When it gets cold outside New Zealanders tend to retreat indoors, and the quality of the air we're breathing can get worse. So taking steps to ensure we're breathing in good quality air is important for our wellbeing.
Dyson Engineer James Shale explains "one challenge with air pollution is that it usually can't be seen or smelled, so identifying the problem is the first step in being able to reduce your personal exposure. We often only think of public spaces when we consider polluted air, but indoor air quality can actually be up to 5x worse than what's outside1".
We take 17,000 to 30,000 breaths a day. The average adult breathes in over 10,000 litres of air a day, so having good air quality is important. "Indoor air quality is becoming a conscious thing that people are aware of," says Letitia Harding, Chief Executive/Tuma Whakarae of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ. "COVID also helped with that; when we went into lockdown, people were spending more time in their homes, people became more aware of indoor air quality. That's really important to think about, especially if you have a respiratory disease; it’s important to think about what we breathe into our lungs."
In winter we seal our windows and doors against the outside cold and to prevent heat escaping, which means that indoor air pollutants can become trapped inside, circulating within our living spaces. “Indoor environments can readily trap outdoor pollution, while many day-to-day activities carried out inside create pollution in their own right” explains Dyson Engineer James Shale. "Sources of pollution are present in all aspects of our daily lives, whether that be PM2.5 emitted when cooking or burning candles, VOCs released from cleaning and personal care products or the continuous off-gassing of formaldehyde from our living room furniture. As modern homes generally have better sealing, these pollutants can become trapped and are unable to escape."
A cosy woodfire is still a popular option for keeping warm, and we often use candles to create a touch of ambience in our homes. Both of these sources of winter comforts emit PM2.5 pollution, which is a potentially dangerous fine particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in size. It is so tiny that it is invisible to the human eye and needs a specific type of filter to get it out of the air we breathe. For context, a human hair is 50-70 microns in diameter.
Minimising sources of pollution is a great way to reduce your personal exposure to air pollution, according to Dyson Engineer James Shale. This could be as simple as opting for cleaning products with natural ingredients, putting on layers instead of using your wood heater when it’s cold outside, or using less polluting cooking methods such as roasting instead of frying. However, some pollution sources are out of our control, and as we can't see them, they can be difficult to detect and remove.
You can make sure you’re breathing in the good stuff by using an air purifier, like the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool™ Formaldehyde, which captures household dust and allergens while heating or cooling the room. The Dyson purifier can and heat the whole room2, capturing 99.95 percent of ultrafine particles and gases3 and even destroying formaldehyde.4 Dyson Purifiers make invisible visible, helping users to understand the types of pollution they are exposed to on a daily basis and giving peace of mind that these pollutants are being captured and that they are breathing clean air indoors.
Another thing to take into consideration is the family pet. "New Zealand has a really high pet ownership rate. 64 percent of New Zealand households have at least one pet," Harding says. "If you have an animal and are spending time indoors, having a HEPA filtered air quality product is really important."
Dyson's 2023 Global Dust Study found that 43 percent of dog and cat owners do not restrict where their furry friends go in the house, and 49 percent of dog owners allow their dogs in their beds. In addition, many owners aren’t aware of the particles that can reside on their pets, with three in four pet owners globally being unaware of the presence of pollen – a common allergy inducer.
"Between 70-80 percent of people with asthma also have associated allergies, which is called atopic allergy," Harding says. "A genetic tendency to allergic rhinitis. People can become complacent in New Zealand with asthma. It's really important to remove dust, mould, and pet dander."
Asthma and other respiratory diseases are the third most common cause of death in New Zealand, according to Asthma Foundation NZ. "The incidence of respiratory disease in New Zealand is quite high," says Harding. "One in eight adults and one in eight children have asthma."
A recent survey commissioned by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ found that a third of respondents (34 percent) reported that their asthma had stopped them participating in daily activities like sport, exercise, work, school or socialising, while 26 percent reported that asthma significantly reduced their quality of life.
To support further research, Dyson has teamed up with Deakin University in Melbourne to track the pollution on children on their commutes to and from school using Dyson’s air quality backpack. The research project, titled 'Breathe Melbourne' seeks to understand children’s daily exposure to air pollution in Melbourne’s inner west, which has higher levels of pollution than other areas in the city6, and higher rates of emergency department presentations for childhood asthma compared to other areas7. Equipped with the same sensing technology as Dyson purifiers, the air quality backpack will track their pollution exposure on the move and provide important data highlighting the potential impact of pollution exposure.
What makes Dyson's air purifier different from others?
Unlike other air purifiers, with Dyson what goes inside, stays inside. The whole-machine sealed HEPA H13 filtration5 means bacteria, smoke, allergens, and pet dander don't leak back into the air. The HEPA+Carbon filter removes 99.95 percent of pollutants as small as 0.1 microns3 such as allergens, bacteria, pollen and mould spores and gases including VOCs.
The Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde, is multi-functional. With effective heating and cooling, as well as whole room purification2 and diffused mode, it can be used year-round. Dyson air purifiers have an LCD display and connect wirelessly to the MyDyson™ App. On the app, you can see what pollutants have been captured and the status of your air quality for proof of cleaner air. You can also schedule and control heating or cooling, even when you're out of the house, ensuring you return home to a cleaner and more comfortable environment.
To create an even more comfortable indoor space, the Dyson purifier also helps deal with unwanted odours from fumes, cooking, or pets. The 'Night' mode monitors and purifiers using the quietest settings, along with a dimmed display, allowing for peaceful and healthy sleep.
Another factor is the condition of buildings in this country. "Take into account the poor quality stock of homes in New Zealand. One in six houses have visible mould larger than an A4 sheet of paper," Harding says. Warm housing can also be harder to come by if renting, and an air purifier can help alleviate some of the common issues with rental homes, such as cold and dampness.
"The first Asthma in New Zealand survey in 2023 found that 51 percent of people with asthma in New Zealand have poorly controlled asthma," Harding says. "If you are one of those people it may be worth investing in an air purifier like this. Worth investing in a high quality one that can filter those really fine particles."
At this time of year, it is especially important to have a high quality air purifier to remove allergens from the air, and help allay the issues that can occur with dampness and mould in New Zealand homes. The Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool™ Formaldehyde can help you protect what you care about the most.
Article created in partnership with Dyson.
Caveats:
1Supported by data from the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, 2009.
2 In maximum setting. Tested for air projection, purification coverage in a 81m3 room and heating performance in a 35m3 room.
3 Tested for filtration efficiency at 0.1 microns (EN1822). Gas capture rates may vary.
4 Third party full machine testing based on GB/T 18801-2015 formaldehyde cumulative clean mass testing with continuous injection until plateau of formaldehyde CADR is achieved. Results may vary in practice.
5 Particle challenge by DEHS oil specified in EN1822 within a chamber specified in ASTM F3150. Tested in Max Mode at IBR US, for whole machine efficiency above 99.95%.
6 Air Pollution in Melbourne’s Inner West – Inner West Air Quality Community Reference Group
7 Based upon data from Torrens University Australia (2020) Social Atlas of Australia” Victoria Local Government Areas (2016 ASGS) http://phidu.torrens.edu.au/current/maps/sha-aust/lga-single-map/vic/atlas.html
