do something for others than it is doing it for yourself. Get a bird and watch that feathred friend double smoke your fumes, as a birds breathing is twice that of yours, to put it simply. As you watch what you are doing to your feathered friend, maybe something will come over you. Something you can do for others.

Please get a bird and do what is best or him/her and yourself in the process.

Good luck.

What kind of bird are you leaning towards?

[Nazir's]

Originally Posted by tieldaddy

I am a smoker and I can't quit and will be taking my habit to the grave. With that out of the way I'm asking for some help with ways to help my birds.I already know to ventilate.
What kinds of filters work the best for smoke? Hepa, ionics, what?
Thanks alot.

I really believe that you can quit. I said the same exact thing until I got my fids. Is smoking outside not an option? That's what I had to do at first. I'd washed my hands and rinse my mouth as soon as I returned into the house. Once I got tired of running outside I slowed down big time.

Anyways, to answer your question. Most air systems are now being built with filters, ionizers, and/or UV lights included altogether. They are not two of the same and both perform totally different jobs. Personally, I don't want anything that I have to continously purchase air filters for because as soon as the model becomes older than a year, the filters are harder to come by. Also, the filters are usually half the price of the unit. That's always been rediculous to me. I found anything with an ionizer and filter to be better. Yes, they are a little more pricier but you get the added benefits. Also don't have to worry about those expensive replacement filters as frequently as you would without one. That's just my opinion. Either way, you'd want to obtain one with a high AHAM score. That's the certified scores for removing smoke, dust and pollen.

Note: Ozone-Ionizer Air Purifiers do not clean the air by filtration as HEPA air cleaners do. There are two types of Ozone-Ionizer air purifiers. First, ozone/ionizer air purifiers use two steps to clean the air. The ozone purifies the air by oxidation. Ozone is naturally occurring gas. It is created by nature when lightning cuts through the oxygen molecule in the air. It splits the O2 molecule into O3, which is ozone. The fresh clean smell after a thunderstorm is the ozone that has just been created. Ozone penetrates into the cellular structure of odor, bacteria and fungus molecules, rupturing the cell wall of the contaminant. After this process is complete, the contaminants and odors are greatly reduced. The second step in this system is the ionization. There are two types of ionization. The first is needlepoint ionization where the particulate in the air directly in front of the unit is charged with negative ions. These ionic charges attach to airborne particles such as smoke, dust, pollen, animal dander, etc., forcing the particles to quickly drop out of the air in the breathing environment, down to the ground. These needlepoint ionizers usually cover a five to seven foot area in front area of the ionizer. The second type of ionizer is called radio ionization. Radio ionization is a newer technology that uses similar principles as needlepoint ionization except that the radio ionizer uses a specialized and safe radio wave that ionizes the air for aprox 50 feet right through the walls in all directions. With radio ionization, you can actually drop particles {allergens} out of the air in surrounding rooms. One unit can often cover an entire home. These air purifiers work especially well on removing cigar and cigarette smoke and their odors and that's whom we sell them to SMOKERS!

REMEMBER, HEPA Air Cleaners are best for removing airborne allergens, out-gassing chemicals and odors from your indoor air environment. HEPA Air Purifiers with Ultraviolet Light Systems add the ability to also kill and control mold spores bacteria and viruses in your indoor air environment. Ozone-Ionizer Air Purifiers are best for quickly removing cigarette and cigar smoke and odors from your indoor environment. For families with smokers and allergy problems sometimes the most effective solution will require the use of an Ozone-Ionizer Air Purifier in the smoking area of your home and HEPA Air Cleaner{s} or HEPA Air Purifier{s} in the bedrooms for the people in the home with allergy problems.

For more information visit: The Difference Between HEPA Air Cleaners, HEPA Air Purifiers & Ozone-Ionizer Air Purifiers

[Lisa B]

Here are my notes from a seminar I attended for air purifiers by my VET.

Micron size.....
Micron = .001 Millimeters which resemble the size of a sharpened pencil point.

Most dust particles that can be lung damaging to our birds range in the .03-.09 micron range. this means they are small enough for our birds to inhale, but too large to exhale.

