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Comment by pervycreeper | Hacker News Reader

Are particles the whole story when it comes to air pollution, or do you have to worry about gases, too?

Also, what would be a good source for obtaining HEPA or carbon filters in Canada/USA?

Your guess that gases are also an issue is correct. For example, ground-level ozone and sulfur dioxide typically also have negative effects on the respiratory system. In the U.S., the Air Quality Index (AQI) is computed from five components: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Of those, particulate matter is the one that's easy to do something about in a DIY fashion, since it can be filtered indoors with relatively low-tech filters. So it's worth doing if you live in an area with poor air quality, even if it's only a partial amelioration.

As far as I know, there is no practical way of filtering out the other AQI-component pollutants using consumer-level technology. It's possible to filter them: power plant chimneys have devices called "scrubbers" attached that filter out things like SO2 [1]. But I don't think there exists a device you can place in your living room that does so.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flue-gas_desulfurization

Hey, this is Thomas, founder of Smart Air.

Excellent question! Particulates are very important, but gases can be a problem too. We talk about gas pollution in our workshops, and I've written about it on Particle Counting:

http://particlecounting.tumblr.com/post/60881490803/the-limi...

However, I don't know of home filters that target gases.

There are various indoor plants that are said to help with indoor pollution.

http://www.ted.com/talks/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_grow_your_o...

http://www.slideshare.net/jaymeattle/how-to-grow-your-own-fr...

TED presenter Kamal Meattle argues for: - Areca Palm - Mother-in-law's Tongue - Money Plant

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