The effect of air purifiers on the reduction in indoor PM2.5 concentrations and population health improvement

Abstract

Indoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is hazardous to human health. Indoor PM2.5 pollution can have indoor and outdoor sources. Outdoor sources enter the house mainly through infiltration and are difficult to control. In contrast, smoking, incense burning, and cooking are important indoor sources, and the PM2.5 concentration can be reduced by various purification methods. This study monitored PM2.5 concentrations from different indoor sources in winter and summer and evaluated the attenuation of indoor PM2.5 for different purification methods (natural attenuation, natural ventilation, air purifier, and air purifier & natural ventilation). The objective was to analyze the effect of air purifiers on indoor PM2.5 concentrations and human health using the USEtox model. The results showed that cooking fumes provided the largest contribution and smoking the smallest contribution to indoor PM2.5. The purification efficiency of air purifiers to reduce the concentrations of PM2.5 produced by smoking, incense burning, and cooking ranged from 61.79% to 86.41%, 43.48% to 83.98%, and 51.10% to 61.62%, respectively. Air purifiers reduced population health damage by 43.47% to 86.46%. The results demonstrate that air purifiers are effective for indoor PM2.5 control and population health interventions.