Air Filters and the Purpose They Serve Articles | Environment

By: Darren Williger

There are so many different types of air purifiers that are available for sale on the market. It may be difficult for you to know which sort of air purifiers to make use of in your home with this sort of variety. The propensity of each manufacturer to claim that their product is best, makes it even more difficult to make a choice and how do you know which manufacturers to believe.

The Environmental Protection Agency claims that the best systems that should used to filter the air are those which are used to capture pollutants as well as allergens which are in the air. These are much more preferable to all the ionic versions which claim to work more but haven’t actually really provided success and which science has offered proofs.

Air purification technology is quite powerful and offers multiple choices to the typical consumer. They have their own strengths and weaknesses and they should be studied properly before you purchase these devices to make sure that they meet the specific needs of your family.

HEPA, or High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters – These are some of the best selling air cleaning systems sold to date. These devices were built over 6 decades ago and they were created in order to clear the air of radioactive waste in case an atomic bombing occurred in the United States. HEPA filters have the ability to clear the air of at least 99.97% of the pollutants and impurities which can be found in the air. This includes impurities that may be as tiny as 0.03 microns. Allergens such as pollen, dust, pet dander, tobacco smoke, mold and mildew spores can easily be captured and trapped within air filters. This way these impurities can be easily cleared out of the lungs of members of your family and anyone else who may reside in your home. The disadvantages that this system has primarily result from the need that constantly exists to replace these expensive filters.

Charged Media Filters – These sorts of filters are used to trap impurities within the air which may be as small as 0.1 microns. It uses a combination filter as well as a minute electronic charge. It isn’t as dangerous as models which are the ionic and ozone generator models. These sorts of filter systems are equally capable of emitting certain amounts of ozone into the air, this becomes dangerous if left to accumulate within a closed space.

Activated Carbon Filters – This sort of filter is hardly ever used alone in the purification of the air. It is usually used together with another air purification system. Activated Carbon and charcoal filters are usually used together with HEPA filters in order to absorb gasses as well as odors from the air in a way that other kinds of filters are unable to.

Antibacterial and Germicidal Filters – These sorts of filters are able to remove germs and bacteria from the air that we breathe. They have germ killing-UV filters which are usually used in environments which must be kept sterile such as hospitals, daycares and laboratories. When these filters are used in residences they are very effective in assisting people who can become sick because they reduce the exposure to bacteria and contagious viruses which they may be exposed to otherwise.