Most purifiers catch larger dust particles and pull them through a series of filters, reducing them to a safer size of under .03 microns. A hepa filter comes with a 3 stage filtration System . a pleated filter that catches the larger particles ,a carbon filter, and then the final filter before passing it out again.


The type of filter you need to look for is a TRUE HEPA FILTER. not "like a hepa filter" These units can be noisy....so in order for you to have one that is quieter, get a larger unit then the room size recommendations and keep it on the low speed...the air exchange that will be listed on the boxes are for filters run at HIGH speed.
so if your room is 9x10 ....and you purchase a filter for a room size of 9x10, you will have to run it on high speed continuously. if you get one that is recommended for a 12x15 room, you can run it on low, and it is doing its job more proficiently.

You do not want a filer with Ozone....OZONE is harmful and irritating to the respiratory tract.
You do not want one with an Ionizer. The major concern is that the Ionizer weighs down the dust particle, and if the dust particle contains a micro bacterial organism on it, it can be inhaled, and then stuck to the respiratory wall thus leading to Aspergillosis. Most units have built in ironizers. You need to purchase one with a seperate button to work this feature to keep the ionizer off.
The Ultra violet sterilization addition to the air filter unit is acceptable when run in conjunction with the Hepa filter.

The Hepa filter you should purchase should read 2-8 air exchanges per hour( greater than 400 (CFM) cubic feet per minute)

Hepa filters should be changed when recommended. However, not all 3 will need to be changed at the same time....

I have 3 Hepa filters, all purchased from Sears. The last one I bought on sale was $89 and I am very happy with it. It is located directly under my greys cage.((where he cant reach it)) and have had no ill effects.

I have enclosed a page for you to research all about the different purifiers available.

Compare Air Purifiers – Comparison of all air purifier models with rating and reviews

[Lisa B]

This Is off Consumerreports.com,
New concerns about ionizing air cleaners

Buying an air cleaner that doesn't clean the air is bad enough. Some of the least effective ionizer models also can expose you to potentially harmful ozone levels, especially if you're among the roughly 80 percent of buyers with asthma or allergy concerns.

CR Quick Take

Months of testing and investigation yielded these findings:
• Many ionizing air cleaners like the kind we tested do a poor job of removing particles from the air.
• Two separate tests--in a sealed room and in an open lab--show that some can create significant levels of ozone.
• Ozone is a growing concern. People with asthma and respiratory allergies are especially sensitive to it.
• Some ads include endorsements that mean little. (See Air cleaners: The truth behind the accolades.)
• Consider low- or no-cost air-cleaning alternatives. (See CR Quick Recommendations.)




Also known as electrostatic precipitators, the five ionizing air cleaners we focused on for this report are supposed to trap charged particles on oppositely charged plates. But as we reported in our October 2003 report on air cleaners, models like Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze, the market leader, did a poor job removing dust and smoke from the air. Our latest tests also show that some ionizing models can expose you to significant amounts of ozone.

Unlike ozone in the upper atmosphere, which helps shield us from harmful ultraviolet rays, ozone near ground level is an irritant that can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function. Air cleaners need not meet ozone limits--not for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates only outdoor air, nor for the Food and Drug Administration, since it doesn't consider them medical devices, despite the health benefits that some ads imply. (See Air cleaners: The truth behind the accolades.) Manufacturers often submit air cleaners to a voluntary standard that includes a test to see whether they produce more than 50 parts per billion (ppb) of ozone, the same limit the FDA uses for medical devices.

We replicated that test using the sealed polyethylene room specified by Underwriters Laboratories Standard 867 to help ensure consistent results. Ozone levels were measured 2 inches from each machine's air discharge in accordance with the standard. All five ionizers failed the test by producing more than the 50-ppb limit--in some cases, much more.

People don't live in sealed plastic rooms, however. So we also tested these ionizing air cleaners in an open, well-ventilated lab. For comparison, we also tested a top-performing Friedrich electrostatic-precipitator and a Whirlpool HEPA model from previous reports.

We measured ozone levels 2 inches from the machines, as in the sealed-room test, and 3 feet away, since ozone becomes diluted and dissipates rapidly indoors as it reacts with carpet, upholstery, and other surfaces. In our lab tests, two ionizing models--the IonizAir P4620 and the Surround Air XJ-2000--emitted more than 150 and 300 ppb, respectively, 2 inches from the machine.

