[doctoboggan]

If you have a dirty filter it may be actually making your air quality worse (in some ways) than just not running the filter at all. It seems like bacteria caught in the filter are dying and releasing endotoxins, which are small enough to escape the filter and then are sent throughout the environment.

[the_only_law]

> If you have a dirty filter it may be actually making your air quality worse (in some ways) than just not running the filter at all.

I might have to check the air filter. I’ve been having the worst sinus issues I’ve ever had outside a sinus infection. My eyes constantly tear up, my nose will on occasionally completely shuts, and I’ve been having back to back sneezing attacks.

I originally chalked it up to seasonal allergies, as pollen count is quite high, but I’ve been suspicious of indoor air quality as well. To add to the confusion I got COVID around the same time it started.

[beebmam]

It might be a good idea to seek medical advice from your doctor

[the_only_law]

Last time I spoke with a doctor about sinus issues they just told me to grab some OTC remedy and that was mostly it

[olyjohn]

The more doctors I see, the more I just feel like a ticket in a queue that needs to be closed out and billed ASAP.

[qorrect]

Thank you for saying that, I thought maybe I was just bad at choosing doctors.

[YeahNO]

The older I get, the more doctors I see, the less each doctor individually does, the more evident that the rapacious copay of my job-provided health insurance will drive me to less health care, perhaps obviating the need for any health care at all, though my executor will be left holding the bag of paying off outstanding bills.

[specialist]

Someone, somewhere has the answers you need. I try tell everyone to not accept "no" or "i don't know" for answers if they're still suffering.

FWIW, eventually had sinus surgery, now do saline rinse every day, astelin antihistame spray changed my life. YMMV. Good luck.

[sdze]

Could you spray the filter with Lysol or another generic disinfectant every once in a while? I do that with my car filter.

[QuercusMax]

From what I understood of the article, disinfectant might not do much, because it's dead bacteria which are releasing these toxins as their cell walls rupture. Unless it's a disinfectant which turns these toxins into something less dangerous, lysol won't do much.

[outworlder]

No. Your disinfectant droplets are not going to do much to stuff embedded deep inside the filter.

Car cabin filters should be replaced too.