High accident figures in May due to airborne grass pollens
Automotive cabin air filters from micronAir protect allergy-sufferers against pollens when they're driving
Weinheim, May 2003 - In May, the accident statistics show a significant increase. Because when the spring blossoms start appearing, a dangerous time begins for drivers with hay fever: following initial scientific studies, the AvD (a German equivalent of the Automobile Association), predicts a one-to-thirty-percent higher accident risk for allergy-sufferers. One-fifth of all road-users have their performance and reaction abilities restricted by allergies. Protection against allergy-triggering pollens in the passenger compartment is provided by automotive car interior filters. These make a vital contribution towards road safety by preventing pollens penetrating into the car through the ventilation flow, and triggering disease symptoms. Car interior filters, however, have to be replaced every 15,000 to 40,000 kilometers, depending on the recommendation from the manufacturer involved. The market leader Freudenberg recommends replacing its micronAir filters once a year.
Maintenance for health and technology
Replacement is essential, since with time the filters clog up and the stored particles impede the ventilation flow. In addition, micro-organisms like bacteria and molds collect in the filter's soiled nonwoven. The material used by Freudenberg is microbiologically safe, and thus offers no nutrients for micro-organisms. The German magazine "Öko-Test" also deals with the rising perceived importance of automotive car interior filters in a recent test report featured in its April issue. But these components do more than just protect drivers and passengers against pollens: particle filters also arrest pollutants like dust, abraded rubbings or soot. In addition, combi-filters with activated carbon also reduce unpleasant odors, exhaust gases and harmful ozone. Moreover, the filters are indispensable for an intact ventilation, heating and air-conditioning system. A fully functional, regularly replaced filter ensures that driver and passengers always get enough air, and that both the heater and the air-conditioner are able to function properly. This minimizes maintenance work and cuts the costs involved.
Fresh air thanks to regular replacement
Automotive car interior filters have been around for about ten years now. Meanwhile, they are being fitted as a standard feature in more than 90 percent of new vehicles. In the interest of road safety and their own health, car-owners should take care to change their filters at regular intervals. When a particle filter has been installed inside a vehicle, it can be replaced by a multi-purpose combi-filter. "But it is very important to install an car interior filter of brandname quality", explains Christoph Staffa, Head of Independent Aftermarket of the automotive component supplier Freudenberg. "The micronAir automotive car interior filter from Freudenberg exhibits a high level of filtration performance over the entire duty period." The market leader in the OEM category develops its car interior filters to meet the stringent standards of the automotive industry. They are specifically matched to the vehicle model concerned, designed for a precise and absolutely leakproof configuration. Because only when the filter element is tightly integrated into the intake assembly will it keep the pollutants outside the car. The majority of the products rated as "very good" in the German magazine "Öko-Test" are micronAir filters from Freudenberg. The Weinheim-based company offers its filters in OEM quality on the brand-independent aftermarket as well.
Allergy avoidance thanks to car interior filters
"Not nearly enough people know how important the car interior filter is for the health and safety of allergy-sufferers in traffic conditions", says Andrea Wallrafen of the DAAB (German Allergy and Asthma Association). "People have to be made aware that regular filter changes are crucial for the driver's and passengers' wellbeing." Car interior filters prevent pollens from getting into the passenger compartment via the ventilation system, and thus make an important contribution to allergy avoidance.
Combi-filters as added value for your health
According to allergiologists, allergies are fostered by air pollutants like nitrogen oxides, ozone, airborne dust and diesel soot particles. A high percentage of these substances will be arrested by a suitable automotive car interior filter. Pollen and dust particles larger than three-thousandths of a millimeter (mm) will be filtered almost completely out of the ventilation flow by particle filters. These airborne particles are particularly dangerous, because they tend to collect in the upper respiratory passages, thus leading to unpleasant allergic reactions. But small respirable ultra-fine particles like soot, micro-organisms and fine industrial dusts are also effectively arrested. The combi-filters supplement this spectrum by providing protection against unpleasant odors, harmful ozone and exhaust gases. A crucial advantage, because in the passenger compartment the exhaust-gas concentration is up to six times as high as at the roadside, due to what is called the "tunnel effect". The exhaust gases from the air and the vehicles in front are literally sucked into the inside of the vehicle in concentrated form.
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