Air purifier myths and facts: Can they protect against COVID-19, allergens or mold? - CNET

Posted: 31 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT

image-from-ios-35 — A high-efficiency particulate absorbing filter in Honeywell's Home air purifier.
David Priest/CNET

COVID-19 has made most of us more aware than ever before of the air we breathe. Even aside from our current anxieties, air pollution is a rising problem around the world. Even in countries with better air overall, smog, smoke and other pollutants still pose a serious threat to the health of children, elders and the immunocompromised -- threatening the health of those with asthma in particular. Whether it's coronavirus virions in aerosol droplets, irritants like pollen or pollutants like wildfire smoke and smog, a growing question for consumers is whether air purifiers can solve -- or at least mitigate -- our air quality problems.

After testing a dozen of the leading air cleaners on the market, talking to specialists and reading dozens of studies on the topic, I can offer a few answers.

Do air purifiers really work?

This is one of the most popular questions online, and it's also a reminder of why close reading and skepticism are such useful tools when you're researching products as a consumer. Air purifier developers are not allowed to advertise their devices as health products in the United States for a few reasons -- most fundamentally because their benefits aren't straightforward. Instead of claiming incredible health outcomes, then, purifier advertisements usually focus on the number of harmful substances in the air and the effectiveness with which the devices filter them out.

image-from-ios-33-1 — Molekule, which sells some of the most aesthetically pleasing purifiers on the market, recently was forced by the National Advertising Review Board to retract a slew of misleading claims it has been making since 2017.
David Priest/CNET

To answer the question in the most basic terms: yes, air purifiers generally filter particulate out of the air effectively -- especially if they use a HEPA filter (more on those in the next section). But most of us already have a mechanism to filter the air effectively: the respiratory system. As microbiologist and Vice President of Scientific Communications at the American Council on Science and Health Dr. Alex Berezow pointed out in a recent blog post, "Living within the tiny air sacs in your lungs (called alveoli) are immune cells known as macrophages. These "big eaters" gobble up bacteria, viruses, fungi, and whatever other debris happens to find its way into the lungs."

In short, air purifiers work, but unless you live in a particularly polluted environment or you or your children are immuno-compromised, you probably don't need one.

Do they protect against COVID, wildfire smoke or other seasonal pollutants?

HEPA, which stands for high-efficiency particulate air, is the standard that describes most air purifier filters currently sold in the US. To meet the standard, a filter must remove 99.97% of particles in the air that are 0.3 micrometers in size (a particularly difficult size to filter). HEPA filters are usually more effective with particles larger and smaller than that size. Pollen, smoke particulate and aerosol droplets that can transmit COVID can all be filtered out of the air with such a filter.

That said, don't count on air purifiers to protect you if you're cohabitating with a contagious person. When I talked on the phone with Dr. Richard Shaughnessy, the director of Indoor Air Research University of Tulsa, he said transmission of COVID usually happens due to close contact with an infected person. If you're sitting on a couch and chatting with someone who is infected, an air purifier across the room isn't going to remove all the harmful particles they exhale before they have a chance to reach you.

image-from-ios-36 — Coway's air purifier is one of the best on the market. It includes ionic filtration technology, but has been certified by the California EPA as emitting negligible or no ozone over time.
David Priest/CNET

I've heard about ozone coming from air purifiers. Should I be worried?

Ozone is a type of pollutant that a narrow set of air purifiers has been found to emit in the past. Before we dive into that, it's helpful to understand the basic types of air purifiers on the market now.

The three most popular filtration methods air purifiers use to clean the air are these: HEPA devices remove particles by ushering air through a specially designed and standardized filter; activated carbon filters remove odors and gaseous pollutants by running air across "sorbent media," which traps it; and finally, ionic purifiers produce ions that attach themselves to particles.

Ionic purifiers work in a couple of ways. Some simply let ionized particles attach to surfaces around the house (thereby "removing" them from the air). Others have a plate that collects those ionized particles and needs frequent cleaning. The latter are the devices that have in the past had problems with producing ozone. Luckily, standards have risen over recent years and third-party firms now test ionic air purifiers to make sure they're not releasing significant ozone into the home.

Generally, I would avoid ionic air purifiers simply because they're not the most effective for the price. If you really want one, check to make sure it has a certification from Underwriters Laboratories or the California EPA, stating that it does not emit ozone.

Who definitely would benefit from an air purifier?

The research here is a little complicated. Without getting too far into the weeds, one of the clearest demographics that benefits from HEPA-filter air cleaners is children with asthma. Dr. Elizabeth Matsui, a professor of population health and pediatrics at the University of Austin's Dell Medical School, has researched the use of air purifiers in the homes of asthmatic children and told me about the value of air cleaners in such households.

image-from-ios-31-1 — Even an excellent air purifier like Blueair's 411 will not accomplish as much as cleaning and ventilating your home.
David Priest/CNET

Air purifiers, she cautioned, are not a replacement for what she calls "proximal source interventions." For instance, a HEPA air cleaner can reduce particulate matter in the home of a smoker and child with asthma by 25%-50%. But that's not the best solution: ideally, the person should stop smoking in the house altogether. A clean and well-ventilated environment -- and of course proper medical care -- is far more important than an expensive air cleaner.

