The ozone levels are rising - a combi-filter will protect you
Freudenberg Nonwovens offers a reliable solution for summer smog, in the shape of micronAir
Weinheim, July 2005 - The long-awaited summer has its snags as well: the higher the thermometer rises, the greater the amount of ozone in the air. This year, the ozone levels already exceeded the specified limit in many cities due to record temperatures during May. "Summer smog" is a health hazard with unpleasant effects: possible consequences include streaming eyes, respiratory complaints, headaches, fatigue or allergic reactions. Anyone getting into a car when the ozone concentration has risen should be careful: inside the vehicle, the concentration of pollutants is up to six times higher than outside. The harmful gases and ultra-fine particles are actually sucked up into the passenger compartment by the ventilation or air-conditioning system. However drivers can acquire some dependable protection: the micronAir combi-filter arrests up to 99 percent of the toxic ozone and other health-hazardous substances and particles, thus ensuring fresh air inside the vehicle and carefree motoring on sunny days.
Double protection against particles and odours
The cabin air filter from the automotive component supplier Freudenberg is installed in the vehicle's ventilation system. The multi-layered structure of the micronAir combi-filter offers 2 in 1 protection: the microfibre layer plus prefilter arrest pollen and road dust, plus ultra-fine respirable particles like diesel soot from the inflowing air. This is followed by a layer of activated carbon, which additionally bonds harmful gases, and thus keeps unpleasant odours away from the passenger compartment. Ozone, which consists of three oxygen atoms, is converted into pure oxygen with the aid of activated carbon, for example.
Replace at the specified intervals
Nowadays almost every new car comes off the production line with a cabin air filter: two-thirds of these come from the market leader Freudenberg Nonwovens/micronAir. The filters provide maximised protection when they are regularly replaced. Otherwise the deposits will after a time impede the passage of air. "Each second, a filter has to take particles and gases out of 10 to 150 liters of incoming air. To do this, it has to function flawlessly and be replaced at regular intervals", says Christoph Staffa, responsible at Freudenberg for the micronAir filter aftermarket. "The filter should be changed once a year - or more often if the driver concerned makes a lot of city journey's or often gets stuck in traffic jams. The garage workshops will be pleased to advise", continues Staffa. Replacing a micronAir particle filter, specialised in dealing with ultra-fine particles like pollens, by a combi-filter from micronAir providing additional protection from irritant gases like ozone is an uncomplicated procedure.
Irritant gas with dire consequences
Ozone is formed by the action of UV light on air pollutants like nitrogen oxides: these are released predominantly by vehicles. High temperatures accelerate this reaction. Summer smog is primarily encountered in the vicinity of large conurbations, but also in rural areas, where ozone is broken down less quickly. Approximately 15 percent of the population already shows a very sensitive reaction to the irritant gas below the official limit value of 180 micrograms/m³ of ozone. As a general principle, physical effort should be avoided when ozone concentrations are high - and the car should be left in the garage. Anyone unable to do without his/her car should acquire the protection of a micronAir filter. For driving on holiday, too: after all, summer smog doesn't suddenly stop at national borders. As the values measured over recent years demonstrate, the permissible ozone level has been exceeded quite often in wide areas of Europe.
back to the overview
up
