One of the common woes in Malaysia that everyone dreads is the worsening air pollution. The air pollution here is so bad that it is resulting in adverse health consequences. The three main sources of the air pollution here are nasty emission from vehicles in the city, open burning, and haze in the rural and border areas as well as industrial discharge in areas with lots of factories. An API reading from 0 to 50 is good while 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and 301 and above is deemed hazardous. The highest API reading recorded in Malaysia was in 1997 when Kuching encountered an API reading of 860, leading to a state of emergency which was declared for 10 days due to the very bad condition of haze.
Do you know, Kuala Lumpur was ranked the seventh most polluted city in the world, according to Switzerland-based pollution mapping service AirVisual? This is where cabin air filters and car air purifiers come in helpful when travelling in a car in Malaysia.
Note : You can check Malaysia’s daily API readings here.
What Are Cabin Air Filters?
Commonly confused with the engine air filter, the cabin air filter is an especially important car part that filters the air flowing from outside the vehicle into the car cabin through the air conditioning system. It not only improves the air quality you breathe in your car but also simultaneously increases hygiene in the car itself. In a much simpler term, cabin air filters work as a mask for your car as it stops any nasty pollutants from entering your car and infecting you and your loved ones.
According to studies, in-car air quality can be up to 15 times more polluted than the air outside the car. And once it is inside the car, it is surely entering your lungs. Cabin air filters should also be changed regularly for it to work efficiently. As these filters are the one that stops the exterior air of the road from entering the interior air of your car and block a lot of smog and dirty exhaust let out by other vehicles on the road, constantly changing out this filter stops these pollutants from making its way into the car’s cabin and into your lungs.
What are Air Purifiers?
A car air purifier works the same way a home purifier works. It purifies the air in your car and gets rid of all the pollutants in your vehicle. It fills the interior with negative ions that traps and eliminates any type of pollutants in your car including dust, pollen, bacteria, viruses, formaldehyde and even cigarette smoke.
Different Types of Car Air Purifiers
HEPA – HEPA air purifier systems pass air through small physical filters that collect dust, allergens, pet dander, and most other airborne contaminants. After circulating through the system, it pushes out the clean air. With a HEPA system, you would have to change the filter occasionally for it to work effectively.
Ionizers – Ionic air purifiers release electrically charged ions that stick themselves to particles within your car and make them too heavy to keep floating around. With ionic systems, you will notice you’ll probably have to vacuum a little bit more often. Once the particles drop from the weight of the ions, they have to go somewhere and that is usually inside your car floor, walls or plate inside the purifier.
Benefits of Using Air Purifiers
Reduce air particles and allergens – The main goal of an air purifier is to make the air you breathe in your car healthy and clean. Most systems that you buy are said to clean the air by 99.9%.
Make breathing easier – People with respiratory problems, such as chronic bronchitis or asthma, will notice a difference in the quality of air inside their vehicle. But you do not need to have a breathing disease to know when your car has clean air, and your lungs will thank you for it.
Reduce bacteria – Are you constantly falling sick, just one time after another? You may never think your car would have something to do with it. If so, you would be wrong. Since you spend the most of your time in a car, you are definitely inhaling lots of nasties into your lungs. That is a lot of build-up of bacteria if you do not give your car a regular cleaning.
Reduce odor – Most car air purifiers have been shown to reduce cigarette odors, pet odors, food odors, new car smell, etc. Ionic purifiers have shown the most improvement in odor elimination versus the HEPA systems.
In conclusion, to keep your lungs healthy, constantly changing out your cabin air filters or investing in a proper air purifier system to keep the air in your car clean and safe. Other than that, for any used car related topics, you can always check out Carsome’s website to know more. #CarsomeCares.
