The first in-car air purifier has been launched in the UK today. And, if what its maker, Airbubbl, says about air quality in our cars is true, such products may soon become the norm.
The problem is invisible but very real. Airbubbl’s research indicates that professional drivers suffer with cabin air pollution levels equivalent to smoking 54 cigarettes a year.
However, it’s the ‘980 passively smoked cigarettes’ figure that hits home more: the equivalent of being in a room with a person smoking three cigarettes every day. In high-congestion urban environments, pollutant levels can be up to 140 percent higher in the cabin than outside the car.
The new Airbubbl air purifier is said to remove more than 95 percent of dangerous gases and pollutants from the cabin of a car within 12 minutes. It’s designed to combat the health risks faced by professional drivers in particular.
“If you are someone who drives for a living you, unfortunately, spend the majority of your day in a vehicle where you are constantly breathing in dangerous gases and pollutants” said Marc Ottolini, CEO of Airlabs.
“Commercial drivers are forbidden from smoking in their vehicles because we all recognise the risks associated with smoking and passive smoking, yet we underestimate the damage that a vehicle filled with polluted air is having on the health of professional drivers.
“As with any other occupation, professional drivers are entitled to a safe working environment.”
Air pollution has been linked to 40,000 premature deaths per year. On average, we can expect to lose around six months of life expectancy due to air pollution.
Whether this filter will boost life expectancy for users is up for debate. That we should do all we can to reduce our intake of dangerous pollutants is a no-brainer.
The Airbubbl in-car air purifier is available now from the company’s website and from Amazon, priced from £300.
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