Based on my research into how different filters work, I concluded that a HEPA filter is all you really need to make an effective air purifier and fight particulate air pollution somewhere like China or India. Given the fact fancy air purifiers run for 8,000 RMB in Beijing, or 100,000 INR in … Read more
When a billion people in China (and quite a few expats) woke up to the severe air pollution in almost every city in China, it forced a billion people to become experts in a complicated scientific question: Do masks work? Since then, I’ve given talks with hundreds of people all around … Read more
So you’ve arrived to a polluted city–Beijing or Bangalore, Delhi or Shanghai. What can you do to keep air pollution from trimming years off your life? When I moved to China in 2007, I wasn’t a dummy. I was a college grad, and I knew about air pollution. But I … Read more
The difference between PM10 and PM2.5 is size. “PM” refers to particulate matter—particles in the air. Those particles are things like organic dust, airborne bacteria, construction dust, and coal particles from power plants (for example, check out this study from researchers in Shanghai who analyzed what those particles are really made … Read more
Despite the popular conception that plants are purifiers, plants have a detectable effect on particle or gas pollutants, according to the latest test data from real-world homes. The belief that plants are effective air purifiers is widespread. Arguably the most frequently cited evidence is the NASA study on plants. It feels scientific, … Read more
