With growing concerns of COVID-19 and other airborne viruses, and more and more time spent within the confines of our homes, many people are looking for ways to improve their indoor air quality. Recently, we’ve received many questions about the ability of our air purifiers to guard against airborne coronavirus. We would like to share some facts to help you make a more informed decision about your next High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter or HEPA air purifier purchase.
The minimum-size particle that can be trapped by a HEPA filter indicates its effectiveness at targeting certain contaminants. HEPA is the most trusted filtration technology in the world, used by hospitals, high-tech clean rooms, and scientific laboratories. Southwest Airlines¹, Delta, and many other major airlines use HEPA technology on their aircraft to provide their passengers with clean air during the pandemic. CDC guidance for dental settings² during the COVID-19 pandemic recommends the use of a portable HEPA unit while the patient is undergoing, and immediately following, an aerosol-generating procedure.
Our advanced BioGS® HEPA filtration system is true-HEPA rated. It builds and improves on the traditional HEPA; composed of a proprietary fiber material, it traps particles down to 0.1 microns in size at higher than 99% efficiency. It can also reduce the growth of bacteria and viruses on the filter over time.
Coronavirus particles range from 80 to 160 nanometers (0.08 to 0.16 microns).³ While single virus particles can exist in the air, they tend to aggregate rapidly. Aggregation speed depends on the size and distribution of the airborne particles, the concentration of the aerosol, and the thermodynamic conditions. In other words, airborne viruses tend to aggregate to form large particles rather than remain as individual particles, which are usually bigger than 0.16 microns.⁴
What this means: Most of the true-HEPA-rated filters and air purifiers can trap airborne viruses to varying degrees. While we don't have conclusive evidence that an air purifier can remove every type of coronavirus from your home, the size of the virus and its aggregation behavior put it within the effective range of our units. We can guarantee one thing though: it will also work against other sources of discomfort at your home, such as odors, allergens, and smoke. After all, the more comfortable you are at home, the less exposed you'll be to airborne risks. Now let's just hope that life will get back to normal soon and we can start enjoying our social activities again. Until then, stay safe!
Sources:
¹ https://www.krqe.com/health/coronavirus/southwest-airlines-adding-hepa-filters-to-all-planes/
² https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/dental-settings.html
³ https://web.stanford.edu/group/virus/corona/keyfacts.html
⁴ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2546863/
