Are you wondering if HEPA filters can protect you from the virus that causes COVID-19? The answer is yes, but it's not as simple as that. Portable air filters and HVAC filters can reduce indoor air pollutants, including viruses, found in the air. However, they are not enough to protect people from the virus on their own. In this article, we'll explain how HEPA filters work and how they can help reduce your risk of contracting the virus. When people breathe, cough, or talk, they expel droplets of respiratory fluid, saliva, and possibly virus into the air.
Even if the water in the droplet evaporates, the droplets contain salts, proteins, and other material in addition to any viruses. This means that the remaining particles are usually a few microns in size, making them quite easy to catch with a HEPA filter. HEPA filters are commonly found in the best air purifiers, but not all of them. Researchers have evaluated the ability of air filters to remove inactive particles in carefully controlled environments, but they don't know how they would work in a real world environment.
As the name suggests, these filters are very good for taking things out of the air and holding them so they can't circulate again. Few research studies have shown that HEPA filters can completely eliminate viruses from the air, but there are cases where they can help. The most common appliances that use HEPA filters are portable air purifiers, vacuum cleaners, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Using a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) may be what you need to remove indoor dust, pet dander, mold, and other airborne particles responsible for respiratory allergies or exacerbation of asthmatic attacks. HEPA filters reduce the frequency of allergens and relieve symptoms by removing indoor air particles that trigger allergies in susceptible individuals. Many media outlets have incorrectly stated that HEPA filters do not filter below 0.3 microns and therefore cannot capture airborne coronaviruses. In a study conducted by researchers at the Anesthesia Division of the Faculty of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cambridge in the UK, they found SARS-CoV-2 particles in the air when the filter was turned off but not when it was turned on.
This suggests that filtering the virus from the air could be more important in general wards than in ICUs. The results suggest that using portable HEPA air filters and universal masking may reduce exposure to simulated SARS-CoV-2 aerosols indoors. Greater reductions occur when air filters and masking are used together. Filters are designed to improve indoor air quality by physically removing small particles of matter that may be floating such as dust, pollen, and pet dander. When the filters were turned off, the air in both rooms contained detectable amounts of other pathogens that cause infections in hospitals such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pyogenes. In conclusion, HEPA filters can trap particles that contain coronavirus and can help reduce your risk of contracting it. They are commonly found in portable air purifiers and HVAC systems.
Using a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) may be what you need to remove indoor dust, pet dander, mold, and other airborne particles responsible for respiratory allergies or exacerbation of asthmatic attacks. The results suggest that using portable HEPA air filters and universal masking may reduce exposure to simulated SARS-CoV-2 aerosols indoors. Filters are designed to improve indoor air quality by physically removing small particles of matter that may be floating such as dust, pollen, and pet dander.
