Live near a freeway? Some of us are fortunate enough to answer “No I don’t.” But the fact is many Americans do live near freeways and heavily trafficked roadways. The new American Lung Association State of the Air 2012 report last week pointed out that 50 million Americans are still breathing dangerous air polluted by particles that come mostly from automobile and truck traffic.

Homes along the I-10 freeway near Phoenix.

This week the American Heart Association delivered another stern warning: Heart attack survivors who live near a freeway or major roadway are at greater risk of dying from all causes. And the closer to traffic they live, the greater the risk. For those living within 328 feet of a major roadway, the increased likelihood of dying within 10 years is 27 percent. In the four counties around Los Angeles alone, more than 1.5 million people live within 984 feet to major freeways. Of the 3,500 heart attack survivors tracked in the new American Heart Association study, 1,100 died during the ten year period after their attacks. The primary cause was cardiovascular disease, followed by cancer and respiratory disease.

For heart attack survivors, air pollution is one of a handful of suspected causes of the increased death rate. “We think there is exposure to a combination of air pollution near these roadways and other exposure, such as excessive noise or stress from living close to the roadway, that may contribute to the study findings,” said Murray A. Mittleman, M.D., Dr.PH, study author and director of the Cardiovascular Research Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass.

An air purifier may not help with the excessive noise and stress from nearby highways, but a high-performance air purifier can help reduce the level of air pollution indoors. The IQAir HealthPro Plus air purifier, for example, clears more than 99.97% of all particles in the air passing through it. And considering that Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors, it’s understandable the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends using an air purifier along with reducing pollution sources and ventilating indoor spaces with outdoor air.

Still, the latest study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center confirms that until residential areas are consistently located away from major roadways, an efficient HEPA air purifier, combined with not smoking, eating a healthy diet, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol are all components of modern home life.

This online publication is brought to you by IQAir North America, Inc., based in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. IQAir North America is a member of the Swiss-based IQAir Group that develops, manufactures and markets innovative air purifiers and air quality products for indoor environments around the globe. IQAir is the exclusive educational partner of the American Lung Association for the air purifier industry.

Glory Dolphin, CEO of IQAir North America, took the opportunity in the article to point out the overwhelming advantage of IQAir’s HyperHEPA mechanical air purifiers in filtering all types of pollution. “Compared to traditional HEPA filters, IQAir’s HyperHEPA filters have much more effective surface area and less air resistance,” said Dolphin, “so they are far superior to any other (air purifier) design.”

Despite significant air-quality improvements in the nation’s most polluted cities, more than 40 percent of Americans still live in areas where air pollution is a threat to public health. That’s the conclusion of the American Lung Association (ALA) in its Annual State of the Air report issued last week.

Air pollution is improving but still a problem.

The 2012 study focuses on air quality from 2008 through 2010. Still, many air pollution dangers remain, especially particle pollution. Short-term spikes in particle pollution are a continuing threat to more than 50 million Americans, the report says. “Particle pollution is the most dangerous and deadly widespread air pollutant in America,” says the report, noting that particle pollution can lead to early death, heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits.

The study found that the five most-polluted cities for both short-term and year-round particle pollution were in California, with Bakersfield topping both lists. The year-round measurement was based on average results and gave a failing grade to annual concentrations averaging higher than 15µg/m(3). The short-term particle pollution scores used a weighted average based on the daily Air Quality Index. For more information check out the State of the Air website.

Numerous studies show that a high-efficiency air purifier can reduce indoor particle air pollution and help protect health. That’s a major reason why IQAir makes the county-by-county results of the State of the Air report available on its website. Visitors to the site can use the “What’s the State of Your Air” widget to check pollution levels in their own county, then use IQAir’s “Help Me Choose” tool to select the right IQAir  air purifier to help protect their home against the dangers of air pollution. The 2012 State of the Air results are available now through the IQAir site.

Ultrafine particle pollution, which is the most widespread and most dangerous of all air pollution, is not measured by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards used in the State of the Air report. “Air quality standards set by the EPA remain outdated,” Albert Rizzo, M.D., said in a State of the Air blog. Rizzo is the American Lung Association National Board Chair. “That means we’re not trying to clean up enough pollution, based on what current research says we should be doing to protect your family’s health,” Rizzo said.

This online publication is brought to you by IQAir North America, Inc., based in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. IQAir North America is a member of the Swiss-based IQAir Group that develops, manufactures and markets innovative air purifiers and air quality products for indoor environments around the globe. IQAir is the exclusive educational partner of the American Lung Association for the air purifier industry.

The publication urges its readers not to waste money on air cleaners or chemicals that don’t work. “You need one product to improve the air quality in your home,” writes editor John Guilfoil, a former reporter for the Boston Globe newspaper and a HealthPro Plus owner. “The Swiss-made IQAir HealthPro Plus is simply the best air purifier on the market today or ever,” he concludes.

Check out the full article here.