The term HEPA has become synonymous with clean air. We hear about vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters that keep the dust particles from your carpets from floating back into your air. You may be aware of your office building have a HEPA filtration system because youve seen the maintenance crew come through and periodically change the filters. But do you really know what a HEPA filter is and does. This article should clear the air about what is fact and what is fiction as it relates to a HEPA air cleaner.
The HEPA Standard
First of all HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance. Any air filtration system that claims to contain a HEPA filter must be able to remove 99.97% of particulates larger than 0.3 microns in size from the air consistently. That is a high standard to follow and why the places with the most critical air quality requirements rely on HEPA filters. This high rate of filtration can also never dip below the 99.97% to maintain true HEPA quality.
Another distinguishing feature of HEPA filtration is that once the air particles are trapped into the filer, they cannot be allowed to re-enter the air. A HEPA filter is removed and washed or...