Asbestos is a common name for several types of naturally occurring fibrous minerals. It used to be one of the most frequently used construction materials in the past, but has now been discarded considering the severe health hazards that airborne asbestos can pose. This begs the question: can air purifiers remove asbestos?
Air purifiers with HEPA filters can reliably remove asbestos. True HEPA (H13 and H14) filters can remove at least 99.97% of particles that are larger than 0.3 microns. Asbestos fibers normally range from 0.7 to 0.9 microns in size and can be removed by an air purifier that uses HEPA filtration.
In this post, we will talk in detail about what asbestos is, how it can harm you, and how some air purifiers can help remove asbestos from air. We also recommend four air purifiers to help remove asbestos from your home.
What is asbestos?
Chemically speaking, asbestos is a fibrous mineral called hydrated magnesium silicate.
In nature, it is found in six different forms which differ in terms of their shape and size:
- Chrysotile (serpentine form) – “white asbestos”
- Crocidolite – “blue asbestos”
- Amosite – “brown asbestos”
- Tremolyte
- Anthophyllite – “blue asbestos”
- Actinolites – “brown asbestos”
Although some of these forms are more dangerous than others, all of them have long, fibrous crystalline structures that can float in the air and enter your lungs, causing different diseases.
Crocidolyte is considered the most harmful, and is associated with ‘mesothelioma‘, a cancer where tumors form in the lining of the lungs.
Where is asbestos found?
The word asbestos comes from the Greek word for ‘inextinguishable’.
This makes sense, because asbestos is very flexible, lightweight, durable, heat resistant, chemical resistant and even soundproof.
These qualities make asbestos a very good construction material. As such, it was widely used in the past in the following places:
- Building insulation
- Floor tiles
- Ceiling tiles
- Furnaces
- Heating systems
- Piping
- Commercial cement boards
However, in the early 20th century, scientists began to discover the correlation between asbestos and lung diseases. In the UK, legislative control for asbestos began as early as 1931. In the US, too, the EPA has imposed various degrees of ban on asbestos containing products following a series of different lawsuits since the 70s.
However, certain places and industries still use products with asbestos. Some examples are:
- Flight materials
- Electrical products
- Shipping materials
- Rubber industry
Thanks to current legislation, it is unlikely that recently built homes have any asbestos in them. However, old homes, especially ones with decorative ceilings or floorwork may still contain asbestos that you can get exposed to.
How asbestos becomes airborne
Asbestos present in solid forms does not really pose much of a threat to your health on its own. When it becomes airborne, however, it can enter your lungs and create lifelong problems. But how does solid asbestos even get into the air in the first place?
There are two major ways asbestos becomes airborne:
- If solid asbestos is disturbed, especially during construction by drilling or sawing, it releases its microscopic fibers into the air. This can be as simple as hammering a nail into a wall to hang a picture.
- Asbestos is a friable material. Even slight handling can cause it to crumble, releasing microscopic fibers. Sometimes we may not even notice any dust being released, yet the damage may already be done as asbestos-containing material slowly ages.
How asbestos harms our health
Although there are hardly any short term issues related to asbestos exposure, chronic exposure to asbestos fibers can cause several irreversible changes to your lungs and overall health.
In fact, there is a separate disease called ‘asbestosis’ which represents the harmful pathological processes initiated in the lungs by asbestos. Some of these processes are:
- Pulmonary fibrosis:
This basically means the elastic tissue of your lungs is replaced by more sturdy, fibrous tissue. This can make it hard for you to breathe. With time, this can even lead to problems as severe as heart failure.
- Later, cysts (or cavities) may develop in your lungs. This is known as ‘honeycombing’, because the lungs can literally resemble a honeycomb. At this point, the lungs are not capable of properly absorbing oxygen or releasing carbon dioxide, making it even harder for the person to breathe.
- Pleural Plaques and cancer:
Pleura is the thin layer of tissue surrounding the lungs. With chronic asbestos exposure, this layer becomes thick and inelastic. Later, this may convert into cancer of the pleura, called ‘mesothelioma’
- Lung Cancer:
Chronic inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs can lead to lung cancer as well.
