Can air purifiers cause headaches? The pains of headaches can be excruciating, that’s why many air purifier users are usually curious to know if air purifiers cause headaches.
If you are curious about knowing the effects of using an air purification system, then you are on the right page.
There are indeed advantages and drawbacks to using an air cleaner, but does it cause headaches?
Well, not all air purifiers cause headaches, that’s why air purifier headaches aren’t extremely prevalent, even though there are various causes of headaches. Before I go further, let’s look at what can trigger headaches.
What triggers headaches?
Headaches are usually triggered by external factors not related to air purifiers. When you get a good-quality air purifier, it cleans the air and removes all forms of triggers.
Stress, lack of food, and lack of sleep are some of the causes of headaches. However, airborne allergens, which induce sinus headaches, are one of the most prevalent headache causes. It’s unlikely that you’ll get a headache from using an air purifier. An air purifier may be beneficial in the treatment of headaches.
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Why do air purifiers give me headaches?
Air purifiers filter particles suspended in the air, such as pet dander, pollutants, dust, smoke particles, and a variety of other toxins that can trigger allergies and make breathing difficult. Some air purifiers are ozone generators, which work differently.
These types of air purifiers work by creating free oxygen ions from nearby oxygen atoms in the air, which then combine with others to form ozone, resulting in the funny odour you might notice after a rain or lightning storm.
Because ozone molecules have a negative charge, they can clean contaminants from the air and fall to the ground. The problem is that many produce an unhealthy amount of ozone, which can cause health problems and cause breathing problems in the lungs and throat. Symptoms may include the following:
- Coughing Irritation in the throat and lungs
- Pain and discomfort
- HEADACHES
- Breathing difficulty/shortness of breath
Because of this, it’s best to get a product that does not generate a high amount of ozone and is sold as air purifiers because they can definitely potentially cause headaches and are also a poor choice for cleaning your air.
A quality air purifier doesn’t cause any health issues including headaches because they don’t add anything to the air that you breathe, it only removes contaminants.
Read Also: Benefits of Humidifiers and Purifiers
Do air purifiers have side effects?
Not all air purifiers have side effects, it depends on the product you get. Different products have different filter types. Filter-based air purifiers such as activated carbon filter air purifiers and HEPA filter air purifiers are considered safe because they do not emit by-products such as ozone but those that use ozone ( ozone generators) to clean the air are the ones with side effects because they emit high amounts by-products (ozone) which can cause health problems.
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Can you get sick from air purifiers?
An air purifier under normal circumstances should not make you sick, because air purifiers were produced to keep the air clean, fresh and healthy by dramatically reducing the number of airborne disease-causing microbes. But emitting purifiers which emit by-products such as ozone can make one sick because it emits high amounts of ozone in other to clean the air.
The truth is that ozone generators aren’t as successful as filter-based purifiers in purifying the air without posing health hazards.
Can air purifiers cause allergies?
Air purifiers help with common allergies by trapping air pollutants within their filters. But on contrast, ozone generators are likely to cause allergies because they emit ozone which is a respiratory irritant and makes allergy and asthma symptoms worse instead of better.
Read Also: can an air purifier help with cat allergies?
Ionizer air purifier side effects?
Ionizer air purifiers are considered safe and are not detrimental to human health. These purifiers which release negative ions to clean the air are usually confused with ozone generators which release high amounts of ozone which can be detrimental to human health. Negative ions are beneficial to the human body, unlike harmful positive ions.
Do air purifiers emit radiation?
Yes, air purifiers emit radiation but the amount of radiation they emit is safe. It should be noted that all electrical appliances such as microwaves, cell phones, wifi routers, and television emit radiation but the amount of radiation they emit is not enough to harm you. Also, the amount of radiation an air purifier emits depends on how it works, for example, ozone generators and ionizing air purifiers are expected to emit a higher amount of radiation than HEPA air purifiers which emit radiation that is within the normal household level.
Negative side effects of air purifier
Some air purifiers instead of solving some health issues might even aggravate them. Some of the side effects of an air purifier include;
- headaches,
- sore throat,
- coughing,
- chest tightness
- Nose bleeds
- Irritated allergies
- and difficulty in breathing.
These side effects depend on whether your air purifier emits ozone, the climate you live in and where you keep your air purifier.
HEPA air purifier side effects
HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air, and it’s an old particle-filtering technique. With the help of a sophisticated air filter, HEPA air purifiers remove 99.7% of all particles larger than 0.2 microns from your home’s air. The side effects of HEPA air purifier includes
- Require costly replacement filters
- Regular maintenance
- Noisy
- Do not filter VOCs or Viruses
- Do not filter odours
- Cover a small area only
- Do not work well in duct systems.
Can air purifiers cause breathing problems?
If you are using an air purifier that uses ozone to clean the air by producing a high amount of ozone in other for contaminants, and allergens to bond to it, causing the contaminants to fall to the ground, then you pose the risk of difficulty in breathing.
These are so powerful that they are not suggested for usage in occupied rooms. Because of the high quantities of ozone, there is a health risk connected.
Do air purifiers cause cancer?
Some US government researchers have released serious evidence that ozone gas can be carcinogenic (I.e can cause cancer). The ozone generators usually emit high levels of ozone into the air, that’s why it’s not advisable to use an ozone generator air purifier.
Do air purifiers make one feel dizzy?
No, an air purifier does not make one feel dizzy because it helps to clean the air by removing all air pollutants. Long exposure to air pollutants is what makes you dizzy.
Do air purifiers cause sinuses?
If your home’s air is overly humid or dry, your air purifier may unwittingly exacerbate the condition, causing pain and irritation in your nose and sinuses. Furthermore, some air purifiers are too powerful to be subjected to for lengthy periods, as this will cause the nasal lining to dry out.
Conclusion: Can air purifiers cause headaches?
Findings have proven that Ozone generators sold as air purifiers can cause headaches as well as health problems.
Non-emitting air purifiers are still considered safe because they only filter the air, leaving fresh air without posing any health risk.
If you are to use an ozone generator air purifier, then it should not be used in a room occupied by people. The safest way to use this type of air purifier is by turning it on when you are away from your home and putting it off when you are back, the ozone dissipates once you put it off.
We hope you find the answers to your question “can air purifiers cause headaches”. If yes, you may also find this article: “Are air purifiers safe for babies” useful especially if you have a baby in your home.
