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If you're concerned about pollen, dander, and viruses in your space, portable air filters remove allergens and can limit the spread of viruses via long-range airborne particles by capturing most of those particles in a HEPA filter (we recommend HEPA air filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating of 13) and cleaning the air at a rate of up to six times per hour. In a typical home without an air cleaner, the air gets fully changed out about once every two hours through air leakage, often aided by mechanical ventilation systems in newer houses. So, in the right circumstances, portable air cleaners offer an additional layer of protection, in homes, offices, restaurants, classrooms, and other facilities where air quality is a concern. Our Zogics NSpire H13 HEPA Air Filtration System also features an integrated UV-C light to further aid in the elimination of viruses like SARS-CoV-2. We also offer air purifiers from well-known brands such as Molekule, featuring their proprietary PECO filters, and Austin Air Systems with both HEPA and HEGA air filters to ease the suffering of allergy and asthma sufferers.
Five separate filters on each side of the system, including an H13 HEPA filter, help to capture dust, allergens, smoke, gases, pollen, bacteria, and viruses from the air, improving the air you breathe. Easy-to-use controls and an included remote control allow you to control the level of filtration in your space. The system also features an automatic function that smartly senses the level of pollution in the air and adjusts accordingly.
Speed mode is useful for tackling spaces that are smoke or allergen-filled, and at night, the system continues to work while set at ultra-quiet sleep mode. A UV-C light integrated into the unit provides an additional level of protection against viruses.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA), also known as high-efficiency particulate air is a type of mechanical air filter; it works by forcing air through a fine mesh that traps harmful particles such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and tobacco smoke. HEPA is an efficiency standard of air filters.
Filters meeting the HEPA standard must satisfy certain levels of efficiency. Common standards require that a HEPA air filter must remove—from the air that passes through—at least 99.97% (ASME, U.S. DOE) of particles whose diameter is equal to 0.3 μm; with the filtration efficiency increasing for particle diameters both less than and greater than 0.3 μm.
Air filters with HEPA filtration efficiently capture particles the size of (and smaller than) SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, so the answer, in theory, is yes. Add to that updated transmission information from the CDC which updated its stance on how the virus is transmitted and says it “can be spread by exposure to the virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours.” What does this mean? The CDC now acknowledges that the virus can spread via the air, which is a big adjustment to its earlier position that person-to-person contact, including via larger respiratory droplets that do not travel far or linger in the air, was the main vector, and that airborne (a.k.a. aerosol) transmission was not a vector, period.
UV light is lethal to bacteria and viruses because of its high frequency that scrambles and damages their nuclear material. When it damages the DNA (or RNA) code of these pathogens, it also triggers lethal mutations that prevent them from reproducing properly.
However, only certain types of UV light work to kill the Coronavirus in the air, specifically the shortwave UV-C frequency. The first UV lamp was invented in 1904 and resulted in the germicidal lamp. Germicidal lamps are a type of lamp that produces wavelengths of ultraviolet light (UV-C; 200nm to 280nm) that have disinfection properties.
With the heightened attention on the role that microscopic aerosolized respiratory droplets play in the spread of the Coronavirus, investing in an air filter is a smart choice for any facility. Combined with a multi-layered defense strategy against viruses, germs, and bacteria, air filters can help keep people safe and provide fresher, cleaner air.