Who says your air filter has to look like hospital equipment and command lots of space in your bedroom? The compact module Blueair AirPod is taking the allergy world by sneeze and storm. Call them the little purifiers that could.

Perhaps it’s the packaging, even more magnetic than those perky patterned paper tissue boxes. Perhaps it’s the idea you can alleviate your allergens at a rate of 45 cubic feet per minute for $100. These adorable systems, sold at A Store Called Spring (one of my favorite home design sources) are only 13″ tall and cradled in a docking station just like your iPod.

They contain the patented Blueair HEPSilentTM technology which is a new approach to HEPA, with large surface air plus larger openings in polymer-based filter media. This allows higher air flow with less noise from the fan. More efficiency, fewer sniffles.

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Do we go to hospitals to get sick? It can seem that way. Aside from being the best place to come in contact with a full range of germs, most hospitals have been built with PVC flooring, conventional paint and other toxic products that leach carcinogens and pollutants into the air. Plus, the harsh cleaning chemicals used in hospitals (strong detergents like ammonia and chlorine) have been linked to respiratory disease with sufficient exposure. In fact, studies suggest that nurses have a high rate of occupationally-related asthma because of this constant exposure.

So what’s a hospital to do? Over the years, some steps have been taken. Thermometers and other measuring devices containing mercury have been replaced by safe alternatives. The number of waste incinerators (which put cancer-causing dioxins into the air) has been sharply reduced in the past decade. And hospitals are being urged to replace PVC flooring with natural rubber (which, by the way, cuts down on noise and reduces slips and falls). Many hospitals are even looking into greener – but still strong and effective – cleaning supplies. This has the nice subsequent effect of lowering their supply bills. Health care CEO’s are taking note.

Image: POSITiv

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