Can an air purifier remove asbestos?
Air purifiers may contain ultraviolet purifiers, fabric filters, ion emitters, HEPA filters, or a combination of these.
Only air purifiers with HEPA filters are capable of removing asbestos.
This is because HEPA filters (which stands for ‘High Efficiency Particulate Air’ filters) consist of tiny pores that can remove more than 99% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size, while letting clean air pass through.
This means HEPA filters easily remove not only asbestos but other tiny particles like dust, dander, pollen, and even smoke.
Asbestos particles usually range in size from 0.7 microns to 0.9 microns. This means most HEPA filters can absolutely remove asbestos from air.
However, please take care of the following points:
- If the source of asbestos is still inside your home, no air purifier can completely eliminate asbestos fibers from your room. If you suspect there is a possibility of an asbestos source in your home, contact local authorities immediately.
- Every air purifier is only designed to work within a certain floor area. If your room is larger than this specified area, the purifier is not going to be enough to remove the asbestos in your room.
- It takes time for air purifiers to work, which can range from a few minutes to even a few days depending on the purifier, the size of your room, and the asbestos load in the air. The best course of action in this case would be to isolate the contaminated room for a couple of days before using it.
The 4 Best air purifiers that can remove asbestos
Here’s four air purifiers that can help remove asbestos:
1. PureZone 3 in 1 HEPA Air Purifier
Pure Enrichment’s PureZone 3 in 1 HEPA Air Purifier features an active carbon filter, a HEPA unit, and a UV-C light that can filter out most common contaminants from your room air, including asbestos.
Designed for smaller rooms up to 200 sq. ft, this purifier is also one of the most affordable purifiers in our list.
2. Afloia Miro Pro Air Purifier
The Afloia Miro Pro Air Purifier is much smaller at just 5.7 pounds of weight and is designed for smaller living spaces up to 438 sq. ft. in size.
The efficient HEPA system can remove asbestos.
3. TotalClean UV-C Plus Air Purifier 50b
Homedics’ TotalClean UV-C Plus Air Purifier offers advanced protection from most airborne pollutants (including asbestos) through a combination of a true HEPA filter, an activated carbon layer, an ionizer, and a UV-C light to go with it.
Shaped like a cylinder, this device is designed for medium sized rooms up to 195 sq. ft. as well, offering 5 air changes every hour.
4. Alen T500 True HEPA Tower Air Purifier 50s, 700v
As the name implies ,Alen’s T500 True HEPA Tower purifier features a slender, tall body equipped with an H13 filter that can remove asbestos, along with most other air pollutants up to 0.1 microns in size with ease.
Designed for medium sized rooms up to 500 sq. ft, the filter is lightweight, portable and has an energy star rating as well.
Do Dyson air purifiers remove asbestos?
Most Dyson air purifiers with an inbuilt HEPA filter, like the Dyson TP 01, Pure Cool Me BP 01, and Pure HP 01 can easily remove asbestos.
Can I live in a house with asbestos?
Houses that contain building materials with asbestos can be lived in. However, it is vital the material containing asbestos is undisturbed. Any disturbance by activities such as drilling, sawing or nailing can release asbestos fibers and dust into the air.
Undisturbed asbestos does not have the power to harm you, and it is therefore not necessary to abandon your home just because it has asbestos.
However, over time, it is likely that any construction material with asbestos will start to deteriorate and release asbestos fibers to the air without you realizing. Additionally, living in a home with carcinogens is a very unsettling concept.
You may therefore seek professional help to replace or dispose of asbestos containing materials from your home.
Summary
Asbestos is now uncommon, but it is still very harmful to your health if present. Most air purifiers with HEPA filters can easily remove this asbestos.
However, if you have a serious asbestos contamination in your home, an air purifier alone is not going to be a good solution. We therefore recommend contacting local authorities to find a solution based on local legislation and facilities available.
More information is available on asbestos is available from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
