Consumer Alert: Consumer Reports’ ranking of best air purifiers

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Thursday’s Consumer Alert addresses something that affects every single one of us, the air we breathe.

The smoky haze that continues to linger is more than annoying, it can have a serious impact on your health. While we can do little about the air outside, we can improve our indoor air quality. Closing our windows and doors simply isn’t enough. Research from the University of California Berkley has found a closed window doesn’t stop the most dangerous tiny particulates from coming in our homes. And that puts us all at risk.

The smoke plaguing us right now is coming from Canada, but smoke from U.S. wildfires has affected other areas of the country all year long. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there have been more than 1,8400 wildfires just this year.

And the U.S.is not alone. The National Institutes of Health indicates wildfire pollution is a global problem and is responsible for 339,000 premature deaths every year. Wildfire smoke can include heavy metals like lead and arsenic, and chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde, all of which cause cancer. While we cannot clear the air outside, we can make the air inside much healthier.

Consumer Reports tested air purifiers by filling a sealed room with smoke, used an air purifier, then used a tool called a particle counter to test the number and size of the particulates still in the air. They also measured noise levels because the kind of smoke we’ve had requires running the purifier 24-hours a day. And they calculated cost which includes filters and energy use.

The best air purifiers have a HEPA filter and were rated to be effective in a big space, bigger than 350 square feet. Consumer Reports found that the ones that claim to work in small space generally didn’t work well at all. And all the best air purifiers are big to accommodate a big HEPA filter.

Here are the top five performers.

· Coway Airmega Prox 3522f. Those start at $1000.

· Blue Air Classic 605 starts at $830.

· Alen Breathesmart 75i Pure starts at about $750..

· Blueair Blue Pure 211i Max priced at $350.

· Blueair Blue Pure 211+ costs about $300..

if you’re like me you’re having some sticker shock. A thousand dollar air purifier is not in my budget. But you can get a good purifier without breaking the bank. Take a look at Consumer Reports buying guide. Then consider Consumer Reports ratings so you can get the best bang for your buck. And remember, long after the smoke clears, an air purifier is still a good investment, especially if you have a gas stove which studies show can release carcinogens even when they’re not on.