Why is air disinfection useful?
If we had asked the question of why air disinfection is important before 2020, probably not many people would have paid much attention to it—let alone tried to answer it. However, the situation has completely changed since then.
On one hand, we have lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, which fundamentally changed our perception of these invisible, airborne pathogens. On the other hand, the pandemic also highlighted just how vulnerable we are to them.
At the beginning of the pandemic, there were very few devices suitable for disinfecting the air in the presence of people, and those that did exist mostly relied on various filter combinations. These devices have one advantage: they also filter out mechanical impurities from the air. However, they come with several drawbacks. One is that we cannot know exactly when the filters become saturated, and another is that they generate a large amount of hazardous waste during filter changes, making them far from environmentally friendly.
Still, the pandemic had one major benefit: it prompted us to develop more advanced devices for air purification. It also made us start paying attention to what else might be circulating in the air that could harm our health or trigger serious allergic reactions.
Here are the main groups of harmful airborne elements that can negatively impact our health:
1/ VOC gases (a collective term):
These can originate from biological or artificial sources:
• Cigarette smoke
• Paints, varnishes, adhesives
• Evaporation of organic solvents from plastics (e.g., from plastic objects)
• Formaldehydes, primarily from furniture or flooring
• Formaldehydes released during cooking from oil
• Household cleaning products, cosmetics
In the U.S., there's already a term for this: "Sick Building Syndrome," which describes the situation where someone is continuously exposed to a high concentration of such substances, potentially leading to health issues. We’re not talking about chemical weapons here—it could simply be working in a kitchen with poor ventilation, constantly exposed to fumes rising from oil. Another typical example is when a family member smokes inside the home.
2/ Various viruses:
Influenza viruses have been with us for a long time, but something unusual happened recently. For about 2–3 years, the COVID-19 virus was dominant, and influenza infections dropped significantly. After the pandemic subsided, different types of influenza viruses reappeared—and many of us got even sicker than we did from COVID-19. Why? Because in those years, we lost the immunity we had previously developed, and even these "well-known viruses" could cause serious illness. The problem is that, when it comes to viruses, prevention is our only option, as we still don’t have effective medications against them.
3/ Various bacteria:
A large proportion of bacterial infections are transmitted through the air, via sneezing or coughing. The good news is that we have antibiotics to treat them. However, due to overuse—and, let’s face it, sometimes misuse—of antibiotics in past years, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have emerged, which presents a serious challenge in medicine. So here too, prevention has become more valuable.
4/ Pollen and pollen allergies:
Around 2 million people in Hungary are currently affected. Some are sensitive to only certain types of pollen, but many suffer from allergic symptoms from April to September. In such cases, frequent ventilation isn’t a good solution—it can actually make things worse by allowing high concentrations of pollen indoors. That’s why it’s especially important to ensure a pollen-free environment at home and in the workplace.
5/ Mold and fungal spores:
We also mustn’t overlook various mold and fungal spores, which can also seriously harm our health if they persist in our homes or workplaces for long periods.
If you’ve read through all this, I hope you've come to the same conclusion: purifying the air is a fundamental interest if we want to provide a healthy environment for our families, our children, or even our colleagues—because every breath matters. We breathe in that vital oxygen 12–20 times per minute, so it certainly matters what else we allow into our bodies alongside the life-giving gases—especially if those things weaken our immune systems.
That’s why we use the SolveAir UNI device in our home, and for larger spaces, the SolveAir MAX smart device.
