Hazard Reduction Burns - How To Protect The Air Quality In Your Home

The change of the season from Winter to Spring is almost always viewed as the turning point from cold weather to warmth. Dormant grasses start to turn green and deciduous trees start to flower and leaf. While enjoying the prospect of the warmer weather ahead, we often rarely think proactively about how the change in season can adversely affect us. 

Setting aside some of the more obvious impacts on our health such as pollen allergies, the end of Winter and start of Spring can often be accompanied by a reduction in air quality because of hazard reduction burns, or controlled burning. These are often undertaken during the cooler months and while the weather is relatively settled to ensure they stay under control, however, can have the adverse effect of blanketing urban areas in smoke haze and reducing air quality significantly. For more information on hazard reduction burns contact your State Fire Service. 

While the natural defence to smoke haze is to close our windows and doors, it is nearly impossible to completely protect the indoor environment from the effects of the smoke pollution. Just like pollution from burning coal, bushfires and hazard reduction burns create hazardous gases and tiny particles of varying sizes, with the most significant particles known as PM2.5. Breathing in unhealthy levels of PM2.5 can create more serious long term health problems as well as having immediate side effects such as eye irritation, coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Unhealthy levels can also reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy. It can also lead to more asthma symptoms and attacks even among people with a previously unknown asthma history. 

For more information on the potential impacts of bushfires and hazard reduction burns on your health, please visit www.sensitivechoice.com/resource/bushfires-and-asthma/. 

Thankfully, a high-quality air purifier  is a great solution to reducing pollution. The  Winix range of award-winning air purifiers are your solution to clean, healthy indoor air quality. With advanced HEPA filtering paired with Winix PlasmaWave® technology a Winix air purifier will filter your air, removing the harmful PM2.5 particulate matter and odours that accompany smoke pollution from hazard reduction burns.  

The main line of defence against wood fire smoke pollution in an air purifier is the HEPA Filter. HEPA filters are the most efficient filter for removing tiny ultra-fine particles which can otherwise penetrate deep into the lungs causing many of our well known and other lesser-known health problems. 

When selecting an air purifier for your home, it is important to note that not all HEPA filters are created equal. Research suggests some air purifiers won’t effectively remove the level of airborne pollutants as needed, yet they may be sold as having ‘HEPA-like’ filters. It is important that the HEPA filter in your air purifier is a ‘True’ HEPA filter as defined by the Australian Standards, or other international Standards such as the US Dept. of Energy (DOE) and the European Standards (EN). To meet these Standards, they must have minimum filtration efficiency of 99.97% removal of tiny particles that have a size of 0.3 microns. These ‘True’ HEPA filters are also known as ‘medical grade’ or ‘hospital grade’ filters. 

All Winix Air Purifier models sold in Australia and New Zealand have certified True HEPA grade filters. This means that they are deemed appropriate to be used in 'medical' and 'hospital' settings, whereby they must achieve the required minimum filtration efficiency of 99.97% @ 0.3 microns. This high level of performance means you can breathe easy knowing you have selected a brand that is working to make the air quality in your home safe for you and your family. 

When considering which Winix Air Purifiers are right for your home, it is important to understand that room size has an influence on which model you should choose. Refer to our website for help selecting which models are right for you, but remember you can never have too much clean air in your home! 

To learn more about the Winix Air Purifier range by visiting our website https://ausclimate.com.au/collections/air-purifiers, or get in touch by phone on 1800 122 100.