While few people are likely to sit 2 inches from the air discharge, where our ozone readings were highest, you could be exposed to higher levels than those we measured at 3 feet if you take a cue from manufacturers. The IonizAir's box shows it on a desk near a keyboard and on a nightstand near a sleeping woman. The Ionic Pro CL-369 is shown next to a sofa, while the Surround Air's manual suggests placing it “nearby those suffering from breathing or other health problems.”

Ozone from ionizing air cleaners is a greater concern as sales increase. Ionizers now account for about 25 percent of the roughly $410 million per year spent on air cleaners as brands such as Brookstone and Oreck compete. (We plan to test the Oreck in a future report.)


INDOOR OZONE hits the radar

Experts agree that an ozone concentration more than 80 ppb for eight hours or longer can cause coughing, wheezing, and chest pain while worsening asthma and deadening your sense of smell. It also raises sensitivity to pollen, mold, and other respiratory allergy triggers, and may cause permanent lung damage.

Most indoor ozone is carried inside with outdoor air. Regulators have given indoor ozone less attention than outdoor ozone, since dilution and dissipation typically lower indoor levels by 20 to 80 percent. But Charles J. Weschler, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey, notes, “Since we spend so much time indoors, exposure is often greater than outdoors.“


CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Images like this could prompt you to place some air cleaners near enough for you to breathe relatively high ozone levels in their air stream.



Recent studies of ozone's cumulative effects also raise concerns. A 14-year study of 95 urban areas in the U.S. found a clear link between small increases in ozone and higher death rates. The study looked at days when outdoor ozone concentrations didn't exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's 80-ppb standard over eight hours, according to the study's lead author, Michelle L. Bell, assistant professor of environmental health at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

“We were able to tease out the relationship between ozone and mortality, even accounting for each day's weather and particulate pollution,” Bell said in an interview. “A small increase in ozone was associated with a small increase in mortality and a larger increase with a larger increase in mortality, even in cities with low ozone levels.” The study predicts that a 10-ppb increase in ozone over eight hours could lead to roughly 3,700 premature deaths per year in those cities.

Another ozone study conducted in 2001 over six months in southern New England by the Yale University Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology links ozone levels well below the EPA's 80-ppb standard to a higher risk of respiratory symptoms and use of rescue medication for children with severe asthma. Indeed, the study found ill effects even on days when ozone levels were 20 ppb lower than the EPA standard over eight hours.


OZONE RAISES OTHER THREATS

While ozone dissipates indoors, it can create other pollutants in the process. Research suggests that ozone reacts with the terpenes in lemon- and pine-scented cleaning products and air fresheners, creating formaldehyde--a carcinogen--and other irritants. Those byproducts can be absorbed by beds and carpets, and be released over an extended time frame. Research has also found that ozone reacts with terpenes to create additional ultrafine particles, which are hard to filter and can go deep into lungs.


A regulatory black hole

Ionizers such as the five we focused on are adding ozone indoors just as regulators work to cut ground-level ozone created outdoors as pollutants react with sunlight. The federal EPA's acceptable outdoor level is 80 ppb over eight hours. This year the California EPA recommended lowering the state's outdoor limit to 70 ppb. World Health Organization standards are tougher at 60 ppb over eight hours.

Several states, the EPA, and Canada have issued warnings about ozone generators, a small segment of the air-cleaner market. While ionizers emit ozone as a byproduct, ozone generators create it by design and purport to offer health benefits. Consumer Reports found two such models Not Acceptable as early as 1992.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is reviewing scientific and government data on all air cleaners that create ozone. The CPSC is also evaluating whether the 50-ppb industry standard is adequate protection for consumers, and it may recommend a lower limit. A report is expected later this year.

No federal agency sets indoor ozone limits for homes, however. The EPA has authority over ozone outdoors, not indoors, though it publishes booklets on indoor air quality and runs the Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse. Interestingly, the EPA doesn't take a strong position for or against buying any air cleaner.

The Food and Drug Administration regulates medical devices but says air cleaners aren't covered because manufacturers make only vague, health-related claims, rather than claims related to specific diseases. Nonetheless, the 50-ppb ozone limit for medical devices is also the threshold used in the industry test.

