When purchasing air purifiers you’ll often see the word HEPA. So let’s take a look. What exactly is HEPA? Are there different types? What are the differences?
What is HEPA?
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. It is a standard defined and developed by the U.S. Department of Energy during the 1940s as part of their efforts to contain the spread of particles and contamination resulting from nuclear testing. This standard has since moved into the consumer market and has become commonplace for air purifiers.
To meet the HEPA standard, the filter must remove 99.97% or more of all particles which are 0.3 microns (micrometres) in diameter. In other words, for every 10,000 particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter, only three of them pass through.
The HEPA standard traps very small particles, many of which are invisible to the human eye and harmful to your health. To provide perspective for size, human hair is approximately 80-100 microns in diameter.
CAUTION: HEPA Type and HEPA Like
Unlike True HEPA, “HEPA Type” and “HEPA Like” filters fail the standard. These terms are essentially meaningless and are used in order to confuse consumers into purchasing lower quality filters and air purifiers. While it is variable what percentage of particles these filters do remove, it is certain that they do not remove 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns in diameter. These filters are less dense and thus unable to trap the smallest and most harmful particles.
So, in conclusion, there is either true HEPA or NOT HEPA. Always choose an air purifier that has a TRUE HEPA filter - it's that simple!
If you are concerned about the quality of the air that you breathe in your home please take a look at Vybra Solutions range of TRUE HEPA air purifiers - Click the 'Learn more' button for more info.
