Air Filters and Air Cleaners

Rostrum by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Indoor Allergen Committee
James L. Sublett MD, b, James Seltzer MDc, Robert Burkhead ME, P. Brock Williams PhD, H. James Wedner MDf, Wanda Phipatanakul MD, MSg and American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Indoor Allergen Committee
Home environmental intervention strategies are effective in reducing allergic respiratory disease manifestations. To date, most research has focused on allergens. Clinicians often ignore other airborne particulate matter (PM), which might play a significant role in human respiratory disease. Consequently, air filtration studies focused only on the efficacy of reducing airborne allergens might fail to recognize the health benefits of air filtration.
The study of the effectiveness of avoidance measures is limited by the fact that a single method is not enough. Multiple interventions over a long period of time (at least 1-2 years in duration) might be required to yield meaningful clinical results. Studies using single interventions (eg, well-established single interventions, such as impermeable mattress covers) in short-term trials have often proved ineffective. As a consequence, allergists might underemphasize these measures, especially in the face of the quick effect on disease symptoms offered by pharmacotherapy. Even with effective pharmacologic interventions, disease progression benefits are often lost on discontinuation. Environmental control measures might result in significant reduction of disease symptoms and progression by eliminating or reducing exposures.
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