Limit Your Exposure To Allergens With A Little Planning (NAPSA)—Making changes around your homebefore allergy season starts could help to minimize your symptoms. Environmental control is one way you can limit your exposure to indoor allergens before they can cause symptoms. One helpful step you can takeis to invest in a room air cleaner. Air cleaners reduce air pollut- ants that contribute to poor indoor air quality, and many filter com- mon allergens such as dust and pollen, which are commontriggers for people with asthma orallergies. These small, versatile appliances can reduce airbornepollutants that pass through thefilter and can run year-round in your home. When using an air cleaner while taking other precautions, such as dusting and keeping your windowsclosed, you can have the freedom to enjoy your home with less of a threat of indoor allergens. When shopping for an air cleaner, it is important to find a unit that is properly sized for your room. You should also look for a unit that has been independently tested and certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). These units display the AHAM seal with their Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) and recommended room size. The seal will list three CADR numbers—onefor tobacco smoke, one for pollen and one for dust. The CADR indicates volume of filtered air delivered by an air cleaner. The higher the tobacco smoke, pollen and dust numbers, the faster the unit filters theair. > One helpful way to control your exposure to indoor allergens is to invest in a room air cleaner. Check the rating before buying one. Search for air cleaners in the directory found on www.cadr.org and compare models. Look at the ratings for tobacco smoke, dust and pollen and find the models that have the highest ratings for your room size, since they will clean your room thefastest. The directory also lists whetheror not the unit meets the ozone emissions limit recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for medical products. After you have narrowed your selection, you can weigh the importance of product features, such as noise levels and design, to find an air cleaner that fits your needs. Free Guide Visit www.cadr.org or call (800) 267-3138 for a free Consumers Guide to Selecting an Air Cleaner. For additional information, visit www.aham.org.
