How HEPA filter works:
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, and a true HEPA filter is widely regarded as the ultimate filter.
In World War II the Atomic Energy Commission needed a filter to protect researches from radioactive dust particles that might present a health hazard to them. The HEPA filter was born. It traps particles as tiny as .3 microns with an efficiency rating of 99.97%.
To give you an idea of the size of a micron, it takes 24,500 microns to equal 1 inch (2.54 cm). Conversely, 4/10,000ths of an inch equals one micron. In metric terms, a single micron is 1 millionth of a meter. A particle of 10 microns is invisible to the naked eye. Pollen ranges between 5-100 microns. Human is hair between 70-100 microns.
How small is a .3 micron?
The rating for a HEPA filter is based on capturing nearly all microns .3 in size, verses .1 or even .001 because .3 microns are the hardest size to trap and the optimal size for passing into the human respiratory system. Therefore the .3 micron efficiency rating sets the highest standard.
A HEPA filter is so efficient that for every 10,000 particles that enter the filter within its filtering range, only 3 particles will get through. Surprisingly, HEPA filters become even more efficient the longer they are in use. For this reason HEPA filters are used in environments that rely on high clean-air standards. Surgical facilities, tuberculosis wards, NASA clean rooms, and laboratories are a few examples of environments that utilize HEPA filters. HEPA filters are particularly useful for allergy sufferers.
The air in homes, offices and schools are polluted with chemicals, organic materials particulate and microbiological. Our indoor environment contains allergens, pollutants, chemicals, gas, particles, dust mites, mold, etc. The respiratory tract - nose, sinus, and lungs struggle daily against these contaminants. Indoor air can cause headaches, red eye, digestive problems, dizziness, chronic fatigue, congestion and many other chronic and acute diseases. More than every third adult, child, or infant has allergies, asthma, respiratory distress or suffers the effects from sick building syndrome. Asthma is the number one leading cause of upper respiratory illness in children. HEPA air purifiers can and will provide relief for them.
Use of HEPA Air Purifier can help everyone:
l stay healthier
l sleep more soundly
l work more efficiently
l be more creative
l study more effectively
HEPA air purification is rapidly coming into many medical applications such as isolation of patients under treatment involving immunological isolation, care for burn victims, orthopedic surgery, etc.
Note: Many imitations of HEPA filters pervade the marketplace, usually called HEPA -type filters. They are less expensive than true HEPA filters, rated lower, and do an inferior job of filtering the air. If your health requires the specific benefits and efficiency of a HEPA filter, check the packaging to make sure the filter is rated at an efficiency of 99.97% for microns .3 in size. If it's a true HEPA filter, it will have this rating clearly marked.
Related Industry Knowledge