(The Conversation) – Using an in-home HEPA purifier for one month spurs a small but significant improvement in brain function in adults aged 40 and older. That’s the result of a new study we co-authored in the journal Scientific Reports.
HEPA purifiers—HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air—remove particulate matter from the air. Exposure to particulate matter has been connected to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses as well as neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Environmental health researchers increasingly recommend that people use HEPA air purifiers in their homes to lower their exposure to particulate matter, but few studies have examined whether using them boosts mental function.
We analyzed data from a study of 119 people ages 30 to 74 living in Somerville, Massachusetts. Somerville sits along Interstate 93 and Route 28, two major highways, resulting in relatively high levels of traffic-related air pollution. This makes it an especially good location for testing the health effects of air purifiers.
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We randomly assigned participants to one of two groups. One used a HEPA air purifier for one month and then a sham air purifier—which looked and acted like the real thing but did not contain the air-cleaning filter—for one month, with a month-long break in between. The second group used the real and sham purifiers in reverse order…