Air pollution: Best air purifiers and masks that can help you breathe easy

Business Standard lists five anti-pollution gears that may be most efficient during poor and hazardous air quality in your city

With most of India — capital New Delhi in particular — struggling to breathe because of hazardous air quality, people are forced to look at measures to prevent illness. Some of the most important things to do is getting good air purifiers and pollution filter masks. These come in different shapes and sizes, each with its own qualities and benefits. Which one should you go for? Business Standard lists five best anti-pollution gears to help you make a more informed choice:

Dyson Pure Hot+Cool air purifier (Rs 54,900)

This tower-shaped air purifier is a successor to the Dyson Pure Cool air purifier (review). As the name suggests, it is designed to work in all weather conditions. Like its predecessor, the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool does not look, work or perform in the same way as other air purifier in the market. Designed for indoor use — the living room, bedroom or large lobby areas — this air purifier has inbuilt sensors that detect pollutants, such as PM 2.5 and PM 10, and volatile organic compounds, such as benzene and formaldehyde, that are emitted from paints, burning of candles and materials in furniture, and nitrogen. It cleans the air based on the readings of its sensors. This air purifier has inbuilt Wi-Fi that makes it easy to connect with Android and iOS devices. With the help of the Dyson link app, you can fetch the air quality reading from the air purifier in real time. The app also shows the filters’ health and notifies when they need to be cleaned or replaced.

Honeywell Air Touch i9 (Rs 18,900)

This air purifier makes a good choice for moderate rooms of around 350 sq ft size. It has a minimalist design that makes it a good fit in contemporary living spaces. The air purifier has a three-level filteration process — a pre-filter for cleaning the air of large particulate matter, such as PM 10; a HEPA filter to bring down the PM 2.5 level and other particulate matter of up to 0.3 microns in size; and a HiSi filter that absorbs smoke and toxic gasses. The most likeable feature of this unit is its top panel. It operates with a light touch and is simple to understand. The touch panel has a PM 2.5 indicator, three modes for adjusting the fan speed, a night mode to turn the panel light off and a power button.

Samsung AX5500 (Rs 34,999)

This air purifier is a silent operator that does its job without making too much noise. The air purifier comes with a standard netted pre-filter and a two-in-one carbon and HEPA filter. According to the company, this air purifier is capable of servicing up to 645 sq ft — the size of a large living room. 

Prana Air Motion mask (Rs 3,490)

This anti-pollution mask is quite unlike other masks available in the market. It has a fan that works with the help of an in-built rechargeable battery. The fan is covered with a filter that, the company claims, can remove nearly 95 per cent particulate matters of 0.3 micron size. Once powered on, the fan pulls polluted air from outside, lets it go through the filter that removes pollutants and then disperses it inside the mask. This makes it easy for a person to breathe normally without having to try too hard. Though the mask has a bulky design, which looks odd on the face, it is one of the better options if you prefer utility to design. 

Smart Air Filter N99 pollution mask with valve (Rs 250 for 5 pieces)

These are use-and-throw masks good for use during daily commutes. The mask is made of cloth and has a filter membrane fitted in between the outer and the inner layers, and a tiny valve on the side. The valve makes it easy to breathe while wearing the mask and the cloth (build with a filter membrane) makes it lightweight and comfortable to wear.