HEPA Air Purifiers Explained

The term HEPA seems to be everywhere nowadays. There are HEPA filter air purifiers, HEPA filter vacuum cleaners, HEPA air conditioner filters, the list goes on and on. But what, exactly, is HEPA, what does it mean, and how does it work? Let's examine the mighty HEPA air purifier, as well as other applications, to get a better understanding of this often used term.

HEPA is capitalized because it's an acronym. The acronym stands for "high efficiency particulate absorbing". An alternate definition is "high efficiency particulate arrestance". In layman's terms, this means that a HEPA air purifier will either absorb or stop particulate matter, which is basically nothing more than fine particles that are generally invisible to the human eye.

Although HEPA air purifiers do clean pollen and dust out of the air, there are many more particles that are not natural to our environment, and that our human respiratory systems do not deal well with. Sometimes we can detect these other particles in the form of allergens and odors, sometimes we can't. Unfortunately, there are many pollutants that our bodies simply don't recognize and don't defend against, which leaves them to damage our lungs and other inner parts. Having a device that can either stop or absorb these dangerous particulates can definitely have a positive impact on one's health.

Not every air purifier is the same. The standard for air purification is generally accepted to be the HEPA standard. This comes from HEPA air purifiers being the most effective air filtration available for so many years. HEPA filter air purifiers are so incredibly good at their job because they are capable of stopping 0.3 micron air particles. There is a point to focusing on that particular size of particle. When it comes to our respiratory systems, particles that are 0.3 micrometers in diameter are both dangerous and difficult to stop or filter.

There are certain standards that a true HEPA air purifier must meet. For one, they have to be able to stop or filter 99.7% or more of every 0.3 micron particle passing through them. This is no easy task, and the consumer will pay good money for a purifier with this certification. It's worth noting that HEPA air purifiers, for the most part, are somewhat pricey. To make money off those who cannot afford a true HEPA purifier, there are HEPA-type air purifiers. These devices are held to no particular standard or measurement of effectiveness. When buying a HEPA-type air purifier, you may get a machine that is anywhere from slightly less effective, but cheaper, to a noisy device that is really nothing more than an expensive, low volume fan. Take any HEPA air purifier reviews with a grain of salt, as well. Most things that we smell do not fall under that 0.3 micron category, so the human nose really isn't all that good at detecting the best HEPA air purifier.