Some manufacturers tacitly acknowledge that their ionizers create ozone and may pose risks. Brookstone's owner's manual suggests that “any person suffering from heart, lung, or respiratory illness should consult his or her physician before using this unit.” But that advice is buried deep in the manual's text.

The bottom line: Consumers Union believes that the CPSC should set indoor ozone limits for all air cleaners and mandate performance tests and labels disclosing the results. CU also believes that the Federal Trade Commission should take a close look at air-cleaner ads to determine whether they include unsubstantiated and deceptive claims.

In the meantime, we recommend avoiding ionizers that performed poorly or emitted significant ozone in our tests. “We can't guarantee safety at any ozone level, so it makes sense not to contaminate your living space,” says Jonathan Samet, M.D., chairman of the epidemiology department of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

[Buteo]

No offense meant Tieldaddy, but you should quit.

I gather from your post that you have tried and failed - probably more than once. As a former smoker, I can understand the difficultly involved with the task of quitting. For some, even with the products available on the market now, it can take an intense amount of willpower to successfully quit.
LOL! Though ultimately an act of self-preservation, with the proven reality of second-hand smoke, I still consider it a heroic act to slay the smoking dragon!

As for your quest of improving things for your FIDs - smoking only outside is the first option. However, with increasingly inclement weather fast approaching, I think we both know that's one choice that may end up being removed from the list. You can add an extra filtering device to most home heating systems which will increase the overall air quality inside the home, but to combat cigarette smoke, in-room filters are more efficient.

Unless the room is extremely small, I would suggest a minimum of 2 filters per room whenever & where ever you're smoking in the same room as the bird(s). I would also suggest you have 2 filters in the room where there is a cage/playset. The filters will also help remove the bird dander & micro feathers released by your pets.

Despite the extra expense of the replacement filters, I think HEPAs are better for use with birds as I have read of possible avian health problems with Ionizer type units. ((It only stands to reason that when dealing with creatures with high metabolic rates & ultra fine breathing requirements that you'd want to use a device that removes the contaminates from the air without adding something else to it.))

I must warn you, continuing to smoke cigarettes while trying to remove their carcinogenic particles from the air will be an increasingly expensive option. With the airborne output from the bird(s), coupled with your nicotine-induced habit... You will most likely find yourself replacing the filter elements at a frightening rate.



LOL! Geez yer quick Lisa...you made those last 2 posts in the same time it took me to do my little blurb!

[Lisa B]

Originally Posted by Buteo

LOL! Geez yer quick Lisa...you made those last 2 posts in the same time it took me to do my little blurb!

ohhhhh I'm super quick at copy and pastin

[Kiwi1224]

I have two of the following units: Hepa Air Purifiers - Hamilton Beach Model 04163 - available on Amazon.com. My husband is asthmatic and allergic to feathers (he has learned to tolerate feathers over the past 26 years - bless his heart). I have one unit in the family room where the 3 budgies are housed and one in our bedroom to help keep the air steady for him at night. After adding these two units, he has been much better plus I think it helps the birds with the air cleaner on 24/7. The units are not very noisy...there are times you notice them more than others but they are a great investment.

I must agree with the others...if there's any way possible you can refrain from smoking near the birds...their respiratory systems are so tiny and I would hate to see them taxed with processing smoke. There are the warnings of not having them near the kitchen when anything is being cooked that could be emitting fumes or smoke and cigarette smoke needs even more of a precaution.

I wish you the best with your bird(s) and hope that you may fiind the path to quit.

[janejacinto]

I have oreck filters and they work great. Have tried others but did not do as good of a job. One of the plus sides, you clean the filters.
Jane

[Nazir's]

Originally Posted by janejacinto

I have oreck filters and they work great. Have tried others but did not do as good of a job. One of the plus sides, you clean the filters. Jane

Jane, that's a huge plus for me! Replacement filters can be too darn expensive. Two times already I've just done away with a whole unit because the filters were just too darn exspensive. I figured that I'd just get a whole new unit because at least it would come with two starter filters which in the long run would be less expensive.
Thanks for sharing.