Air Purifier Filter

The World War II arms race has had a lot of ramifications and in a lot of industries, such as food preparation,

clothing, and health. It has even effected how we do things when it comes to dealing with today’s air problems.

The scientists building the atomic bomb had a number of different issues to deal with. One of these problems was the dust that came from the uranium; deadly, both because it’s a heavy metal, and it’s radioactive. Because of that, they needed to come up with something that would filter it out the radioactive dust. Thus was invented the “High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing” (HEPA) filter.

Factory-tested HEPA filters are designed to take 99.97% of the particulates out of the air that are .05 microns or larger (for comparison, the average diameter of a human hair is 45 microns, or about 180 times as big as the smallest particulate). As such, most particulates get caught in the filters and won’t get in your lungs.

As more people suffer from allergies, and look to find ways to reduce indoor contaminants, HEPA filters are seeing more use, especially when it comes to retro-fitting homes. One of the ironies about modern house-building is that homes were designed to be self-contained, and not affected by the outside environment. However, it ended up working too well, and keeping indoor pollutants in. HEPA filters, once installed, help decrease that problem.

Also, some homes have the other problems that HEPA filters solve rather well. For example, houses with pets or fireplaces, which have obviously high levels of dander and smoke, benefit from HEPA filters in the system. As long as the filters are changed regularly, the house will be healthier.

A word of warning: There are filters being sold as HEPA-type filters. They are not as efficient as true HEPA filters, and they don’t need to adhere to the same standards. They may be acceptable for most uses, just be advised that there is a significant difference, especially if you are suffering from severe allergies.

It’s worth noting that HEPA filters are commonly combined with other air purification system, bolstering the overall effectiveness. However, those other systems rely on the basic filtering job done the HEPA filters, and merely perfect an already excellent job. If you are looking for ways to be healthier, relieve sinus problems, or just breathe easier, starting with HEPA filters is probably the best thing you can do.