Is your heating system hurting you?

One of the best things about winter is getting cozy after a day outside breathing in all the cold, fresh air. Part of the ritual involves comfy clothes, a mug of something warm, and ample heating. But heating systems can release harmful particulates and gasses.

As a general rule, the older the heating system technology, the more the indoor air pollution. Wood smoke coming from fireplaces and wood burning stoves emits respirable particulates—those microscopic particles that float in the air and end up in your lungs. In addition to the particulate matter, wood combustion releases gasses including sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and potentially carcinogenic compounds.

According to a leading study, prolonged inhalation of wood smoke, from an open fireplace or wood burning stove, contributes to bronchitis, lung disease, and hypertension; young children in homes with wood burning stoves are more likely to have moderate and severe chronic respiratory symptoms and a greater incidence of bronchitis, wheezing, coughing, and respiratory infections.

More modern heating methods include kerosene heaters and oil and gas furnaces. While these do not tend to generate particulate matter, all produce harmful gases. Older and unmaintained systems are, inevitably, less efficient than newer, maintained systems and create more of these gasses, as a result of incomplete burning. These gasses can then leak into your home.

As a HEPA air purification system, Airmega units are specifically designed to remove particulate matter from the air, including that emitted from wood burning. Plus, with an activated carbon filter, an Airmega unit can filter out gasses that are released during combustion—which allows you to get all snuggly on the sofa with both clear lungs and a clear mind.