Air Pollution Article

Air Cleaners

Air cleaners are gaining popularity in America’s homes. The air purifiers are designed to cleanse the air of unwanted elements like smoke, bacteria and other invasive particles. Many people are attracted to the cleaners because they want to avoid illnesses and they want to curb the symptoms of conditions like asthma. There are many air purifiers on the market, but new studies suggest that with all of the good air cleaners provide, there is a risk of increasing global warming

An air cleaner is designed to purify, but the efforts may increase global warming even more than projected. A group of scientists from Britain in collaboration with a group of scientists from the United States found that aerosols affect the world’s general climate. Aerosols are tiny particles in the atmosphere. These tiny particles cool the air in the atmosphere and they are extremely effective.

The problem is that air cleaners take these aerosols out of the environment as they cleanse the air of impurities. The impurities help our climate maintain itself. In effect, we are adding to the climate’s acceleration of heat as we eliminate the aerosols. Scientists now predict that the climate will warm faster than they estimated earlier. The projected increase in temperature ranges between 2.7 and 7.9 degrees Fahrenheit. The range depends on other elements that contribute to global warming.

Aerosols are natural. They are put into the air through dust in deserts, smoke from volcanoes, salt from the seas and from fossil fuels that are burned. Research is still relatively new on the subject of aerosols and global warming, but scientists are sure that the tiny particles help to cool the atmosphere. They are not certain of the specific role the tiny particles play in the big picture in regards to climate control.

Aerosols occur naturally as dust blown from deserts, wind-whipped sea salt, and emission from volcanoes. They also come from burning fossil fuels. But scientists have had a tough time discerning aerosols' precise role in affecting climate. Scientists use computer models to gain an understanding about the effect aerosols have on the climate. They also take measurements of aerosols in the atmosphere by using satellites and aircrafts. These measurements give scientists a range of the particles’ properties, size and density.

Scientists are finding that as we use air purifiers to cleanse the air of impurities, we may be interfering with the natural function of those particles. There needs to be a balance. Air cleaners are a great tool for keeping homes fresh and they are a great tool for improving air quality in some homes. However, they may be used best in places that have an excessive amount of pollutants in the air rather than in the average home.

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