Air purifiers

HEPA air purifiers

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Arrestor. HEPA filters were invented by the Atomic Energy Commission during the second World War. A HEPA air purifier works very similarly to other air filtration devices. A powerful fan or blower pulls air into the air purifier, forces it through the HEPA filter media, and blows the clean air back into the room. HEPA air purifiers provide filtration of 99.99% of particles .3 microns in size or above. This includes dust mites, allergens, dust, pet dander, pollen, mold, and viruses. It is because of this that HEPA filters are often recommended by doctors and medical practitioners. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have endorsed the HEPA filter as being the absolute best filter in cleansing the air. Although HEPA is often considered the best for air purification it does not remove vapors or gases. This is why some high end air purifiers such as the Austin Air Healthmate combine the particulate removal properties of HEPA with the absorbtion qualities of a carbon filter for the ultimate in air purification.

Carbon air purifiers

Carbon air purifiers don't have as fine of filtration as HEPA air purifiers. They rely on carbons amazing ability to absorb contaminants from your air. In most cases carbon will be combined with another type of filter to remove particulates from the air so that they do not clog the pores or pathways through the carbon filter media.

Ozone air purifiers

Ozone generating air purifiers are designed to produce and emit ozone into your air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ozone can be very harmful to human health. "If used at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone applied to indoor air does not effectively remove viruses, bacteria, mold, other biological pollutants, is not effective at removing many odor-causing chemicals, and has little potential to remove indoor air contaminants". Ozone has been found to be useful in purifying air in situations of fire restoration, but people and pets cannot be present during the process. Ozone has also been found to be harmful to plants, rubber, electrical wire coatings, and fabrics and art work containing susceptible dyes.

Ionizing air purifiers

Ionizing air purifiers work by releasing negatively charged particles into the air. The concept behind them is that these negatively charged particles attract positively charged dust and other contaminants in the air, and are then pulled to the air purifier by a stronger positively charged screen or filter media, which the dust then adheres to. This type of filter requires no filter replacements, but often requires cleaning and maintenance. It is important to note that people have reported headaches and respiratory problems associated with the use of this type of air purifier. If you search the internet you will find quite a number of these reports.

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