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Safety and efficacy of DIY air cleaners for wildfire smoke reduction
Citation:
Holder, A. Safety and efficacy of DIY air cleaners for wildfire smoke reduction. Federal Interagency Committee on Indoor Air Quality, virtual, NC, February 14, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
The DIY air cleaner is a box fan with a furnace filter and has become a popular low cost alternative to commercial air cleaners in areas impacted by wildfire smoke. This presentation provides an overview of the results of a collaborative effort led by EPA's Office of Research and Development to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DIY air cleaners for reducing wildfire smoke exposure. DIY air cleaners were found to be safe to operate even in an extreme scenario with both sides of the fan blocked. DIY air cleaners were found to effectively reduce simulated wildfire smoke in a controlled environment. Similarly, DIY air cleaners were effective for reducing PM2.5 in homes impacted by wildfire and wood stove smoke, but that the noise from the fan was barrier to DIY air cleaner use.
Description:
In the past few years DIY air cleaners, which consist of a box fan and a furnace filter, have been a popular approach to reduce exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during wildfire smoke episodes. The DIY air cleaner cost less than commercial air cleaners and is more accessible, especially during smoke episodes, when commercial air cleaners quickly sell out. However, questions have arisen about whether the DIY air cleaner is safe and how they compare to commercial air cleaners. EPA’s Office and Research and Development worked with collaborators to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of different DIY air cleaner configurations. This presentation provides an overview of the results of this collaborative effort, which includes a safety evaluation of the most common DIY air cleaner design, an evaluation of multiple DIY air cleaner designs for reducing simulated wildfire smoke in a controlled laboratory setting, and an evaluation of DIY air cleaners to reduce PM2.5 in the home and whether these reductions translate to improved health.