Smoke from Canadian wildfires pushes residents towards DIY air purifiers. Are they safe?
DIY air purifiers
As Canada and North America reels under the effects of heavy smoke due to the ongoing wildfires, the web search for air purifiers has risen exponentially. With this, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram are seeing a whole lot of DIY (Do it yourself) air purifiers. Do they work? Are they safe? Here's all you need to know.
Wildfires and air pollution indoors
Pictures and videos over the internet bear witness to how huge the smoke problem is. From Ottawa to New York, the sky has turned orange, and people are reporting smoke-related health issues.
In such a scenario, a clean indoor is a necessity. However, air purifiers can be expensive, and at a time like this, the demand can further drive up the prices. So, what can you do? Apparently, the solution is to buy a lot of duct tape and a few other things.
DIY air purifiers
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Social media platforms that cater to short format videos — TikTok, Instagram, etc. — have been flooded with people and influencers teaching how to make a DIY air purifier.
These are made using a technique known as the Corsi-Rosenthal method. All you need to make this is a box fan, four air filters and a whole lot of duct tape. The whole thing, as per a US News report, costs under $100.
One such video by a Seattle resident Angel Robertson has gained more than 600,000 views.
"It works extremely well and will save your life with really smoky days," says Robertson in the video.
"It does a lot better than the normal air filters," she adds.
Do these air filters actually work?
Public health experts say that these DIY air purifiers do work and that they are highly effective at removing particles from the air.
As per Petri Kalliomäki, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, air filters made using the Corsi-Rosenthal method provide clean air at a high delivery rate. They can even be used to purify air against pollen and viruses.
Misti Levy Zamora, an assistant professor in public health sciences at the University of Connecticut and her colleagues have been giving away DIY air purifiers.
Talking to US News, she remarks, "I can confidently say this thing is working really well today."
"I was able to filter out all the particles in the air basically back down to what I saw last week within a matter of minutes," she added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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