FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A breath of filtered indoor
air may help your health, according to researchers in Denmark.
Using high efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters for just two
days significantly improved a key measure of cardiovascular health
in healthy, nonsmoking elderly individuals, according to a study
published in the second February issue of the
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care
Medicine.
"Our main finding was a significant improvement in the function
of small finger blood vessels after reduction of indoor air
particles. This effect most likely indicates a general improvement
in the function of the inner lining of small vessels, including
those supplying the heart," Dr. Steffen Loft, of the Institute of
Public Health in Copenhagen, said in a prepared statement.
Abnormal function of the inner lining of small vessels is known
to be a predictor of dangerous or possibly fatal cardiovascular
events.
HEPA filtration removed about 60 percent of the ultrafine, fine
and coarse air particles in homes, according to researchers, and
was associated with an 8.1 percent improvement in individual
microvascular function (MVF).
"This suggests that indoor air filtration represents a feasible
means of reducing cardiovascular risk," he said.
The researchers measured ambient airborne particles in the homes
of 21 nonsmoking couples, aged 60 to 75, who lived close to heavily
trafficked roads. Each couple used air purifiers for two 48-hour
periods. During one period, the purifier was equipped with a HEPA
filter, and during the other, it ran without it. The size
distribution and number concentration of indoor air particles in
each home were continuously monitored.
Each couple's individual MVF was assessed using a noninvasive
finger sensor.
"We expected that removing air particles with the HEPA filters
would result in improvement of MVF, but we were heartened and
surprised by the extent it did, considering the modest levels of
particles in the indoor air of the homes of the elderly," Loft
said.
More information
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has more about
improving indoor air quality.