And to be clear, while air purifiers can help mitigate symptoms of childhood asthma, Dr. Matsui says, "There's not good evidence that we can currently modify the environment in a way that reduces rates of asthma, whether that's by air purifiers or any other means." In other words, air purifiers are helpful devices for children who suffer from asthma, but they won't reduce the chances of a child developing asthma in the first place.

image-from-ios-34-2 — With so many air purifiers on the market, finding the right one can feel overwhelming.
David Priest/CNET

If I want an air purifier, how do I find the right one?

Luckily, I've already written an extensive article addressing this exact question. There are plenty of air cleaners on the market, and some of them really are impressively effective given their reasonable price tags.

If you have any other questions I haven't answered above, make sure to ask them in the comments, and I'll be happy to update the article with answers.

Nuclear Air Filters Market Insights, Trends and Growth Outlook 2025 - Market Research Posts

Posted: 31 Jul 2020 01:35 PM PDT

Global Nuclear Air Filters Market: Snapshot

Nuclear Air Filters Market offers products such as carbon filters, pre-filters, and High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. HEPA filters are ahead of the curve due to their remarkable efficiency and phenomenal potential to eliminate droplets, contaminants, and sub-micron sized particles with advanced particle attraction and diffusion techniques. The report claims that HEPA filters have the ability to eliminate about 99.97% of air pollutants. Additionally, the harmful particles from the air are trapped even before they reach the final filtration process, which maintains the condition of the product in the long run.

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Currently, nuclear air filters are being used for the purpose of removing allergens, asthma triggers, bacteria, dander, mold, dust mites, and pollen. The demand for carbon filters is expected to spike in the coming years due to their ability to remove organic acids, aldehydes, ethers, esters, chlorinated hydrocarbons, ketones, sulphuric acid, phosgene, halogens, and other airborne chemicals. The adoption of nuclear air filters will also be augmented in the residential segment as they are known to remove odor from humans and animals.

The demand for nuclear air filters is expected to grow against the backdrop of their key feature of removing household chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and perfumes. Air purifiers that are equipped with various activated carbon are expected to gain momentum in the coming years as they deliver better performance while filtering certain noxious aerosol compounds. From the industrial point of view, the persistent development of nuclear power plants is expected to have a positive impact on the global Nuclear Air Filters Market.

Global Nuclear Air Filters Market: Overview

The growth of the nuclear energy market worldwide is widening up the opportunities for its affiliated industries – one of them is nuclear air filters market. The market is solely dependent on the deployment of nuclear power facilities, thus it follows the trends of the nuclear energy market in terms of drivers, restraints, and prices. Nuclear air filtration systems play an imperative role in the fuel processing installations, nuclear energy research facilities, and waste management units. Their ability to execute resourceful processing and filtration of air and water for higher operational efficiency is anticipated to drive their demand. Some of the key nuclear end users of these filters are power reactors, test and research reactors, and fuel plants.

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The report serves as a repository of analysis and information regarding various critical aspects of the global nuclear air filters market including its dynamics, geographical segmentation, and competitive landscape. It profiles prominent players in the market along with their business strategies and latest developments. It offers insights into the statistics pertaining to the market.

Global Nuclear Air Filters Market: Drivers and Restraints

The increasing safety concerns and strict environmental laws are mandating the nuclear power generation units to deploy robust air filtration systems. After a number of nuclear accidents in the past, a greater degree of accountability and responsibility is demanded from nuclear establishments. This along with the pressing need of cutting down radioactive emissions and nuclear air pollution is fuelling the market. Moreover, it is estimated that the life extension of nuclear power generation plants is higher than other types of power plants. To keep the reactors running unfailingly, the maintenance of each component becomes crucial. Therefore, components such as air filters find strong demand in these power plants in new as well as retrofit applications.

However, the various incidents of nuclear disasters have resulted in negative publicity of nuclear power generation among public, which in turn is retarding the growth of the nuclear energy market and its overlying industries. Moreover, the rigorous process of obtaining green certification, which is required to launch these products is hampering the growth of the global nuclear air filters market. Nevertheless, rapid technological advancements are likely to create ample growth opportunities for the market.

Global Nuclear Air Filters Market: Geographical Segmentation

The key regional segments studied in the report are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. Countries having well-established nuclear power generating facilities and research establishments are expected to serve as the major contributors to the growth of the global nuclear air filters market. Therefore, while Japan, South Korea, India, and China are the key contributors in the Asia Pacific region, the most of the growth of North America will be propelled by the U.S. In Europe, the U.K., France, Russia, Sweden, and Germany will hold great potential for the market.

Companies Mentioned in the Report:

CLARCOR Inc., Porvair Filtration Group, Flanders/CSC Corporation, AAF International, Nippon Muki Co. Ltd, Camfil AB, Axenic Systems, Lennox International Inc., ATICO Medical Pvt. Ltd, Advance International, and Air Filter Industry Ltd. are some of the key players in the global nuclear air filters market.

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