Duncan Bell Is Air Today, Gone Tomorrow

Trying to keep it clean turns out to be an arduous task – air purifiers can scramble the brain

Air, hellair! The Hollies once sung that ‘sometimes all you need is the air that you breathe,’ although if that’s true of you, I’m afraid you might have a rather boring life. But, of late, I’ve been thinking about the air in my home a lot more than I should.

Late last year, I began reviewing air purifiers – so I definitely do have a boring life. Prior to having to grind out 1,000 words on them, I had near-zero interest in the ‘purity’ of my home air. I don’t have a wood burner, or live next door to a chemical plant – although I do live in central London, which is sort of like an enormous chemical plant that I share with nine million other people. However, I’ve never had allergies or respiratory problems, thankfully, and as far as I can tell, my place doesn’t stink. I’ve also never seen any real evidence that air purifiers have significant health benefits. Sure, they clean up the air, but they can’t claim to make you healthier or live longer.